An online consultation case story. Another adolescent dog that suddenly bites ‘out of the blue’. Finn is a stunning mix of German Shepherd and Staffordshire Bull Terrier. He was picked up at seven weeks old by the RSPCA, living in a faeces-filled crate with his siblings. His early encounters with Read more…
They worry that it’s their fault that their dog bites them.
I’m sure it’s largely genetic. Some dogs resort to biting a lot more readily than others. Some dogs will put up with anything and not bite.
The family has had eighteen-month-old Rough Haired Dachshund Toto since she was eight weeks old. Like many people, they have had dogs before, treated them in the same loving way, but never had this problem. I myself can look back at past dogs of mine and wish I had known then what I know now.
She showed no signs of aggression as a young puppy. If they had predicted how dog bites were going to develop, they would have reacted differently from the very first time it happened, when at about a year old Toto stole a shoe – had they realised there was another way.
Like so many people would do, they chased and cornered her in order to retrieve the item. She will have felt both aroused and scared. She growled and then snapped. The behaviour then escalated quickly. (more…)
Betty is another French Bulldog that barks loudly at anyone coming into her house. “Go Away!”
Sometimes she bites hands.
I have just looked back through my more recent stories of French Bulldogs. I am surprised how many cases have been about territorial and protective aggressive behaviours towards people coming into their home.
As a behaviourist, I only visit those Frenchies with problems. Of these problems, most have protectiveness and barking aggressively at people in common.
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Going for feet is recent. They have come a long way with their four-year-old rescue English Bull Terrier in the year or so they have had him. He no longer pulls on lead and is a lot better when they meet other dogs. However, this behaviour has developed in the Read more…
Resource guarding and still only a little puppy. A week ago a very distressed young lady phone me in the early morning. The previous evening her Miniature Pinscher puppy, Rupert, only fifteen weeks old, had a total meltdown. He was an attacking, snarling, biting little resource guarding bundle of anger. The vet said he Read more…
Absolutely no impulse control around people, that is the problem. Beautiful Beau is a big strong Chocolate Labrador. He’s 9 months of age and his teeth hurt. With no impulse control, his biting and grabbing of my clothes would have been nearly constant had not the lady held him back. Read more…
He bites when touched in his bed. It’s hard to believe! Will is the most adorable, soft, fluffy, friendly and gentle Pug Poodle mix – a Pugapoo I believe. While I was there it was impossible to see any hint of what I had been called for – growling and biting Read more…
One of their little dogs bites a friend entering the house. Everything changes. He is now muzzled when people come and when he’s out. The whole situation is very stressful for everyone in the family. The first goal, before doing anything else, is to see how much we can calm things down. Read more…
How does one really define biting? Is it engagement of teeth or is it to do with the intent behind the engagement of teeth? From what I had been told on the phone I was going to a dog that repeatedly bit people, especially the man, and I was expecting Read more…
Three-year-old Jack Russell Monty has bitten three family members. Each time it was so sudden and quick they were left stunned. This is a rare case where it really did seem to be without warning. It is possible that gradual build-up of stress to the point where he exploded was Read more…