Hi, wonder if anyone can offer advice for a friend of mine.

She has a 10 month old male Lurcher. She got him at 4 months old from rescue, (he is whippetXGSD.) She has a problem with him biting her.

We met up for a walk today and he was desperate to start playing with my young Lab. We let them greet each other briefly before walking up the lane towards some woods where it was safe to let them off, but he wouldn't stop jumping around on the lead trying to get to my dog.

My friend was making him sit and wait and then trying to get him to walk to heel. In his frustration (I guess) he quietly grabbed hold of her leg. It hurt enough for her to yell out in pain. She immediatley grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and let him know very angrily that he was wrong. He didn't do it again. However, that's not all.

When she walks on her own with him, he runs around the field, then runs up to her and bites at her! She sometimes manages to get him to stop by telling him down as he approaches her.

IMO he's not aggessive, just bloody naughty. He mixes well with other dogs, is friendly and sociable with them and people. (I walk into her house and he barks a warning when he hears the door open, runs up, sees me, and immediately sits as he knows my pockets have treats!)

My friend has worked hard with him, he is her first dog and I believe she is doing everything right, she is VERY firm with him. When he is wrong, she really tells him so! When he is right, she gives him affection and praise.

But it hasn't stopped him biting her.

I told her he was being a stroppy teen and testing her, but don't know how to help. Anyone?

~ Sharon :)

It's hard to tell in a situation like this when you haven't seen the dog - but it sounds as if their relationship is not all it could be - he's sensed a weakness and is playing on it - IMHO she really needs professional help - if he's insured maybe it would cover a vet referral to a behaviourist??

Don't think she has insurance, but I will mention it.

I tend to agree that the relationship is not all it could be from what youhave said. From your post it seems that your friend is determined to get on top of her dog but the problem is, as she has discovered, that even being very firm (presumably you mean physical?) does not solve some problems and may even exacerbate them.

Out of interest, exactly how was your friend getting the dog to sit and wait and then heel? What sort of training equipment if any does she use. and did the dog break the wait or not heel? If so how did she react?

Lindsay

Hi,
I don't think all insurers will pay for a behaviourist, I know mine wouldn't-Direct Line

Sounds to me as if he is trying to get your friend to 'lighten up' a little.  Dogs are addicted to fun, especially lurchers.  I train all my dogs through play, never find it necessary to grab scruffs and get angry, even the ones that I took on as biters.  She should seek help from a trainer who uses reward based methods.  The APDT have a website and there's bound to be someone who can help close to you.

This may sound a bit odd to some people but not to me, but does she give her dog a cuddle, my GSD's often come up for cuddles it could be ten times a day, the just bury there heads in our laps for a hug or if that not good anough then they half get on you for a full on put your arms around me cuddle.
Dogs love affection as well as play :-D and a big kiss lol

Cordelia

He's probably getting confused between cuddles one minute and being told off so firmly the next - dogs need consistancy and if he reacts well to cuddles why not use praise to get the very best out of him???

Hed sounds like my bitch that came back to me as a pushy untrained adolescent.  she would grab at arms legs, boobs and bottoms, with a grin on her face and wicked twinkle in her eye.

She is and was very confident, but facing situations and expectaions that were new to her, so she tried very hard to change things into a game, and of course a dogs idea of a game is rather a rough afair, and what she was doing and your friend was doing was playing over exuberantly and in an inappropriate way.  Getting cross or pohysical just made her worse.  Being a Spitz breed the more excited she got the noisier she got.

Now being as mine was such a confident beastie I wanted to stop her without making physical contact, as that is what she wanted.  I used a water spray in the face. Now care needs to be taken here, as timing is important, and depending on the dog it may frighten or even amuse them, the idea is to give a mild shock that stops them in midstride so that you can then give a command for an alternative behaviour, which is then rewarded by quiet praise or a treat.

Another methoid is to keep a long line on the dog, or a lead on at home, that can be used to halt the dogs progress, but this doesn't really work for a dog running towards you, and is better for when a dog gets on furniture or pushes ahead of you through doors or up stairs.

