Biting Dog - Paw Talk

ninja_smurtles · #1 05-05-2005, 05:17 AM

Olle has started to get more and more aggresive, he has always been a growler but recently he has started to bite.
If Indy gets to close to him he bites him and today Maria was going out and I went to get Olles collar to hold him and he bit my thumb and left a mark.
I thought he would start to get better when he lived with us but he isnt, he still barks all the time, is greedy, growly, mardy and now bitey.
He comes over to you for a stroke and then when you stroke him he growls at you, he whines coz he wants to get in the bed and then when you tell him to get down he bites.
I cant be having with this, it is not fair on Indy...
What shall I do?

CTChin · #2 05-05-2005, 09:38 AM

It's not something you can fix on your own. You need a dog trainer/behaviorist to help you. To start, if he is a dominant dog, do not let him in your bed..EVER. This puts him up in the pack. Put a leash on him and do basic obedience. Make him "work" for everything. Make him sit before meals, before he goes outside, before he is pet etc. Definitely get help!

Nikki6496 · #3 05-05-2005, 10:16 AM

I read in one of the books that you teach a dog who is the pack leader by making them do 10 min. sits and 30 min downs. So one day he'd sit for 10 mins and the next he'd be down for 30.

As for the biting, I would definitely talk to a trainer before it gets worse and ends badly.

Good luck and let us know how it goes with Olle.

ninja_smurtles · #4 05-05-2005, 10:33 AM

he is not a dominant dog in that way...
it might be because when I call him over for fuss Indy has to jump in and then Olle gets angry so today I stroked him and gave him some treats when Indy was not there and he seemed a bit better.
He can not climb on the bed coz his legs are too small he just sits and moans. then growls when you tell him to get down.

Chrisanne · #5 05-05-2005, 12:02 PM

I agree with Brenda though. Get a trainer to help.

Nikki6496 · #6 05-05-2005, 12:22 PM

Yeah I think the best thing to do would be to get a trainers assistance.

Amethystbelle · #7 05-05-2005, 12:44 PM

Sound like hes got dominance issues which need solving as it seems he wants to be the top dog over you and Indy. Has he been neutered? As sometimes between two un neutered dogs there can be friction when one or both hit puberty as dogs are a pack animal and there only can be one dominant male in a group so his issues could be something to do with that if he isn't neutered. I'd also stop him getting on the bed and make him work for treats to show he's not top dog over anyone and if it continues i'd seek some advice from a dog behaviourist

ninja_smurtles · #8 05-05-2005, 01:01 PM

he does not get many treats
I do not think it is dominance issues it is him just being grumpy.
I will try to give him more attention alone and see what happens if it does not help i will look into trainers

CTChin · #9 05-06-2005, 12:25 AM

Why don't you think it is dominance? He is "greedy, growly and bitey."
Regardless, making him behave in the manner we suggested will not hurt him and can only help. I don't want to insult you in any way but I think this is why we having so many biting dogs (at least in the US). Owners make up excuses for their behavior or are in denial. Your dog should never, ever lay his teeth on you. Dogs don't bite owners they respect.

ninja_smurtles · #10 05-06-2005, 03:16 AM

Because he is scared..
He was abused.
When you go to stroke him he cowers and rolls over submersive so it is not dominance.
I am not making excuses for him but he has had a very rough life abused by 2 previous owners for a period of 6 years.
I dont want to be hard on him as this seemed to make the matters worse.

Nikki6496 · #11 05-06-2005, 08:05 AM

Teaching your dog who the pack leader is is by no means being "hard" on him. I understand he was abused but by not doing anything your allowing his behavior to continue. The longer his behavoir goes on the harder it will be to change it.

I'm sure you would not want anything to happen to your other dog, and that is a possibility if Olle thinks he is the alpha dog.

Amethystbelle · #12 05-06-2005, 09:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ninja_smurtles


	Because he is scared.. He was abused. When you go to stroke him he cowers and rolls over submersive so it is not dominance. I am not making excuses for him but he has had a very rough life abused by 2 previous owners for a period of 6 years. I dont want to be hard on him as this seemed to make the matters worse.

I think thats the key to your problem then as he's been abused so now he is asserting his aggression over you to protect himself and become top dog. He is getting aggressive because he is scared so he thinks he will get the first grumble or bite in before you do so to speak. If you want to help him you have to show him that this behaviour is unacceptable and teach him its wrong to bite and grumble and he has to learn some respect for you. It doesn't mean you have to be hard on him but it means you have to be firm maybe try clicker training if he does something good give him a click and reward him but if he does something bad ignore him make him see its wrong. I know he's had a bad life upto press but by not trying to sort it before it gets any worse is unfair on him and Indy as it sounds like his problem could be sorted and he'd make a loving little dog

CTChin · #13 05-06-2005, 10:18 AM

Agreed with what amethyst and Nikki said. When a lot of people hear obedience training and being "dominant" over their dog, they automatically think of harsh training methods. If done correctly, it is not harsh at all. Being a pack leader means being calm, firm and consistant and following through with every command. Obedience training may actually make him feel more confident. Dogs that behave like your dog are not happy mentally.

elfomatic · #14 05-06-2005, 12:41 PM

I agree with everyone else: training is going to be the only way you will help this dog. It is sad that he was abused in the past ... have you noticed anything specific that sets him off? Do you know any history of how and why or by whom he was abused? If you have any way of finding out this information it will be of great help to you and any behaviorist that helps you. For instance, he might respond negatively to a certain gender of human ... a certain color/breed of dog ... a certain item when you hold it (such as a rolled up newspaper).

I recommend that you become super vigilant over not just his behavior but also the triggers to this behavior. Keep a log and see if you can come up with any patterns.

The good news is that this dog is not beyond help. But you need to do everything in your power to help him now before his behavior gets any worse. Teaching him the right way to act will give him a better life even if it is tedious to go through the proper training.

Think of it this way ... one way or another it isn't fair to your other dog to live in this kind of environment. If Olle's behavior doesn't change for the better then you may have to consider rehoming him again and that certainly be hard for him ... but keeping him would be way unfair to Indy because of the emotional problems that this might cause.

I know it is frustrating ... but consulting a behaviorist couldn't hurt. Do you need any help finding one in your area?

meggs521 · #15 05-06-2005, 03:32 PM

You say it's not a dominance issue, but which dog would you say is the alpha dog? Obviously you should be at the top but of the animals where would Olle be? From what I've read on the My guess would be that he's trying to assert his dominance over the other dog and once his position is made clear to him (and everyone else) he'll calm down. Dogs generally don't care so much about where they are in the pecking order as they care about being certain in their position. If that makes sense. So I would definately call a trainer or look online for some methods on how to reinforce the dog hierchy.

I would also do what a lot of other people said with making him do more tricks for treats or making him sit before he eats. He should already know that you're at the top since you give him the food, and supposedly dogs love to "serve" the alpha (you).

As for the bed- I guess I would recoment to stop letting him sleep there. But don't let your other dog sleep on the bed and kick Olle off because if he is asserting dominace then he'll be confused as to why the "lesser" dog gets the bed and he doesn.

Don't know that what I said helped any, but I hope you get your situation figured out.

~Meg