My New Sheltie

S

sheltiegirl91

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Thanks for your inputs on how to make Max more playful. Me and my boyfriend think that he might have been abused and we are trying to get Max out of his shell..He loves to go outside and just run and he loves other dogs. We think that maybe a guy abused him because Max loves to sit in mommy's lap and play with mommy but when daddy comes home he is a little hesitant to run up to him and play with him. My boyfriend is trying to get max to warm up to him and its taking some time but we are trying. We haven't introduced him to treats yet because he is very picky about what he eats so we are going to take him to the pet store and try out a few things. Max also grunts and wines and shows his teeth at me sometimes. Does anyone know what that means. Shelties are extremely new to me. Also are shelties the jealous type because we also have a cat and when our cat comes up to us Max runs over to us also and wants attention.
 
Grunting, whining and showing teeth can have a number of VERY different meanings.

In what scenario does he make these noises?

Grunting when he's greeting you or when he's being petted usually means he's happy to see you or enjoying being touched by you. Whining when you come home can be excitement. But whining can also mean nervousness and anxiety, depending on the situation.

Showing teeth has a few meanings too. Aggression or warning are the ones that many people think of first. Us long time sheltie owners think differently of showing teeth :smile2:

Shelties are known to smile. They'll curl their lip up and show their teeth when they're being playful or mischievous. My two constantly show each other their teeth when they're playing but never actually bite each other.

Here is my favorite photo of Sadie smiling. I think she's around 5 months old here.

http://picasaweb.google.com/Ontario...key=Gv1sRgCMvUzITllqDT2QE#5205499546829334594

Here is another

http://picasaweb.google.com/Ontario...key=Gv1sRgCMvUzITllqDT2QE#5205499525354498098
 
As Ontario Sheltie says, the noises depend on the context....can you provide more detail.

And yes, Shelties can be possessive. Every morning, the boys fight over who gets to sit next to me in bed while I sip my morning coffee. They push, shove and generally step on each other to get closer to Mom. Never happens at bedtime (Indy sleeps at my feet, and Bacca sleeps beside me near my head)
 
My new sheltie contin.

Well with Max he smiles when ever i call him or if i am on the computer he just comes up to me and smiles in my face. He never does it to daddy though.

As for the grunting he does it when he is playing, when he is under the bed and I am trying to get him out whenever I pet him or when I am trying to play with him..he does it a lot and he whines at the same time.
 
Yes, shelties can be jealous--actually they are trying to decide who is Alpha dog, with you being the Alpha person, it is up to you to choose which one will be the leader over the other dogs. Try to pick the dog that you like most and especially behaves the way you want your dogs to do. That should be your Alpha dog. You can establish the order by which sheltie does everything first, all the other animals get equal time, but after your lead dog.

That would be the first to get petted, the first to be fed (with the other dog plates being put down immediately after your alpha dog), first dog to get in the car, the dog that is in front of the other dogs when you walk. Dogs will establish their own order if you don't help show them the way you want it to be, but sometimes they will pick the worst behaving dog to lead them and then you have a mess.

Sounds to me like your new sheltie, Max, is a little timid and will take a while to be comfortable with all of you. Once you find a treat that Max likes, have your boyfriend feed him treats whenever he comes close to your boyfriend, then eventually change it to that Max gets a treat when he is in your boyfriend's lap. You will need to slowly eliminate treats for those things.

Everyone is right that we need to know how he shows his teeth, before we know why, but shelties are often timid to start with, so he might just be a little afraid too. Give him time and I'll bet he comes right out of it.
 
Him being backward around your boyfriend does not mean he has been abused. It's fully possible he just has not been exposed to men, and/or has not been socialized much. Socialization is so important with shelties. They can become quite shy when not well socialized
 
As for the grunting he does it when he is playing, when he is under the bed and I am trying to get him out whenever I pet him or when I am trying to play with him..he does it a lot and he whines at the same time.
Click to expand...

When Buffy grunts it usually means she is happy. She often grunts when I pick her up when I get home from work. Sometimes she grunts in a kind of good-natured grumbly way.... like first thing in the morning when she's just woken up. Anyway, it sounds like grunting is positive for Max too.
 
OntarioSheltie said:
Grunting, whining and showing teeth can have a number of VERY different meanings.

In what scenario does he make these noises?

Grunting when he's greeting you or when he's being petted usually means he's happy to see you or enjoying being touched by you. Whining when you come home can be excitement. But whining can also mean nervousness and anxiety, depending on the situation.

Showing teeth has a few meanings too. Aggression or warning are the ones that many people think of first. Us long time sheltie owners think differently of showing teeth :smile2:

Shelties are known to smile. They'll curl their lip up and show their teeth when they're being playful or mischievous. My two constantly show each other their teeth when they're playing but never actually bite each other.

Here is my favorite photo of Sadie smiling. I think she's around 5 months old here.

http://picasaweb.google.com/Ontario...key=Gv1sRgCMvUzITllqDT2QE#5205499546829334594

Here is another

http://picasaweb.google.com/Ontario...key=Gv1sRgCMvUzITllqDT2QE#5205499525354498098
Click to expand...

Those pictures says it all! Tooooo cute!!!

Lucky leaves out this whine because he is happy when my husband comes home, daddy is home, pet me. Lady stands behind him with a sheltie smile.
Is there an aggression stance for a sheltie? I have seen German Shepards in a crouch position, teeth ready, with a vicious bark. Had one come in the yard after Lucky. That is when we put in a new fence. I had a heavy gauge fence up, and that GSD actually bent the fence up, and got in. I picked up Lucky and ran for the door.

I have never seen a sheltie in that kind of vicious crouching down.
 
I can tell you Tully's aggressive stance - its tail curled right over and standing as tall as her 13" will allow. That said, haven't met a dog who was scared of her aggressive stance, altho it does keep most away.

As for the cat - haven't met a cat yet that wont just tell a sheltie when its getting in its face (with a swipe of the claw). cats and shelties are great combinations. My pups constantly compete for affection and attention, being shelties being loved is the most important thing to them.

You are doing really great that he is feeling comfortable with you already. It often takes shy dogs a little longer to warm up to men. He could try talking to max in a higher voice, give him the best food and be really gentle with him.
 
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