Purchased a 3 year old neutered male rough coat Jack Russell Terrier from a breeder that had been returned to him.
Reason for return to breeder: Owner said this dog was fighting with other dogs over food. Note that she fed them all from only one bowl.
Background:
According to breeder, the previous owner fancied herself a dog rescuer. Had many dogs of different breeds and fed them all from one bowl. Also owner viewed as being mean toward the dogs by the breeder.
Dog (Pirate, 3 years old)was delivered here on July 4th, 2013.
My mother (94) and I (65) live on one acre in the country with about 1/4 of the backyard (1/4 acre) securely fenced.
Problem: Pirate has accepted myself as the pack leader but at times seems to fear my elderly mother.
My mother has basically been just ignoring him and allowing him to sniff her but has not tried to touch or pet him. He will go to her when called and she can hand feed him a treat. But when she is sitting and watching television or sometimes when walking down a hallway, he will watch her and sometimes begin to growl. It sometimes escalates to where he will try to charge at her but I have kept him on a leash so I can control that and keep my mother safe. When he does this I say "No" and then take him to his crate. My mother just stays calm and still. I do not know if something about my mother is reminding him of past treatment from his former owner. I have noticed he seems to cower a bit at some of her gestures and movements. Any advice on correct way to handle such a situation. Have not yet purchased the obedience DVD as needed a new roof on house and car currently in the garage for repair so money suddenly a bit tight for right now.
Any advice/suggestions on correct way to handle this would be much appreciated.

is mom capable of doing some basic OB with him ?

is the dog crate trained , and if not , are you prepared and planning to do so ?

as for management , i wouldn't allow that situation to occur . you've only had him for about a month , i'd say he hasn't earned the right to full run of the house .

he's either in a crate , ex-pen or inside / outside engaged in some activity with either you or mom .

and just to play devils advocate , do you have a refund policy with the breeder ?

Sue, Does your mother walk using a cane or walker?

If your mom is capable, I second the advice of having her work with him a bit here and there. One thing you can do is having her help train him or run him through things he knows to earn a meal. Then you could do the same for the next meal. It might help to establish that she is in charge of the specific meal, but it can also help to change up the routine.

Dogs tend to fall in love with the people who feed them.

I think Tammy's question about a cane or walker is a good one. Some dogs react to walking aids or even just differences in gait- like shuffling. That's why it's a test point on the Therapy Dog test. (Toni reacts strongly to the sound of flip flops flipping- she tries to grab them.)

Dogs read body language and there may be something that your mother is projecting without knowing it. My dogs can read me like a book and will respond to unspoken cues that I am often not aware that I am giving- for example, downcast eyes, head down, heavy or slow gait will tell my dogs that I am sad about something and they will react to it.

I would pay attention to the environment when the dog gets growly or aggressive. There may be subtle clues given off that are threatening to him. Become a student of body language (it's actually very interesting once you get into it)

Since you don't know what exactly the dog is reacting to, I think I would keep interactions between the dog and your mother very limited and very short. All interactions should include high value treats, and should be positive in every way.

Rather than doing OB, I think I would have your mother work on marker training simple tricks with the dog. I would avoid OB as eventually corrections may have to be used, and at this point, we don't want your mother giving the dog corrections (it's also BORING!!!). Marker training a trick would be a positive correction-free fun game for the dog and your mother. Sessions can be limited to just a couple of minutes until there is a bond established.

Are you familiar with Marker Training? It really helps to build a positive bond with the dog, and I think it will really help here. There are lots of free videos on this site that can help you with the concept of marker training.

Good luck!!

Not sure if you have other dogs in the house, but how about when your mom walks past the pup she just tosses a treat to it. She doesn't pet, train or do anything else Just get it thinking, "mom means good things."
I can understand why the dog is fearful. It seems it has gone from the breeder to a different home, to now your home. GIve it some time. I would not expect any obedience work with it. I would charge the mark, and develop a relationship with the dog slowly, very slowly.
My Cody man is a parson Russel mix and he is very emotional and intense. He needs time, and when given it has a wonderful little dog heart.
How about playing some games with the dog and give it some time. You can train you dog with games. Recall games, fun things, and let the dog relax.
Then reassess the situation. Your dog doesn't know you or what you may do to him, and you do not know what already has been done to him, ( if I read your post correctly)
Just my thoughts. Sharon and her pups. Cody is the one on the far right- the little black pup.

