HELP ME!!!!! My dog has a biting problem...WHAT CAN I DO???

Question

I DON"T WANT TO PUT HER DOWN!!! She has bit and nipped at my 7 yr old daughter three times in the last four or five months!!! She has not drawn blood...but I don't want her biting my kid!!!! She is almost three years old and very hyper...Everytime it has happened there has been food involved...Once she tried taking her bone away from her, then the next 2 times she tried to grab the dog treat bag off the shelf in front of the dog's face and she did it again! My mother and older brother live with us (me, my 7yr old, and my husband) and they say the dog has to be gone today or they will get rid of it before the 2 of us get home from work tomorrow....Any suggestions???

Answer 1

If the dog has not drawn blood, I say she can be saved. Whether or not she should can only be determined after a professional behaviorist (not just a trainer or even a dog "psychologist") sees her and evaluates her.

The fact that she hasn't drawn blood indicates she has good bite inhibition, which is excellent. But she has a resource guarding and food aggression problem. She could possibly be rehabilitated and placed with someone who doesn't have young children.

Food guarding issues are very difficult with a small child in the home. But euthanizing her for what she has done so far is premature, IMO.

Find someone in your area from this website and consult them: www.ccpdt.com

Answer 2

Renee, this is a hard question to answer because much more information is needed. First, I noticed you said your mother and brother live with you in your home. If I understood you correctly, and it's not the other way around, I suggest you tell your mother that you don't appreciate her threat to get rid of your dog while you are gone and that you won't tolerate that because it is your home. She does not have the right to make that decision for you.

As for the rest, something has happened in the household to trigger this behavior. You need to think back to the first incident, what changed? Dogs can become aggressive for many reasons, such as being mistreated, teased or taunted, among many others. I suggest you separate the dog from the family and immediately consult your veterinarian. He can do a physical exam to rule out any health problems and to suggest a local trainer who can help you figure out what's going on.

There is a television program on HGTV on Friday nights called "The Dog Whisperer". Cesar Milan, who is the dog whisperer, is amazing and has a dog psychology center in Los Angeles. I'm telling you this because I've learned much from watching his show. He believes that there is no dog that can't be helped or saved. You can't solve your problem by watching the show, it's just encouraging so see what he can do with a troubled animal. I wish I had better advice to give you. Don't just solve the problem by putting your dog down if you truly love this dog. I wish you the best of luck.

Answer 3

Food possessiveness issues, especially involving dogs who have good bite inhibition (obviously your dog does or she would have done more damage) can often be successfully treated if they are addressed by a knowledgeable professional.

DO NOT take anyone's advice for treating this serious problem over the 'net - there's too much bogus information out there, and you risk making the problem worse if it isn't addressed carefully. Consult a professional behaviorist. Call your local animal shelter for a recommendation, or see this list of certified Applied Animal Behaviorists: http://www.animalbehavior.org/ABSAppliedBehavior/caab-directory

Here's an article on finding a behavior consultant: http://www.doggonesafe.com/training%20resources.htm

You also MUST address dog safety issues with your daughter, and supervise her and the dog AT ALL TIMES. That will go a long way toward preventing any future incidents. Even if you get rid of this dog, if you get another you are almost guaranteed to have the same problems again if your daughter doesn't learn how to interact safely with dogs.

Please read this link about dog bite prevention:
http://www.doggonesafe.com/dog%20bite%20prevention.htm

Best wishes!

Answer 4

Sounds like you have a trust issue with your dog. There has to be more to this problem. Dogs that I have seen OTHER people raise have been denied food, teased with their food, hit or slapped because they begged for food witch, compared to my 7 extremely large dogs, have caused more bites then nips on the fingers just taking the food you hand them. There is always food out for my dogs, they get a thump on the nose if they try to snatch food (which is rare) and I can pick up their treats or food bowls without a growl because they know I'm going to give it back with either more food or a treat in it. The only thing I have to suggest is that you train her by feeding her out of your hand. A thump on the nose should help, but it's according if she's ever been abused. Sometimes a thump will cause them to defend their self. Only YOU will know (if you raised her) if she's been abused or if someone in the home has abused her. Putting her down is not the answer, there is something wrong or someone has done her wrong. I know this from experience. I have taken and raise abused animals. Call a vet, she may need a little sugar water for a few days to help calm her hyperactivity. Especially if it's a Chihuahua!
If you can get her to trust each one of you with her food, then you could probably solve the problem. As for now, you need to NOT LET your child handle food around her. Once she trust one or two of you then maybe your child can gain her trust as well. If you don't want to try and solve the problem, then find someone who is willing to train her, putting her down it the easy way out. I'm no expert, but I've had all kind of dogs all my life. Much experience with dogs but still don't know it all. I have a friend who had a LARGE Rottweiler (140 lbs) and I was the only non-family member who could get out of the car at their house and walk in because I gained his trust.

