Hi.  We have a 9 month old miniature dachshund who has become very possessive of my mother.  He follows her everywhere when she is in the house and sometimes cries when she leaves the room.  He either lies in her arms or next to her in the evening.  It has got to the stage now where if I approach them, he stiffens his body and then growls at me.  If my mother pushes him away he gets frantic and desperately jumps back onto her.  Any advice?

He needs to learn that your Mother can exists without him - can you use a baby stair gate to build some space between your Mother and the dog?  Or train him to a crate so he doesn't learn to be with her all the time?  Can she also prevent him lying in a position where he feels he can gaurd her? ie not near her or at her feet........

What about if he is walked by someone else other than your mother ??
Dos he fret at this or is he ok ??

Stop picking him up he has legs dont let mum cuddle him when you are around.:-)

This is another form of resource guarding!  Follow the previous advice; dogs should never be allowed to follow their owners about like Mary's lamb; it means that they will never grow into competent and confident adults able to be content with their own company when you MUST leave them and is a prime trigger of separation anxiety; teaching a dog to be on its own for second, minutes and then hours at a time is a vital part of dog training.

It is a sad fact that many "small" dogs are allowed to get away with murder because their behaviour does not seem so threatening; hence a lot become extremely obnoxious, to both other dogs and people.

Start to treat this now before the dog becomes unable to cope with being alone for any length of time and before it bites someone.  It can be very flattering for some people's ego that their dog "can't do without me" it is very unfortunate for the dog!

There are two things your mother needs to do now.   First is to teach her puppy that it is okay for him to be separated from your mother or alone.  If the puppy has a crate, that would be helpful.  If not, if the puppy can be confined to a room with a childgate or some other barrier that the puppy can see through that would be fine.   You do not want to panic the puppy, so your mum should start by putting the puppy in his confined area while she remains visible elsewhere in the house.  If the puppy whines, she should not pay it any attention.  At first she should do this no more than five minutes and when she returns to the puppy make no fuss whatsover.  If he's been calm and quiet she can greet him with his name and a "good boy", if he has not, than only pay attention to him when he is quiet.  Do not make a fuss, coo, pick him up or cuddle him.  Gradually increase the amount of time he is confined and then have your mum move out of eyesight, again starting with a short amount of time and increasing it gradually.

I would also suggest your mother gives a few less cuddles and a bit more active play. And overall pay a lot less attention to him then she is now.  Little dogs do not know they are little and they should not be treated in an infantile manner and spoiled, otherwise they grow up as maladjusted as a child would when treated the same way (eg, spoiled brats!)

Second thing your mum needs to teach the puppy is that other people are a source of pleasure.   Other members of the household should start to feed the dog, take him for walks, play with him, and give him cuddles when he is ready to accept them. Again, first with your mother present and then without her nearby.  If there was someone that could begin to teach him simple obedience that would be ideal.   What you want is for other people to positively reward the puppy for his good behaviour. He should gradually start looking to other people to pay him attention, not just your mother.

Stacey

Thanks for the advice.  We do all pay him attention and take it in turns to feed him and teach him obedience.  He is a very timid dog and does not like meeting strangers.  He is also a nightmare to walk as he will not walk with one person alone, there must be two people or he gets scared and pins himelf up against the wall/tree and refuses to walk.  We will try what you have all suggested.  Thanks.