4 year old dog that bites - need advice
My family has a 4 year old female sheepdog that goes into attack mode ( head down, tail tip tucked in) and looks at our feet. Sometimes she licks them, growls at them or bites without warning. We took the dog to several classes when she was a puppy and she is well trained except for this problem. She has also developed arthritis and she growls when she gets tired and can't charge up the stairs. I am so concerned with her behaviour because we had a 5-year-old male sheepdog growing up that we had to put to sleep because of biting. Late one night, the dog attacked my father when he was returning to his side of the bed. The dog attacked his face and arms when he tried to grab his colar and get him down off the bed. The following day, he attacked him again in the yard. Other than those two incidents, the dog was very gentle and loving with our family. I have been told that some sheepdogs can be very unpredictable. I love my dog and don't want her biting to get worse. Is it possible to change this behaviour when they are an adult? Thanks |
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| We've had the same type of problems with Buckley. He attacked one of our friends whom he normally got along with just fine. He had growled at my husband several times, even lunging toward him a time or two, but was nothing but sweet to me. We talked to some different people envolved with OES rescue (since that's were the tempermental ones seem to end up), and discovered it was a dominance issue with him. (One of them even came to our house to evaluate him!) The advice we were told is that he saw me as the "alpha bitch", but himself, not my husband as the alpha male. To remedy this problem we first got him shaved (we couldn't see his eyes & we couldn't get close enough to his face to trim them). I don't know if your sheepie is in full coat or not, but typically sheepie's act a bit imbarassed once they've been shaved. This knocked him down a few notches. As soon as we got back home with him, we began the whole "nothing for free" type of thinking. We took turns feeding him by hand only after he sits, or lays down, etc. If he wanted to go outside he'd have to do something we wanted. If he comes up to us wanting attention, we don't give it to him until he stops begging, and then only for a little while (always stop before they want you to stop). It's been hard, especially for me, because I want to pet him all the time and give him all the attention he wants, but that puts him in control, not us. Another thing we learned is that since we now can see him and he us that when he doesn't obey we stare him down until he does. It's very important that you don't look away- they see that as their victory. Stand tall, be firm and stare back until they obey. There were other things as well, if you'd like to know more you can contact me personally. We got him shaved & started this 10 days ago, he hasn't growled at my husband once since then. We've had visitor's over and he's licked thier hand (before there were only certain people he'd even let in the house w/o going crazy!), it amazing how quickly things can change. Good luck and feel free to contact me personally w/ any questions. I'd also encourage you to talk to an OES rescue in your area, they can be a big help!
CB & The Monsters |
| Hi,
I just read your message and was wondering if you've had any other problems. I have a giant goofy 7 month old OES named Delilah. Just recently she has started growling when she doesn't want to do something. She hasn't lunged at or bitten anyone yet, but the growling makes me a little nervous because she's so young. She has been through a puppy class but she's still really fiesty most of the time. Please let me know if there's anything I can do to prevent further bad behavior like this. Gracie Girl wrote: We've had the same type of problems with Buckley. He attacked one of our friends whom he normally got along with just fine. He had growled at my husband several times, even lunging toward him a time or two, but was nothing but sweet to me. We talked to some different people envolved with OES rescue (since that's were the tempermental ones seem to end up), and discovered it was a dominance issue with him. (One of them even came to our house to evaluate him!) The advice we were told is that he saw me as the "alpha bitch", but himself, not my husband as the alpha male. To remedy this problem we first got him shaved (we couldn't see his eyes & we couldn't get close enough to his face to trim them). I don't know if your sheepie is in full coat or not, but typically sheepie's act a bit imbarassed once they've been shaved. This knocked him down a few notches. As soon as we got back home with him, we began the whole "nothing for free" type of thinking. We took turns feeding him by hand only after he sits, or lays down, etc. If he wanted to go outside he'd have to do something we wanted. If he comes up to us wanting attention, we don't give it to him until he stops begging, and then only for a little while (always stop before they want you to stop). It's been hard, especially for me, because I want to pet him all the time and give him all the attention he wants, but that puts him in control, not us. Another thing we learned is that since we now can see him and he us that when he doesn't obey we stare him down until he does. It's very important that you don't look away- they see that as their victory. Stand tall, be firm and stare back until they obey. There were other things as well, if you'd like to know more you can contact me personally. We got him shaved & started this 10 days ago, he hasn't growled at my husband once since then. We've had visitor's over and he's licked thier hand (before there were only certain people he'd even let in the house w/o going crazy!), it amazing how quickly things can change. Good luck and feel free to contact me personally w/ any questions. I'd also encourage you to talk to an OES rescue in your area, they can be a big help! CB & The Monsters |
| Congratulations to Gracie Girl for getting control of the situation with Buckley. I agree with the assessment and method of behavior modification entirely, those are the methods I use when training dogs and working with OES rescue dogs.
Dr. Nicholas Dodman is an animal behaviorist who is on the faculty of Tufts Univ. vet school. He has several good, practical books that you can borrow at the library, or buy online (e.g. "Dogs Behaving Badly"). He advocates the methods you are using. There are a couple of other things that can be done -- make sure the dog is spayed/neutered -- make sure the dog is getting high quality food with a protein content that is not above 20%, 18% would be good; a high protein dog food can exacerbate aggressive behavior -- make sure the dog get enough exercize, preferably with you engaging in an aerobic activity, not just sitting in the yard (a tired dog is a good dog) -- try training the dog with a "Gentle Leader" including leaving that device on the dog in the house. It allows you to maintain control of the dog's head I know this sounds silly, but make sure you feed your husband before you feed the dog. In a pack, the alpha dog always eats first. Ditto going through doors, leader always goes first. Again, congratulations on the good work you have initiated with Buckley. As you continue to act consistently with this method, it sounds like he will continue to respond positively. I know it's hard, but the reward is a dog that your family can enjoy and trust. (The hardest thing for me is the "no sleeping on the bed with the family", something I personally enjoy, but can be mis-interpreted by some dogs. I currently have 2 rescued OES and a visiting OES -- who sleeps closest to "mom" and has the highest position, is a BIG deal among the dogs, therefore none of them can sleep on the bed with me anymore. Helping a good dog become a great dog is more work than most of us expected! |
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