Zeus getting bossy/jelous?

zmchristopher

zmchristopher

Notable member
Hey again all.
Right this last couple of weeks Ive been having to watch Zeus with my daughter Lowri...
I think he thinks hes above her, he does certain things like rushes past her/pushes her about.. takes her dollys off her & things like that...
Now my daughters 2 so I can hardly teach her how to be alpha with him, so what can I do?
Hes never aggressive but knows he can do those other things when Ive got my back turned. little sod!
Also, Im not sure if its a jelousy thing, 2 nights ago I was sitting on the floor and my daughter wanted to sit on my knee, but Zeus comes n plonks his fat ass on me first, Honestly I feel like I have a son and daughter because of how they 'bicker' lol!
So please I need advice on how I can get Lowri the boss and not Zeus
xx
 
Yes, he's definitely trying to establish alpha with your daughter because she's smaller than him and he knows she isn't going to put her foot down. You're going to have to step in and make him respect her territory. If they're both going through a door at once, keep him on a leash and make him realize that he has to wait until everyone else goes through. That's something you'll have to keep working on until he gets that he has to respect all humans roles in the house, and when he's behaving with the leash, take it off and make him wait. Same goes with steps or anywhere else he wants to barge in and take control.

I don't have any little kids in the house so I can't give you and first hand tips, but I'm sure there are lots of others who have been though it, so they can give you a much better idea.

Wow I just noticed from your PitaPata that he's only one day younger than Albert. :)
 
Slap the kid and kiss the pup....or....is that the other way around????

:jk::jk: You'll need to interject here and make sure the furry butt knows who's who in the pecking order.

Cya
 
Questions - Is he neutered??? Has he had formal obedience training??? How much exercise does he get and that is not running around the back yard. All these things help. It is really better if you find someone there to help you train him and stop this issue NOW before she is hurt.

Dogs test their pack structure and they need guidance. When he approaches her step up and back him off. It is far deeper than just who goes through the door first. Keep him out of her room - he can't touch any of her things back him off. As stated put him on lead and do not leave them in the same room together not for a second.

I hope you can find a trainer locally to work you through this. It can become very serious and it must be addressed now and is better handled by someone who is there and can actually work with you on this.

Good luck and keep us posted. For now make her off limits to him until you find a trainer to work with you.
 
Honestly I feel like I have a son and daughter because of how they 'bicker' lol!
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As cute as that sounds, you really have to not think of Zeus as your son. It only makes him and your daughter 'equals' in your mind....even if just for a second. I know you believe your daughter is above him, but it's easy to fall into that son/daughter thing when we should be clearly making him D O G. lol It will be an effort on your part but another thing I like to do is to make an invisible barrier around your daughter that he cannot enter unless invited. That helps keep his distance from her face and toys. When I introduced Kali to my newest grandson, everyone was like, "Oooo, she's so good, let her kiss him." :eek::eek: I'm like, 'Um, NO. I don't think so.' There's no reason for her to be in his face! She should show respect by keeping her distance. Playing with her will come later. So for me it was just a Cesar tap and a No whenever she got close. She can sit at a distance and stretch her nose to smell, thats all.

Toys are harder. Children's toys are so much like dog toys! I have a hard time myself with Kali being puppy and the grandchildrens' toys. Hell, she even thought my daughter's fluffy slippers were a toy! She never bothered shoes, but these slippers were like a stuffy! lol So it was a matter of keeping at the children to pick up toys. But they are 4 1/2yo, not 2, so you may have more trouble with keeping up on that. It's not easy! :( Zeus is still quite young so interest in toys is high.

Also, Im not sure if its a jelousy thing, 2 nights ago I was sitting on the floor and my daughter wanted to sit on my knee, but Zeus comes n plonks his fat ass on me first,
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I would have gently removed Zeus, plonked my daughter down on my knee and kept him at a distance. Maybe give a toy in "exchange." :D But yea, daughter sits on knee, dog on floor. LOL Don't worry about his feelings being hurt. :rolleyes:
 
Suzan, he's only 15.5 weeks old so I'm sure he hasn't been neutered yet. :)
 
Thanks Jan I did not know - if he is only that old then he is just a rambunctous puppy and teaching him to do the above will stop it now and I do still recommend obedience training. He does not need a full physic evaluation but I would make it absolutely clear now that he must be gentle around her at all times.
 
