Dog growled at my brother?

my puppy is 8 months old and when my little brother was home from college yesterday he and my husband were in the back room hanging out and my dog didn't know he was there, so when my brother started comming down the hallway toward us my dog got really stiff and started growling and it actually scared my brother he moved really slow and we encouraged my puppy to go see him and after about five minutes my brother was petting him but he still peed on the floor. he's normally really great with people and other animals. i try to take him everywhere to socialize him and my dog has met my brother before and didn't have this issue, infact we spent the whole day with him the day before. do you think my dog was just caught off guard? what could be his issue?

joanie- we didn't yell because we wanted my dog to feel safe not scare him more and encourage his fear. and he's a malamute cross

Now thats a good dog...protecting you on his own. Yes he was caught off guard but now u know now he will alert u when someone is around who he doesn't know...purrfect. With me Cody was shy with people at first. But when he would see me hug people ..he was totally cool after that. They do take on your attitude and body language. I was having a bad physical day yesterday and my pup would not leave my side...NOT even for a walk with my husband.

Shep/wolves are more dog like.. My shep/wolf was a GREAT protectpor NO one could touch me ..not even a handshake unless I told Chewy ..its ok. He was always so protective of me...now My Cody which has 2 breeds of wolves Artic/Timber are more inquisitive and analyze what is going on in that moment.
Don't ever yell at a hybrid...its hurts their feelings ..deeply. they hate to be shunned ..Cody will run to bed and not come out till u get him..silly dog.
My hybrids eyes are so full of intelligence. The first time people see him they say ..his eyes are so full of expression its like looking into a humans eyes...is he a shep...No I say a wolf hybrid..
have to b very careful who u tell u have a hybrid to. People suck at what they don't understand.

Also I have never told my dog to GO TO BED..
the only time I yelled at him is cause was peeing on my foot..he chose to go to bed. I never yell at a dog or any animal.. they sense u just fine.

animal if treated with love and respect ..
remember they are an animal first,treat them as one.
dog second, a companion
and third a pet..some one u will love protect and cherish no matter what..

If he's normally good with people, I'd say he was just caught off guard because he didn't know your brother was there.

Your dog probably thought that there was a stranger on his territory, and he was protecting him and his family. It's understandable, and may be a good quality in case there actually is a stranger in the house you don't want there.

I would recommend that from now on, you have all your guests greet your dog when they come over, so that he knows they're here. Continue to socialize your puppy with everyone and new situations.

Has this dog been through puppy classes? If not, it's time for obedience training -- this can only help, and may prevent this behavior (whether it be fear or full-on aggression) from progressing.

If you need pointers on locating a training club, just ask.

ADD:

The peeing is "submissive urination." All in all, it sounds like your dog may need more socialization. Training will help with socializing too.

Good luck.

The puppy growled because he was startled at the presence of the "stranger." He was only defending his turf. The peeing was an act of submission, meaning, "Don't mind me, I submit to your authority as a higher-ranking member of the pack."

Our pup would growl at his reflection in the glass door, thinking it was an invading dog. The last "intruder" he growled at was the rug shampooer we rented -- he had never seen that before and didn't know what the heck it was but it could have been DANGEROUS.

Your pup was caught totally off guard and reacted before engaging his nose and recognizing your brother.

It sounds like your pups pack members reacted appropriately (not over the top, angry, loud, etc.) and your dog figured out who the "intruder" was.

All is well. It is a fairly common occurrence with dogs....engaging bark mode before sensing the familiar.

Cheers!

Your brother might have moved towards the dog too quickly. He might not have recognized your brother. He might have thought your brother was threatening him. Your puppy is still little so everyone could be threatening him. I hope you find the answer you need. Good luck raising your puppy.

he's at the age he noticed your brother was different. very normal but keep socializing him so he gets over his fear of strangers. You don't want him biting little brother next visit. Be good to him he deserves the best from you, and socializing sounds like he needs. Good Luck!

sometimes these more high strung dogs are more easily surprised. Hiro didn't know your brother was in the house?
i would, in the future, make sure he greets everyone you invite in.

