Agressive Greyhound - Multiple Bites

[Guest raybren]

Hello there,

 

Wondering what to do about a sometimes aggressive greyhound. We adopted our hound about 14 months ago. It was going pretty well at first, we had done a lot of research, and our seemed fairly sociable. He wasn't nearly as shy and skittish and a lot of other hounds. He was doing well at home even with the 2 cats. There was an occasional growl once or twice when my husband fell asleep on the couch with the dog and accidentally kicked him in sleep, but obviously we knew not to sleep with the hound and that stopped being an issue.

 

About 8-9 months in, we were in the park walking with our dog on a leash. He found a chicken bone and grabbed it, quickly putting his head back to swallow this huge bone. We were worried that he could choke, so we both grabbed him and my husband pried his mouth open while I grabbed and pulled the bone out. The dog freaked out and whipped his head back and barked and bit my husband's arm. I walked towards my husband to look and the dog turned around and bit my arm as well. We told the dog NO and then put him in the car, took him home and crated him before taking ourselves to the hospital. When we returned my husband went down and took the dog out of the crate, showing him the wound and letting him smell it even, and the dog seemed regretful, tail between his legs. We tried not to take out anything on the dog, and started being more consistent with training, teaching him 'leave it', and 'drop it', and even started taking him to some greyhound specific obedience classes, and then some agility classes to further the training. My husband is the dog's main handler, and is the one who walks him too. I occasionally will walk him, but am a bit more cautious, I was bit by a dog when I was a child.

 

A few months later, when our regular dog-walker was out on a walk with him, she accidentally dropped her keys and they hit him in the leg. She bent down to pick them up, and he bit her in the ear. She was aware of the previous incident with him, and says that perhaps she bent down too quickly, however we still don't feel that was an acceptable response from the dog. We feel awful. The owner of the dog walking company had her go to the hospital, and she ended up having to stay overnight so that a plastic surgeon could properly stitch up her ear the next day. It was 8 stitches, which is a lot. She even wants to still walk him, and came over one Saturday so that we could show her the commands we've been using with him so that she could be consistent with the training with us.

 

Since then there has been a few more aggressive incidents. One time he had some people food and I told him to drop it. He did, but then I bent down to pick it up, and he barked towards me and his teeth even touched my hand but did not bite down or draw blood. I realize I should not have bent down, I should have kicked it away and gone to pick it up away from the dog. Today my husband was out on a walk with him and his got some ice or snow stuck in his paw. This hurts him and he lifts his paw when standing or limps while walking. This has happened many times and we usually have to calmly bend down and get the ice or snow out from his paw. Today however for some reason my husband went to get the snow out from his paw and he barked aggressively at him and came close to biting him in the face. My husband gave him a firm NO and may have yelled at him a little bit, but they finished their walk and came back in. We talked a little bit about the incident, and the dog laid down on the couch. A little while later my husband was walking by and went to pet him on the couch, which is very regular. However the dog very aggressively barked and lunged towards him. Perhaps it was too soon after the incident outside.

 

There have been a couple more smaller incidents like this, where he barks fairly aggressively towards us.

 

This leaves us with a bit of uncertainty and fear however, as he seems to go from zero to one hundred at the drop of the hat, and it seems inconsistent. Sometimes we can touch his paws and sometimes we can't. We have restricted him from the bed at all times, and do not let him share the couch with us when we are on it. We are considering also restricting him from the couch at all times. We love our dog and want to do right by him, but are sometimes fearful. At this point there have been 2 serious incidents involving 3 people. We are trying to learn all the right things to do and not to do, but as I said it is sometimes hard to know. Is he just a somewhat aggressive dog? We see other greyhound owners in class with us with absolutely no fear of their dogs, handling in such ways that we would never. Grabbing and pulling on balls in their dogs mouths, pushing them. Does our dog just have some aggression that we will have to learn to live with?

 

Thanks in advance for any advice

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

Wow, multiple bite incidents. I have a LOT of questions:

 

1) Did you adopt him from a group, or somewhere else?

2) Have you ever had large breed dogs as adults?

3) What was the reason behind letting the dog sniff the wound hours after the fact?

4) What is your typical way to "correct" your hound?

5) Has your hound growled at you, and do you allow it, or correct the behavior?

6) When was the last time you had your hound to the vet for a thorough blood workup and check?

7) How long has this behavior been around?

