Marty Started BITING at a year old!

[LanDebLew 0]

We waited many years after our beloved 18 year old dog passed away before getting another dog. We wanted to be retired so that we could spend more time with a new member of the family. We did a lot of research before we chose the breed: shih tzu's were known to be loyal, friendly, entertaining, loveable...well, you all know the list of attributes. We researched breeders and made our choice.

When we heard the story about Marty, we knew we had to have him. His mother had accidentally collapsed his lung at 6 weeks old and he had been in a separate enclosure for several weeks recuperating....just the "underdog" I am always drawn to. When we walked in to the kennel we fell in love with this gorgeous little ball of furr instantly! The breeder sold him to us for less than the standard fee and said if he didn't check out with the vet that we could bring him back. He was healthy and frisky and by now it was too late...we were smitten!

He potty trained in just days (we bought a doggy door), went everywhere with us (any store that would allow it) - he was friendly, lovable, smart as could be! We took him to Puppy School as soon as he was old enough and he could sit, stay, shake hands with the best of them. He was the dream companion we had hoped for....that is, until about one year old.

He had snapped at me a time or two if I tried to take a rock away from him or something he knew he wasn't supposed to have but I kept working with him to trade, leave it, etc. and we were confident that we could train him to stop that. He had always let me trim his face and his nails, and did well at the groomers, so the first time he really bit me was such a surprise! He always sat by me when I worked at my desk and I would pet him and stroke him as we sat there. He had always loved being petted and ruffled. Then one day when I reached to touch him he bit me. I thought that perhaps I had just startled him so let it go with just a roll over and "NO". He started chewing on himself and itching so I took him to the vet. They gave him an antibiotic and steroid shot because he had a skin infection - allergy related, they said. Then I thought that perhaps the reason he reacted as he did was because his skin was sensitive or that he was irritable from the itching (I have allergies and itching, so I could relate). It just got worse and worse after that. We could not touch him at all and he would go for the hands if we tried.

I still felt it was allergy related so I took him off grains, processed dog foods - I feed him dehydrated raw, homemade and organic. I also give him herbal and homeopathic treatments for allergy and aggression. He seems better in some ways, but still does not allow petting, unless it is when we first come home or get up in the morning. He will let me pet him for several seconds and then curl his lip and I know the session is over. He will play - we can toss a toy and he will fetch and you can take the toy and touch him a little at that time but never just to love on him. He wants to be close all the time, will lay by my feet or on the ottoman, but if asleep and my husband or I move he will jump up and attack (usually my husband - I seem to get preferencial treatment of a sort).

We rescued the Jack Russell Mitzi about a year ago in hopes that it would help Marty. They adore each other and she is the alpha. He is completely submissive to her - she can roll him, chew on him and he loves it. That blew my theory that his skin was sensitive and hurt him - obviously it doesn't hurt him THAT much :-) Mitzi is very lovable and always wants to be in our lap or laying beside us. Marty watches and as I said, gets close, but still doesn't want to be touched.

He is now two and a half years old and we are hoping that he will "come back" to us one day. I really feel that it is the lack of socialization as a pup - since his mother attacked him at the food bowl (knowing him, he probably growled and she overdid the discipline) and he was isolated for four critical weeks without sibling interaction, he did not get that really important puppy training. If I had known all that in the beginning I may not have chosen him, but then again, it might not have changed a thing, except that I would have known what I was dealing with. I don't know if many people would have gone the course - so many have told us he needs to be put down or given away. It is difficult with our large extended family, but everyone knows how he is and we have all learned to live with him.

I am not sure what I expect to hear from you all, but I am hoping someone has dealt with a similar situation and has some advice for us. We won't give up on him!!

[Marlen 5,860]

