Angry Dog

[CandyCoated100]

Hi, This is my first time posting in this section!! Right basically i was wondering if any1's got/had an aggressive shih tzu? Mine is flippin bonkers lol she really thinks she owns the house . But i still love her !!!

 

[Truck]

Lack of discipline.

 

[CandyCoated100]

Obviously , But that's never gonna happen.

 

[Truck]

What's not going to happen? The Dog needs to know who's boss, don't reward the bad behavior with treats, if the dog does something that you want it to do, give it a treat, it will soon associate the treat with good behavior, once it gets the hang of doing whatever this thing is that you've been rewarding it for, stop giving the treats and it should keep the behavior up.

If a dog ever bites me I hit it on the nose, first of all it will back off, secondly it wont do it again.

 

[seffieuk]

to the pets side of the forum

how about showing us a photo of your little dog, you obviously love him/her and think your first post may have given us the wrong idea? or maybe I am completely wrong and you are asking for behaviour help?

Seffie x

 

[chesterscot]

I agree with seffie I think I may be misunderstanding your first post
but I'd love to see a pic and hear more about her

regards

Truck jumping in with "lack of discipline" and saying nothing more in your first post was rude in my opinion but there you go
and from all the information supplied in the OP you may have been wrong till candy clarrified your thoughts
(ie) she may have been adopted with behavioral problems but sometimes dogs need to feel more secure than disciplined they tend to be aggresive when threatened or scared as well

scot

anyway candy pics please.........

 

[CandyCoated100]

Yeah i know she's a bit naughty but suggesting i hit her is crazy!! Anyway This pic is pretty old now but Camera's broke & her name is Millie. Btw she isnt old she just needed a hair cut

 

[silverrabbit]

she's lovely

 

[JenCliBee]

What's not going to happen? The Dog needs to know who's boss, don't reward the bad behavior with treats, if the dog does something that you want it to do, give it a treat, it will soon associate the treat with good behavior, once it gets the hang of doing whatever this thing is that you've been rewarding it for, stop giving the treats and it should keep the behavior up.

If a dog ever bites me I hit it on the nose, first of all it will back off, secondly it wont do it again.

That's just a ridiculous way if disciplining a dog (the smack on the nose), firstly if the dog is aggressive it can and probably will retaliate and try an assert dominance with a bite, secondly if the dog is nervous/insecure you will just make the problem escalate and make things a whole lot worse.

To the OP, whats the actual behaviour?, is it aggression or just bountiful playing or boisterous? or is it just chewing things and running amuck?.

Not a fan of little yap yap dogs lol but she is quite cute

 

[CandyCoated100]

haha, Well she growls when you stroke her, Barks when i go downstairs and goes when you go near her food!! she wasn't exactly a puppy when we got her so maybe her previous owners done something that's made her become so angry anyway she's still really playful etc but tbh i like her just the way she is.

 

[Tolak]

How old is this dog, and has a vet ruled out any medical issues?

 

[CandyCoated100]

About 2 & No because there's no reason to see a vet there's nothing wrong with her she's just a little aggressive.

 

[Tolak]

Getting checked by a vet is the first step for dealing with a dog's behavioral issues. Are you qualified in any way to rule out any medical issues? I certainly am not, my dogs get checked at least yearly, or brought in if there is any question as to health issues.

Aggression & fear, as chesterscot mentioned, are often closely related. Resource guarding, which is what the aggression when food is concerned is called, can be worked with. Do you feed once or twice daily, or leave food out all the time?

Some dogs naturally make a growling sound when happy, growling is not always the warning before a snap or bite. Body language would determine if this growl is more like the purr of a contented cat, or a warning. A lack of relaxation, not lying or rolling over when being petted, or keeping constant eye contact with you or the petting hand would indicate a warning growl.

 

[CandyCoated100]

umm ok i leave food out at all times i mean she even eats the cats food so the cat cant have it!! I believe the previous owners starved her or maybe had 2 many dogs. She has actually bit me on the nose before (Yes it hurt) but as i said i like her the way she is if thats how she wants to act its fine by me...

 

[Tolak]

I'll start with the biggest issue; biting. It may be fine with you if she does that with you, if she does it with others they may not think it is fine at all. Biting dogs can turn into a legal problem.

Do a Google search for NILIF, it stands for nothing in life is free. Dogs have to earn resources, food is a resource. Training dogs to fit into your life safely & sanely is all about controlling resources. There are many resources, some pretty general, some specific to each individual dog.

The dog controls a resource, food, because you let her. No more free feeding, the dog has to earn that resource. Feed twice daily, by hand for every meal. Make the dog sit for every bite. The dog has to understand that you control that resource, and that a hand near food is a good thing. This will progress to tossing a bit of food in her bowl, then tossing a treat in her bowl while she is eating. You control that resource, and when you do the dog sees that only the best things happen.

Often you can only guess how a previously owned dog was treated, but by observing the present behavior you can see what you have to work with. Most dogs with behavioral issues that need attending are great dogs 90% of the time, it's the 10% of those issues that may need work, depending on what those issues are. I would be lying if I said none of my three terriers had no issues that I work on, these are just minor adjustments at this point, little annoyances that need some fine tuning.

A good example is Kaz, who came up to me for some attention while I've been typing this. He will often paw at your arm for attention, I don't want this,I ignore it, a chin on the leg gets my attention. I know he wanted some lap time, a resource. Chin on the leg, you get lap time, napping ATM.