 

It seems to me that there may be an underlying medical issue as greyhounds are not typically prone to actual biting. Some of your posting makes it sound as if you may yell at your hound, and even try to punish your hound after the fact (this can lead to a lot of fear issues with greyhounds as they are sensitive to begin with). You also mention consistency. It also sounds a bit like there is a disconnect between the messages the hound gets from the two owners. The biting, well that "could" be a matter of fear. Generally biting is out of fear, not aggression with greyhounds, but there are always exceptions to the rule. I would first rule out medical issues, then I would strongly suggest a behaviorist, NOT a trainer, but a certified behaviorist. I would also suggest if you adopted him from a group, TELL your group what is going on and see if they have anyone they can recommend to help.

 

Your situation is not dire, but I would say one of the more difficult situations I have seen posted here in a long time. I commend you for not just wanting to give this guy back, very admirable. I would also say kudos to you for finding this website and asking questions. You will get a lot of suggestions here, be ready for some very "judgemental" answers, try to take them with a grain of salt.

 

Chad

[Batmom]

Have you talked with your adoption group? I would discuss these issues with them and see if they can recommend a behaviorist to evaluate the pup in your home. A thorough vet check would also be a good idea (including hearing and vision).

 

ETA: Chad was posting at the same time as I. Same basic questions .

Edited January 2, 2012 by Batmom

[greysmom]

First of all, for everyone's safety, have you dog wear his muzzle whenever he is out walking in public. This isn't a punishment, but a measure of safety for everyone, including your dog.

 

First of all, you need to differentiate between the incidents that are resource guarding and the incidents that are about physical handling. These are two different behaviors with somewhat different causes and solutions. The obedience training will be good for resource guarding - the chicken bone bite, the bed and couch bite, perhaps the keys with your dog walker. You dog should not be allowed on the couch at all if he resource guards it. YOU decide what is his and when he can have it, not him. Work harder on the "leave it" and "drop it" commands. You should be able to use this command for anything, and you may need more practice working up to higher and higher value treats.

 

The other thing you can do is NILIF (Nothing In Life Is Free) training. There are lots of books and advise here if you do a search for it, but basically he gets nothing - no food, no treats, no toys, no walks, without first successfully completing a command - sit, down, drop it - whatever he can do no matter how simple. To reinforce your need for respect from him, try hand feeding him his meals for three weeks or so.

 

Many greyhounds are very sensitive to having their feet handled. Do you trim his nails or do you have it done by someone else? Make sure his feet are in good shape and there aren't any medical issues like corns, or small cuts or pokes. Incorporate handling his feet into your training sessions. Begin by very short pets on his feet that he will tolerate - just a couple strokes - and treat treat treat. Work slowly to increase your handling until you can massage and touch all his his feet all over - this may take a long time if he is particularly sensitive. I would start with him lying down and relaxed.

 

Most importantly, you must regain yor confidence in dealing with him. Dogs are very (very) good at reading human emotions and will pick up on fear and anxiety quickly and easily. If he believes he can intimidate you and your husband, he probably will escalate his bad behaviors. This does NOT mean to "dominate" your dog. Provide clear and consistent rules with clear and consistent leadership. Dogs prefer structure, much like children, and much like children, they will test their boundaries. In the absence of a clear leader, even a submissive dog will step in and try to assume the role, often with disastrious results.

 

If you are struggling, please contact a certified animal behaviorist in your area for a consult.

[silverfish]

I'm sorry all this has happened. To have two bites requiring stitches is a serious thing, for sure.

 

A truly aggressive greyhound is a rare thing, though of course, they are dogs and aggressive greyhounds do exist. That said I have a few thoughts ..

 

1 - Have you talked to the group you got him from about these issues? Do they have anything useful to say?

 

2 - Has he been thoroughly checked out by a vet to make sure he has no medical issues?

 

3 - Did you work on gaining his trust before trying to grab things from his mouth? It's possible that he was hurt in the process (I don't mean injured, I mean scared and experienced some pain) and this has reduced his trust in you to the point where he is lashing out before waiting to see what will actually happen.

 

Going purely by what you've written this sounds like an untrusting, scared dog. It seems that he bites, growls or shows threatening behaviour only in situations where he perceives a threat; when you're trying to take something away, or are in a position which reminds him of the time you took the bone from his mouth and he's fearful that he's going to be hurt/frightened/have something of his taken away again. Remember I'm only going by what you've said, but it sounds very much to me as if he was either hurt or badly scared during this incident and he's being self-protective in his behaviour since.

 

I don't want to give you the impression that I suspect you of deliberately hurting this dog or that I'm directly blaming you for what has happened - clearly I don't know enough of the situation, and I don't know you or the dog. I'm just trying to understand what is happening.

