I just don't know what to anymore with our dog, he's seven years old and at times can be very loving and affectionate, he's very well looked after as were big animal lovers, but he's bitten every one of our family..and never for any apparent reason. I constantly have to worry about where he is lying in the room as any one walking past him is likely to be bitten, when my childrens friends visit I constantly have to monitor where he is because of the way he is. He was recently sitting on my lap after I returned from work and was having a fuss, I only leaned forward gently and he attacked my face for which I had quite a few stitches. He constantly guards things like the tv remote if its on the arm of the chair he might be in and would growl and bite if the children went to pick it up, which means were constantly having to think about leaving things lying around and its very wearing! He's always been reprimanded when he's bitten and he knows he's done wrong but there just doesn't seem to be any way of stoppin it.  The family are now suggesting that he should be put to sleep, but its a step I just don't want to take, but at the same time I can't let him keep biting the family..  Don't know what to do anymore.   Help!...........

Poor you Bluesgirl,
Its not nice living on eggshells is it .
Ok firstly, there are so many reasons why he's being like this & for this reason i can only suggest that you get yourself a vet referal to a behaviorist. Taking a chance with yourself is one thing but kids is another matter & quite right you were to makesure they weren't at risk.
Meeting aggresion with aggresion will only make this worse,  he sounds as though he's resource gaurding, amongst other things & this you will need help with.
Go to the vets get him checked over make sure hes fit & healthy & get a referal .
Please do this sooner rather than later to prevent anything else happening.
Good luck

Thanks for your advice, I will get him to the vets a.s.a.p  It just seems crazy having to think about where you're treading around the house for fear of being bitten, but he still has a loving side to him. Hopefully I'll get it sorted.

What a horrible situation to be in.

It sounds like he has an inflated status in your house.  The first thing I would do is not let him on your lap or the furniture.  I would even go as far as putting up a child gate to the living area so he can see you but not get in.  This would stop any confrontation in this area. 

If you didn't want to use the child gate, put a thin lead or line on him, so if he does get on the furniture you can get him off without having to be too close to him, as I guess he will not like it.  Be nice about it, but firm.

I too would recommend a behaviourist, recommended by your vet.  I would guess furniture issue would be the first thing she/he would suggest.

Sandra

Aw i felt sad reading your post and i agree with both threads do what they've suggested, it's trial and error and if you do what Sandra said while your waiting for your refarrel i think you'll see a change in his behaviour also the behavourist will be able to spot what your doing what makes him react in this way.  All the best, i hope he gets better because it's the hardest decision to put a dog to sleep but there is other options.  Good luck.

Warm regards Susan

I agree, do take him to the vet and get a referral to a reputable, experienced behaviourist.
They should be a member of UKRCB, APBC (www.ukrcb.co.uk and www.apbc.org.uk) preferably - avoid those that are franchises as the "behaviourists" may not ever had owned their own dog and have very little experience.

Bear in mind that sometimes a vet will not do any more than do a quick "once over" with a dog. Sometimes this can suffice, and may detect something like an ear infection,but there are other problems which can cause aggression, and which aren't always apparent but would need more tests. One example is hypothyroid. To totally rule out medical causes, X rays, blood biochemistry, and more specialised tests such as neurological scans would be needed.

It is probably not doing any good to tell him off and may make him worse (and in any case it's not working ;) ). If it's a simple case of resource guarding that has escalated, punishment almost always makes it worse. But, good news is that it can often be sorted out by experienced behavioural help, so hang on in there - and good luck.

Lindsay
x

HI Blues Girl

I always think situations like this are too difficult to fathom online.  I agree with the others get him to the vet for a check-up and then a behaviourist.  They will be able to see how he interacts in the household.  It may be something really simple.  Follow Lindsay's advice on getting experienced behaviourists.  There are many people now who call themselves behaviourists but have no real experience of working with dogs.  I do hope this works out for you.  It must be heartbreaking being in this situation.  Good luck.

Annie

Bluesgirl,

A seven-year old dog who is bitten every member of the family with no apparent provocation IMO should be put to sleep.  It is simply to risky to keep an animal who not only bites, but bites to the extent where sutures are required.   No amount of behaviour training can eliminate the risk entirely that the dog will bite again because he clearly does not have good bite inhibition.   The thought of your dog biting a child or other unsuspecting person does not bare thinking about.  You risk being sued.  You risk injury to another individual.   You risk making a child or another person afraid of dogs for the rest of their lives.  

There are some dogs, like people, that no matter how loving the environment they are not capable of behaving in an acceptable manner in society.   It's no one's fault, it is truely the way they were born.  

Sorry you are in this situation, it must be terrible.

Stacey

Stacey

I really think you have to get the dog checked out to see if it is a medical condition before sentencing the dog to death!  I have actually seen dogs turned around that have bitten.  With the help of a "good" behaviourist this can happen.  Like children, dogs are not born bad.  It is often the environment they live in.  Therefore, an information exchange is not the right place to give advice on a problem such as this.  This situation needs to be assessed before deciding what to do.  Small changes can make all the difference to a dog's behaviour but that is not for us to decide on this forum.  That is the work of a professional.

I do appreciate where you are coming but the fact of the matter is that, often, we expect dogs to behave like humans and treat them accordingly.  Dogs are not human and is it any wonder that they then become confused about how to behave.  I get the feeling that this dog is a small breed and, often, these dogs are the worst because they can be picked up and are often treated like babies by their owners.  It is not about living in a loving environment.  It is about living in a suitable environment and only a professional can assess whether the environment for this dog is a suitable one. 

Kind regards
Annie

Dogs or children may not be born "bad" but they may be  born "mad" or develop mental health problems often triggered by a physiological cause.

Get professional, experienced advice and assistance to determine whether the situation is solvable or not and in your environment or not.