Nipping at Visitors

[Teddy]

We adopted our male (neutered) Maltese dog from a rescue service one year ago. He is now 3 years old. He spent his first two years at a breeders. When he came to us he was very shy and submissive. We have socialized him with other people and dogs, and he is now much more confident. Unfortunately he has recently started growling and nipping at visitors, including family members (who do not live at home and who he sees only once or twice a month). Any suggestions on how to handle this? He really is a very sweet dog, perhaps not the smartest dog, and certainly very badly spoiled - as befits a cute little white dog!

[KOPsarah]

hi there teddy, thanks for your post.
I think you have really helped your little dog come out of his shell but he has now become so confident that he has nominated himself leader of the pack. When a dog becomes confused about the pack order and doesn't identify anyone as leader, they tend to assume the huge responsibility of the dominant role themselves. This role includes protecting the rest of the pack from strangers at the door among other things. Being the leader is a very big task for the dog and definitely not the role we want our pets to take in our houses as it inevitably leads to aggression and other problems. Once your dog is taught that its position is at the bottom of the pack it will actually be relieved and much happier!

Following the alpha dog training will definitely help show the dog its position. It is also important to remember the key points of dominance.

In a wild dog pack the dominant pack member controls :
-access to food
-access to favoured sleeping areas
-any interactions with lower pack members
-access to favoured items such as toys

In order to show your dog his position as bottom of the pack you and your whole family can take advantage of these keys points. For example

1) Your dog must be the last to eat at every meal and should never get treats from the table.

2) He should never walk through doors before you. A good way to practice this is to walk around the house and make him sit at each doorway and wait.

3) If he is lying in the hallway or anywhere you have to get past make him move.

4) When you arrive home completely ignore the dogs for 15 minutes. Don't look at him, talk to him or pat him. After this go to him and give him some quiet attention only as long as he is relaxed and calm.

5) Only interact with the dog on your terms. If your or someone else is petting the dog or playing with it and it becomes aggressive or badly behaved immediately remove your attention from the dog by either removing yourself from the area or moving the dog to another area. You should do this without displaying any emotion such as anger just be a calm but decisive pack leader.

6) Assert your dominance by not allowing access to beds and couches or by only bringing out favourite toys when you want to play and removing them when you are finished. If you would like your dog to have access to beds and couches make a rule that the dog may only be there when you have got on there first and invited it up.

Get other people to practice being dominant over the dog too by following the above procedures. Remember the overall aim is to assert yourself ad other humans as pack leaders, and to reward all calm behavior the dog shows while ignoring any bad behavior by removing the dog to somewhere it will get no attention, just like 'time out' for naughty children. Your dog will then know both its place in the pack and that it is expected to behave calmly.

It can be hard at first adjusting to enforcing these rules with your dog especially when they are so small, white and cute. But remember it is for the dogs own benefit. The dog will feel happier and more secure and it will prevent possible future problems such as the dogs aggression escalating and being reported to animal control.

If you have any further questions don't hesitate to ask.