Hi

The news is good I have a lurcher cross who is 18 months old and has went through the same faze of biting or nipping firstly this dog is excited to be out with its owner and what is even better it is out with a young pal major exciting. Aggression, shouting or screaming will not work!! I know as my pup all most drove me insane.  You must be firm when he does it tell him no in a big firm voice then redirect him to a toy keep doing this.. eventully he will go and get the toy when he gets excited when you are outside take a ball for him.  My pup has now learned and will grab usally half a tree when we go for a walk she is now great.  Tell your friend to give him time as he is young but he does need to know that to nip or bit is wrong.

Hope this helps

Thanks for the replies... firstly it's so hard to get across what the dog is like just by a written description as I attemped to do, also how my friend reacts to the dog! She doesn't shout at him, she speaks firmly and doesn't hit him. (I accept that was my description that was interpreted to make it look like she was.) She only grabs him by the scruff as it gains his attention first. She is affectionate to him! Again my fault here!

Brainless, yes he seems to be very much like your adolescent, I will tell her to carry a small water spray on her walks and surprise him with it one day when he tries to bite her, I shall be interested to see how he reacts!

A toy is a good idea too, might help distract him? I will suggest to her to get a ball on a rope to throw for him, at least he will have something in his gob and can't bite her!

Embo, I will tell her she has another 8 months to go. ;)

Out of interest, exactly how was your friend getting the dog to sit and wait and then heel? What sort of training equipment if any does she use. and did the dog break the wait or not heel? If so how did she react?

****

Sorry Lindsay, I had to go back to your post.

She uses treats to encourage him to sit. He sits very well on command and when alone he will wait, but at the start of the walk, with my dog there he wouldn't wait and I think it was then he grabbed my friends leg.

Sorry, not very clear am I? Having to think hard here as I have just found out my older lab has cancer.

I am really sorry to hear about your lab!!!

Beware of grabbing dog's by the scruff.  Some don't like it.  I have one here who would bite you if you did it on account of that is what his first owners used to do all the time.  I have another rescue who was scared to approach in case she was going to get grabbed again.  I would be really unhappy about having to grab my lurcher by his scruff.  Like Digger says - cuddles and affection one minute and grabs and speaking firmly the next leads to confused dogs and problem behaviour.
Sally

Both my dogs, at one point or another have gone through a phase of biting in excitement, either each other, or me.

Along with what other ppl have siad, ie consistency in training etc, id recommend she devises some training games that get the dog to use some self control, practice that in a quiet place at first, gradually building up to in front of doggy friends.

I still have to watch my Rocky, because if over excited he will jump up and 'mouth' any body part he can reach, and he mouths pretty hard....its rare he gets that wound up, but it can still happen.

Em

I have had a bit of a problem with my collie with nipping while out on a walk.  I now make sure she has something in her mouth, she is quite happy to carry her frisbee around and although I get the occasional shove with it, I no longer get nipped.  It was attention seeking in her case, If she wasn't getting the attention she wanted I got a nip. 

If he is happy to carry something, then I would go down that route to start with.

Sandra

Just a very quick reply as i am off out, and am late as usual but just wanted to say, so sorry to hear about your lab :(

The internet can be odd for communication so persevere :) My dog too was nippy at times - and went through some very exciteable phases such as trying to use people's stomachs as a springboard but i trained her through it all with what are basically reward based techniques and pure consistency and calm won the day. There will no doubt be some "dark days" as there always are in training, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Lindsay

Have not read the whole thread but from what I have read I am wondering if this dog is doing it to get the attention, even if this attention is punishment, dogs are strange and any attention is better than none. If I were your friend I would try ignoring any advance the dog made to me only offering attention on my terms, and when it suited me. As to the pain the pup is inflicting, I would consider a muzzle at least when out walking, that way it is easier to ignore any unwanted attention.

With apologies if I have repeated what someone has already said.

No apologies necessary Jackie, I am going to print all this out to show my friend and try and work something out with her. :) If nothing works, she was thinking about getting professional advice anyway... not saying any advice here isn't professional... ;)

~ Sharon