 

The only time I've been bitten by a dog in the face (requiring stitches), I was bending to pick something up (her leash) from the floor near her head and she was in a corner. She was a very, very fearful dog, and it was my fault. I knew she was fear-aggressive.

 

Since then, I've taken on several greyhounds with varying degrees of fearfulness. One growled at me frequently when we first got him, and - like yours - sometimes would let me handle him (ears, mouth, feet) and sometimes not. He never bit me, though I feel if I'd pushed him too hard, too soon, he would have done. After some time working on gaining his trust he stopped growling and I was able to handle him pretty much anywhere and do what I liked, although there are still times I take it very gently with him.

 

Can you tell us exactly what you and your husband did when you removed the bone? In these situations it's easy to react loudly, and with hard, jerking movements. Did you yell? Smack at him at all? Yank the bone, or his neck, hard enough to hurt? Easy done, if you're inexperienced, or scared, but might well be enough to cause an ongoing problem if he was a 'spooky' type of dog to start with, and I'm asking not to judge you but to find out if there is a real cause for his behaviour or if it's really 'just him'.

 

Finally, did you get him from a greyhound adoption group and is he neutered?

[Guest KennelMom]

Going purely by what you've written this sounds like an untrusting, scared dog. It seems that he bites, growls or shows threatening behaviour only in situations where he perceives a threat; when you're trying to take something away, or are in a position which reminds him of the time you took the bone from his mouth and he's fearful that he's going to be hurt/frightened/have something of his taken away again.

 

I always hesitate to give advice in these sorts of situations...especially a dog that has so many bites in it's history. Without seeing the dog, meeting the handlers and seeing the interaction between everyone, it's really hard to know that's really going on. The more bites a dog accumulates, the bleaker their options should they need to be returned. But, this sounds pretty spot on based on what was posted.

 

I pretty much take what I want from my dogs, when I need to. I also handle them as necessary, from nose to tail. BUT, each dog is an individual and every situation is different and I never assume that even our most docile dogs won't bite...in fact, whenever I am taking something away from a dog, examining them or doing anything out of the ordinary (or even doing something ordinary in an unfamiliar situation/circumstances), I always assume a bite is possible. That means keeping hands and face away from the pointy end and/or muzzling and watching closely for very subtle signs that precede a bite. We've adopted several dogs with bite histories/aggression that were facing euthanasia b/c their aggression was uncontrollable and/or unpredictable which made them unadoptable...most of these dogs have fear/trust/confidence issues to a certain degree. Even though they have overcome them and are great pets now, I will always handle them slightly differently than most of our other dogs b/c a fear reaction can be so deeply ingrained in a dog. My goal is always to protect myself and to protect the dog from feeling they need to bite. I work hard on our relationship so I can trust them, but I don't rely on that trust to keep either of us safe. I always try to set each dog up to succeed in a given situation - in a case like your pup, that would mean not biting/snapping.

 

Dog bites are usually 100% preventable and there are usually always warning signals - granted they can be very subtle and/or very brief. I'm curious if you've been in touch with an adoption group about him and whether or not you'd be open to working with a behaviorist. Do you want to keep the dog, even it means you can never "trust" him?

[MaryJane]

As others have suggested, get a behavorist to identify what are the trigger points for your dog. Once you know what sets him off you can then work on resolving the issue.

 

It sounds like nothing has been taken out of this dog's mouth until the incident at the park and after that it seems that issues are starting to increase so, as others have said, I'm more likely to think this is a fear reaction setting in from that first incident but, it's hard to tell without seeing the interactions in person. If it is fear, it will take awhile to build trust both on your and your dog's side.

 

You mentioned growling on the couch -- the dog should not have any couch privileges at all until issues are resolved.

 

As a side note, I have fostered quite a few dogs and usually I go through a whole set of tests while the foster is at my house .. I have the "hug test", rawhide chew test, stuffie test, feet test, and the food test which are the major ones but I have more. The intent is that I do it very slowly and calmly and measure the dog's reaction which tells me what "needs to be worked on".

 

For example, most greyhounds do not like being hugged at least at first - I usually start very slowly by being over the dog (bending over slightly) and having my hands placed lightly on the neck area and see if the dog tenses. if the dog passes that then the next day, I sit down and put my arms more around the dog's neck and see if we have any tenseness. If that dog passes that then the following day I will then hold the muzzle very gently and bring more of my body into the hug and see if there is any tenseness -- you have to hold the muzzle because this is a great time to get bitten. If the dog passes that then the next day I will actually do a quick gentle squeeze when I have him in a hug (again holding the muzzle) and see if there is any tenseness. The next day will bring more of the same with me holding the squeeze a little bit longer. You may think that this is crazy but, I would not bring a dog to a meet-n-greet if they didn't pass my "hug test - too many little kids that might come flying up and try to hug the dog.

