Serious dog behavior problem. I have 3 dogs, all mixes...

[radwriter0555]

2 little ones, and one cocker/aussie named Blue.

Blue was my first one, the other two came consecutively in the years following. She's about 5 1/2 years now. No health problems.

When she came to us, we were warned she had some biting issues. She was a rescue and had been placed in a home with a golden retriever, whom she terrorised apparently. The interim owners wanted to put her down, they were so terrified.

She has indeed gone after other dogs, and people she's perceived as intruders and I've controlled the situations and no one has gotten hurt. She's never bitten anyone, just some nips here and there. I do know this is a trait of cockers towards humans, and the aggression towards other dogs is a trait in aussies. I've handled it by keeping her away from strangers, and away from other dogs. Her introduction to the other two dogs has been fine, and they're their own little pack. She has mild food aggression issues, but overall is pretty good, and mostly just wants to hog the food bowls, so we solve that by keeping several around. She is a very loving dog, and demands her share of attention and love and doesn't act out otherwise.

She's obsessive about her tennis balls....

So the problem is that she snapped at my daughter's friend last night and nipped her hand. We were all in the kitchen, the girls were getting their plates of dinner, the other little dogs were milling around and Julia reached down to pat Blue on the head and Blue snapped at her with a BIG snarl. She broke the skin a tiny bit and left a red mark still visible this morning.

I think it's POSSIBLE she thought it was one of the other dogs, but I'm not sure. Now my trust in her is completely gone... I have no idea what to do at this point. I've got her outside away from our houseguest.. ideas? thoughts?

oy.

[goclark]

1. I Love Dogs

I love dogs but you do have a serious problem.
My question would be " Is the situation getting better or worse and is this a safe situation for my family and friends?"

I don't believe that the situation,without some medications of some kind,will improve as the dog gets older.

As sad as it may be, you probably need to face facts after talking it over with your vet.
My prayers are with you in the decision.

[LWolf]

2. My thoughts:

Rescue dogs aren't always good choices for families with children or other dogs. If they weren't socialized properly in the first year or so of their lives, they may not ever be appropriate for those situations. Yet still be a loving, faithful companion for their rescuer.

I "rescued" a chow once. He was sweet, playful, and affectionate, but never got over the abuse he suffered before he got to me. He would not be restrained in any way, or he would snap, growl, and "defend" himself in whatever way necessary to achieve escape. Restraint terrified him. He lived a happy lifetime on my (then) remote 5 acres, and I didn't ask more of him than he could give.

As for your dog, you have some choices. You can try obedience classes or a trainer to help you deal with the biting issue. You can kennel her when people other than family members are present. Or you can find another home without children or other animals. If it were me, I'd look for an older single person who would benefit from a friend in the house.

[SoCalDem]

3. If food is the issue, try this

feed her in a separate room and leave her there while the others eat.. Once they are done,pick up the food dish and let her join them.. ..

Guests should be told that she is "not friendly".. Lots of people pet strange dogs and get a nip as a reward.. Kids should be taught that they should NEVER try to pet someone else's dog.. especially when food is around..

[Robb]

6. This is a good start

...I really don't believe you can have food bowls just sitting around when the dog count passes 2. Mealtime, bowls go down, everyone gets theirs. After a few minutes, take the bowls away, even if someone isn't eating. I feed twice a day, and dogs figure out pretty quickly it's time to concentrate on their own bowl.

Also, correction is a huuuuuuge part of fixing this behavior. I'm a fan of the stern, loud, and low "NO", partnered with grabbing the muzzle and giving a single good shake. This is what mom does when puppies get out of line, and dogs remember.

It has to be consistent, and constant. Anything that even looks like a snap gets a correction, every time. Every time. I would even go with a correction when the dog growls or gets hackles up at another dog or person.

I'm afraid that's going to be the only way to go for you. It's tough, I've had "tough" dogs like this, but the behavior usually goes away. Love 'em when they're good, let 'em know you won't put up with the other. :)

[kodi]

10. pretty good advice there. i do the same with antisocial behavior

i pounce immediately on all antisocial behavior by any of my pack of 6 dogs.

no growls allowed in the house & they know it!

4 food and water bowls, 2 in and 2 outside the house cuts down on personalizing the food bowls that would lead to possessiveness.

but cockers are known for nipping behavior. i had one for 12 years and as friendy as she was, she did not like other dogs.