You're still his leader/alpha so you tell him and show him that it is not acceptable to do that. I agree that entering a puppy class would be good for both of you guys. You could end up learning something new and the puppy will be better behaved and quite exhausted afterwards.
 
Yes your all very right, Starting tomorrow I will start afresh, Its a bit tricky in the house to keep them seperated, as in stopping him runnin past her, today i did put him on his lead in house but i dont feel it worked, he jus seen his bum about it n started wingin rollin over tuggin at lead. we've solved all the other problems we've had, the biting and all that but its just this one hes not getting. I wasnt strict enough when bringin him home that Lowri was a no go. I know that now. He doesnt go upstairs, he takes the few toys she has downstairs off her, which i take back and give him one of his...
Also while Im on the subject, I have one more question, I used to be able to look Zeus in the eye lately Ive done it and he goes biserk! he hates it barks like mad at me? whats that all about? dont say hes trying this dominance thing with me!?
Also Michele I try me hardest to stick to NILIF :)
 
Zoe he is maturing and getting more confident. What worked before may not work now. You need to up your assertiveness and not be talked into giving in to him. You need to have clear lines and boundries now as it will only get worse the next year (or more). Males can get very rambunctious when they become teenagers around 8 month so make sure you aren't having dominance issues now. Because your daughter is only 2 you need to keep on to of it the way the others describe in the above posts.

They do not get jealous. That is a human emotion, They get possessive however. So when he sat on you, he was claiming you. He can not be allowed to sit on your lap, and especially not have a paw or anything on your daughter if they sit on the couch together (if they do that). This will make him think he is above her. You may have to take some privileges away when he is testing the boundries. I don't know if you allow him on the furniture etc, but that would be something to take away when he is being a sod.

Good luck. :)
 
Clear lines is right and he should not be barking at you when you
look him in the eye. You should be able to look him in the eye..........
but he needs to look away first not you. Set the lines, let him know
what is acceptable and what is not.............your child and him are
not on the same level and neither are you, YOU ARE BOSS and he
needs to learn to respect your child as well.
 
Have you ever heard the saying when meeting a new dog don't look
them in the eye?........well it is a challenge.
 
That makes sense Katja,TBH I think Hes always done it but Ive never noticed/thought of a problem cause he was small, but now hes grown its obviously a problem. Lastnight I took away some privelegs He does not come on the furniture anymore and the barging in Ive had to make him sit and wait before going through any door, Ive also kept him in the kitchen this morning with back door open so he can roam and play, but when he came in living room I put him on his lead and kept him away from daughter... Does this sound like im making it clear to him?? Or what I should be doing?
And I will no longer 'baby' him like I have been.
The looking in the eye, 90% of the time I can do it without getting a reaction/he looks away... just those odd times if hes a bit wound up he'll start?
xx
 
If you do not have your dog in some kind of obedience training, I would strongly suggest doing that, he will continue to test his boundries with you and your daughter if not trained. You can usually find classes that last 30 minutes to an hour once a week. Then just dedicate short training sessions each day. These should only be 5 to 10 minutes since your puppy is still very young. Training can also be a one on one play session where you just play some tug or fetch. Only throw a ball when he is sitting calmly and giving you attention, same with playing tug, he only gets the tug if he is calm and giving you his attention. This will teach him that good things happen when he sits calmly and gives you his attention. Good luck, Happy training.
 
Zoe this is a very informative thread, thanks for posing the question! Marco is just a few weeks behind Zeus, so stuff like this is good to know because in 2 weeks Marco will be doing the same!! :eek:
 
Lol Ive made mild improvements with the Lowri & Zeus thing, Ive had him on his lead a fair bit indoors and woteva... ive taken away his priveleges but he certainly is not happy about it. Im sticking it out though, the only problem now is the way hes barking at me and challenging me but people Ive spoke to are reasuring me im already doing the right things and he WILL snap out of it. patience is a virtue! lol
 
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