growling and puffing

[Safi]

Not sure how to describe the subject.

Safi is usually fairly timid around things that rattle (like tarps in the wind), but occasionally she will challenge the source of the noise. The first time I noticed was when  pinecone fell out of a tree and she didnt know what it was .. she started to puff/huff through her mouth and a low growl. Last night it was a neighbor clapping his hands to get his dogs attention and she could hear it through the bedroom window. She full stood up and started the puff/huff and growl at the noise.

The question is .. is this something that should or could be corrected.. and how do you? It would be pretty handy if there was someone in our back yard that shouldnt be there

Any idea what the puffing/huffing is about? The RR version of a bark warning?

Steve

[melissap]

Hi Steve,
While I can confirm my RR does the same huff/puff/low woof - I do not think this is exclusive to Ridgebacks per say. RR's are alert and vocal when they feel a situation warrants it.

Personally, I allow a couple of barks to alert me; but if it is something that I do not feel warrants more vocalization - I will let her know that is enough.

I would continue to socialize her to new things, noises and situations on a regular basis. You want her to be confident and it sounds like she is thus far!

Melissa

[Keeper]

Good advice Melissa
In addition this is the best time to teach her to "LISTEN - What IS that?"  for just such time as you mentioned Steve.  Teaching her to alert, listen and the amount of barks that you allow is an excellent exercise, IMO. 
She is giving you the behavior - Mark the behavior and reward that behavior. 

[Safi]

Thanks for the great advise Sarah and Melissa, I will certainly take the opportunities as they come as a training exercise. So far the only time she barks is when she is playing with her toys in combination with needing to go potty.

Steve

[Keeper]

LOL my name is Sandra...but Sarah is also one of our Moderators. 

[Safi]

LOL my name is Sandra...but Sarah is also one of our Moderators. 

My Apologies Sandra See what lack of sleep does to me

[Jenn09]

I know I'm late in the topic but I'm hoping to revisit it.  I know Safi is from the smae litter as Ripley so I felt I should add something.

Ripley is now 17 months and has started this habit of doing a low growl with the huff and puff to strangers that appear out of no where (ie: climbing on rocks at the beach and she didnt notice a stranger approaching from the other way or when we lived downtown and a stranger would approach in the dark....even this morning when I got up and went outside the cottage and through a thin tree line our neighbour, who Ripley has met lots of times, the gave a solid low growl at her).  Personally, this is a concern to me.  Oh!  AND she only does it with me!  My husband didn't beleive me until he was with me and Ripley did it.  My inlaws walk her, babysit her and she never does it....I take it as shes protective of me.  I've heard ridgebacks are 1 person dogs....but really?! 

As soon as I say "No" or give a tug at the leash she stops.  Should I be worried about this?  Has Safi intensified?  I know there's the whole "alpha dog" stuff...but honestly, she's a suck and I could steal her food and she'd just look at me.  Shes obidient to most commands (except recall  ).  She's allowed on couches and only at the cottage she's allowed to sleep in the bed (only because in the winter it's not heated very well).  Any suggestions would be great in this case because this seems to be occuring way more often! 

[rrbylexus]

Jen,

Why is this concerning to you?  If it's a low growl and puff, she is just communicating to you that something might be up.  Pay attention to her and then give her direction, either the person is "ok" and she should stop the growl or if the person isn't "ok" the continuation of the growl would be appropriate.

I see no need for alarm or concern from the actions you have describe.  Your dog is doing her job....

Pam

[CA in TO]

Our response is to say "Thank you" and then identify the object or sound. "that's a duck!" or "neat hat!"
Unless, as Pam said, if it's a not okay thing and then we say "Good Mark"

If it continues longer than desired or is to us "inappropriate" then we tell them "enough"

[TDprange]

Mine does someething like this but pretty much only with other dogs in the neighborhood.  She even does it premptively as we approach houses that have dogs, or this street intersection at the top of a hill that gets a lot of dog walking traffic.  She doesn't growl so much as she puffs and breaths real heavy.  She almost sounds like what a person breathing on a SCUBA regulator sounds like.  Or a little Darth Vader-ish for those of you that have never been diving.  If you are wondering, she has never been attacked by a dog in the neighborhood.  She does all this even when there is nothing there.  It obviously escalates if a dog is actually there and it takes a lot of effort to keep her under control.

Interestingly enough she pretty much only reacts this way about dogs.  I've yet to see a person that she reacts negitively towards.  With people, the worst thing that she will do to you is ignore you.

Trent

[Safi]

Hi Jen,

    Safi still only does it on occasion. She has only ever growled directly at some guys walking out of the woods at the dog park once, but she was fine when I went up to see them. She has growled and puffed at her own reflection in a basement window and recently she did the growl/puff thing at my niece when she was getting ready for work at 4am in the morning and sneaking around the kitchen with the lights turned off For the most part I take it as her just trying to warn me that she has seen something out of the ordinary. Oh .. and she consistantly growls/puffs at our neighbors cat who comes over to pee on our bay window windowsill.

  I really really wish I had been able to get a video of this situation last month. neighbor outside trimming his hedge and you could just barely see him through our guest bedroom window. Cat was in the bedroom growling at the neighbor .. Safi was in the doorway just staring at the cat (probably wondering what the heck the cat was doing growling)

As it stands .. I am really really glad she is not like other dogs in the neighborhood that bark alot when they want to warn thier owners

Steve

Steve

[Jenn09]

Ok, I'm strarting to see it from the "other" perspective.  Once she growls and I say enough or "It's ok!"  or "Who's that!" In an excited voice..she does stop.  I guewss my parents just had a dog when I was younger that was as passive and loving as Ripley as a pup but turned really aggressive later on...just a fear.  Thanks for all the reassurance but any other opinions are still welcome!