4 of my dogs are rescues, and i wonder if the reason they all get along is that when a new one came in to the pack, it was immediately put in its place by the rest of the pack and taught some manners by the others.

three years ago this week i resuced a beautiful 9 month old female kuvasz, given up by a family 2,000 miles away because Aja was 95 pounds and the children in the family were only 5 and 8 years old. Aja is so playful that she would knock the kids over, but there is not a mean bone in her body.

[Richardo]

4. How did you correct her?

Mrs. Richardo is much better at this than I am, but it's all about being the dominant member of the pack. When they get out of line, they must be put back in their place immediately. Doesn't have to be cruel, but she has to know her place.

We've taken one of our JRTs down a number of pegs by not letting her get away with her passive aggressive behavior.

[radwriter0555]

19. well since I wasn't in the room at the moment, all I could do was

investigate, find out what happened, and just put her outside... I could have yelled but that wouldn't have accomplished anything.

[havocmom]

5. as much as I love dogs and believe most bad behavior can be changed

there are a couple of dogs I would see put down owing to being untrustworthy despite the best care. Some are just too far gone or have temperaments which make it unsafe to keep them near other dogs or any persons not a member of the household. If the dog can live with someone who has no other animals around and never gets visitors or neighbor kids
who might amble into his area, maybe he would be OK. But this dog does not sound like a candidate for expatiations of good social behavior.

Much as we hate to give up on a dog, sometimes a dog is just too dangerous. Weigh your love for the dog with your love for your children and their friends. Do not let emotion cloud your evaluation of the threat this dog could be to a child, especially if it has a temper. Once a dog starts an attack, even over a small thing, things can get very serious very fast. If the dog makes little mistakes in 'nipping' it could go to full kill mode too easily. Dogs are very wonderful critters but also very capable killing machines. Do you want to see a child shredded? Do you want to lose you home in a lawsuit? Those are considerations for you to include in your evaluation of the problem.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

11. Fairly good advice and also THIS IS a trait in cockers

Cockers for some reason can be the most lovable playful dogs but as they age, they become more unpredictable.

My friends recently had to put theirs down as he became this way.

[SlavesandBulldozers]

7. i'd say once the dog bites

my family or friends of my family then its a decision that virtually makes itself. you should have the dog put down. sounds like you have other dogs that know their place, no sense in crowding them out with a dog that's obviously damaged goods.

[MadHound]

8. I can relate, I've had the same problem

Except our abused pup obsessed over rawhide bones. Shortly after we first adapted her she was on the bed with a rawhide bone. I reached down to move her, and she bit me, not major, but did break skin. Well I promptly snarled at her, took her rawhide, dumped her on the ground and promptly got down and bit her back on the ear(not hard, didn't break skin). I also grabbed her by the scruff of the neck with my teeth and growled some more at her(doggy dominance language) and banished her to the kitchen for the entire night(slept on the couch to enforce it). No problems since then, even when I reinstated her rawhide bone as a play toy. It is all about speaking to dogs in their own language. If you watch your little pack interact together, you will see dominance patterns set, bad behaviour punished and good behaviour rewarded. You simply have to establish that in your household pack, you are the alpha dog and you have to do it in their language. I have always taken a new dog and wrestled them down, grab their scruff with my teeth and growled. It is the language for establishing dominance, and they understand it clearly.

Another example from fifteen years ago. I had a neighbor who had trained his female Doberman to be mean. This female had pups and the owner kept one male, which he allowed to roam the neighborhood unsupervised for the summer. Well, this pup would come down to play with my dogs, and I would get out there and play with all of them. However, knowing this pup's owner, I figured I had better get my two cents worth of training in on this pup while it was still possible. So again I would wrestle him down and do the scruff thing with him, thus establishing in his mind who was boss.

That winter when this idiot owner took the pup for prolonged periods, he of course trained it to be mean and nasty. Next spring he turned it loose to roam the neighborhood, and of course the results weren't suprising. The dog chased other animals, bit a small child, attempted to do such with other children and people, in general terrorized the neighborhood. Except for me. I would ride home on my bike, and as soon as I heard this pup growl, or saw him, I would also growl in greeting. He remembered his lessons from the previous summer, realize that I was the alpha dog and leave me alone.