 

I am not suggesting that you do the "hug test" as you would probably get bitten if you did as your dog is already displaying signs of fear/aggression when someone is close. I only bring up the steps I go through over the course of a few days so that you can see that you went through them in a matter of seconds when you tried to pull something out of your dog's mouth.

 

As stated previously, a behavorist should be able to go through their own series of tests and identify the trigger points and how to go about resolving them.

[Guest iconsmum]

Kennelmom said "I always hesitate to give advice in these sorts of situations...especially a dog that has so many bites in it's history. Without seeing the dog, meeting the handlers and seeing the interaction between everyone, it's really hard to know that's really going on. The more bites a dog accumulates, the bleaker their options should they need to be returned. But, this sounds pretty spot on based on what was posted.

 

I pretty much take what I want from my dogs, when I need to. I also handle them as necessary, from nose to tail. BUT, each dog is an individual and every situation is different and I never assume that even our most docile dogs won't bite...in fact, whenever I am taking something away from a dog, examining them or doing anything out of the ordinary (or even doing something ordinary in an unfamiliar situation/circumstances), I always assume a bite is possible. That means keeping hands and face away from the pointy end and/or muzzling and watching closely for very subtle signs that precede a bite. We've adopted several dogs with bite histories/aggression that were facing euthanasia b/c their aggression was uncontrollable and/or unpredictable which made them unadoptable...most of these dogs have fear/trust/confidence issues to a certain degree. Even though they have overcome them and are great pets now, I will always handle them slightly differently than most of our other dogs b/c a fear reaction can be so deeply ingrained in a dog. My goal is always to protect myself and to protect the dog from feeling they need to bite. I work hard on our relationship so I can trust them, but I don't rely on that trust to keep either of us safe. I always try to set each dog up to succeed in a given situation - in a case like your pup, that would mean not biting/snapping.

 

Dog bites are usually 100% preventable and there are usually always warning signals "

 

 

Kennelmom, you rock! - that's the best-put few lines Whether the dog goes or stays, that little bit of educated advice would keep so many surprises from happening - greyhounds or otherwise.

Edited January 2, 2012 by iconsmum

[Guest raybren]

Thank you all for your responses. I feel like I should explain the situation with my dog a little bit more. We generally have a great relationship with him, and he is most of the time very happy and easy going. Most of the time he is very docile and gentle. He takes treats from our hands so carefully. We are very affectionate, he runs to greet us at the door, we pet him a ton, including hugging, when we walk by him and he's laying down he opens up his belly towards us to rub it. So I think there is some trust there on both sides, it's just these occasions where we're sometimes surprised by his reactions that leave us a little uncertain. It does sound like the most common recommendation is a behaviorist, which we will definitely look into through our organization.

 

To answer some of your questions:

 

1) We did adopt him from a greyhound rescue organization. I have talked to a few people that volunteer with the group, but everyone seems to think that it's somewhat normal behavior, even though they have not necessarily had these issues with their own hounds. Everyone that meets him, including the trainer and our dog walkers are shocked by this behavior, because he really is so good and seemingly well adjusted normally.

2) We have not ever had large breed dogs as adults. I had one as a child, but my husband has never had a dog, as he's allergic to most types.

3) What was the reason behind letting the dog sniff the wound hours after the fact? - We thought maybe he didn't know that his aggression to us caused this much damage, he had recently started learning how to play with other dogs, which sometimes includes putting their open mouths on each other, without really biting down. We thought if he smelled the wound/blood, etc, it may show him, as these weren't puncture wounds, they were more like tears from his teeth brushing our skin, even though they were fairly deep.

4) What is your typical way to "correct" your hound? - We now have some commands that we use, but a general firm but not mean or aggressive "No" is sometimes used. We never "correct" him in a physical manner. My husband has yelled a little at the dog after an incident, which he knows he should not do and said he will not do going forward, but it was never anything super crazy and never with anything physical. Just "No" and "Bad Dog".

5) Has your hound growled at you, and do you allow it, or correct the behavior? - He doesn't growl very often, but if/when he does we usually try to gauge why, is there a real reason or something that we are doing to cause it. We generally then either say No or actually respond in a nice soothing voice "It's ok", trying to let him know there is no threat

6) When was the last time you had your hound to the vet for a thorough blood workup and check? - the dog has been to the vet a few times since we got him, I'm not sure exactly what type of blood work has been done. I've seen other posts where some people recommend a thyroid test. Are there any other specific tests that you would recommend outside of general blood work?

