Poor Charlie, he’s having a bit of a struggle getting used to this total disruption into his world. Most dogs prefer a routine. They like a schedule, getting fed at a certain time every day, taking their walks at the same time daily and knowing that you’ll be there for loves are their whole world. Charlie is the poster dog for routineness. So these latest events, my surgery, Mitch walking the dogs alone in the evenings and our close friend walking them in the mornings and not at the usual 4:30am pre-surgery routine has thrown Charlie for a real loop.
He’s become clingier, staying very close to me or if I’m not in bed, laying in my spot. He has started growling at all of us. Charlie has always been a bit psychotic, but now he’s going round the bend. He was lying in his bed by the bedroom door when Orso walked in from the living room. Charlie growled at Orso and wouldn’t let him in the bedroom. Orso sat in the living room looking very pathetic waiting for me to get out of bed and crutch over to the doorway, blocking Charlie so that he could come into the bedroom.
Last night I came into the bedroom to find Charlie lying in my spot all cozy and had no intention of moving. I told him to go and nudged him, he responded by growling at me. I looked down at him and thought, “Are you kidding me? Not me! Huh uh!” So I told him “off” in no uncertain terms and gave him another nudge, to which Charlie responded by getting up, giving me a deep open throated growl, jumped off the bed and when to sit in his dog bed looking very unrepentant. I’m pretty sure that he was thinking, “How dare she make me move. I was there first.” I think he was plotting to eat me in the night while I slept.
Charlie doesn’t handle change well and this is clearly apparent with his behavior. When we brought Orso home for the first time Charlie wanted to kill him and tried a few times. That took hiring an animal behaviorist to get back to a harmonious house. I’m not sure how to fix this new wrinkle. I’m at a total loss.
Short of tranquilizers, for him not me, I am not sure what to do.
A woman's view of hunting...with men 
Talk to your vet, behaviors issues should be expected when change occurs but the growling thing may be separate since is it aggressive behavior there might be something else going on.
That’s a good idea, maybe he can help because it definitely is starting to wear on us.
sounds like he’s worried that you can’t be the pack leader and is trying to fill the role himself.
That’s what we think too, but we may check with the vet just to be sure that everything health-wise is okay.
I don’t know dog behaviour and would be interested to learn what the vet says.
Peace, Eric
Hopefully he’s just out of sorts, but we’ll see what the vet says.
The change in you has probably affected him a lot. Once you start moving, he might be alright…Is Orso a dog as well or a cat?
Orso is a large chocolate lab. He is 30 pounds heavier than Charlie, but Charlie bullies him all the time. Orso is just a big lover.
Someone else said it and I tend to agree. NO ONE growls at the pack leader! If this behaviour returns you must follow through. Getting the dog to move is only part of it you must then get your dog to submit to you. Body language and strong eye contact until he submits. Stand there for as long as it takes………. you know what your dog looks like when he is submissive, so don’t walk away until you see that.
I’m no expert but I have had to learn these things.
Be the pack leader. Calm assertive leadership.
Good luck.
Lots of better advice elsewhere but feel free to visit (you have been there before) barcaupthewrongtree.wordpress.com
Terry
You’re right. We need to work better at the follow through.