help! Aussie puppy fear biting, afraid it will become a problem

[MooseHillFarm]

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The Aussie is my "souldog" too Coyote, have always been drawn to them. Last July decided to make my dream reality and got my pretty pup. She's now 10 months and everything I imagined and then some. It's almost like I could see her in my mind's eye way before she became mine. We're far from perfect though.

This morning found a chewed up cap and a bottle of spilled black shoe polish on the sunroom carpet. Big huge stain, still working on it, and a chewed up comb to boot. My fault; leaving the door open to my dressing room/closet where she got the stuff, not noticing boredom/ destruction until after it happened. Luckily no ingestion, because it would have been obvious! Good to read your 10 commandments after that!

 

[lorieMN]

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sorry,I have to disagree,,,dont go poking her in the eye unless you actually fear for your life...if you misjudge and take out her eye or damage it she will only get worse..umm,cause she cant see out of one eye...find a good trainer to help you..this is why so many dogs end up dumped because they are too much for the owners and they dont know what to do..get hands on help..please..for your dogs sake

 

[Akane]

If not done right getting that physical especially with a pup can cause issues. If you know what your doing and the dog then yes I agree with much of what has been said but with a pup and not knowing how good of handler or judge of a dog's reaction the op is I would not suggest alpha rolls. I would instead get more control of the pup around strangers before something happens. Make the pup down and stay until you release when a stranger is in the house. Do not have other people take things from the pup except as part of training. When training give the pup a command before someone takes the item. By now I would have already taught "give", "drop" or both and "take". Give means let go of the item while I'm holding it and drop means let go immediately even if the item falls on the ground. Take is permission to grab an item whether I'm holding it or it's on the ground. When someone reaches for an item I would first say "give" and then let the person touch the item. That will eliminate confusion on the part of the pup and exert dominance on your part without getting physical right off. Effectively removing much of the risk you have with her snapping at other people.

Now if she does snap at someone I would immediately drop her. Not alpha roll but grab scruff or collar, shove her down side ways, and make her stay there. I do no physically hold my dog down. I put her down and through body language and threat she stays there until I say ok and lean back. I have never had to actually physically hold a dog. Not having to hold them physically both gives more control overall and is less stressful mentally on the dog so they are less likely to become reactive or start actual fear biting.

 

[redhen]

i also would stop doing the dominance roll, or scruff shake....as i stated in an earlier post...those can only really work if the dog willingly submits to it....like with my pup...when i did the scruff shake on him he instinctivly went in the submissive posture...HE did it himself...and now i do not even have to grab his scruff anymore...i just use a hand gesture and my firm voice...as i said earlier, i was told that IF the dog does not willingly submit to the dominace thing...DO NOT DO IT! becasue it will end up in a bad power struggle...where the dog WILL have to bite you...i also think that a trainer will have to help you with this..because positive reinforcement is great...but, you need to do that PLUS, she needs to respect you....so, its a fine line you will have to walk for a while, until she gets it...thats why i would go get help from a professional...i did with my Dane...i didnt raise him from a pup and i saw some concerning thngs...*nothing like you have now though..* and i didnt mess around..i took him to a behaviorist..she told me all kinds of ways to use positive training..but, to also let him know that I am the leader...one thing she said was to NEVER let a dominant dog on your bed...it makes them think they are equal with you in the pack...put him in his crate at random times...just because i CAN...and when he goes in the crate when i tell him to..he gets a treat....make him lie down before you give him a treat...and as soon as his belly hits the floor you praise himm and give him a treat right away....as i said earlier..he is the best dog now...but, i still wont let him on my bed...*that was his biggest problem*... i still make him lie down when i give him a treat..i make him sit befire i feed him...its all little things you will need to do...good luck!

 

[hensonly]

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I have two Aussies. Neither is a biter, but one is far more mouthy than the other. The more high strung of the two (more typical Aussie!) is a dog who likes things his way, likes to be in control..he's not a biter, but he barks hysterically and uncontrollably when in new situations and stressed. The stress seems to be from the fact that he can't control new situations - once he is familiar, the barking stops. Since your problem is basically rooted in who controls what, my solution may help you, too.

