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OT: Any dog trainers/experts out there?
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I’d love advice from anyone with dog experience. We bought a maltipom (half maltese/half pomeranian) and it has aggression issues. We never went to training school, so maybe it’s partly our fault. At around 3-4 months he started some aggression. My son has been bitten once after teasing him (not real meanly…stuff like hitting the couch near him to get him going). We almost got rid of him them. I’ve been bitten twice when training/taking bone from him. He’s been fine for many months now with these issues…has gotten submissive when I take bone, and son is old enough(11) to know not to tease him. I’m not concerned about the safety of our family, he seems good with us now.
But yesterday he bit the 7yo neighbor girl:( It was very scary, as she was on the floor and he was right in her face. He only bit her arm (no broken skin, but teeth marks and bruise), but caught her long hair and I was afraid he got her face and was so thankful he didn’t. Her Christian parents were very gracious and understanding, thankfully. Now hubby is convinced we need to get rid of him before he really injures someone. I’m mostly convinced, but not sure. Dd(14) is heartbroken with that idea. Dog is her baby…she bought him and he dotes on her, following her everywhere. He’s such a sweet, affectionate dog 99% of the time. But if you try to pull him out from under a bed he growls and frightens me just a little still. That’s rare…we can just call him out and he’s fine.
We’ve had dog sitters stay at our house for weeks last year and he did fine w/them. He was tense when the neighbor girl was petting him. She totally loves dogs and I think all the facial petting was making him uncomfortable. I now realize his body language let on…he was tense…but as I neared him w/a snack (she was trying to get him to shake) he lunged at her.
He’s now nearly 1 1/2 years old and I’m not sure if trainable.We can’t take him on walks…he goes berserk when people/dogs are in sight. We could make it rule to put him in crate anytime there are kids over, but that would not likely happen 100% of the time. Now I can’t ask the other neighbors to let him out….kids are often available if we go on a daytrip. One of the kids was right there when it happened! And I don’t feel safe letting them now (even though they had no trouble before).
I just feel bad because looking back I maybe should have done something when he was looking tense, but approaching him might have been what set him off, too…don’t know. Anyway, what would you do? I don’t know if we could find him a home because we’d have to reveal this. I can’t bear the thought of euthanizing such a sweet (mostly), adorable pup:( Thanks for listening…..
Oh, and he’s been fine w/all other kids….it’s just this one girl he has trouble with. Lunged towards her once when she hit the couch like my son used to and hasn’t been over in a while. Not sure if dog remembers that, or if she’s just too much in his face. That won’t ever happen again….I promised her parents he’d always be crated when their kids are over.
It is difficult to give good advice on this without actually observing your dog’s behavior in person. However, from your description of your dog’s behavior I think your dog is exhibiting signs of uncertainty in some situations and food aggression. Both of these behaviors are “strengthened” in the dog by your uncertainty.
“He was tense when the neighbor girl was petting him. She totally loves dogs and I think all the facial petting was making him uncomfortable. I now realize his body language let on…he was tense…but as I neared him w/a snack (she was trying to get him to shake) he lunged at her.”
His tenseness shows he was tolerating the petting, but showing signs of anxiety over it. When you neared him with a snack in his already unbalanced state, his food aggression took over and he attacked what he thought was the nearest threat to his food.
“My son has been bitten once after teasing him (not real meanly…stuff like hitting the couch near him to get him going).”
This sounds like anxiety to noises. Though, again, it is hard to know for sure without actually observing your dog.
“But if you try to pull him out from under a bed he growls and frightens me just a little still. That’s rare…we can just call him out and he’s fine.”
Dogs can sense your fear. If you are even a bit fearful when dealing with him, he will sense your weakness and be more determined to stand his ground. If challenged, he will fight.
“We can’t take him on walks…he goes berserk when people/dogs are in sight.”
This statement shows that he may be anxious and does not trust your leadership, or is excited and you are misinterpreting the behavior. You mentioned you didn’t do formal training classes with him, but did you do any training for the basics like sit, stay, heel, etc.?
“He’s now nearly 1 1/2 years old and I’m not sure if trainable.”
