biting

[nhh322000]

Hi my dog has started ,well its more snapping than biting. He doesnt break the skin latch on or anything but if someone knocks on the door and i try and grab his collar he snaps at me. If i go in the garden to peg washing out he starts at my ankles and wrists. He has bitten someone who grabbed his face and they addmitted it was their fault as they approached him from behind and grabbed him! I was to stop this behaviour, no i need to stop it as i have two kids. I know the dog has problems and also know its mainly because of our family breakdown when my partner left us. I love my dog and dont want to give up on him but i need help and have no idea what to do. I have taken the advice of a trainer and put him on tablets to calm him Then i will work one to one with her. My main worry is me and the fact ive lost all confidence in the dog and my abilitys as his pack leader. My worst fear is he will bite someone and be destroyed. I will try everything i can any tips please?

[MaxHollyNoah]

Hi nhh322000,

I think biting and snapping/Nipping are very different and dogs do those for different reasons and triggers. I would like to know more about your dog.

Can you let us know:

Your dog's breed and age
How long have you had him?
If you adopted him, do you know anything about his previous life?
If you have had him since he was a puppy, when did this problem start?
Have you given him any obedience training?
Does he gets protective when you or your children try to take his food or toy?

Also, how old are your children?

Was your dog very attached to your partner?

Sorry for the numerous questions. I hope we can help you out. Thanks.

[nhh322000]

Hi MaxHollyNoah,
Thanks for repling,i dont mind all the questions I owe it to my dog to help him and im doing a rubbish job! I should have mentioned too that my son has aspergers and adhd.
ok your questions....
My dog is a weimeraner he is 18 months
I have had him from 8 weeks
I saw his mom and dad who were very good natured
the problem started when my partner left but got much much worse when we moved house
He has his bronze training and in the house will sit stay and wait for his dinner not go through doors before us the lot!
he is not protective of his toys or food i could litraly stick my head in his bowl and eat with him!
children are 6 and 16
the dog defo saw my partner as his alpha and me as mom
hope all this helps please ask more if you need and i look forward to any advice x

[MaxHollyNoah]

Hi nhh322000,

Thank you for the additional info.

>My dog is a weimeraner he is 18 months

This is a real challenge, both because of the breed and the age

This breed really needs a strong willed owner and the loss of his leader (your partner) might have made the problem worse, as you said.

First of all, please consider neutering him if he is not yet fixed.

Then, enroll him at an obedience class and I recommend all three of you (you, and your 2 kids) attend the class. Those classes are very helpful for the 3 of you to learn how to handle, take control of your dog. I hope you will keep going on such class for at least until he becomes 2, once or twice a week or so.

Once you and your dog learn a pattern of communication, which is:

Good behavior - gets him attention, praise and treats
Bad behavior - gets ignored or time-out (no fun) and no treats and attention

He will start getting more attentive and settled.

Also, Weimaraners are full of energy and they are very smart so they hate to be bored or neglected so make sure give him a lot of physical and mental excercise everyday.

When he snaps you (I assume he is just putting his teeth without pressing), shout "Hey!!" and see if that will startle him. If he does, tell him to sit and praise/treat him. Once he gets used to be stopped by "Hey!", I hope you can tone it down to "Uh-uh" to just get his attention.

Use walking time as training session too. Before he spots a squirrel, make him "sit" and give him treats. Do this every 20-30 feet so that he would learn that paying attention to you brings him rewards.

I see all my time spent with my dogs are a training opportunity. By making this as a routine, things usually get easier and it will be more fun to be with your dog, rather than a headache but you really need to be determined.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[MaxHollyNoah]

Hi nhh322000,

It's me again. I am sorry I totally overlooked the statement "my son has aspergers and adhd".

You might want to reconsider keeping this dog. Please don't take me wrong. I feel it will be hard for both the dog and for your son.

One of my colleagues has a son with autism and his family got a trained therapy dog and it seems like helping. It is a very calm (of course she is professionally trained) adult female Black Lab.

I don't know your son's behavior patterns but it is possible some of his behaviors might provoke or agitate dogs and your Weimeraner can get agitated easily and that might cause his nipping and snapping. There are calmer and stable-minded breeds, as well as older in age, that will be more suitable for your family.

