# Couch Guarding and Redirected Aggression



## Maxy24 (Mar 5, 2011)

Not towards us though, towards the cat. We used to have a problem with Tucker trying to play with Willie (smaller, meek cat) almost constantly and rather roughly. I've gotten that behavior to decrease significantly. But we have bigger problems now.

Tucker has turned his attention to Neko (larger more intimidating cat, used to intimidate Tucker). He guards the couch from him. It's not terrible over the top guarding though. What happens is I'm sitting on the couch and Neko comes to get on. Now Tucker might be on the couch or he might be across the room. If Tucker is on the couch you'll see his pupils dilate and a lot of the time Neko will notice too and decide not to come on. Other times Neko won't notice and he'll come to snuggle beside me and Tucker will lunge and snap at Neko. Since he has to lunge across me to get Neko I can usually stop him before he actually makes contact with Neko but Neko still get frightened, though he usually stays. When Tucker does make contact he doesn't bite or hurt Neko but he'll repeatedly snap at Neko until Neko jumps off, then he'll chase him. Usually Neko gets up high before Tucker catches him but sometimes he doesn't. Again Tucker doesn't hurt him but will tackle him and continue snapping. I have Tucker dragging a leash so we can usually grab the leash before he gets to Neko.

As I said he'll also see Neko get on the couch from across the room (again you'll notice his pupils dilate and he just gets the angriest face) and will run up to the edge of the couch and start lunging and snapping.

He will sometimes snap at Willie when he climbs on the couch but it's less frequent and very half hearted, his pupils don't dilate and he doesn't look angry.

Sometimes he'll go after Neko in this manner for what appears to be no reason. Neko will just be sitting on some piece of furniture and have been sitting there for a while when you'll just notice Tucker staring at him with that pissed off face and he'll just go after him.


Problem number two is when Tucker gets set off barking. He'll see something out the window or hear a knocking sound or voices and start barking. Then he goes after a cat. Again no harm done but it's loud and scary for both people and cats. And he doesn't just go after a cat if it's near him, he'll actually SEARCH for a cat to chase as soon as he starts barking. It's like he knows it will make him feel better to chase and bite the cats.


He also goes after them any time they try to play with each other. Luckily he's crated at night so they DO still play, however a lot of the time when Willie tries to play with Neko Neko will hiss (he didn't hiss prior to getting Tucker but started shortly after we got him). If Tucker hears Neko hiss he goes INSANE trying to get him. If I hold his leash he throws an all out screaming tempur tantrum. Same thing if I hold the leash when they are playing. He doesn't even have to see them. He was in the bathroom with me the other day when Neko hissed. Tucker started crying and barking at the door. If he hears the sounds of them playing (change in their footsteps, thump of a body hitting the ground) he runs to them. Again his main target is Neko but if Neko gets away he'll go for Willie.

Anyone have ideas on what to do about these issues? Especially the guarding and play police behavior. The redirection would be solved if the initial frustration can be solved (treats for not going berserk when he hears knocking or sees someone through the window) plus he usually doesn't pursue them too hard when he's redirecting because he has to run back to the window/door to watch or find the evil people (or imagined evil people because half the time he's going nuts because someone dropped something, put a drink down on the table with too much force, or banged a spoon again a pot to bang off extra sauce or batter), he just chases them from the room then turns and goes to the window. It's to the point now where if he barks or runs for any reason Willie hides under the coffee table.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

First of all, I would not allow Tucker on the couch, on the bed, or any other privileged areas. The longer he's allowed to do this, even when you're not home, the more it will become habit for him, thus making it harder to manage. 

Second, what is your reaction to all of these issues? I mean....what do you do when you see him guarding the couch? What do you do when he's trying to redirect his aggression onto the cats? Also, does he have jealousy towards the cats when you show them attention and not him?


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## Maxy24 (Mar 5, 2011)

Yes he's very jealous. Mom was giving him a complete rub down this morning (he was LOVING it) and Willie came and climbed on my chest. As soon as Tucker noticed he ran over. He didn't snap at Willie (as I said he mainly does this to Neko) but he got in my face and Willie left. In fact I think he's actually guarding me, not the couch. If I remember correctly the guarding didn't start until I came home for the summer. I don't know if making the couch off limits would help since he doesn't have to be on the couch to guard it, but in any case I don't think my family would be willing to make the furniture off limits. I'm not fond of the idea either. The only time he gets affection is when he's on furniture, my parents will not sit on the floor and he's too small to be pet while he's on the ground and they're on the couch.


Generally when he's guarding the couch and he'd ON the couch I notice he's going to do it before he does (by his facial expression) and I can put my hand on his collar and keep him from lunging. Once Neko settles down next to me Tucker calms down, it's WHILE the cat is getting on that he wants to go for him. If I don't notice before he goes for him I was making him get off the couch. But then he just runs over to where Neko is and stand on his hind legs and snaps at him from there. So I'm just starting to do time outs, it's too early to tell if it'll help anything.

When he's redirecting it's hard to do much. Now that he's dragging a leash most of the time I try to step on it so I can keep him from getting the cats but he's very fast and it's nearly impossible to stop him before he starts, he's usually already begun chasing them when he finally catch him. If the cat is lying on the couch or something when he starts barking I usually go to the cat and when Tucker looks at him I can say leave it and if he still tries to go for him I can block him and he runs off to either find the other cat or bark at the window/door some more. He listens if I'm next to the cat mostly because he knows I'll block him and there's no use in trying. He also knows he's faster than everyone in the house and if I'm not near the cat I can't stop him before he has a little fun.

I should also mention that the dog is very fearful of strangers and that fuels his barking at the window/knocking sounds. He thinks someone is coming. I don't want to further stress him out during these times by using any sort of scary punishment.


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