Dog Biting

PaddyJules

We have a 10 month old puppy who is a cross between a terrier and collie. He is very good and had never bitten or attacked. But he has started to growl and snarl at some children that come into the house. Last week he actually nipped at their nose but luckily no harm done. And then today he was very aggressive towards a man who called to the house. He didnt bite but went mental barking and was snapped at his legs. Is there a reason for the dog to start doing this and what suggestions do you have to stop him doing this. We have 2 boys aged 14 and 11 and he is OK with them. Thanks for your help.

supermum1

To start with the obvious questions...

Is he neutered?

Have you always supervised the kids with him?

Though your children are trust worthy, other peoples kids aren't always the same!!

Also could something have happened at the house when you weren't there, like kids messing around outside, anything that would give the dog reason to feel very protective?

cucoigcrice

From my experience with dogs i have noticed that collies tend to be a one person dog, they tend not too trust more than one person. By the sound of this he is the pack leader and is trying to protect you and you family from harm he sees these people as threats. I would advice to get him neutered and also possible behavioural training before it gets out of control as he may seriously injury someone. i hope this helps:)
P.s. i am not saying all collies are bad etc i am just saying they tend only to have one leader whom they obey i.e. like a sheep farmer.

spurscormac

Sounds like about the same time my cocker started to get growly & snarl at every dog & human he saw.

He had the snip and calmed down immensely.

Still has the odd growl at some dogs, and people too, but once they're invited in to the house, he sees them as friends & it stops.

supermum1

I'm not too sure about that, i'm not saying your wrong as every dog is different, but in my experience (i have had collies all my life) they are amazing family dog. My guy is as loyal to me as he is to my husband. I also have an eight month old son who he's wonderful with. They are very protective dogs by nture, which is a wonderful thing once controlled. I totally agree with getting him snipped, will not be helping the situation!!

cucoigcrice wrote: »

From my experience with dogs i have noticed that collies tend to be a one person dog, they tend not too trust more than one person. By the sound of this he is the pack leader and is trying to protect you and you family from harm he sees these people as threats. I would advice to get him neutered and also possible behavioural training before it gets out of control as he may seriously injury someone. i hope this helps:)
P.s. i am not saying all collies are bad etc i am just saying they tend only to have one leader whom they obey i.e. like a sheep farmer.

Phsyche

OP do you socialize your dog outside of home? With other people and dogs?
Would the kids hug him and hang on him when he's home?

Phsyche

PaddyJules wrote: »

He didnt bite but went mental barking and was snapped at his legs.

He was probably protective of you and the house. I have a boxer dog who goes ballistic whenever anyone comes near the house but if I have anyone entering the house and he growls a sharp pull back and a loud LEAVE IT! usually does the trick. If he still does not obey, he's put into his corner. After he's gotten his sniff of the visitors he's fine again.

You have to make sure you give it time though. Can't just open the door to someone and be holding a mad barking dog while you're having a conversation. Apologize and make the dog sit and be quiet before you continue.

roxiesmammy

if this was my dog i would be afraid to get rid of his growling as this is the way dogs communicate to let u know they are not happy about a certain situation, if u get rid of this u could potentialy have a dog that goes from giving u a warning to just biting, which could end up with ur dog biting a child or whoever and having to be pts. I would be working to find out why he is reacting the way he is and maybe getting a behaviourist in.
At the moment maybe putting him in a different room or cage him while kids are in the house until u can get help for him. i would do this sooner rather than later as the longer he gets away with this the harder it will be to rectify

Fatcat

PaddyJules,
I believe there is a specific reason why your dog is acting this way even if it's not immediately obvious.
First thing - I would recommend you take him to the vet for a complete check-up. It may be that something is making him physically uncomfortable and that he is more senstive now to situations (e.g. children, strangers at the door) than he would usually be.
If it's not a medical issue, then his behaviour needs to be addressed asap before he bites - I don't wish to alarm you - but one bite is a bite too many.
I would recommend you contact a dog behaviourist - one who uses positive, reward-based methods only.
It's clear that something is triggering this behaviour and most dogs start to display behavioural issues, if they have any, between 6 and 12 months old.
If your dog has had a bad experience with children or somebody at your door (or it could be that he has had a bad experience with men and this could explain his lunge at the male stranger at your door), then he needs to be de-sensitized to whatever is causing him distress as soon as possible, both for his sake and yours.
It's perfectly acceptable and normal for your dog to bark when the doorbell rings but growling is just one step away from a bite and it's important for you to ascertain why he is growling and snarling.
(In fairness to dogs, they give us a growl as a warning and mostly we just punish them for growling when, in fact we should take note of this and immediately try to find out why they are growling. If a dog learns that a growl will be punished then, next time, he won't give a warning growl at all, he will just proceed straight to a bite. )
It goes without saying that you need to be extra vigilant with him right now until you have worked with a behaviourist to resolve his issues.
Good luck with it.

shona2

hi
i think you need to bring him to a vet,make sure he is not sick,or had a sore paw or anything like that,
i have a cat that is as gental as a lamb,but she often get sore ears,when she does and i dont no about it,she would often bite if i am petting her on the head,its not her fault as she is sore.