I understand you have had the dog for 8 wks and it looks like a long time and I know you are so attached to him but please think this way:

I have been fostering dogs and sometimes I have one dog for 3 mos and during that time I train/correct behaviors and take care of both their physical and mental needs. I treat them like my own dogs and those dogs get so attached to me. When you think of the dog's future, 8 wks is not long.

I just told you my honest feeling. It is YOU who knows the dog and your family situation the best so please disregard my comment if it does not fit your case. Anyway, I wish you, your family and the dog the best.

[KOPcaroline]

Hey there,

Unsure if you've owned them before, but from my experience Weimies can be very high strung and become very attached to one owner. Thus, its understandable that you're having trouble with your dog now that theres been a breakdown in the family, and a big move on top of that. Your dog is now unsure of who is the alpha dog (if he didnt look to you for that role before), and is stressed because of all the big changes!

I think if your kids enjoy the dog, and everything was going well before the move, that you can try to calm your dog down and get things back to normal, but it will take some work. Sounds like you're willing, so here goes!

I whole-heartedly agree with MHN's suggestion of taking the family and dog to obedience training. This is a GREAT way to form new bonds, and get control of your pups stress and attention too! He'll learn to look at all of you as dominant figures (as you should be), and will start responding well soon I'm sure.

At home, try going through our alpha training with him (you can find how to's under the downloads section). Eat before you feed your dog, and eat in front of him. You go through doors before him. You decide when he gets attention (dont give it to him when he begs for it). When you come home, ignore him for the first little bit. I know you already do some of this, but its worth going through it as a "unit" again, just to re-establish some normalcy again.

To assume your ex's role as dominant/head of the house, you're going to have to remember to be stern, and be consistent. Your dog will respect you for it, and will behave much better with stability in his world again. It sounds a bit rough, I know, but its honestly the best way to get things going in a positive direction again.

Please let us know how you get on, and if we can be anymore advice. I'd love to hear progress is being made!

[nhh322000]

Originally Posted by MaxHollyNoah

Hi nhh322000,

It's me again. I am sorry I totally overlooked the statement "my son has aspergers and adhd".

You might want to reconsider keeping this dog. Please don't take me wrong. I feel it will be hard for both the dog and for your son.

One of my colleagues has a son with autism and his family got a trained therapy dog and it seems like helping. It is a very calm (of course she is professionally trained) adult female Black Lab.

I don't know your son's behavior patterns but it is possible some of his behaviors might provoke or agitate dogs and your Weimeraner can get agitated easily and that might cause his nipping and snapping. There are calmer and stable-minded breeds, as well as older in age, that will be more suitable for your family.

I understand you have had the dog for 8 wks and it looks like a long time and I know you are so attached to him but please think this way:

I have been fostering dogs and sometimes I have one dog for 3 mos and during that time I train/correct behaviors and take care of both their physical and mental needs. I treat them like my own dogs and those dogs get so attached to me. When you think of the dog's future, 8 wks is not long.

I just told you my honest feeling. It is YOU who knows the dog and your family situation the best so please disregard my comment if it does not fit your case. Anyway, I wish you, your family and the dog the best.

Hi Ive had him from 8 weeks old not for 8 weeks

[MaxHollyNoah]

Hi nhh322000,

I am so sorry. I misread your posting. I will think about it again and reply shortly.

[MaxHollyNoah]

Hi nhh322000,

Please forgive my "Yesterday 09:24 PM" comment and follow KOPCaroline's instructions.

[nhh322000]

Thanks for all your help guys! I have noticed the more i try and take charge the worse the snapping at me and my son is becoming is this just him trying to stand his ground?
I feel I owe it to him to at least let him grow up a bit as i know his age is a big factor in his behaviour. As well as posting on sites like this for advice im reading all the info i can on becoming a pack leader and Im trying everything everyone suggests.
He is on tabs to calm him them as well as resarting classes with all 3 of us im going to get a few one on one classes too to mainly show me what to do!
Ill keep you all posted !