Any time I encounter a new person, dog, place, I start right out getting his attention on ME. I do this by having him sit or down, often running through four or five commands one right after another: sit, down, sit, stand, down, sit, then I might back away and say, come. Then we start to walk again. If he whines or stares or loses focus from ME, I do it all over again. Sometimes just heeling in a circle (turning into the dog, not away) will re focus him. LOts of praise when he is doing well. When meeting other people, make him sit and stay at your side. Never let him greet first. He gets no attention from the new person unless he is sitting quietly. Ask the new person to ignore him, not even looking at him until he is sitting quietly. Be careful, when he is staying, not to say, in conversation, "OK", or whatever your release word is. He will think you are talking to him. Practice walking right up to new people and at the last minute (or as soon as he shows interest in them, turn and walk some other way.

The idea is to teach him that YOU are in control of whether or not he gets to approach otheres, that YOU are in charge of the way he greets people. Right now, he thinks he can set the rules about who touches him. Often, have him sit at your side, a person comes up to you, you shake hands, exchange a hi how are you, and the person goes on their way. When they leave you, they should pass on YOUR side, not the dog's. On these occasions, the dog should not get to greet, nor should he get any attention at all, not even a look. He needs to learn that his job is to sit quietly and let you decide the rules. When he is comfortable with this, do the same thing with him in a down at your side.

When anyone comes to your house, the same applies. He doesn't get to be at the door ahead of you; if he gets there first, he needs to get back and sit/stay while you admit and greet the person. Have him stay put while you lead the person into the interior of the house. Then he gets to come and sit or down next to you while you visit.

You should also pick up all toys, bones, etc. and (you may already do this) if he wants one, he has to sit or down. Have him stay, put the item on the floor about a foot away and stand over it while he stays. give it just a few seconds at first, if he moves, put your foot on the toy, give him a stern "Ah-ah" and insist that he stay where you had put him. He's not too young for any of this as long as you don't make him stay too long at first. When he's staying, looking attentively at you, you can step away from YOUR toy (don't back away) walk away as if you 've lost interest, but walk toward him so you can block him if he jumps up. Don't be threatening an loom over him, just walk up to him, give him praise while he's staying, then step aside and release him. I say step aside, because you don't want him dodging around you to get something he wants. You have to be very clear that you are allowing him to have it.

I hope this makes sense - it worked very well on my younger Aussie, and he's a much calmer, happier dog now that he knows I can handle things and will let him know if his assistance is required. Good luck - a busy Aussie is a happy Aussie, and they can be the best dogs in the world if you achieve this with them. I do Rally obedience, regular obedience, herding, agility, and my older Aussie pulls one of my Newfounland's carts! They will do anything for you.

Sorry - just re read your post - one more idea, though this is what I've heard other people use (my guys have never been bothered by people touching their things)

As far as the food thing, you could invite other people over (dog people, please, to start with) and have them hold her bowl and give her dinner one kibble at a time, while she sits and stays, for maybe half of it. Then they put the bowl down, and she stays (briefly) until you release her. Let her have a few nibbles, then pick up the bowl and hand it to the guest, who feeds her one at a time for a few more kibbles, then have her sit and stay and set the bowl down again. Let her finish eating. You would have to use your judgement about when or whether to let a guest pick up the bowl from her, but she does need to understand that she is not in charge of anything - you are - and that includes her behavior toward other people.

Anyway, again, Good Luck! And do keep it positive. Always teach her what you DO want, it's lots easier, quicker, and better results than trying to teach her what you DON'T want. Before she behaves in a way you don't like find a way to show her what you do like, praise her to the skies for doing it, and don't let her get what she wants unless she first does what you want.

 

[Smoky73]

I have a Corgi that is like that, though she does have fear aggression and dominance. I was told that she cannot have both, but she does. She will bite out of fear that you will hurt her, if you touch her the wrong way (she has really bad hips) and then she also tries to dominate the other larger dog and us sometimes, more my husband. She is afraid of everything though, even inanimate objects.
I have managed to get her to obey me after she bit me one night over something a few years ago and I had tograb her neck and pin her to the floor all the while she was trying to bit me. It was hard to get close enough to grab her neck when she was lunging at me.

Anyway, so then I started with the training over things. I do not let her eat until she is sitting and staying. I can even walk out of the room now. If she is at the bowl, I walk toward her and get between her and the food, till she backs off. No sense sticking your hands down there if you do not need to! You are still "owning" the food dish. I also make them wait till I am through the door first when they come in and out of the house, no one enters the house first but me.

