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TravisTJustice -> RE: Need some SERIOUS puppy advice... (2/26/2005 4:34:55 PM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: SweetlyMisguided
Recently, my now eight month old lab/pit mix puppy has came down with a VERY bad habit...
She's started snapping at me when I try to take something away from her that she is NOT supposed to have, or, if I am not paying her attention when she wants it...
Tonight, we were laying in bed watching a movie on tv... she was laying on the floor, and came up and put her head on the bed... I was half in/out of sleep... when suddenly she just jumped towards me barking and snapping...
Is there ANY suggestions on how to get her out of this habit and fast? It worries me that her temperment has changed so much in the past month....
Firstly, dogs have a number of age transitions which generally are times when they might show signs of uncharacteristic behavior such as new challenges to reassert their position in the pack. That 8 - 12 month period is when they grow out of the puppy stage and into the dog equivalent of young child. It's a bit like the "terrible twos" infants go through around two years of age. Their transition into the human equivalent of teen years happens around 18 months and around 3 years of age, they move into adulthood. Things generally will stay settled without any challanges from there through to 6 or so years, at which point some dogs might have their last attempts to challenge their position before settling down into older maturity.
Secondly, there are a number of reasons why a dog will try to bite: (1) fear (2) in defense of something it thinks it owns (that stupid old shoe that it sleeps with) (3) it's in pain or (4) it's psychotic.
It doesn't sound like your pup has anything to fear, so let's look at (2) -- you have to set aside time to specifically deal with the problem of it guarding things. This will mean creating a controled situation where you or a partner can correct the dog (using the Kohler methods somebody else has already mentioned) each time you attempt to take possession of whatever it is the dog shouldn't have. This exercise needs to be repeated over and over, correcting BEFORE the dog actually snaps. In other words, sit the dog close to the object. The person holding the lead should talk happily with the dog and even scratch its ear or whatever. The SECOND it even LOOKS like it's interested in making a move toward you, it gets corrected. What is achieved here is the dog will learn to not even THINK about guarding the thing.
(3) pain -- it's possible the dog is teething and thus in pain. Keeping the dog supplied with bones and chew toys will help.
A few people have mentioned sprays. These will work -- a water spray containing a few drops of cintronella oil (the smell of which dogs hate) will do wonders, or even an old perfume you don't mind using for the purpose. Of course, perfumes are alcohol based and so it is important not to spray it like Mace at Mike Tyson, OK? It's also important the response with these is immediate so the association is made -- "snap my teeth -- > I get unpleasant smells in my nose."
(4) Psychotic biters -- dogs that are straight out crazy are rarer than people might imagine, but they're much more prevalent in mixed breeds than purebreds. Without knowing the dog's family history, it's difficult to make any predictions as to how it might turn out, but the "pit" characterists are something that would bother me in your pup.
If I can also address something I feel might be a concern for you -- the imminent arrival of a new member to the household pack.
Let me say at the outset that if you have even the slightest concerns about your dog harming your baby when it comes along, get rid of the dog. Give it to a friend or family, but don't take the chance of having it "snap" -- literally and figuratively -- when there is a baby in the house. It's just not worth it.
That said, dominant dogs with stable temperments aren't prone to biting infants or young children because they don't perceive these as being any sort of a challenge to their position in the pack. A less stable dog, however, might, for any of the reasons mentioned above.
One final thought. You haven't mentioned how much basic obedience has been done with the pup. It's never too late to start and if you already have, you need to keep at it and even redouble your efforts.
Good luck :-)
Travis T.
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