I hope that the O.P. will confirm or rule out the walker, cane, etc., because while all these posts have great suggestions, a walking aid will also require branching out in specific desensitizing. This is upbeat, rewarding, fun work, and we can guide you through it.

Funny, Tammy, but that was the first thing that came to my mind, too.

In the work that I do with Caterina going to nursing homes and such to visit the elderly, I've noticed there are a LOT of things a dog will come accross when spending time with an elderly person that they may not have encountered before.

Facial muscles that are not responsive due to a stroke or other neuro problem may confuse a dog- as well as tics or tremors. The first time Cat met a stroke patient with partially paralyzed facial muscles it confused her. She cocked her head and it took her a minute before she would approach.

My dog Drift will act different when she is around someone with low blood sugar- she can smell the changes. She has never been trained to alert, but when she smells low sugar levels she will act confused and whiny, almost obnoxious. Some dogs could act aggressively towards a smell they don't understand.

Many dogs also react to changes in mental state. My dog Toni had a friend once that had dementia. Most of the time he seemed fine and Toni loved him, but he would occasionally have "dementia rages" and Toni could always tell when one was going to start and she would move away from him.

I'm not implying that the OPs mother has any of these things, but I think it's important to think about these things when one brings a dog into the home of an elderly person. What we take for granted and understand, the dog may have never been exposed to. Many dogs act out when confronted with something they don't understand.

 Quote: Kelly

In the work that I do with Caterina going to nursing homes and such to visit the elderly, I've noticed there are a LOT of things a dog will come accross when spending time with an elderly person that they may not have encountered before.

Facial muscles that are not responsive due to a stroke or other neuro problem may confuse a dog- as well as tics or tremors. The first time Cat met a stroke patient with partially paralyzed facial muscles it confused her. She cocked her head and it took her a minute before she would approach.

My dog Drift will act different when she is around someone with low blood sugar- she can smell the changes. She has never been trained to alert, but when she smells low sugar levels she will act confused and whiny, almost obnoxious. Some dogs could act aggressively towards a smell they don't understand.

Many dogs also react to changes in mental state. My dog Toni had a friend once that had dementia. Most of the time he seemed fine and Toni loved him, but he would occasionally have "dementia rages" and Toni could always tell when one was going to start and she would move away from him.

I'm not implying that the OPs mother has any of these things, but I think it's important to think about these things when one brings a dog into the home of an elderly person. What we take for granted and understand, the dog may have never been exposed to. Many dogs act out when confronted with something they don't understand.

 Quote: Sue Sulkowski

Purchased a 3 year old neutered male rough coat Jack Russell Terrier from a breeder that had been returned to him.
Reason for return to breeder: Owner said this dog was fighting with other dogs over food. Note that she fed them all from only one bowl.
Background:
According to breeder, the previous owner fancied herself a dog rescuer. Had many dogs of different breeds and fed them all from one bowl. Also owner viewed as being mean toward the dogs by the breeder.
Dog (Pirate, 3 years old)was delivered here on July 4th, 2013.
My mother (94) and I (65) live on one acre in the country with about 1/4 of the backyard (1/4 acre) securely fenced.
Problem: Pirate has accepted myself as the pack leader but at times seems to fear my elderly mother.
My mother has basically been just ignoring him and allowing him to sniff her but has not tried to touch or pet him. He will go to her when called and she can hand feed him a treat. But when she is sitting and watching television or sometimes when walking down a hallway, he will watch her and sometimes begin to growl. It sometimes escalates to where he will try to charge at her but I have kept him on a leash so I can control that and keep my mother safe. When he does this I say "No" and then take him to his crate. My mother just stays calm and still. I do not know if something about my mother is reminding him of past treatment from his former owner. I have noticed he seems to cower a bit at some of her gestures and movements. Any advice on correct way to handle such a situation. Have not yet purchased the obedience DVD as needed a new roof on house and car currently in the garage for repair so money suddenly a bit tight for right now.
Any advice/suggestions on correct way to handle this would be much appreciated.

Two things spring immediately to mind:

A. Besides a walking aid used by your mom (and/or, no offense, "old person odor")...

B. IMHO, this dog needs some strict "Groundwork" protocol, available for FREE right here:

http://leerburg.com/pdf/packstructure.pdf