What should I do with my min pin?
I have a 3 year old min pin. He growls and barks at everyone who comes to our house. If they pet him he gets attached to them and acts like they belong to him. He gets very upset and growls and barks when they leave. He growls and barks at EVERYONE who walks by our fenced yard. He barks and growls at me when I go upstairs and he can’t follow (I have a gate up so my 1 yr old does not take the stairs by herself). He just freaks out about everything. I have to keep him separated from my 3 year old son because they get too rough with each other. He has nipped at him but it was because he was being provoked. He also tries to mount my son sometimes, which makes me mad. Some people are scared of my dog because of the way he behaves, so I usually don’t have anyone over. I’ve considered getting rid of him but my husband does not think we need to. I have 2 kids, I’m pregnant, what to do with this poor dog?
9 Comments on “What should I do with my min pin?”
He needs to be properly trained. Some dogs were bred to bark, such as hounds and guarding type dogs. However, getting a sporting dog is no guarantee against a barking problem. Almost all breeds have some tendency to engage in alarm barking, although there is a great variation among individuals.
Physical need – The dog is hot, cold, hungry, thirsty, or has to eliminate. Barking is the dog’s way of requesting that you accommodate one of these needs.
Emotional need – The dog is bored, anxious, or excited. Barking can be a request for attention, or a compulsive behavior resulting from a frustrated need for social and mental stimulation. — This sounds like him, he as a bit of separation anxiety —
What can you do?
Barking is one of the most difficult canine behaviors to modify. It is a "self-reinforcing" activity for the dog, which means that the act of barking is its own reward in many instances. But there are steps you can take to minimize barking. Analyze the conditions in which the barking problem occurs and try some of the following techniques:
1. Don’t park your dog in the backyard. Dogs are highly social animals and have an intense need to be with their "pack." Dogs left outdoors are very prone to developing barking problems.
2. Make sure your dog’s physical needs are met.
3. Increase play and exercise so your dog will be less bored and may sleep more. Enroll in a training class to build your dog’s confidence and emotional control.
4. Do not reinforce anxiety-induced barking or whining by comforting the dog or talking to him in a soothing voice. Talk to him, take him out of his crate, pet him, and play with him only after he is quiet for at least a few seconds.
5. If you have been "giving in" to your dog by letting him out of his crate when you can’t stand the barking any longer, be aware that you have strongly reinforced him to bark to be released from his crate. This behavior will get worse before it gets better, as the dog now thinks he need simply try harder to get what he wants. If you hold out, eventually the dog will give up. Wait for a lull in the barking and praise him quickly before opening the crate.
6. Do not try to correct or punish your dog for barking. This would only increase her anxiety.
7. Prevent the dog from seeing or hearing things that trigger barking. This is actually the simplest solution. If your dog barks at passersby or vehicles, find some way to block your dog’s view (keep the drapes closed, confine the dog to another part of the house, etc.). The goal is to modify the environment so that you remove the stimulus to bark.
8. Socialize your dog to new experiences. Take her lots of places and praise her for appropriate behavior. Expose her very gradually to sights or sounds that seem to cause her to bark. Reward her for being quiet and relaxed.
9. Train an incompatible behavior, so you can give your dog a command to do something else instead of barking. Your dog could fetch a toy or come to you and sit when the doorbell rings, for example. Consult a behaviorist or trainer for instructions.
STOP THE BEHAVIOR WHEN IT HAPPENS !!!
I say get rid of him. Min pins have way to much energy and are very very very very very very very very very very very annoying. So give him away.
It sounds like he needs some basic obedience training, and to be put in his place in your household "pack." He is behaving like the pack leader (the mounting, a sign of dominance over your child, the possesivness/protectiveness) which you or your husband should be. There are many ways to go about dealing with this, but I’d suggest a basic obedience course and some reading on dominant behaviour.
Part of his acting out may simply be due to the fact that he needs more attention. It sounds like you have a busy home, so if you cannot provide the attention, you may want to look into rehoming him. (http://www.minpinrescue.org can help you if you need it.)
(Also, in regards to your 3 year old, children and dogs should never be left unsupervised. Children do not understand that the way they act is often threatning to dogs, and can provoke them to bite defensivley.)
Good luck!
This is typical behavior for a Min Pin. Because of their small size, they tend to overcompenste and become pseudo aggressive.
If you decide to get rid of him, I would suggest finding someone who is experienced with Min Pins for the animals sake.
If you have the time and some extra cash. Take him to obedience school. You will be surprised how many people put their dogs through classes to make them behave.
It sounds like your Mini Pin is competing for attention. You know how much time is needed for your children and then there is time for your husband and then friends too – There probably isn’t much time left for your Mini Pin.
I would not give up on him yet. He has potential to be a great dog I am sure of it.
You should get your dog fixed. This should stop the mounting of everything.
If I owned a house now – I would take the little guy off your hands. But I don’t think you need to give him away.
Training, Training, and more Training… That is my answer to you…
Todd
He needs to be trained. The barking is him protecting his domain, and it sounds like he doesn’t want anyone to leave once they become his buddy, and when you go up the stairs he doesn’t want to be alone, but the barking at everyone that goes by would have to stop. Have you thought about buying a shocker collar? Oh, and the mounting thing is a dominance thing. It is a normal thing for him to do. I understand that it makes you mad, but it’s nothing personal with the dog. Good luck.
in the Miniature Pinscher this attitude is somewhat normal when not socialized properly. A working breed dog which to date still maintains much of the inherit abilities, it is very energetic and needs to wear off this energy daily. Miniature Pinschers are never recommended with small children due to what you have experienced, nipping. This can lead to biting. Territorial and guard oriented is normal in this breed therefore barking at strangers should be expected. Calming down once they deem there is no more threat is also normal. Threat re-occurs when the individual gets up or moves around or in the case described,leaves. Obedience training sometimes works but note that this breed was created to perform a specific function without human intervention. To this day they still have a tendency to not respond that well when directed, especially if doing what it feels is normal. Breaking him of this can be a little difficult but the key word with this breed is "patience". Good luck.
I have a few questions about this. First, has your pin always had this behavior? Which came first, the pin or the children? It definitely sounds as if your pin has control of the house. It is his house and he is allowing you all to stay there. This can all be controlled with proper obedience training, and some good old fashioned, "I am the owner and you are the dog" training. Pins can become agressive and are not often suggested for a home with very small children because of this, among other things. That being said, please don’t give your loyal pin away without trying to correct the behaviors first. Try this website- http://www.minpinrescue.org-for info on the breed and training suggestions.