Your biggest challenge of course is getting everyone else to do the same things you are. Thats probably why my husband still gets bit, he has not established to her that he is higher than her. Everyone has to be on the same page.
I feel my dog feels safer knowing that I am in control.
The other thing you need to do is to socialize her before she gets any older. Take her places where there are people and other dogs. That is part of the issue with my dogs, they are not used to other dogs or other people but us. I am in a rural area, so really no neighbors or other dogs to see and we do not have dog parks. My corgi cowers behind me in the presence of other dogs and people. She was not socialized well as a pup obviously.

 

[treeclimber233]

Of all the responses I read I am suprised no one suggested getting the dog spayed/neutered. That will stop a lot of aggression. My husband brought a puppy home shortly after Christmas. She was only maybe 8 weeks old. She thought she was going to tell me how to run my house. HA. My daughter is a dog trainer and together we worked on her. First it is important to do the "hold until submissive" and don't ever let her up until she submits. If she gets her way on this you will never get control of her. Also feeding her from your hand (and everyone elses hand too) will tell her she is not top dog. Making her wait to eat until you have completely finished eating any meal (and cleaning up after eating) will tell her you are dominate. Dominate members eat first. Simple things like making her walk on the leash behind you when you walk her will enforce that she is not the leader. I taught my dog the "walk behind" command. Don't let her walk in/out the door first. Make her wait until you are completely out and give the "come" command. Leaders lead/followers follow. Don't ever play tug-of-war with her. There was never any hitting or yelling during her training. She is never allowed to show any aggression to any of my other dogs. My dog is now over 1 year old and never shows any aggression to me or other people. A lot of work and finally getting spayed at 6 months has brought a complete turn around to her.

 

[CoyoteMagic]

People don't believe me, but Spook wasn't allow off leash for the first year & 1/2 of her life. Even in the house she was tethered to my chair. I believe in setting bounderies early. You can always relax them later when the dog learns the limits. I told my husband when I found Spook she would not be a bad dog. (he grew up with mini doxxies) Spook is the smallest dog I've ever had She would mind me and him. .....she minds him when I'm not around, otherwise she blows him off

All I can say is keep working with her. Pay close attention to her eyes and breathing, You may notice a pattern that develops right before the misbehavior happens. Spooks eyes glaze over when she feels she is being threatened. She has been known to bark a high pitched bark to warn the offender. If they don't back up, the next bark is follow by a nose bump or snap. Never has she just bitten anyone, just to be mean.

She has only bitten 1 person and that was his falt!! It was my husband. The 2 of them were wrestling and she was loosing. She gave him the warning bark to back off but he didn't. He poked at her again, she spun and nipped his nose. HE bled like a stuck pig!! But he learned when to stop messing with her.

He messed with her one more time (boy never learns his lessons well) They were on the bed and he was poking at her. She warned him. He kept at it. Next she rolled over, grabbed him by the ear, pulled it taught, and layed there looking at him. "Go ahead, Keep it up and see what happens" Hasn't messed with her like that since!!

 

[ravencreek]

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This is EXACTLY how we train ALL our k-9's, No matter what breed, age or size. This sends the same message to all dogs. I was taught by a man that raises wolves and wolf hybrids. THOSE are SCARY creatures! Don't give up on her and if needed call in a pro. Also I don't want to start a fight but I read where someone suggested spaying but in my opinion I don't see where that makes much difference. I have had a few German Shepherds that were aggressive before and after the suggested altering. Both males and females. I am not a firm believer in the hype on spaying for behavioral/mental problems. I DO agree on spaying for the simple reason of overpopulation and health.

 

[treeclimber233]

I suggested spaying/nuetering (not starting a fight). I am also a groomer that has seen major changes in a dogs disposition after the surgery. If it is done early (before hormones go into gear) it will stop a lot of aggression. I ahve seen a lot of 12-15 week old puppies that will try to remove your hand if they do not want you to touch them. They definitely mean to hurt you. If you wait until the dog matures the behaviour is then learned/ingrained and it probably will not make much difference then. I also believe that if you do not plan to breed then you should get them fixed.