Hi i have a rescue dog that is older dont know much of its history but we are having problems with him biting people it is getting worse and is quite scary now.We have tried to muzzle him but he just goes mad when we approch with the muzzle,there doesnt seem to be any cause.He is a lovely dog gets on great with all in the household and our other dog he is no trouble at all untill we take him for a walk.When we got him we were just told that he is shy and a little nervous can anyone give us advice.? 

Hi,
Well done for taking on a rescue dog. Until you get some answers, I would keep him on a lead when out for the moment. Can you phone the rescue and ask for advice?

Give the APDT a call as they will be able to give you the info of a near by specialist trainer which is what he needs :)
If you put APDT into the google search engine it will come up and then look for one in your area, their not pricey and their methods are treat based not alpha based etc :)

For now tho you can get a lead on him yeah?
Maybe tie the lead to a door handle with slcak in the lead and place the muzzle on from behind him while offering treats at the same time and stroking his back to begin with so he knows your there and you wont make him jump suddenly with muzzle in hand, his fear could be because of many things being a rescue, you just have to be able to train it out hopefully and have the patience to do it, but if he is dead set on biting people then maybe dont go out till the problem is sorted as biting people is more serious then biting dogs if you see what I mean?

If you do want to take him out maybe use something else then a muzzle, arent their head collars which cover the muzzle and are a soft material? A muzzle is a big thing for an older dog to accept all of a sudden, maybe head and muzzle collars are the way to go? Im sure someone will know the kind Im referring too.

I really hope you get this trained out and if you call the APDT it will happen in time :)
Good Luck and keep perservering! :)

The problem with rescue dogs is many just don't have a history to go with them, life experiences mould all of our dogs and cause their thought patterns to adjust to experiences they have had, very, very, difficult to change the way that a dog thinks, self preservation is a top priority for all dogs and whatever has happend to him to cause this reaction now it will need as already pointed out a very good behaviourist to sort it out, it is not just a case of re-training and desensitizing but taking away the fear that makes him bite, you won't be able to do that, only an expert, just like we may seek out a psychiatrist. :-)

All you can do is protect the outside world from him, which means to muzzle and lead as alread said, but an expert will be needed to help him.

Try giving him a treat before you muzzle him and he gets used to it.

What you need to study and write down now to help a behaviourist is exactly what has happens before he bites, where this happens?

we are having problems with him biting people this obviously means he has already bitten people and by your explanation it is happening outside, your lucky that no-one has prosectuted you as of yet, does he approach people and bite, is he protecting you or just afriad of people, do they try to stroke him, are these peopole with or without dogs, men, women, children all these questions need answering.

For now protect the outside world and get him that help. :-)  Rescue dogs are very much like foster children they often have their problems but understanding, help and TLC can make a world of difference, at the very worst he just wears a muzzle from now on for the rest of his life, whilst outside the home, but that will only be a small part of the life he has so don't be disheartened.

A couple of questions.

What breed and age is he?

What type of muzzle are you trying to get on him? If it is a basket type, you could try putting some pieces of really tasty food in it and then offering it to him, no pressure. If he happily takes the food, then take the muzzle away. He needs to realise the muzzle is nothing to be scared of. You can keep doing this until eventually you can clip it up and he is wearing it, then feed some tasty bits through it. He should then associate the muzzle with pleasurable things.

I have used a trixie muzzle loop (http://www.k9capers.com/shop/proddetail.asp?prod=K919283) in the past which isn't as severe as a proper muzzle, but does restrict biting, he may be happier with that?

To try and answer some of the questions it is people without dogs it is very random.He has tried to bite men ,woman and children,sometimes tries to bite when someone tries to stroke him so i stopped people stroking him giving him his own space but then he bit someone who just walked by when he was sitting next to me with a lead on no attempt to stroke him at the time.He has never been off lead with us.We were told he was handed in to rescue as child allergic but i think there are other issues with him,i have been speaking to behaviourist and feel that someone has not been honest.Oh he is nearly 12 yrs old,bassett hound.   

Oh gosh a Bassett, very unusual traits for a Bassett, I've known a few and they are although quite stubborn usually a very stranger, child and dog friendly breed.

Just a thought........ but has his eyesight been checked, he is in the latter stages of his life, (((big hug))) for taking in this old tymer, so pleased he found a loving home, in the home with familiar sounds, voices and knowing his way around he may be fine, but outside if his vision is a little blurred he may snap occassionally through bad eyesight, just a thought and a thorough vet check all round considering his age.

Your probably best to keep him on lead anyway due to this breeds nose usually over-riding their brain. :-D

The only trouble with him having this problem he is the type of breed others particualarly children will not be afraid to approach, so you will have to be very vigilant and unless a behaviourist or vet can help with his problem a muzzle is very much needed.

Also, get his teeth checked out to make sure he isn't experiencing tooth pain. You'd be amazed the number of people who say things like, 'I had to have my old dog put down, he turned nasty', and it turns out they had a mouthful of rotting teeth.

I agree with the eye and teeth scenario.  Poor thing getting to that age and hving to go to a new home.  Hope that you can give him a wonderful time in his latter part of life.