[CloverLeigh]

My husband and I recently brought a new dog into the family. She is a 14 week border collie. We got her at 8 weeks. She is a happy, playful little girl with one exception. She growls and snaps at us when she is sleeping. This behavior is recent, maybe about a week?
She sleeps in bed with us at night with our 3 year old Parson. If we try to move or roll over in bed then she starts growling menacingly. We try to call her name and tell her no, but she sometimes lunges and bites, hard enough to draw blood. This happens during the day too, if she is taking a nap. She likes to sleep at my feet and if I move then she growls and bites. We have started crating her after she growls at night, for a few minutes, but once let out and she falls asleep it happens again.
Does anyone have any experience with this sort of situation or advice?

 

[myrottenones]

Hi and welcome to the forum!

Congratulations on your puppy.

I would recommend a vet check just because it's a new behavior. She might be in pain that you don't know of and that might be making her more irritable.

Besides that, I would start crate training and just let her sleep there.
Lots of dogs can/have/will snap and growl if they are jolted awake.
They don't know exactly what's going on, who's around, etc.

Are you doing any training with her? What type of training?

Here is a great link to read - http://www.dogforum.com/training-behavior-stickies/crate-training-faq-3974/

 

[Esand]

Maybe stop sleeping with her? Some dogs are like that. I think they might be the dreamers. Simba is normally fine with being woken up but one day he was whimpering and squirming and sounded really distraught so I thought id wake him up. When I did he leaped about 3 feet virtically snapping and barking. He looked rabid. Then he calmed down and went back to sleep.

 

[SusanLynn]

i agree with Esand. I wouldn't continue sleeping with her. You could train her to sleep in a crate in your bedroom or in the hallway outside your bedroom if you want her to be close by. It doesn't sound like anyone - human or canine- is enjoying the current arrangement.

 

[CloverLeigh]

Thank you all for your replies. After discussing it with the hubby, we have decided to crate her at night.