7) How long has this behavior been around? The first bites happened about 8-9 months after we got him.

 

We do agree that especially with the first incident, it was resource guarding that we weren't prepared for. We had not had proper training with him at that point with "drop it" and such. We also had not ever grabbed anything from his mouth before. We did not yell and I don't believe we did anything to physically hurt him, but my husband did pry his mouth open, and like I said, we were not well versed about resource guarding at the time. I do blame us for that incident. However we had been pretty specific to make sure the dog is ok with being touched while eating, and we have taken his water away when he's eating his food without incident.

 

We are now muzzling him in certain situations. We may start doing so on his walks outside as well. We are also going to restrict him from the couch at all times for now. He has two soft dog beds to lay on.

 

When we get his nails clipped (at a local pet store) we muzzle him, but honestly he's been so good with that too, that's why it's a bit confusing. We have been making it a point since we got him to try to touch him all over, so he's used to it. My husband has always touched his head, mouth, belly, ears, legs and feet. We even put Musher's Secret wax on his paws every few weeks during winter to protect them, which is a lot of foot touching. We will now muzzle him while doing this but it has never been a problem before. But we do touch him a lot, and even hug him which he seems to love. He tries to get as close as possible even pushing in to the hug, tail wagging.

 

I had never heard the term NILIF (Nothing In Life Is Free) training before. We do make him work for a lot of what we do, he has to follow a command before going outside, before getting a treat, etc. We do not do this before giving him his food, but he doesn't get everything for free. I will look more into this though.

 

We are really trying to keep him and work through these issues, as he's most of the time a great dog, and we know he's had a hard life, but are worried that if there's another more serious incident that it may not be best to keep him. I have a hard time thinking that we would give him up, though. Again it's just hard to gauge sometime when this barking/aggression will happen. The actual bites that happened do seem to have a linear cause/effect, but some of the barking incidents seem to be less consistent. We will just have to continue to work with him on trust, and just be cautious when handling him, especially when outside and/or with his legs or feet.

 

Thank you!

[jetcitywoman]

For example, most greyhounds do not like being hugged at least at first - I usually start very slowly by being over the dog (bending over slightly) and having my hands placed lightly on the neck area and see if the dog tenses. if the dog passes that then the next day, I sit down and put my arms more around the dog's neck and see if we have any tenseness. If that dog passes that then the following day I will then hold the muzzle very gently and bring more of my body into the hug and see if there is any tenseness -- you have to hold the muzzle because this is a great time to get bitten. If the dog passes that then the next day I will actually do a quick gentle squeeze when I have him in a hug (again holding the muzzle) and see if there is any tenseness. The next day will bring more of the same with me holding the squeeze a little bit longer. You may think that this is crazy but, I would not bring a dog to a meet-n-greet if they didn't pass my "hug test - too many little kids that might come flying up and try to hug the dog.

 

I do something like this also. Plus I find that a gentle tummy rub while the dog is standing up makes the hug training a pleasurable thing for the dog instead of simply feeling confined. Nice thing about greyhounds is they're so tall that you can easily do standing tummy rubs!

 

I've read through the whole thread so far, and I don't see anything especially wrong with how the OP is handling the dog, other than perhaps they're making quick, sudden moves and startling the dog. Dropping the keys and then picking them up could easily be startling.

[JJNg]

You've gotten some excellent responses so far. Based on what you've written, I don't believe you have an aggressive dog. However, a dog's inherent temperament will affect how he responds to stress, and that may be a part of your dog's personality that you can't change. You can certainly decrease the number of aggressive displays and bites by learning to read his body language better and avoiding situations that trigger the behavior.

 

However, I don't believe that a dog with these tendencies will ever get to the point where you can trust him never to act that way again. Stressful events (for dogs, often any change in established routine) can increase the chance that the aggressive behavior will come out again.

 

You mentioned the apparent inconsistency of the aggressive behavior. Truly unpredictable behavior usually means some sort of underlying neurologic disease. More often, I believe that dogs just seem unpredictable because we miss many of their signals and aren't as in tune with subtle environmental cues as they are. The dog's overall stress level, even if caused by stress completely unrelated with the particular situation, will increased the chance of reactivity. So you need to be aware of the 'big picture' and everything in your dog's life that could be affecting his stress level when interpreting his behavior.

 

It is also important to learn to recognize the more subtle signals that dogs use to communicate their discomfort with a situation. Turid Rugaas is an excellent resource on this with her work on calming signals. Here's a website with a basic overview on calming signals.