Answer 5

first of all the ones that are invading YOUR space are your mom and your brother, tell them if they don't like the dog they can go look for a house or a homeless shelter, this is YOUR house, YOUR dog and YOUR daughter, so fudge them, second, teach your kid NOT to handle food or treats right on the dog's face, she's seven and shold know that already, third, teach the dog by playing, everytime you play with it and it bites, grab his whole mouth, say NO! with authority and stop playing, just turn around and leave the room DO NOT HIT HIM, SPRAY HIM WITH WATER OR SHOOT HIM WITH AN AIR RIFLE THIS IS CRUEL AND SENSELESS AND HE DOESN'T DO IT BECAUSE HE'S A BAD DOG, YOU ARE THE ONE WHO IS A BAD TRAINER!!!!, when you can play with him for a while with him not biting you teach your daughter to do the same, then he'll know that he's your PET, not your boss or something like that and he is subject to YOUR orders, give him a biting toy to keep him busy and DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES keep him chained or tied up because this will only make him angry and nervous, thus violent remember YOU should have trained BOTH your dog and your daughter, and if really you won't do this for X excuse then you should give the dog away... just to be safe

Answer 6

I cannot believe most of the moronic answers I see here. And you, the one that asked the question, you are sitting here debating between the dog and your child. What is wrong with people today that compare a dog to a human? Get rid of this dog NOW, not tommorow or next week, now. Give it away, get it to the pound, whatever, just get it out of the house and away from the child. Your relatives, despite on what the morons here said, are right, you never, ever have to decide between a human child that you brought into the world and a dog. This dog has an obvious problem and it needs to be handleed in the most expeditious way. A child will be a child but how dare a dog threaten or worse, bite a child? I love my dogs too, but, a wrong stare towards my kids and that dog will be history in a nano-second, and I will not give it away to become someone else's problem either. You have a decision to make.

Answer 7

The nipping and biting is your dogs way of showing dominance. Your daughter is smaller- and looks to be an easy target. It's a socializing issue more than a biting issue- trust me on this one- I have been through it. Basically when she bites and nips at your daughter and then your daughter gets scared or cries this is exactly the reaction your dog wants because it shows she is dominant. I know it sounds mean- but basically your daughter has to show dominance to the dog. When the dog bites and nips your daughter needs to put her out side for a time-out. Create supervised scenarios where your dog might nip or bite- and make your daughter stand in front of the puppy put her hands on her chest (your daughters not the dogs) and elbows extended outward and tell the dog "NO"!! Very loudly. This indicated to the dog that her behavior is unaccetable. Obviously be sure that the dog can't actually bite your daughter.

Get training too- spend $100-200 bucks on your pooch and have a well-mannered family member for life. Chances for that dog in the pound are not very good if she can't be put in a home with kids.

Answer 8

it really depends how large or small your dog is:
small: my little dog used to bite and I will say "NO BITING" in your best man voice you can, its not funny, thats what you have to do. If the continue, slap them,(not too hard), if it still continues grab its collar and say again "NO BITING"
big: you do not want to hit a big dog because that will only make them meaner. You can say I said to say for the small dog, if I doesnt work say "NO BITING" and put them right into there crate, cage, or confined area for a "time out" when they are gental and kind to your daughter give him rewards and lots of love
hope this can really help you out, this is not fake fact s from the internet, i have \a big dog and a small dog and both had stopped there bitin probs whith the directions posted above.

Answer 9

your daughter is teasing the dog by taking the DOGS bone and taking the DOGS treats off of the shelf. i am a grandmother of 6 (ages 4 to 14). my two children were raised around dogs, as has my 6 grandchildren. your daughter, until she learns NOT to tease the dog, she should'nt be left alone with the dog. sounds like there are to many chiefs in your home. you and your husband should lay down the law to granny and big bro. if things can't be worked out because of the dog, it sounds like granny and big bro should find a place together, so you and your family (husband, daughter and dog) can live in peace. children should be taught NOT to tease animals. what would happen if you have a baby and she teases the little one? is granny going to get rid of your first born? please let me know what happens.

Answer 10

Well one thing you should do is make sure your daughter isn't antagoizing the dog. She's 7 years old and should know better to take any thing food wise from a dog. However, it seems to me that your dog has not learn the structure of who's the "leader of the pack" in your family. He obviously seems to be really aggressive towards your daughter in regards to food cause he sees her as the weaker one in the pack and thus, nips and bites at her. As for the being hyper, when was the last time you took your dog for walks or played with it. A little attention goes a long way for our beloved pets. That's really all they want from us. Hope this helps and let me know how things go.