Okay, I cannot help much, but I've dealt with aggression before. I've had 3 dogs and 2 of them were rescues, so there were many problems with them.I've got one major question and believe me, it is vital. Is he neutered? Even if he's 2 and a half now, it could really help with his aggression issues. Even if my Tzu, Misha, is not aggressive, I'll still neuter him.Plus, puppies tend to 'mouth' you, if you didn't stop that, he knows that's ok to correct you by biting you. Also, is he marking(peeing) in the house? If so, that's somewhat of a dominant sign. You mention that Mitzi is Alpha, but are you Mitzi's alpha? Your boy might be thinking that you're under him in hierarchy. And, I'm going to be quite blunt, dogs can feel it when you feel sorry for them. So, if you let him cross lines because you thouhgt he's sensitive and due to his health problem when he was young, he's likely taking advantage of that. Dogs know it when they can exploit your weakness. He's showing signs of posessiveness(for example you mentioned a rock). He's not going to stop that if you let it be. I'd suggest that you further trained him, preferrably using a 'time out' if he's being bad. But, if the situation with him has started when he was 1 old, it's going to be too hard for you to stop it now. Aggression issues must be dealt with ASAP. You need to be the one to set the rules and I'm not talking about extreme things. Just, have your program and have the dog follow it, don't let the dog do whatever he wants. Many of his issues are probably originated back in his puppyhood. I don't know how you raised him, so, I can't tell you what's the origin of the problem. Or, there could have been a trigger. The scratching/itching is a sign of a nervous dog. Misha used to do it. When he was a puppy he was confined and he got bored easily, that was his way of occupying himself and expending his energy. Now, what I always recommend to anyone, if he's a high energy dog, always expend his energy, and exercice the brain, not just the body. If he's sated, he probably won't snap. But, still. He's been doing this for a while and gotten away with it. Sure, you told him 'NO' or tried to distract him but still, there was no real repercussion to him biting you. Verbal correctment is never enough and of course, I don't mean you have to hit a dog. Violence on an aggressive dog is a no-no. Anyway, what I want to ask, is he allowed access to the whole house, is he neutered and does Mitzi correct him when he bites you(believe me that's important).What you can start doing immediately is spray him or use a can filled with coins(many of our members have tried this when barking problems arise and it works) You want the element of surprise, the dog not associating you directly with the act of correctment(for example, not using your hand etc) and something startling and bad enough to stop him from biting.Also, get him used to being handled. He bites you and you stop touching him. He knows he can get away with biting you. Put on a muzzle(it might be hard to find one for Tzu, but it's essential) and with gentleness and care, start massaging him. I do this for Misha(without the muzzle). It helps relaxe the tension. Also, if you touch him, give him treats. You're going to need them for a long while but it can be pieces from his kibble. (I'm always using rewards for good behavior and I preferably ignore the bad behavior but that can't be done here, if you ignore the aggressiveness, it's going to escalate). If you're consistent, there has to be some small improvement after a while, but not in days, maybe not even in months. Since I don't know the case, and since there are many parameters, I can't help much. But, I can give you some further suggestions once you answer my questions. I'm not an expert, I'd suggest you contact a dog trainer . Sorry for the long post and I hope that everything's going to be alright (Also, keep calm, dogs pick up on negative emotions and you don't want that near a dg that bites)

Edited May 10, 2013 by Marlen

[mel 251]

I know exactly what you are going through. I have a shihtzu exactly like yours...His name is Buddy and he started biting at 10 months. He was the perfect puppy before and I was so in love with him the minute I layed eyes on him. I bought him at 8 weeks. At 10 months I remember going to pick up his empty food bowl and he snapped at me. I said Buddy whats wrong. Once he was relaxing on the floor and I went to pet him and he bit at me. His personality just changed drastically I tried so hard to figure it out. He sometimes would roll over as if he wanted belly rubs, wagging his tail and when I would try to rub his belly he would bite. He was EXTREMELY food aggressive. I knew not to be near him while he was eating but when he finished and I would go to pick up his food bowl to wash it out he became violent. He has bit me and drew blood before. I took him to the vet, they said he needed to be neutered and they ran blood work on him. All blood work came back normal. Now when he was neutered, he did become better after a few months but still hard to deal with. I remember brushing him as gently as I could (my mother was watching) and I accidently hit a matt and he lounged at me. My mom said, Buddy needs to be put to sleep but seems like I could not bring myself to do it. I still loved him even though he was unpredictable. We went back to the vet and he was put on Prozac. He did get better but still unpredictable. I tried all kinds of training methods, nothing worked. I could go on and on. To make a long story short I still have him, he turned 9 years old this month. I don't know what happened but he is 70% better now. He is sweet and seldom has a tantrum now. He is off his prozac & takes homeopathic supplements to calm him. I keep his hair cut extremely short so he does not have to become stressed out while grooming. He even lets me take his plate now to wash it after he has finished eating. He gives me a funny look, but does not bite. Now he will growl while I am giving out treats (I have 6 shihtzus and one Lhasa). It is like he cannot wait until it is his turn, but does not snap. I can tell now, since I have had him so long what erks him or sets him off. Sometimes I can talk to him in a mellow voice, and he will calm down & go lay down in his crate. The only thing now that makes him really mad is when I go to get his linen out of his crate to wash it. It makes him really mad, he will throw a horrible fit. I have to drag it out with the handle of a broom and he is constantly viciously biting the handle of the broom while I get it so I just put him in another room when I am going to wash his toys and other things. Now I know a lot of people, if they had a pet like this, would probably have put him down a long time ago. It crossed my mind, then I started to cry because I loved him so much. Through the years sometimes I wished I would never had gotten him, but when he was acting sweet and loving I was like, why can't you be like this all the time. Bottom line is, I know I have not helped you much, but wanted to let you know you are not alone. I'm glad you will not give up on the little guy. I did not give up on Buddy and no matter what, I love him to pieces and always will. I have learned he is just a moody dog and I deal with it, but like I said, in his golden years he has definitely mellowed out. Good luck with your little guy.

My Buddy

Edited May 14, 2013 by mel

[HelloTina 6]

If my own dog tried to bite me. I would make him get on his back into submission? I did it to mine when they were puppies of course it doesnt hurt them. Dogs have to know you are in charge and they are to never bite a human hand especially the one that feeds them.

[mom2Gizmo 24]

Marking in the house is not always a dominance thing. It is very, very often also a nervous/anxiety thing. Just like the licking/biting. Most dogs who mark are insecure and anxious.

Anyway, I don't have much to add other than that. My heart goes out to you. I think you need a dog behaviorist you can trust. Good luck.