DOG help: I have a 2year old 165lb female English Mastiff who has recentlly begun growling at people while they sleep. - Help.com

Maybe you are snoring and she doesn’t like the sound, who knows but I would suggest putting her in the kitchen or any room with a door away from other people sleeping, you may think she has a nice temprament but I doubt you would to find out the hard way :S

i train big problem dogs

immediately with out any hesitation take her to the vet to check for rabies distemper any chem abnormalities
now, get the checkup

secondly get a police dog trainer or other high experience professional to evaluate the dogs personality

dogs are like people, and sometimes for what ever reason people snap, or start “losing it”

i love dogs, and my rottweiler is like my son, but it came down to doing the right thing i would kill my dog to keep my loved ones safe

seriously consider how much your loved ones mean to you

then realize a mastiff is capable of taking out people like you wouldn’t believe

like i said , first a vet check, then a trainer check

nevastar wrote:
Thanks not sure its snoring though, I think its a dominance issue.

dogs wouldnt ‘dominate’ in such a manner. their ancestors, wolves, show domunace by proudly holding their heads high, walking stiff-legged, tail held high, nipping noses, forcing others into submission, and biting. growling isnt always threatening. they growl to show ownership. they growl to play. perhaps your dog is bored at night, does she look happy when you wake up? (bright eyes, wagging tail, smiling or panting) is she excited about some nightime noise? (rigid body, distracted ears, questioning eyes) it is possible this dog has an anxiety problem also, she may feel uncomfortable being alone, or the onley one awake. (tail tucked, worried eyes, apologetic or releived face) try keeping close attention to her facial expression. dogs and wolves use these the same as humans do- smiling included. she is a large dog, is she getting enough excersise in her day? lots of walks, running, playing, if she naps or rests lots in the day, it is natural for her to be awake at night.

sounds like someone knows something about puppies

That’s a huge dog! Those dogs have been known to be vicious. I don’t mean to be the bearer of bad news, but you might consider getting rid of that dog. Otherwise, one of these days one of your family members or even is going to wake up with dog on your throats and maybe even a tragedy might occur, God forbid. Avert the tragedy before it happens. Sounds like that dog is about to turn vicious.

calemus wrote:
sounds like someone knows something about puppies

i do what i can :)

nevastar wrote:
Thanks for the help it kinda scares you when you wake up to growling Mastiff - even if she is a big baby - do you think it would help if another dog slept in the room with her - she is the only dog that sleeps in our room right now.

no problem, thats what we’re here for! ;D

littlenick wrote:
That’s a huge dog! Those dogs have been known to be vicious. I don’t mean to be the bearer of bad news, but you might consider getting rid of that dog. Otherwise, one of these days one of your family members or even is going to wake up with dog on your throats and maybe even a tragedy might occur, God forbid. Avert the tragedy before it happens. Sounds like that dog is about to turn vicious.

rubbish. lol i wouldnt be worried at all. if one happened to own a dog who was ‘vicious’ one would simply have to establish dominance. and giving it away is associated with neglect, which can harden a dogs ‘viciousness.’ but no, your mastiff is not vicious.

lock it up for the night.

swimallday wrote:
lock it up for the night.

no. locking it up will create an emotional barrier between you and your dog, and the dog could react badly.

pleas talk to a profesional trainer about that
whene you strike a mastif in general you had better be ready and willing to have a fight on your hands.
and i do mean a fight like one of you might die.

nevastar wrote:
I’m not going to lock her up or get rid of her - I will however be sleeping with a rolled up newspaper and giving her a good whack if she wants to growl.

hitting the one of the worst things you can do. it can initiate sggressive behavior, and you want to be seen as the ‘respected and loved leader who wont take crap’

calemus wrote:
pleas talk to a profesional trainer about that
whene you strike a mastif in general you had better be ready and willing to have a fight on your hands.
and i do mean a fight like one of you might die.

oh stop the melodrama! her dog isnt about to go killing her.

realy
i think i know what it is to train dogs at least a wee bit
and the mastiff is a breed that is not to be hit unless you can defeat it in combat.
to to a pro.
dont take my word for it.
the better alternitive would be an electro shock color, but never let the dog see the remote whene you hit the button

calemus wrote:
realy
i think i know what it is to train dogs at least a wee bit
and the mastiff is a breed that is not to be hit unless you can defeat it in combat.
to to a pro.
dont take my word for it.
the better alternitive would be an electro shock color, but never let the dog see the remote whene you hit the button

so sad…

look nevastar, as long as you establish dominence, (WITHOUT VIOLENCE AND ANIMAL CRUELTY *cough cough calemus*) you’ll be fine. hitting with newspaper? not so good. a light tap or light press on the nose and a firm, but not cruel, ‘NO’ will do the trick. in wolf packs, they use face nuzzles to show submission. if a dog likes licking peoples faces, it just means they have respect for them as their superior and want to stay in the good books. pack leaders nip noses to show dominance. this is why the omega wolves (lowest status) often have tiny scars on their muzzles. this is all in dogs nature. try the nose thing. if she ignores it, dont change the light pressure, but look into her eyes, and say, louder, and firmly, ‘NO’. this has been proven to work again and again. i still think its anxiety. pay close attention to your dogs behavior.