Question:
I'm crying. Addie was laying on the futon, like any other day. I bent down to hug her...pet her.......suddenly, she freaked out and bit me and broke the skin. Hammie was upstairs, so it had nothing to do with him. What the heck could be the problem????? She has NEVER acted this way. And, like I said, I was just petting her. I am really crying...I am so upset. She is usually so docile and sweet..I have no idea. :( It isn't like I scared her or something...she was fully awake..........and she bit me. :( I'm so crushed. I have no idea. :(
Answer:
Aww. I'm sure there's a reason.
Have you noticed anything different about her? Even a slight thing?
Is she spayed?
Does she seem to be in pain?
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Serena, she's just been to the vet..all was ok with her health. She has been her usual good natured self until today...I really haven't a clue what set her off....Ham was sleeping upstairs...it was our usual day. Nothing happening...just boogling in. I just decided to hug her.........and WHAM she bites me. I didn't frighten her...she was awake. She was laying on the futon....seemed happy. I was on the computer (same room). I got off the computer...went to her, hugged her, starting the petting........WHAM...she suddenly freaks out...bites me. I am so clueless. If Ham was in the room, I would have thought it was a dominance issue. Yes, she has been a major diva about sharing ANYTHING..but Ham wasn't in the area.??? Don't mean to make a big deal.....but my little Addie girl has NEVER been aggressive in her life. I cannot imagine why she would suddenly bite me........I am still crying. I just don't know what to do. Please, don't make me feel bad..........just help me here. :(
Answer:
Just a thought, something I've noticed with my current and past dog.... I'm sure sometimes that when they appear to be awake but are relaxed they can be daydreaming or virtually asleep.
Bonnie (current dog) sometimes gives off a very light growl if I stroke her in this state, then almost seems to 'come to' and realise whats going on.... or if she doesn't I'll call her name quite positively and she'll seem to 'come to'
maybe - and its just a guess - your dog could have been off daydreaming and been somehow startled.... and gone into a defensive mode?
Answer:
Oh Debi - I would be upset too. I don't really have any advice b/c I don't know why she would do that to you, but I wanted you to know I would feel very hurt if my dog did that to me too. I can remember that happened to me with my dog when I was a child, and it hurt my feelings so bad. But she was asleep when I did it to her, but I cried too. I would still cry to this day if that happened.
Maybe she was in a weird mood and just wanted to be left alone? do they do that?
I am so sorry, have you tried to go back to see what she does since that happened? What would Hammie have done if he had seen that happen?
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Oh bogolove...yes, you seem to 'get it'.. I haven't a clue what happened. One minute life was calm........next thing ya know...WHAM. Addie bites me...and breaks the skin.........OUCH!! Then I am bleeding...geez. My little baby girl............and she bites me. OH MAN, sorry to seem so dramatic. Don't want to be a pain,...............but any ideas?? I am so sad. :(
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Serena....as for her posture...........same old usual self. She seemed so fine, so loving...........cuddling up to me and loving being petted. I do make my pack leader clear.........even if she seems like the little diva...It is ME..........that rules.
But I am so open to suggestions... she came in like her usual little sweet self.. then she fell asleep on the futon. Like I said, Ham was upstairs, so not problem there. Ham came downstairs...and all heck broke loose.....YIKES.
Ok, guys........I am totally lame. I have failed doggie 101.
Serena..she gave me no warning..........just suddenly bit. :o( I do treat her like the little diva. I've always acknowledged her as alpha dog.
I am just sad....so I leave you tonight.
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mabe she didn't want to share the futon? mabe?
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I'm so sorry because I know how bad you feel when your beloved doggie bites you :( Blondie bit me once, when he was trying to get something and I grabbed him and pulled him back because what he wanted wasn't a toy, and he just growled and bit, it wasn't a big deal but I got a little cut on my thumb and bled a little.
When he did that he had just been diagnosed with Erhlichia and I know he was feeling very very sick, was running a fever and all that. So I know he was sick, and he hasn't bitten anybody else since that time. I'd recommend you not to be scared of her, I mean like now, if Blondie growls, I won't step back, because I don't want him to think he's the "leader" and he can growl people away from him. Nobody at home cares much, and now he just growls while we're playing and it's fun. And we know he's not as sick as he used to be.
Keep an eye on her, she was probably not feeling well, or daydreaming.