Dogs are trainable at any age. They live in the now, though at times must be shown that previous behaviors and fears are now in the past. I recommend that if you are serious about keeping the dog that you find a knowledgable trainer in your area. Try asking at your vet’s office for a recommendation. You can also call area dog training facilities and talk with them about your dog’s behavior and how they would recommend dealing with it. Different trainers have different methods; choose one you’re comfortable with. I do not recommend finding a trainer through a chain pet store.
youtube Ceasar Milan – that’s what we’re doing! *L* And it’s my only suggestion. Our dogs are only 5 mos. old, and we’re still trying to train them — or rather train ourselves to train them!
Good luck! I sincerely hope you can get help from someone – dogs are such good pets to have!
Thanks, Karen and Karen:) Yes, we have watched Cesar….tried some of those at first but could probably re-watch to re-fresh:)
He will listen to certain commands…sit, shake, stay. But is ‘in control’ on a leash…we’ve tried to get him to stay/obey but since we can’t take him on walks haven’t practiced too much. I think he’s fearful. When he sees other dogs/people he goes crazy barking and has even attacked our other dog(who he gets along with) while all worked up. From what I’ve been googling, maybe he’s too spoiled…sleeps on the bed, little bits of table scraps, lots of affection, etc.
I set up an evaluation w/a trainer….hope all goes well. I’m also a bit concerned because our homeowners insurance sent out a questionaire last year asking if we had dogs and have they bitten. If they do that again I imagine our rates would increase or we could be dropped…..
A little background: I am a former service dog trainer/ animal shelter trainer. If you choose to keep the dog I strongly suggest you contact a local trainer who used positive reinforcement techniques. Look for someone certified with association of pet dog trainers. Please don’t follow the advice of Cesar Milan- his techniques are likely to increase what appears to be fear/ discomfort related aggression issues. Also, my dogs are well trained and well socialized by I always crate them when the kids have young friends (under 10) over. For kids over 10 I it depends on the kids-some 12 year olds are worst then so e 7 year old. The dogs do interact with visiting kids but only under my supervision so the dogs know they are safe. Again I can’t say it enough make sure the trainer is experienced with positive reinforcement techniques. this is very common with little dogs but with some socialization, confidence boosting and boundaries it’s workable. Good luck!
When my husband was 2 he had his face ripped off by a dog, my neighbors boy when he was 12 was permanently disfigured by a dog. Both of these dogs were not normally aggressive; so we have a zero policy with dog bites here.
Technically, some state laws require you to report the dog bite to your neighbor girl.
Canoearoo….oh my, what terrible events:( So sorry they had to go through that. I have no idea what our state law is.
Poodlemama, thanks….I’ll ask her what her techniques are. Cesar is so fun to watch, but thanks for the heads up about his methods. And thanks for the encouragement. I do think he needs socialization and confidence…he just gets scared, I think. Even if he just hears a noise in the next yard he goes crazy barking, and sometimes whimpers.
Thanks again, everyone:)
Hi Momto2blessings,
We have a pup who behaved similarly to how you describe your dog, only she has never actually bitten anyone and is a little younger. Our dog is a fox terrier/whippet mix and is very sweet and great with my kids, although quite rambunctious and still a a little mouthy from her bad puppy habits. We got her from a family what never took her out of the house and couldnt control her when she was about 6 mo old. In our case it is definately fear fueling the barking and apparent aggression toward other people. She is slowly improving but it has been a long road. What has helped most is firm, consistent, positive training. When she gets scared she either goes in her kennel or if the kennel isn’t handy I hold her. I let her use my confidence that “I can handle the situation” and my leadership to help settle herself down.
I have had a lot of dogs over the years and always been interested in training them and have worked with a positive reinforcement trainer in the past, and I did a lot of reading online about fear aggression and reactivity in dogs. trying to get a handle on how to help her. She is now great at come, sit, down, and is improving on stay (short attention span!) and kennel (puts herself in her kennel). Having learned the self control and focus to do these commands has helped her be more calm in every situation. At times I have kept her on her leash near me all the time while we get certain out of control behaviors under control. It takes a lot of committment and time, but it can be done. Good luck!
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