unprovoked biting

[gljames56@hotmail.com]

I have a five year old shepard-cross. He has always been somewhat aggressive,but I've worked with a number of trainers over the years and it has helped a lot... Unfortunately,even with alpha training,he still is unpredictable. For example, he will come over to you to be pet and then for no apparent reason, will growl and then bite your hand. He has broken the skin several times of my husband and son,even as they are pulling their hand away.I am at a loss as to what to do ,how to react and how to discipline him when this happens as there seems to be no plausible reason for his behaviour.It seems to be totally unwarranted and so I am always fearful when people pet him... What should I do??

[MaxHollyNoah]

Hi there,

I am sorry to hear that your 5 yr old shepherd has biten and broken skins several times. I understand how uncomfortable you feel when someone wants to pet him.

Do you give him treats from your hand, or do you just toss it to him? Does he take treats/toys nicely (gently) from your hand? When you are uneasy you tend to avoid extending your hand to the dog but can you let your dog lick peanut butter or something between your fingers?

Does he have food aggression? Can you put your hand in his food bowl when he is eating?

Is there any special spot(s) he doesn't like to be pet? Do you see any uneasiness on him when being petted?

It sounds as though your dog has fear aggression. The reason why is that he only bites when he is being petted and he does not come to you to attack, right? Some dogs don't like to be petted, especially on the head.

Even if it seems he bites randomly, can you think of any patterns in those occasions?

Sorry for asking so many questions but I would like to know more about your dog and the relationship between him and you guys, such as how long you have had him, where he came from, etc. Does he have basic obedience training? What did the trainers say about his aggression?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

[KOPsarah]

hi gljames and thanks for your post,
Along with the answers to maxhollynoahs questions I was wondering if you could tell us what you currently do when your dog suddenly bites?

[earthdragon23]

My shepherd mix does the same thing. We can have friends over for hours, petting him or ignoring him. And out of the blue he will tart barking at them and attempt to bite.