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dog biting
I have a problem my dog, just recently died and so we got a new puppy Razberry. But as he has gotten older he has become vicious. I just go into the backyard to try to play with him after school and i throw a ball or two. Then I go check if he needs more water in his bowl or not. But then out of the blew he jumps up bites me really hard in the back then I turn around and he bites me in the leg which leaves a scratch and a popping out bruise. Then i try to get away from him and out of the backyard but he keeps biting me. This has been happening for a while now and I dont know what to do to make him stop. I love my puppy and I dont want to give him away. He can be soo sweet to me and i can just tell in his eyes that he loves me too. I think he is just trying to play but doesn't know when to stop. I just would like any suggestions on something I could do to understand that biting me like that is wrong and it hurts. I have tried disciplining him but then he becomes more vicious and bites more. Please help me!
thnx a bunch!
P.S. someone referred to you becuz you were good at dog questions.
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One question:
What exactly do you mean by "I have tried disciplining him but then he become more vicious and bites more."?
Is that a nice way of saying you beat his ass when he bites you? Because, seriously, if he bit you after you beat him I wouldn't blame him.
Now that I have said that, I'm glad a couple people have referred you to me. I'm also sorry if anything that I'm about to say offends you, but I do hope you listen to my words of advice.
My first word of advice is TAKE THE POOR DOG OFF THE CHAIN, AND BRING HIM INSIDE!!!
Dog's do not deserve to live a life on a chain, it's cruel punishment, and often leads to aggression like this. It's only natural that a dog left outside, away from it's family or "pack" will go crazy from lack of attention. Dog's NEED socialization, especially in their first few months.
Think about it... your dog is fine until you start to go away. This seems like a prime example of a dog that is starved for human contact.
Second of all: NEVER HIT YOUR DOG TRYING TO "DISCIPLINE" HIM.
Most of the time a dog will bite because he is scared. He will have the additude of "I must bite before this person hurts me again". Hitting a poor defensless, chained up animal is only asking to be bit.
Now, your dog needs to be trained and socialized. How old is he? Has he ever been off the chain? Does he ever come inside?
I'm guessing he will need to be housetrained.
For this, you will need to watch him 24 hours a day. Start by keeping him by your side, on his leash, inside the house. By keeping him on his leash, it will ensure that you can watch him, and catch him if he starts to lift his leg or squat.
If he does start to lift his leg, or even if he is actually able to go to the bathroom inside DO NOT HIT HIM.
Simply point, so NO! sharply and then take him outside. MAYBE tap him on the nose. This shouldn't be enough to hurt, only enough to annoy and show that going to the bathroom inside is not good.
When he goes to the bathroom outside, then give him a treat and plenty of praise and "good boy"'s.
If you can't watch him constantly, such as when you sleep or go to school, then you should get a dog crate, and put him in that. The crate should be large enough for him to move around comfortably, yet small enough so there isn't a huge amount of room. The area needs to be small to entice him to not "mess" in it.
Dogs are naturally very clean animals, and as long as it is possible, they will not go to the bathroom near their sleeping area. Keeping your dog in his crate will help him to see that he shouldn't go to the bathroom inside. As soon as you come home, take him from his crate and bring him outside to go to the bathroom.
CAUTION: do not leave him in his crate all day. This is not a replacement for the cruel chain, it is only a way for you to get things done. Ideally, he will not spend more than 2-3 hours at a time in his crate. This will obviously be quite different when you are sleeping, but he will also be sleeping and should not feel a need to go to the bathroom at that time. Dog's left in their crate for too long will often get urinary tract infections from "holding it in", or they will get bad and messy habits from being forced to go to the bathroom next to where they sleep. This will also cause bedsores from being forced to lay in their own pee.
When you go to school, and won't be able to check on him for long periods of time, then you need to make sure that someone does. Your mother or father perhaps.
Now, you should still be treating him as a puppy, and bring him outside every 2 hours to go to the bathroom. When he hears enough sharp NO!'s when he goes inside, and get's enough treats when he goes outside, he will soon realize that it's more beneficial for him to go outside. Dog's do whatever is more beneficial for them, it is only a matter of them learning properly.
Now that you have your dog inside, socialize him every chance you get.
You should begin to take him for walks. This will serve a lot of purposes. It will get some of his energy out, he will get exercise, he will see new and exciting things, and, he will be bonded with you even more.
A few words about leash training:
Get a gentle leader. This looks like a muzzle, but is really nothing like one. It goes around a dogs muzzle, and serves to pull their head in the direction that you want them to go. It works an awful lot like horse's bridle. A dog will not be able to walk forward, when their head is facing sideways or backwards towards you.
Now, your dog will probably pull because he wants to get at all the exciting things that he will see outside of your back yard.
When he starts to pull, then simply stop. Do not pull him backwards, do not let him pull your forward. Once he starts to loosen his grip on the leash, then you can start to move forward. Dogs pull because they want to get somewhere. Going forward and letting them get to that place only teaches them to pull. When you stop it teaches them this: "when I pull I don't get to smell that blade of grass, but when I don't pull, we can still move forward. I guess it's more beneficial for me to not pull"
Continue to walk like this. Do not stop in your training, or your dog will revert back to his bad habits RIGHT AWAY. It only takes one time for you to be lazy with your training, for all of his teachings to be lost. Then you will have to start all over again.
Now, if your dog starts to bite you, ignore him. Calmly, lead him over to his crate and put him in. Once he has calmed down, then take him back out and try to play all over again. Dog's do what they do in order to get attention from you. Even if it's bad attention, they still see it as attention. If you do anything besides putting him in his cage and ignoring him, then he will see it as beneficial to him.
Now, it is really my firm belief, that if your dog is socialized and able to live inside with his family, then he will no longer feel a need to be aggressive when someone leaves his area. The only reason I have spent all of this time on this question is because I sincerely hope that this dog is not abandoned and sent to a pound.
But, if you are going to simply say "I don't have the time to do all of this, my dog will continue to live outside on a chain" Then please... please, give your dog to a humane society, or find a good home for him to get properly trained. Dog's who live their lives on chains will only become more and more aggressive. I firmly believe that poor socialization and training is what leads to the large amount of dog bites in this country.
Be firm in your training, and do not falter. The basic rules of "ignore the bad things, praise the good things" should be followed at all times.
Tell everyone else in your family this, and your dog will soon be a lovable family puppy like all dog deserves to be.
If you have been able to do everything in my answer, and still need help, then ask me another question, specific to what you need help with. I will try my best to help you for your dogs sake.
If he begins to get more aggressive, then you should seek professional help from a dog trainer who could work with you and him personally.
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