You just have to speak to dogs like they talk amongst themselves.

[Richardo]

13. Based on these stories you have one of the most appropriate handles ever

:thumbsup: MadHound.

We do the growling thing also, but I have not tried the scruff of the neck clench.

We get compliments all the time on how friendly and easy to get along with our six hounds are, and we take some pride in knowing its a lot of "nurture" and only partially "nature".

[MadHound]

14. LOL Thanks, yes I was raised around dogs

And have always observed how they communicated with eath other. Then I would communicate with them in their own language. It always works if you observe closely. Being around dogs all of my life, having been a vet tech, it all adds up.
The scruff clench is something the dominant dog always does to others just to let them know who is boss. Contrariwise, having a dog come up and lick you means that they acknowledge that you are boss. Its all in the observation, and has saved me many headaches over the years, with some well trained, well socialized dogs as a result. I can take my dogs anywhere, anytime, without a leash(voice command) and am fully confident that they will be friendly and well behaved.

What I hate are people who resort to beatings, choke chains, or those training collars that are choke chains with spikes. Pain makes for a sullen, untrustworthy dog, ill suited to be out in public. Training with firmness and speaking the dog's language will give you a pet who will do anything for you and who is a joy to be around.

[CapnJackSparrow]

17. I do the growling and snarling routine,and it works like a charm...

...even on big dogs.

Using that method, we can even eat with dogs in the room and they know better than to approach the table. They walk better, and are inclined to stay closeby, because that is the custom of the "pack" in which they live.

The other thing that good dog training habits (including handling them on a leash) accomplishis gettin children to be dog savvy. Kids who come from dog owning homes can confront and deal with a strange and aggressive dog MUCH better than can kids who are from non dog owning households or from those households where the parents are clueless. Andthe bigger the dogs, the better the training.

[AngryAmish]

9. If you like owning your house, kill the dog.

Most jurisdictions have what is known as the "one bite" rule. If a dog bites a person and the dog never did it before you are ok. However, this dog has been proven to be aggressive. You are on notice that this dog is dangerous. Do not fool yourself that "it was only a small bite." A small bite on someones eye or face is a big problem. I recently heard of a bite to a small girl's chest settle out of court for $300,000.

Many homeowners insurance policies no longer cover dog bite injuries. Check your policy - Allstate especially. If your homeowners insurance does not cover dogbites, you have to hire a lawyer to defend you in a losing case. You literally could lose your house.

However, you have to make your own choice.

[LuLu550]

12. I'll weigh in on this one, too

the problem will only get worse. Seek professional help and consider using a Halti or Gentle Leader head "collar" they look worse than they are and work quite well. I had an agressive brain damaged dog that I tried to re-train but after a year or so I had to admit she was too far gone to be helped.
Give it your best shot but be realistic, as hard as that may be.

[CapnJackSparrow]

15. I hate to say it, but...

..you're going to have to put Blue down. Its all well and good to say that you want to try this and that, but in the end, it makes no difference - she's too old to change, and her behavior is round the bend.

It sucks, I know - because its a decision I had to make 5 years ago on a dog I rescued (terrier mix - she was simply vicious, obsessive, and I was the only one in the family she wouldn't get aggressive with). The animals I have now are well behaved and sociable to man and beast alike - including 110 lbs of Groenendael Shepherd mix that wandered up to our door as a just weaned puppy (as trustworthy and good natured a dog as I've ever known).

There are times when you just can't fix it, and this is one.

[Logansquare]

16. A friend of mine muzzles her dog when children visit

He just can't be trusted. He hates strange men as well, but adults usually have enough street smarts to not try to pat him. He was a rescued alley dog, and was in very bad shape when she found him.

[radwriter0555]

18. You know, this may be the solution for the time being... it would keep us

all from worrying while we have company....

I was thinking it would cramp her style, but better than than having her put down...

[Dookus]

20. tough one

cockers tend to bite anyway, and I knew an Aussie that had such severe food issues the owners had to give it up despite multiple dog behaviorists, trainers and psychologists. She just could NOT let anyone near her food. In all other respects, she was a great dog. But they had a toddler in the house and couldn't take the risk.

My personal feeling is that I would not have a dog that I thought was a danger to anyone, especially a child. It would be a heartbreaking decision, but no dog is worth the possible injury or maiming of a child.