Hypancistrus
Strolling the yard
So my mom bought a westie puppy a little over a week ago. She is having some issues with him that I think really need to be addressed ASAP.
Here are the issues.
1. He is biting. Not just play nips, but aggressive bites. Twice in the past few days he has gotten skin pretty good. Once when a bone was being taken away, he got my mom's finger and drew blood. And again tonight when Tara was holding him so that some excess BM could be removed from his fur, he nipped Tara on the arm....not enough to draw blood...but enough to leave a little mark through the shirt.
When he did this, Tara scruffed him, yelled no, and then after he was cleaned, laid him on his back on the floor while leaning over him and held him until he lay still. She did this 3 times in a row before releasing him. I was horrified, but Tara's parents have raised Doberman's for years and this is how they have trained their Dobie pups to not be aggressive/dominant towards people.
2. Food aggression. He was guarding food, especially when other dogs were around. My mom has been handfeeding and taking away food. He is not reacting to this at all unless there is another dog present. (no other dogs at his residence) This seems to be working.
3. My mom had some past dogs that were aggressive, including one she had to rehome because he bit a neighbor and it was threatened that she would have to turn him over to the authorities. In fear she rehomed him to a country estate. He was always wonderful with us, his immediate family, but very aggressive towards strangers. Because of this past incident, she is very afraid of having another issue- almost to the point of being catatonic. I am beginning to feel that she is being OVERLY passive in her approach (not to mention coddling him and worrying to death over him) She does not wish to yell, or scruff, or lay him down... or lay a hand on him. She read that will make him more aggressive. She is using the "whine like you are hurt (cause you ARE) and go away so he will seek you out" technique. I don't think this will work on a dog that, at 12 weeks, already seems very dominant.
Long story short, does anyone have any suggestions? She will not take direct word from me or my GF well...but links provided on the internet are somehow God-like, so any pertinent training links or words of advice would be stellar.
Also...if she just plain insists on being the "hippie trainer" is there anything we can do to help even though we do not live with her? (she does have him in puppy class but it doesn't start until the end of March)
Thanks gang! I am hoping for good suggestion to keep this adorable little mite from turning into a monster!
Here are the issues.
1. He is biting. Not just play nips, but aggressive bites. Twice in the past few days he has gotten skin pretty good. Once when a bone was being taken away, he got my mom's finger and drew blood. And again tonight when Tara was holding him so that some excess BM could be removed from his fur, he nipped Tara on the arm....not enough to draw blood...but enough to leave a little mark through the shirt.
When he did this, Tara scruffed him, yelled no, and then after he was cleaned, laid him on his back on the floor while leaning over him and held him until he lay still. She did this 3 times in a row before releasing him. I was horrified, but Tara's parents have raised Doberman's for years and this is how they have trained their Dobie pups to not be aggressive/dominant towards people.
2. Food aggression. He was guarding food, especially when other dogs were around. My mom has been handfeeding and taking away food. He is not reacting to this at all unless there is another dog present. (no other dogs at his residence) This seems to be working.
3. My mom had some past dogs that were aggressive, including one she had to rehome because he bit a neighbor and it was threatened that she would have to turn him over to the authorities. In fear she rehomed him to a country estate. He was always wonderful with us, his immediate family, but very aggressive towards strangers. Because of this past incident, she is very afraid of having another issue- almost to the point of being catatonic. I am beginning to feel that she is being OVERLY passive in her approach (not to mention coddling him and worrying to death over him) She does not wish to yell, or scruff, or lay him down... or lay a hand on him. She read that will make him more aggressive. She is using the "whine like you are hurt (cause you ARE) and go away so he will seek you out" technique. I don't think this will work on a dog that, at 12 weeks, already seems very dominant.
Long story short, does anyone have any suggestions? She will not take direct word from me or my GF well...but links provided on the internet are somehow God-like, so any pertinent training links or words of advice would be stellar.
Also...if she just plain insists on being the "hippie trainer" is there anything we can do to help even though we do not live with her? (she does have him in puppy class but it doesn't start until the end of March)
Thanks gang! I am hoping for good suggestion to keep this adorable little mite from turning into a monster!
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