Answer:
Maybe she was grumpy. Or maybe what you were wearing, the color or how you smelled. Sometimes dogs don't like a certain color or smell. Or maybe she was concentrating on a fly or bird or something then you interupt her. I would do it again just to see if she will do it again. If she does then she has issues. You gotta start showing her whose the boss in the house.
Answer:
Hi :)
I know I'm new and everything but I have had a similar wake up call with my collie. He didn't bite, but he snapped when we tried to take his bone away the other day. First time.
Now he's 10 months old so I know he's hitting the bratty teenage stage full on, and now is the time he will test the waters. However it's also made me really *look* at his behaviour and most importantly, look at *my* behaviour!
I realised that he had been acting brattier for a while and part of the problem was while I asserted my authority in some ways (making him sit/drop for dinner etc), I was still giving him attention when he wanted it and with attention on tap, why should he respect me?
The point is, I don't think she was being 'aggressive' as such, but hugging is a dominant gesture on your part and if she's suddenly reacting to this, it really does sound like she was asserting her authority.
Maybe you should just toughen up what you are already doing? Are you already practising NILIF?
Nat
Answer:
Hugging a dog or holding the dog on either side of it's head, to a dog resembles the language they use when aggressing one another or challenging. This hugging of your dog up close put her on the defensive. Sometimes we forget that they're dogs and not people. Many dogs don't recognise a hug as a sign of affection. Hugging is like another dog's teeth on their neck. Having your face in their face is like another dog's stare which is a sign of aggression to your dog. That is not their body language for affection. Don't be crushed. Your dog loves you, but this threw her off.
Couch privelges need to stop for now. You need to make sure she knows that you're her leader. Do you do obedience training on a regular basis? Here's a site that will help with re-affirming you as the one to look up to. This and your understanding of dog language should help.
http://www.ddfl.org/behavior/nilif.htm
http://www.hilltopanimalhospital.com/dominance%20aggression1.htm
Answer:
Well, I was still sad about it all day yesterday. Addie seems to realize she did something very bad...she is coming to me being totally submissive. Her ears go back, she practically crawls with her head down. Even tho she recently had a check-up, I don't think she is really feeling up to par...not ill, just not great either. I'm NOT making excuses for her behavior, but I have been trying to think about it very clearly. I never thought about the 'hugging' ....I saw she was looking at me, went over, bent down and was doing the big ole hug....it really may have freaked her out.
Serena, that's the strangest thing...Hammie was upstairs. IF he had been coming in the room or even around, I may have thought it had something to do with him. The futon is the one piece of downstairs furniture they are always allowed on...they come and go on it as they please. They actually usually both sleep on it peacefully, especially when I'm in this room working on the computer.
Now...my question is.....how should I have immediately responded? I sort of was so shocked...I did yell...BUT I know that if I just suddenly yell, she gets more frightened which may lead to more snappiness. (hope that made sense) I need to know exactly how I should handle the situation should this happen again. So that I don't just overly excite her...yet establish my authority.
Addie and I had some private girl time yesterday....we ate some pasta. I walked with her more, too. She really does hate it in the house for more than a couple hours.....I've been giving her some private time outside which she really, really loves.
I truly think she momentarily forgot who she was snapping at....she is so used to bossing Hammie, and she rules the air the cat breathes. Again...not making excuses...just putting in a better perspective. Sorry everyone...it may seem so silly to some people, but it was an experience that upset me to the max. Thanks for all suggestions.
Answer:
I understand your upset totally. The thing is, this is not the type of behavior you can handle head on. If you react aggressively, it can exasperate the problem. The only way to really deal with it and cure the underlying problem is to #1: don't put your face in the face of a dog. #2: Try my suggestions for establishing a sensible dog/owner relationship....one where she is looking to you and depending on you for all her resources.
Answer:
I've been told the best thing to do if your dog nips you is to yelp loudly - teaching them that it is not on. I figure reacting aggressively or smacking them is only going to make the problem much worse.
Nat
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I just found this: http://www.k9deb.com/socialis.htm
Could be useful. I really like that site.
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I can see why you like the site, Saje. That is good, common sense, nothing fancy advice.
I've used that technique in a more limited time period with Kharma when she was deep in the throes of adolescent brattiness. It didn't take 48 hours - just an evening! These Filas are so tenderhearted and emotionally dependent on their owners that it doesn't take much. Plus, I have Bimmer to enforce obedience! You should see him when I tell one of the girls to do something and they don't do it . . . he's definitely my Enforcer! And he always looks at me to get the okay before he does it, which I find just utterly, utterly, well, Bimmer!
