Sergeant Bit me for the first time..

[SergeantsMom]

My Sergeant is a year old on Halloween. He has always play bitten and we tell him no. He started biting my daughter who I have to admit never put him down, so we corrected her but he is still a bit aggressive towards her.
I am the Alpha dog and he has never bitten me, until this Sunday. It started early in the day when he ran up to my sons friend and showed his teeth and growled. I talked to my trainer who recommended a muzzle when he shows aggression. We did this and then later I let him run about the house, where he eventually settled on my bed with me. I moved my foot and he went for it, I moved again and he attacked. When I went towards him to tell him NO, he bit me. I have a mark and a bruise on my breast where he got me.

this morning he got loose and ran to the street and started showing teeth and growling at a passer by...the woman was pretty scared.

I am not sure what to do and my family is very frustrated. Any Suggestions??????

[SergeantsMom]

No suggestions, this is really disheartening.

[valerieam]

I don't have any advice about the biting. My two have a lot of bad habits but biting isn't one of them. Has he always been aggressive?

[SergeantsMom]

He has always had a protective side. He was very protective with PIG EARS and would growl if we tried to go near, so we took those away.
If he finds human food the kids leave, he will protect it so we try to be good about that as well.
He has always play bitten, but lately it has been more aggressive. We are currently using a muzzle, whenever he growls or shows teeth and putting him in his crate.
He hasn't growled or shown teeth in a couple of days...maybe we are on the mend, cross your fingers...

[YorkieMother]

No one here is qualified to work at this level of concern but I would suggest that you get your dog and you to a behaviourist as soon as possible.
No of us here to my knowledge are board certified in behaviour.

This is not a training problem in and of itself.

Any vet school should have one. If I get time later I will go have a look as to who is in your state.

Alpha work will not work with what I am thinking this is and the best course of action is higher level help then a trainer that not pacikng a PHD or a DVM with behaviour.
Wonder how you have worked training him and just how consistant you are.... no blame I not thinking it is your fault. but tough love on a wrong wired dog will make things tougher... I am thinking I am seeing a wiring in the brain concern.

In the mean time you need to keep him away from the kids and get him working on the nothing in life is free protocal and no bed.

As for a muzzle good idea if he has been desensitized to it for safety but not as a punishment.
I also see if you can up his time doing things to get him more tired... not over tired though.

JL

[ARCHIE]

I have had several of those issure with Buddy in the past, however,
your Yorkie has taken his aggression to another level and a professional
would be your best guide.
I would, at this time, not allow him on the bed again, ever! He is showing
possession over it and that's a NO-No. It's yours, he goes into his bed
on the floor from now on.
I would also be very careful regarding food being left around. Don't let
the kids eat treats in front of him. This only makes him stressful wanting
it. Take control of his food. Make his sit before putting the food down on
the floor. Mix it with you hands, putting your scent on it, this telling him
it was yours first.
When you know kids are coming over, gate him in the kitchen so he's
not around them. There are many things you can do to protect yourself
and other's for now. It's so very important to be consistant with this
training.
I am against the muzzle part. I think this would only add to his aggression
on a daily basis. He needs to be evaluated. He's young so things should
be ok with the proper help. You say your ALpha, I don't think so and neither
does he. Good luck,

[Erin]

I think you need to find a new trainer. A trainer might suggest a muzzle if you are trying to actively train him and you want to prevent any bites during a training session, but it's not a method of daily control or punishment. If he doesn't like strangers I would remove him from the situation and let him retreat to his own space.

For the resource guarding, you need to teach him commands like "drop" and "leave it" Loki used to guard food toys like Kongs and so I taught him "drop it" and I can just walk up to him and say "DROP IT" and he spits it out into my hand no problem. Since he knows (from training) that he either gets his toy right back OR a *better* treat in exchange, there are no issues any more. In your case you would also need to train each KID how to do this too.

"Leave it" is great too and easy to teach. There are some great books by Pat Miller and others that explain it, plus I still think you need a new trainer.

Oh, as far as the bed, you can let him on the bed as long as you *control* the bed. That means he gets off any time you ask. Work on the "OFF" command. "Move" is great too. Mine sleep on the bed, couch whatever but if I ask them to get off or move they comply

[browniesmom622]

I would get him a FULL check up & tests at the vet & then find a new trainer.

[Erin]

Originally Posted by browniesmom622

I would get him a FULL check up & tests at the vet & then find a new trainer.

I agree with that too! Most of Loki's issues started because he had some medical problems and he was in pain (and therefore didn't want to be touched in certain spots). The training helped a ton, but once he finally got on medicine his issues improved dramatically. I guess the bonus is that since we worked so hard on the training he is practically on voice command now

[YorkieMother]

Ok have a look here

Association of Animal Behavior Professionals some of these guys are trainers but they are top of the line and are packing more knowledge then anyone here.
Members Directory | Association of Animal Behavior Professionals

Here is the big boys and girls....Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists

Directory of Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists - 2008 — Animal Behavior Society: Applied Animal Behavior

You need a blood test and it should be sent to Dr Dodds to check for a thyroid concern.
Until he is checked out by a vet for health concerns and also sees a PHD behaviourist or a DVM board certified behaviousits STOP.... as the more you mess in this dog's head without somone really seeing him the worse it will get.
It needs to be seen and what really is going on andit could be nothing actually figured out. just not great thoughts.

JL

[xmasbaby75]

I'm sorry, I can't help with the aggression issue, but I just wanted to say that my Phantom & my Brandi are both turning one on Halloween as well!

So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY from my guys to yours!! I can't believe how fast this year has gone by!!