Please save Lucky! My sister was pet-sitting while I was on vacation. She was standing next to the bed where her boyfriend was sleeping and, as she bent over to kiss him, Lucky jumped up and bit him on the nose, hard! He thought he was bleeding, but he wasn't. I was devastated to hear this because my childhood lhasa apso had to be put to sleep because of two serious biting incidents which required doctor visits. I do not want the same thing to happend to Lucky! Plus, my husband and I are thinking about starting a family and I do not want her to hurt our future children. Don't get me wrong, we have loved Lucky like a child since we brought her home from the shelter in February and we do not want to abandon her like her previous owners did. Lucky has come along way. She is starting to listen better and bite less, but she still gets extremely excited and anxious whenever any people have physical contact, even when it is just one person patting another on the back or giving a hug. She growls, bites, and sometimes barks. Is it possible to train her somehow to not get so excited in these situations? I can't prevent people from having physical contact when she is around, nor can I always predict it. I am especially concerned about what she will do when our future children are playing with their friends. Will she always have to be kept away from them? |
How old is Lucky? It sounds to me like posession agression...just that she thinks a person is her posession. You may want to do a search on agression. I've seen some really good links on here to sites that help with agression. I also just noticed that you said you got her from a shelter. Was there any indication that she was abused or mistreated in any way before you got her? |
I would look into some sort of training class...I am going to put Maximus in puppy headstart but they also have obedience and other classes which can help a dog behave...I beleive in time she can be trained out of her "bad habits"..IMO |
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I hope I didn't upset you with this story of mine. It was a bad experience for me. A Yorkie could not do that much damage except maybe to a very small child. Maybe you could take Lucky to obedience class. We took Max there. It might not remove Lucky's possessivness and aggression, but it will teach her to obey you, which is very important with a possessive dog. I hope you find a way to solve your problem. And once again, sorry about the upsetting story! SORRY! Good luck! |
Memphis guards me when I sleep and he will bite if some one touches me when I am sleeping. This is the only time that he does it though and doesn't do it to the kids. |
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one of my jack russels is the same way.. if your laying in bed and he's in the room ..no one can come in the room..he will growl and then try to bite them.. and if they close enough he will bite them! |
Thanks for the responses. To answer some questions and provide a little more details....Lucky turned 2 when we adopted her in February. She is 9 lbs, so she can obviously do more damage than the smaller yorkies. Her previous owners did not provide a reason for giving her up. I know that they had two boys between the ages of 6 and 12, but I do now know if she was aggressive towards them. All of the dogs that are turned over to the Humane Society in Milwaukee are temperament tested. Lucky received a PG rating, the best rating, meaning she should not be aggressive and she should be fine with children. Overall, she is not an aggressive dog. She has learned many tricks and listens fairly well, although she has difficulty focusing when she is excited. We have not taken her to obedience classes yet, but we plan to this fall. She will bite when she is excited or feels threatened, sometimes unpredictably, but she has yet to break the skin. I am more concerned about her biting someone on the face or in the eye (as an aside, don't feel bad about the Max story. My sister was also bit in the face and has a scar, leading to my childhood dog being put to sleep.) I do not know if she was abused. She loves everybody, even strangers, so I suspect she was more neglected and ignored than physically abused. She is highly emotional and sensitive which might be a sign of mental abuse. The Humane Society had to shave her down to the skin because she was so matted. She looked sickly when we got her. |
I don't really have a whole lot of experince with this, but I thought I would share a story with you...My sister-in-law rescued a 2 yr old 9lb. pekignese dog, and she's adorable, but when she first got her she was very agressive...She even nipped at our nephews and certain things would set her off. She's been around for about 1 yr and a few months now, and her attitude has improved a lot. My sister-in-law has been working with the dog and giving her alot of love and security...Also, exposing her to all kinds of people and situations all the time...For example, she always takes her dog everywhere with her...She takes her to her mom's house (where there's a dog) and to her mother-in-law's house where there are usually a lot of people including kids and like 4 dogs of all different sizes. Try to have patience and just work with her and teach her not to do those things and give her a lot of love. |
There are animals behaviorists and trainers who could correct her behavior. You may haveto use a muzzle until then. |
I also had to have a Llaso put down. It was the most horrible decision I ever had to make. Sparky never bit anyone but me, but a friends baby would lay on him and I could hear him growling under his breath. This is just an example of his behavior, but I knew in my heart - it was a matter of time. I wanted to remember him - not as a dog put down because of marring a child's face. The one thing I would recommend is training, as it makes you the master. Do not let the dog be the boss as it will cause more aggression. It is not time for patience, it is time for action. If you do not have time, I would look for a new owner right away. Many shelters will not adopt out an animal who has bitten. (they do the other thing.) Muzzle - Recently I tried to muzzle my babies as they started biting each other when Zowie was pregnant. They pulled them off faster than I could get them on. I tried several types. Also, if you can muzzle her, remember not to leave it on too long or in heat as they must pant. I would recommend a cage for questionable situations. You will have this resolved long before you have a child. |
We once had a 4 lbs pomeranian who was a mean little thing. She once bit my daughters face who was only 4 at the time for just moving. Natash (the pom) was laying next to Val (my daughter) and Val moved and thats it. It just wanst a single bite, she attacked her. Val had bite marks and scratches on the side of her left eye, nose, cheek, and hands. My husband had to come and get Natsha off of Val and lets say Natasha had to go. I felt bad and wanted to give her a chance but we couldn't keep her after that. So maybe finding your Lucky a new home would be best for her and you. |
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