 

Regardless of why the aggressive behavior started, there's often a learned component that reinforces the behavior - ie. he acts aggressively, and you back off and leave him alone. By recognizing the earlier signs that your dog is uncomfortable, you can hopefully re-teach him that the more subtle signs can be successful in communicating his discomfort, and he doesn't need to resort to the full aggressive display to get his point across.

 

I believe there's also the possibility of a phenomenon similar to flashbacks in people with post-traumatic stress disorder. It sounds like the initial incident of you and your husband grabbing him and prying his mouth apart to get the bone he grabbed was quite traumatic for him. Obviously, you were acting in his best interest due to concern about consequences of him swallowing the bone, but he doesn't know that. Think about it from his perspective - he found a tasty treat on the ground, and suddenly he's being attacked by you and your husband.

 

I would also suggest being careful when you search for a behaviorist. They can vary greatly in their level of knowledge and expertise. Make sure you find one who uses a combination of management using safety measures and positive reinforcement/desensitization techniques. I would personally avoid any trainers or behaviorists who recommend any confrontational, punishment-based, or dominance approaches. These techniques can risk making the problem worse. And even if you find a professional that you feel comfortable with, always keep in mind that you are your dog's advocate. If the behaviorist ever tries to do anything or asks you to do anything with your dog that makes you uncomfortable or that you feel may be harmful, you need to be assertive and not let it happen.

 

Also a caution about NILIF - I think the underlying concept of using everyday interactions as training opportunities is a good one. But I also feel that following this protocol too strictly can create a negative mindset that can harm your relationship with your dog. I expanded more on my concerns in this previous post.

 

It takes a dedicated owner to live with a dog who 'bites the hand that feeds him'. I've been there before, but with a much smaller dog than a grey (16 lb Italian greyhound). You'll find there will be many people, even dog lovers, who do not understand and ask why anyone would keep such a dog. But you can learn more from one difficult dog than you do from a lifetime of 'easy' dogs. The bond I had with my fear-biting, extremely reactive IG was incredible, even though at some level, he never trusted me 100%, due to handling and training mistakes I made when he was younger.

[TheFullHouse]

 

It takes a dedicated owner to live with a dog who 'bites the hand that feeds him'. I've been there before, but with a much smaller dog than a grey (16 lb Italian greyhound). You'll find there will be many people, even dog lovers, who do not understand and ask why anyone would keep such a dog. But you can learn more from one difficult dog than you do from a lifetime of 'easy' dogs. The bond I had with my fear-biting, extremely reactive IG was incredible, even though at some level, he never trusted me 100%, due to handling and training mistakes I made when he was younger.

 

Having brought in two aggressive dogs, this is so true. If you can work through his issues and some take a lot more time than others. Mine have been one or more years of work, but the dogs I have now compared to the way they were when they arrived in our home were so worth the time and effort I put into them.

[Guest raybren]

Thank you for your helpful replies. We will certainly take all this advice to heart. We will have the vet take a good look at him, and then potentially work with a behaviorist, as well as try to read his signs more closely.

[4My2Greys]

I don't have any advice I just wanted to say how much I admire you for being willing to work through his issues. The very best to all of you.

[Guest Giselle]

Hi, I'm an old member and now an occasional lurker. I skimmed through the thread because I took a few days off from the laboratory as I recently came down with a cold (whoo hoo! way to ring in the New Year's!)

 

I normally don't post much, but your dog's triggers were very loud and clear to me: Your dog has issues with people leaning over him. It's a threat, plain and simple. It's a natural threat that got exacerbated when you + hubby tried prying open his mouth to take away a tasty bone. So, now, he has generalized that threat to people leaning over to pick up keys, to pick up anything from the ground, to petting him while he's laying on the couch, etc. He's just hypersensitive to people learning over him now.

 

The solution?

1) DS/CC to people leaning over him. Don't do this step without help from a professional behaviorist. See these links: http://www.animalbehavior.org/ABSAppliedBehavior/caab-directory OR http://www.dacvb.org/resources/find/ OR http://www.avsabonline.org/avsabonline/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=79&Itemid=357

2) Implement a Learn-to-Earn protocol (this is essentially the same principle as NILIF, but Dr. Yin has been a staunch advocate of this more positive protocol). Essentially, your dog has to earn everything by sitting or waiting patiently. It's incredibly easy, but it's also incredibly easy to forget. So, you may want to buy a book or pamphlet on Learn-to-Earn/NILIF and tape a few checklists around your house.