Charley swears he knows what I want before I ever say it.
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I'm sorry to hear about that Debi. I can only imagine how hurt my feelings would be and how shocked I would be if one of my dogs bit me.
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and a vet, just in case.
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I know I'd certainly be too nervous to try the alpha roll....I totally admit to not having enough experience. I will suspend her priviledge, for sure.
when the 2 dogs are together in the same room, I notice she will still get so very testy. This behavior is only indoors...she seems to have so much fun with Ham when they are outside. Indoors, she doesn't want to allow him anywhere near us. She is her usual sweet self....until he walks into the room..IF we're in that room. It is as if she suddenly can't stand him..........but only in the house. Should I stand over her and calmly, but firmly say STOP? Obviously I'm still concerned with not wanting to seem like I am always angry at her when he is around....I don't think that helps her, but I can't let her be sooooooooo overbearing and bossy. hope that makes sense. She's only been this since winter began.......sure is making life indoors unpleasant. Everyday I am amazed that Ham nevers gets upset with her lashing out......he usually just goes to another room...but that's sad to me, too.
Answer:
I was kind of hoping I could try to work this out myself.....with major help. In our rural area......I'm lucky there's a post office, let along an animal behavoralist. I had to travel many miles to find a decent vet (well, he seems decent so far) I keep wondering why we never had these 'issues' before...especially with Ham neutered (cause I was afraid there might be dominance problems prior..back then he was starting to challenge her) OR...is it now because he is so easily controlled....she has become so controlling? It's as if one minute she understands I'm boss.......then the next, she is the one 'barking' lol out orders. I can't imagine how I can be sending such mixed messages??? About the petting and attention, should I not be always available when she wants petted? Maybe sometimes ignore her....she seems to be more demanding of attention lately, too. I sound so silly......but that's my problem, I love to give them all the attention they want....but I'm doing something wrong. Yes, I've been consumed with overthinking this...just ask Dave.
Answer:
This is her first winter indoors with a grown up Hammie. The article on the website that Saje posted really made a lot of sense. You have to get Dave to go along with it too, though. It's not going to help if she can run to him when you won't give her what she wants - only make it worse. You've seen those kids who run from Mom to Dad to Grandparents, playing one against the other to get what they want!
Of course, with Addie you've got a strange situation - a dog that doesn't really want to be inside; almost a 'lone wolf' mentality.
There's got to be a way to make being in the house (even with Hammie) more of a pleasant time for Addie. I think maybe that's where a great deal of the problem lies. She's just not happy being stuck inside.
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Did you go to the link I posted? There's a very clear, step-by-step process to try. I think it may help
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Saje...I haven't a clue how I missed it...DUH...DUH...DUH, but I read that information and bookmarked the site. THANKS. It's amazing...that's sounds just like our situation. I am starting tonight.......I'll let you know! :D
Answer:
I'm glad to help. Browse around the site a little, not just that page. It's really great and has some good links. I found a great page on how to clicker-train from there.
Good luck! Please let us know how it's going. I'm really curious.
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Saje...we...well, I should say I cause as the article mentioned, Dave already had the alpha thing going..........started yesterday...AMAZING results! No kidding....I ignored Addie, even when she pawed me miserably (was hard to do)...all I know is we had the most wonderful, peaceful evening of BOTH dogs on the bed...snoozing away while we had our after dinner tea...IT WAS GREAT! Before Dave came home, all was calm. Hey, I've always said when I needed help...I've never pretended to know what I was doing regarding multiple dogs. That's why I adore this forum. I've learned so much........and I LOVE that site!! Will keep you posted. :D THANKS again!
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Debi that is so great to hear! Maybe this will cure your darling girl's "bad Addie-tude!" (I am sooooo sorry for that one!) :D
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Renee...it is so amazing to me the changes you can make when you know what the heck to do!! lol Addie seemed happier....I know I was happier!!!!!! Ham probably felt less tension. It was just a great snuggly night. :D (needless to say, DAVE was happier cause I stopped fretting about the babies....LOL)
now....day two continues with the advice....again, I'll keep you posted.
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That's SO great! I'm so happy it's working. Really. Thanks for keeping us posted.
I'm really happy that things are workign out.
Happy happy happy