He put on a territory-guarding reaction before he recognised who it was...he's only young and only met your brother once. Maybe next time your brother should call to the dog when he arrives.

well, looks like he got scared and was shocked and embarressed(when he peed on the floor) I wold say just train the dog to be better around ur bro and let the dog get used to him

Sounds like the pup was just caught off guard and startled. I wouldn't worry unless it happens again.

He was probably just startled. I wouldn't worry about it, since he let your brother pet him.

Please edit and give the breed (Or Breeds) of dog that he is.

Meanwhile, ANy animal, Including humans, are capable of being startled by another being. It's most likely that the dog did not figure that your brother was in the house in the first place and this caused a startle reaction.

The problem is that you all praised the dog rather than reprimanding him for aggressing inside your home at a welcomed guest! Now your dog may become more and more fearful (The aggressive reaction was his fear showing)

If your dog reacts this way again, you should react in a way as if a human being had yelled at your brother, or your kid had yelled at your brother for coming down the hall, and make the dog leave the room, preferably to his bed. This is where I send my dogs when they misbehave, I tell them to "Go to bed!" They know that if they quiet down, they can come back in the room and sit and be with all the people.

The best thing that your brother could have done is to ignore the dog, not pet him and create the anxious peeing, the dog was simply fearful aggressing, the worst type, as this can lead to nipping out of fear and you must try to recreate this exact scene all over and banish the dog from the room. Allow your brother to take a seat, then if the dog has stayed in his bed past 5 minutes, you can call him back to the room. If he goes back up to your brother, have your brother ignore while the dog smells him, then have the brother tell the dog to Sit. If the dog reacts in an aggresive/fearful response, immediately banish him from the room again!!!

If the dog reacts correctly and sits on command, THEN and ONLY then, should your brother reach out and pet him. NEVER reward a dog by telling him it is OK by acting goofy! You will create a monster EVERY time!

EDIT: To "Reprimand" Is NOT to YELL. To tell a dog to "go to Bed" is not to YELL. If you can not reprimand a dog without yelling at it, then having a dog at all is not correct and a suitable home should be sought out for it.

Having a dog of this size and potential without learning canine behavior is bad for the dog since all he will get is mixed messages and eventually will be taken by the pound because he will use up his '3 bite' rule and end up waiting in line to be euthanised. That is the unfortunate thing for dogs of this size who get chosen by people because they want them for a status symbol.

"WHAT COULD BE HIS ISSUE?" his uneducated owners

As for the thumbs down: Bring them on, this is in direct proportion to all the dogs in shelters that people like you all RUINED with you praising behaviour when the dog is not warranting any praise at all. YOU ALL create the Pound Puppy, because you don't know any better and you give advice that might work for a human but will never work on a dog like a Mal. Aren't you all proud?

He was definitely caught off guard...if he didn't know your brother was in your house. He thought your brother was an intruder and went into protect mode.

Our dog did this once to my husband when he was out late and the dog and I had gone to bed. We had to turn the light on and calm her down because she went crazy like she was really going to bite him. Then she did it to me once when I was out late Christmas shopping...they just get startled sometimes.

As for the peeing...was it just a little tinkle or piddling? If so...then it was just a submission thing. He was probably just confused about the whole situation.

I wouldn't be worried about it at all. I think what happened is completely normal. You have a dog that will be there to protect in the case of an actual intruder.

Add...and it's probably best to have your dog greet anyone that comes in (that you allow in) so he knows the difference and isn't caught off guard.

Hi Shelby. I agree that the dog needs more socialization. I feel that you may remember this incident in a few months and get frustrated, because you didn't do more to solve the problem.
If you can, hire a positive trainer to help. He or she will show you how to desensitize and countercondition your dog so that he learns that the approach of a person means Really Good Stuff. An increase in confidence through positive training also means that the submissive urination will stop.
A vet visit is in order if behavior problems keep cropping up. A dog that doesn't feel well and cannot speak English still needs to let people know that he isn't feeling his best.
Good luck!

http://ccpdt.org/
to find a trainer

if it went to viste another family b4 u bought it it could have been abused

my chihuahua does the same thang to my brother