So here's the story. He did this a little around a year ago, but then stopped. Now he's been doing it for days.

Basically, Chip's growling at me almost non stop. If I go to pet him or play with him, he growls. Even if I just look at him he'll growl. It's a steady, long growl (all of his out breath). But, his body language is completely submissive. Tail down, head down, nervous yawning by the time I get frustrated with him. When I let him he comes over and puts his head so low it's under my chair. I'll tell him he's such a good dog and pet him for a while, then he'll start again.

I'm confused and frustrated, and I think he is too. It's one thing for my family to hate me, but now my dog hates me too. :confused:

:help:

Has he had his rabies shot?

No, my parents suck like that. When I get my license this month I'll be doing that myself. But I'm the only one he's acting weird towards.

(He's being nice again right now, but I know tomorrow he's gonna do it again.)

Uncharacteristic aggression can be a sign of rabies. So is drinking a lot of water. ...Wouldn't rule out the possibility.

Your dog probably doesn't know his social postition in the household,meaning he thinks you and family members are equal.
I was told by our dog trainer to spit in our dogs food, so the dog knows your scent as well as knowing your are above him. I feel this method works.
You probably need to tighten up on training as well. Lack of training plays a very important factor on agression.
It sounds like your dog has figured out that he can get negative atention as well.
I would also suggest that being a responsible owner is making sure that you can provide medical expenses, if you can't afford I would suggest calling different organization that will assist with the finances.If all options run out I would try to find someone that can afford the expenses of pet ownership, you can't relie on parents, having a pet is similar to having a child, everything you do affects your dog.Also I would like to add no only are you putting your dog at risk for diseases by neglecting shots your are also endangering other animals in neighborhood.I hope I didn't affend you but pet ownership has to be taken seriously. I'm sure you met no harm but it would be a shame if you dog got a disease that could have been prevented.

You mention he did it a year ago.
Some dogs, like some kids, keep testing the waters as they mature & need the boundaries set & re-established from time to time. How old is the dog & what type is he? As jade said he may be unsure of his social status & you may find that you need to re-assert your dominance as being the alpha of the pack.
I have never tried or heard of the spitting in food method, some nice gentle dominance exercises may have the desired effect too.
Good luck...

So here's the story. He did this a little around a year ago, but then stopped. Now he's been doing it for days.

Basically, Chip's growling at me almost non stop. If I go to pet him or play with him, he growls. Even if I just look at him he'll growl. It's a steady, long growl (all of his out breath). But, his body language is completely submissive. Tail down, head down, nervous yawning by the time I get frustrated with him. When I let him he comes over and puts his head so low it's under my chair. I'll tell him he's such a good dog and pet him for a while, then he'll start again.

I'm confused and frustrated, and I think he is too. It's one thing for my family to hate me, but now my dog hates me too. :confused:

:help:

What kind and how old is the dog? The reason I ask is that would play a major part in the advice a) I or anyone should give in regards to handling dominance issues b) it will play a part in what type of dominance issue techniques you should try to utilize.

It could also play a part in why the dog acts this way. Do you still live at home or are you just visiting for the holidays or whatever? There can be a lot of factors that contribute to this behavior including health issues.

He's 7, and is half rottweiler, half I think cattle dog. I live here.

He's 7, and is half rottweiler, half I think cattle dog. I live here.

First thing I would do is get him checked out and rule out physical ailments. After rereading it, your post does not sound like a dominace issue:
Basically, Chip's growling at me almost non stop. If I go to pet him or play with him, he growls. Even if I just look at him he'll growl. It's a steady, long growl (all of his out breath). But, his body language is completely submissive. Tail down, head down, nervous yawning by the time I get frustrated with him. When I let him he comes over and puts his head so low it's under my chair. I'll tell him he's such a good dog and pet him for a while, then he'll start again.

It sounds like he's telling you he doesn't want to be bothered. I don't know your home life and how he was raised nor how he is treated by other members of the household or for that matter yourself. However, it sounds like the main time he is growling is when "you" are trying to initiate play/ petting when he is not in the mood for it, but when he is in the mood he will come to you. I am not saying that is acceptable behavior, but if that is the case it could be an indication that he is in some sort of discomfort, hip dysplitia(sp) or some other joint problem. 7 is middle age for most breeds of dog, and like people in their 40's old injuries, and general body aches are more noticable than when we were in our 20's.

if you want to go into more detail you can pm me or send me an email
havocjohn@comcast.net I would however see about getting him a physical as soon as possible.

That's exactly the conclusion I came to this morning. He walked in, sat at me feet, and started shaking and growling. Something's really up :(

He has what we called a "diaper butt," he has extremely wide hips. Looked adorable when he was a puppy, but I've always worried that it could lead to something bad. Would that make him more vulnerable to hip problems?

