How To Stop An Affenpinscher Dog Growling
The Affenpinscher, which is a German name meaning Monkey-Terrier, is a toy breed that is full of life. This dog full-grown weighs between 8 and 10 pounds but acts much more like a big dog. Affenpinschers are fiercely loyal to their family but tend to have mischievousness about them. Their hair is wiry and needs brushing particularly around the head, chest, and underarm. These dogs are good in apartments because of their small size. They can be live happily with children if the children are taught the correct way in which to lift the small breed.
While the Affenpinscher is an intelligent breed, puppies and dogs that display growling, other than in play must be corrected before it turns into biting. It is important not to punish your pup for the behavior since dogs respond to positive reinforcement much faster. Negative reinforcement only makes your dog afraid of you, so never spank you dog.
If you find your puppy or dog growling as if he is about to bite, ask yourself why she is growling, this is the first step in stopping such a behavior before it gets out of hand. Knowing the reason for the growling will help you to know how to address the problem. For instance, a dog growling at your guests when they arrive is more serious than the dog growling while looking through the living room window at the mailman delivering the mail.
Dogs that growl at guests do so because they have not been socialized properly. This can easily be corrected by taking your dog to several different places where they are allowed to see and smell different people. Take several treats your dog likes with you and every time he does not growl at a person, praise her and offer a treat. Soon, the behavior clicks in the dogs mind that growling is not an acceptable behavior and that by not growling, there is a reward.
Sometimes an Affenpinscher puppy or dog may display growling when they feel threatened. Therefore, if your neighbor or even your own child is teasing the dog, the person doing so is needs to be stopped immediately. You can then use positive reinforcement with your dog or puppy directly with the person that had been taunting the dog.
It is important to realize if you have a dog that has displayed growling for a number of years, it will longer to undo then if you have a 9-month old puppy displaying growling.
One way to ensure your dog does not develop a growling behavior is to socialize him early. If you bring your Affenpinscher puppy home when he or she is 8 weeks old, take the puppy everywhere with you once they are acclimated to their new environment; this will get him used to different people, sounds, and smells. It will lessen the likelihood that the dog will ever display growling behavior. If you already have a dog displaying the behavior, than positive reinforcement is key in stopping the growling. When the dog stops growling, he gets a treat if he growls he gets no treat.