3) Manage the environment. NEVER put your dog in a situation where he has a chance to show aggression. The minute he starts to growl or lunge, his aggression is reinforced. It does not matter if you yell "NO" or otherwise punish him. By having been repeated, the aggressive behavior is inherently reinforced. Aggression is not a behavior you can simply punish away with a "No!". It must be exterminated by providing correct alternatives, changing the underlying emotion, and preventing situations that would elicit aggression in the first place.

 

Also, for a quick read, here's one of Yin's blog posts on food aggression and learn-to-earn. It sounds like your pup could benefit from a few of the techniques she details in the post:

http://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/treatment_of_food_possessive_dogs_is_about_finesse_not_force

 

Good luck!

Edited January 5, 2012 by Giselle

[Guest Geostar]

Yes, you have received some super replies.. Best of luck with him. I'd also run a blood test and check his heart.

-star

[Jackandgrey]

Hi, I'm an old member and now an occasional lurker. I skimmed through the thread because I took a few days off from the laboratory as I recently came down with a cold (whoo hoo! way to ring in the New Year's!)

 

I normally don't post much, but your dog's triggers were very loud and clear to me: Your dog has issues with people leaning over him. It's a threat, plain and simple. It's a natural threat that got exacerbated when you + hubby tried prying open his mouth to take away a tasty bone. So, now, he has generalized that threat to people leaning over to pick up keys, to pick up anything from the ground, to petting him while he's laying on the couch, etc. He's just hypersensitive to people learning over him now.

 

The solution?

1) DS/CC to people leaning over him. Don't do this step without help from a professional behaviorist. See these links: http://www.animalbeh.../caab-directory OR http://www.dacvb.org/resources/find/ OR http://www.avsabonli...d=79&Itemid=357

2) Implement a Learn-to-Earn protocol (this is essentially the same principle as NILIF, but Dr. Yin has been a staunch advocate of this more positive protocol). Essentially, your dog has to earn everything by sitting or waiting patiently. It's incredibly easy, but it's also incredibly easy to forget. So, you may want to buy a book or pamphlet on Learn-to-Earn/NILIF and tape a few checklists around your house.

3) Manage the environment. NEVER put your dog in a situation where he has a chance to show aggression. The minute he starts to growl or lunge, his aggression is reinforced. It does not matter if you yell "NO" or otherwise punish him. By having been repeated, the aggressive behavior is inherently reinforced. Aggression is not a behavior you can simply punish away with a "No!". It must be exterminated by providing correct alternatives, changing the underlying emotion, and preventing situations that would elicit aggression in the first place.

 

Also, for a quick read, here's one of Yin's blog posts on food aggression and learn-to-earn. It sounds like your pup could benefit from a few of the techniques she details in the post:

http://drsophiayin.c...nesse_not_force

 

Good luck!

 

Nice to see you Giselle. Your posts are greatly missed.

[rallyp]

Hi, I'm an old member and now an occasional lurker. I skimmed through the thread because I took a few days off from the laboratory as I recently came down with a cold (whoo hoo! way to ring in the New Year's!)

 

I normally don't post much, but your dog's triggers were very loud and clear to me: Your dog has issues with people leaning over him. It's a threat, plain and simple. It's a natural threat that got exacerbated when you + hubby tried prying open his mouth to take away a tasty bone. So, now, he has generalized that threat to people leaning over to pick up keys, to pick up anything from the ground, to petting him while he's laying on the couch, etc. He's just hypersensitive to people learning over him now.

 

The solution?

1) DS/CC to people leaning over him. Don't do this step without help from a professional behaviorist. See these links: http://www.animalbeh.../caab-directory OR http://www.dacvb.org/resources/find/ OR http://www.avsabonli...d=79&Itemid=357

2) Implement a Learn-to-Earn protocol (this is essentially the same principle as NILIF, but Dr. Yin has been a staunch advocate of this more positive protocol). Essentially, your dog has to earn everything by sitting or waiting patiently. It's incredibly easy, but it's also incredibly easy to forget. So, you may want to buy a book or pamphlet on Learn-to-Earn/NILIF and tape a few checklists around your house.

3) Manage the environment. NEVER put your dog in a situation where he has a chance to show aggression. The minute he starts to growl or lunge, his aggression is reinforced. It does not matter if you yell "NO" or otherwise punish him. By having been repeated, the aggressive behavior is inherently reinforced. Aggression is not a behavior you can simply punish away with a "No!". It must be exterminated by providing correct alternatives, changing the underlying emotion, and preventing situations that would elicit aggression in the first place.

 

Also, for a quick read, here's one of Yin's blog posts on food aggression and learn-to-earn. It sounds like your pup could benefit from a few of the techniques she details in the post:

http://drsophiayin.c...nesse_not_force

 

Good luck!