That's exactly the conclusion I came to this morning. He walked in, sat at me feet, and started shaking and growling. Something's really up :(

He has what we called a "diaper butt," he has extremely wide hips. Looked adorable when he was a puppy, but I've always worried that it could lead to something bad. Would that make him more vulnerable to hip problems?
hd is genetic the size of the hips themselves is questionable, rotts are known to get hd though. This is one of those situations where a vet visit is going to be the only way to determine what was really going on.

If he is developing hd then the pain could be causing him to be growly. You should also have your vet run a thyroid panel--thyroid problems can cause growling and aggression.

I have a rottweiler mix, and it is extremely important that humans maintain dominance over this breed/mix. My other dog is a lab, but both are treated the same way. Before being given a treat, a toy, or even a meal, they have to obey a series of commands. As we prepare their meals, they must lay down and stay until we give the "okay". We vary the length of time, sometimes making them stay in the layind down positions for several minutes after their food is ready. This has a been a very effective way for us to establish dominance, and our rottie mix NEVER growls at or challenges us like she did when we first got her.

If you are not the one who feeds your dog, you should start, at least part of the time. Dogs learn to respect and submit to the people that provide them with food, shelter, etc.

I also think it could be something medical and you should take him to the vet as soon as possible. I had a cat who would pee everywhere & I thought it was just a behaviour thing and always yelled at him. One day he just collapsed and when we took him to the vet it turned out he had a medical condition causing him to do that. At that point though it was too late to help him.

Alright, I'm pretty sure at this point that it's a dominance issue. I think he almost bit me this morning. So I told him to lay down, we locked eyes and it was like a battle of wills for 5 minutes. I'm doing everything I know of to assert dominance, but my step mom's much of the problem herself, and I don't know how to approach the issue with her. He IS dominant over her. He tells her when to feed him, WHAT to feed him, when to take him for a walk, where they're going on walks, where he wants to lay on her bed, etc. To her, this is "love".

Also, her and I (and my whole family) have been on bad terms lately. I'm wondering if Chip maybe noticed that my pack ranking was faultering and decided to up himself? I'm the one that does his training, and I'm pretty much the only one that's consistent about not showing him he's dominant over me. So it irritates me that he's only acting this way towards me.

Any change in behavior like this, especially aggression, warrents a vet visit to rule out medical reasons for the problem. The is also a need for retraining. You can not control the behavior of the rest of your family and how they relate to your dog, but you can control yours. Since dogs do have the ability to recognize people as individuals, you can modify his behavior to you to restablish your dominance without worring about the rest of your family. Basically you are going to teach him that you are his leader and you can be depended on to take care of his needs, but he must obey you. If he requests attention, ignore him. Only if he is doing something else will he get attention from you. Have him do something on command before giving him anything (like make him sit, then give him a treat, if he is already sitting, make him lay down), this is his "learning to earn" what he likes. When you take him out, always use a leash, preferable with a gentle leader (available at many pet supply locations). Make him sit while you put the leash on and he is not to go through the doorway until you tell him to. When you feed him, he is to sit and wait to eat until you tell him it's ok after you put the bowl down and have backed away. He is not to sleep on your bed with you, but may have his own smaller bed in your room. If he is in your way, make him move no matter how comfortable he is. These may seem mean and overly controling to some people, but it makes dogs feel more comfortable that you dependable, reliable and trustworthy. They don't need to worry about what they need to do to get what they need, they know you will provide without their asking. A couple of thing you never want to do, either hit him as a punishment or pet/praise him while he is growling. Hitting teaches him not to trust you and petting/praise encourages the bad behavior. Finally, make sure he really is growling in a bad way, some dogs do things in a submissive or happy way that we interpret as a threat. He may just be moaning and really isn't trying to threaten you. Some dogs show their teeth in a smile that is done the same as a pre-bite snarl, but with the opposite meaning.
Good luck with him, I hope things improve for you.

The dog listener is a great book for learning to assert dominance over dogs, you could buy it/check it out from the library. I also agree that a vet visit is in order, if there is something medically wrong with him training won't fix it. If hes becoming agressive and bites someone when he doesn't have his shots there are not second chances. In my state your dog is either killed or you pay to have him quarantened (several thousand dollars).

my west highland terrier growls alot too.he has since he was a pup (he was also aggressive, biting,snapping etc.) - he had an undescended testicle,so he was neutered, after that got fixed i thought it would stop, but alas, it didn't! the aggression stopped but not the growling - we have now grown used to his 'grumpiness' he usually does it when he's tiered and doesn't want to be bothered.
maybe Chip is similar to Doogie & is just a bit of a grouch, but you should definately get him checked by a vet :)
good luck!