Biting - how to control

[Blythe]

Hello Dog Forum!

I am a relatively new dog owner and I am having some trouble with my dog, Mars. He is five years old and a black lab/rottweiler mixed breed. I am really struggling with this problem and I'm not sure what to do, so I have turned to this forum and its community for some help.

Mars was not originally my dog. As a puppy and young adult he had a different owner so I do not know exactly what his life or training was like before me. From the get go he seemed like a super happy and energetic dog that is extremely affectionate and loves to be involved in whatever I am doing.

Two years ago when I first got Mars from the shelter we were walking through Kensington Market in Toronto and it was an extremely busy saturday afternoon. We approached another dog - a large poodle mix bigger than my dog - and immediately there was barking and they started snapping at eachother. I have no idea why this was because it is just plain stupid but the owner was in a medical scooter and did not have the dog on a leash! So, trying to protect my dog I attempted to pull Mars away and when that didn't work I got in the middle and physically forced the other dog away. But, when I turned to get Mars away from the situation he snapped and bit my left side. He certainly broke the skin and there was immediate bruising and a lot of pain. Obviously, I was very upset and didn't know what to do so I took him home and put him in his crate for a few hours, avoided eye contact and attempted to express through my body language how upset I was. He genuinely knew that he had done something wrong and had hurt me. For the next few days he was very calm and tried - and succeeded - to get back on my good side. I let it go and chalked it up to a bad decision on my part when obviously he was just being a dog.

But since then he has bit me two more times and also my ex-boyfriend once. It happened again this morning. I left my house for the first walk of the day and he saw a dog across the street, snapped and I didn't even have a chance to try and subdue him before he lashed out and bit me on the thigh. I was very upset and immediately took him back to the house. I am starting to get really worried about this behaviour and I don't know what to do about it. I love him so much and generally he is the sweetest dog ever. He has never done this because of another person, or a child, it only happens with other dogs. Its never the same type of dog either so I have no way to gauge when the freak out will happen. The other day he flipped on a small dog which he has never done. Im scared that he is going to bite another dog or person and Ill have to put him down. Please help me. I desperately want to keep my dog but also make sure I am safe and so are other people and dogs that interact with him.

Any suggestions would be helpful at this point. Thank you very much for taking the time to read this and for any help you can provide.

xo, Blythe

 

[JoanneF]

There are several people here who are very good with behaviour advice but it would be helpful to confirm you are not in the UK? Only for the reason that we don't want to point you in the direction of organisations that you wouldn't be able to access.

 

[gypsysmum2]

First things first. You need to muzzle train him so that you are safe. Choose a basket style muzzle that he can pant and drink in. You only need to use it in certain circumstances, such as when out on walks. It sounds as though he is "re directing" his aggression. This means he is so wound up that he lashes out at the nearest object. The more fraught the situation the worse he will be as his arousal gets higher and he does not know what to do with it.

When you introduce the muzzle it should be as a lovely new toy. Put some cream cheese or peanut butter around the inside and let him lick it off while you hold it. Keep this up until he happily puts his nose inside the muzzle. Make sure it is a good fit and comfortable for him. Gradually increase the amount of time he wears it and keep the atmosphere happy and light when he has it on.

Once he is happily wearing his muzzle, you can relax around him which will help him enormously.

Dogs don't have morals. They do not know it is "wrong" to bite. They use aggression when they are too fearful to cope with the situation they find themselves in. It is our job to manage all situations so that he does not become fearful.

If he is fearful of other dogs he will try, using aggression, to drive them away. The fear needs to be addressed by de sensitising him to the presence of other dogs. This is a long process and you may need professional help to do it. He needs to change his perception of other dogs from one of fear to one of, at least, acceptance. your relationship with him will play a big part. He needs to place his trust in you that he will not come to any harm. To this end you should not chastise or ostracise him. If you are upset or angry with him just try to be very neutral and calm until you can be nice to him again. Dogs cannot understand, after an event, that we are "telling them off" about that event. They live in the moment. Once the fight was over it was forgotten until the next time. There is nothing you can do but prevent the situation developing and try to improve his perception of other dogs.

As his life is in danger, due to his aggression, I would seek professional help to really get to the root of his problem. Do, please, make sure that the help you get is from a modern, enlightened, trainer who does not use any kind of force or manipulation to train your dog. They should take a full history and want to delve into your dog's past and present and to understand his emotions. They should not focus on you "dominating and controlling" your dog. A good behaviourist will draw up a plan for you to work on with your dog, gradually, and in stages to suit your dog's and your lifestyle.

Prof Peter Neville is a world renowned behaviourist who travels the world lecturing. If you could make contact with him (he is a director of COAPE) he might know of good organisations in your country that have well qualified people.

In the meantime do try to stabilise your dog's emotions by meeting all his breed needs. His Labrador side will enjoy retrieving and his Rottweiler side will enjoy working his brain. Make sure he can rest when he needs to and have sufficient exercise to meet his needs. Invest in some challenging toys so that his emotions are lifted when he plays with them.

I do hope, for both your sakes, that you are able to resolve these behaviour issues so that you and your dog can have a happy life together.

 

[Raven oaktree]

Your dog is evidently terrified and is trying desperately to tell you this . As gypsymum said muzzle train asap and get the help of a good kind behaviourist asap (not a ceasar Milan follower) . Re training can be done . In the mean time as soon as he spots another dog get him to look at you and shovel high value treats in his mouth at speed..cross the road and try not to put your dog in a situation where he is scared till u get help .