 

Nice to see you Giselle. Your posts are greatly missed.

 

AGREED!!

[NevadasMom]

Hi, I'm an old member and now an occasional lurker. I skimmed through the thread because I took a few days off from the laboratory as I recently came down with a cold (whoo hoo! way to ring in the New Year's!)

 

I normally don't post much, but your dog's triggers were very loud and clear to me: Your dog has issues with people leaning over him. It's a threat, plain and simple. It's a natural threat that got exacerbated when you + hubby tried prying open his mouth to take away a tasty bone. So, now, he has generalized that threat to people leaning over to pick up keys, to pick up anything from the ground, to petting him while he's laying on the couch, etc. He's just hypersensitive to people learning over him now.

 

The solution?

1) DS/CC to people leaning over him. Don't do this step without help from a professional behaviorist. See these links: http://www.animalbehavior.org/ABSAppliedBehavior/caab-directory OR http://www.dacvb.org/resources/find/ OR http://www.avsabonline.org/avsabonline/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=79&Itemid=357

2) Implement a Learn-to-Earn protocol (this is essentially the same principle as NILIF, but Dr. Yin has been a staunch advocate of this more positive protocol). Essentially, your dog has to earn everything by sitting or waiting patiently. It's incredibly easy, but it's also incredibly easy to forget. So, you may want to buy a book or pamphlet on Learn-to-Earn/NILIF and tape a few checklists around your house.

3) Manage the environment. NEVER put your dog in a situation where he has a chance to show aggression. The minute he starts to growl or lunge, his aggression is reinforced. It does not matter if you yell "NO" or otherwise punish him. By having been repeated, the aggressive behavior is inherently reinforced. Aggression is not a behavior you can simply punish away with a "No!". It must be exterminated by providing correct alternatives, changing the underlying emotion, and preventing situations that would elicit aggression in the first place.

 

Also, for a quick read, here's one of Yin's blog posts on food aggression and learn-to-earn. It sounds like your pup could benefit from a few of the techniques she details in the post:

http://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/treatment_of_food_possessive_dogs_is_about_finesse_not_force

 

Good luck!

Excellent advice. I implemented the NILIF program with Trolley after a few growls/snaps. It worked wonders & our relationship grew stronger. Best wishes...

[Guest PhillyPups]

Hi, I'm an old member and now an occasional lurker. I skimmed through the thread because I took a few days off from the laboratory as I recently came down with a cold (whoo hoo! way to ring in the New Year's!)

 

I normally don't post much, but your dog's triggers were very loud and clear to me: Your dog has issues with people leaning over him. It's a threat, plain and simple. It's a natural threat that got exacerbated when you + hubby tried prying open his mouth to take away a tasty bone. So, now, he has generalized that threat to people leaning over to pick up keys, to pick up anything from the ground, to petting him while he's laying on the couch, etc. He's just hypersensitive to people learning over him now.

 

The solution?

1) DS/CC to people leaning over him. Don't do this step without help from a professional behaviorist. See these links: http://www.animalbeh.../caab-directory OR http://www.dacvb.org/resources/find/ OR http://www.avsabonli...d=79&Itemid=357

2) Implement a Learn-to-Earn protocol (this is essentially the same principle as NILIF, but Dr. Yin has been a staunch advocate of this more positive protocol). Essentially, your dog has to earn everything by sitting or waiting patiently. It's incredibly easy, but it's also incredibly easy to forget. So, you may want to buy a book or pamphlet on Learn-to-Earn/NILIF and tape a few checklists around your house.

3) Manage the environment. NEVER put your dog in a situation where he has a chance to show aggression. The minute he starts to growl or lunge, his aggression is reinforced. It does not matter if you yell "NO" or otherwise punish him. By having been repeated, the aggressive behavior is inherently reinforced. Aggression is not a behavior you can simply punish away with a "No!". It must be exterminated by providing correct alternatives, changing the underlying emotion, and preventing situations that would elicit aggression in the first place.

 

Also, for a quick read, here's one of Yin's blog posts on food aggression and learn-to-earn. It sounds like your pup could benefit from a few of the techniques she details in the post:

http://drsophiayin.c...nesse_not_force

 

Good luck!

 

Nice to see you Giselle. Your posts are greatly missed.

 

AGREED!!

 

 

I third that, please do not be such a stranger!!

[Guest Giselle]

Aw, thanks everyone! I apologize for being MIA. I've been *incredibly* busy lately - am currently juggling school, an apprenticeship, a research position, teaching my behavior class, and preparing for vet school applications... My mind is all I will try to poke my nose in here more often though!