What do I do :(?

I just got in from walking Cagney. We met a nice women with a pug puppy, Cagney was really excited to go see the puppy. The owner bent down to pet him and he started to snarl, well there wasn't really any noise but he made the little "face". I apoligized and the lady seemed okay with it but I sure wasnt. I don't know if he was growling at the lady or the pug since they were both right there, but what could of caused him to feel so threatened. He has always been a bit of a grump with dogs but he was so excited to see those two I thought it wold be okay. What should I do when this happens? Should I be punishing Cagney by saying No sternly? I don't know what to do!?

Maybe she had a scent on her that he didn't like?

When Jesse barks at people, I don't want to tell her no, because what if a stranger comes into our yard, etc.

I guess when I am right there I would give her a stern no and immediately would bring her back home. I haven't had that problem yet though.

Good luck!-Steph and Jes

It might look scary, but I'm pretty sure Cagney was snarling at the puppy and not the lady... especially if he's never done that before. Gonzo has done it before, and its embarassing and I apologize but there is a lot in dog body language that we dont' see or understand.

Most of the time when we approach another person and dog and talk to them, the dogs sniff each other, then go to check out the people. Either the puppy could've been jumping on Cagney and he was just warning him, or the puppy could've been tense when another dog greeted his human and Cagney might have sensed that. When we're out, I have to make Gonzo sit and wait when I say hi to a dog, because I know if a dog jumps on me and Gonzo is in between us he will get super-snarky at them. He's also greeted dog owners before and their dog got really pushy, so he growled at the dog but the owner thought he was growling at them. You just have to read your dog and make sure you correct them, or don't put them into a situation where they feel cornered or threatened. Just because Cagney was excited about meeting the puppy doesn't mean he wanted to play with the puppy, or he would tolerate the puppy jumping all over him.

Cagney could've also been snarling at the lady because he felt his space was being invaded. Most dogs, especially small pups, hate it when people bend right over them and pat their head. It's threatening and can suprise some dogs and cause them to snarl, even if they don't really mean it. Solve that by asking people to kneel in front of (NOT over) Cagney and pet him on the chin, shoulder, or side of his head :)

Always let your dog know when you are comfortable with a newcomer. Pet them, while saying hello to the newcomer and your pet will learn when YOU feel safe - your behavior will let them know that it is okay. Dogs will protect their own and do sense when you are uneasy (not that you were). I would just get in the habit of letting my dog know when things were okay - trained dogs are VERY keen and usually a better judge of character than we are.

hi :)

sorry cagney embarrassed you! hmm, excited but snarled? when he snarled, did he looked at the lady or the pup?

yes, you should jerk the collar simple and quick, say a command. and have him sit, then praise with a few strokes or a treat of his choice. try to have this person pet.

yeah, this could be because of cagney got scared when a person bend down but this is something he needs to learn to be nice if you want to keep the walks. was this the first time? if you don't know, try have your friend or someone do the same and see, ...if he doesn't do that again, it's probably was cagney's supense-sense.

just make sure you don't encourage him snarl more.

Could it be possible that Cagney was smiling to the lady?

Smiling is not a natural behavior for dogs but some do it because they have noticed their human does it, so they mimic them.

A former neighbour of mine has a dog who smiles. It looks as if she is growling, but she only does it when she's happy and she only makes the growling face, no growling sound.

Smiling? That is so neat! I can easily believe that, dogs are more brilliant than some people give them credit for!

Steph and Jes