Not sure what to do about my dog...

We've had Wyatt for about 6 months - he's a little over a year old now and of course has his issues as all puppies do. But he gets snappy with my husband at the weirdest moments and on occasion has bitten him. But today broke the straw on the camels back for my DH. He was playing with Wyatt - not even roough - just playing on the living floor with him and out of nowhere - at least it seemed like out of nowhere - Wyatt bit him on the face. I just sat there in shock - didn't know what to do. Everything was fine one minute and then this happened. The other times it's happened was when Wyatt was laying in our bed and DH came to bed and tried to move Wyatt over and he snapped at him - most nights I move Wyatt over myself, because he doesn't seem to be bothered by me doing it.

After today's incident DH told me I need to figure out what to do about the dog because as he put it "Wyatt's your dog now"...he wants nothing to do with him - what do I do? Do I bring him to a trainer and if so, what exactly are we having him trained to do. Or do I contact the rescue we got him from and say it is not working out with Wyatt & our family. These things have happened so randomly and out of nowhere. I'm just afraid now that he might do this to my 2 year old DD.

Suggestions are greatly appreciated!!!

Re: Not sure what to do about my dog...

More than the dog being trained, you and your husband have to be trained on how to deal with these problems and resolve them. If your husband isn't willing to take a part, it's going to be very hard to correct the behavior.

Since everyone in your household can contribute to the problem, everyone has to be a part of the solution too. Including teaching your DD how to deal with Wyatt, to make sure the dog understands that all the humans in the house are his bosses.

There's really nothing out of the blue about dog behavior. They're always reacting to something. Their own fear, dominance, hormones, body language, even the way the other person feels about them. They pick up on a lot of things we don't pay attention to. Things that we consider endearing, like hugging, can be uncomfortable and scary for a dog.

Many people here have been talking about Best Friends training lately, that they're impressed with them. Maybe that's a good place to look into. I would talk to your DH first though. With the right knowledge, effort and consistency, most common issues with dogs can be corrected.

We trained ourselves by reading books and websites and then trained our own dog. We don't have children, so we have more time and attention to devote, but it's really amazing what they can learn. You can fix this!

Re: Not sure what to do about my dog...

We have a wonderful trainer - matthew stein from beyondpetsitting.com. HE was a trainer at NSAL for yrs. We chose not to go the Best Friends training route basically because I wanted to learn to control my dog with or without the collar. So far, Matthew has been great and we've seen major improvements in Maggie. Plus, you can tell that he genuinely cares about the well being of Maggie. She did similar stuff with my DH and he said it was a result of their play. Turns out DH had to do the changing, not the dog.

Message edited 10/24/2009 10:46:11 PM.

Re: Not sure what to do about my dog...

I'll have to look into training us...we are not on Long Island - so the trainers you mentioned wouldn't work for us. I'll ask around to my friends who have dogs if they know of anyone.

Re: Not sure what to do about my dog...

If you can't find a personal reference call places like Petco, Petsmart, and local rescue groups.

They should be able to recommend one!

Re: Not sure what to do about my dog...

Re: Not sure what to do about my dog...

Posted by greenfreak

More than the dog being trained, you and your husband have to be trained on how to deal with these problems and resolve them. If your husband isn't willing to take a part, it's going to be very hard to correct the behavior.

Since everyone in your household can contribute to the problem, everyone has to be a part of the solution too. Including teaching your DD how to deal with Wyatt, to make sure the dog understands that all the humans in the house are his bosses.

There's really nothing out of the blue about dog behavior. They're always reacting to something. Their own fear, dominance, hormones, body language, even the way the other person feels about them. They pick up on a lot of things we don't pay attention to. Things that we consider endearing, like hugging, can be uncomfortable and scary for a dog.

Many people here have been talking about Best Friends training lately, that they're impressed with them. Maybe that's a good place to look into. I would talk to your DH first though. With the right knowledge, effort and consistency, most common issues with dogs can be corrected.

We trained ourselves by reading books and websites and then trained our own dog. We don't have children, so we have more time and attention to devote, but it's really amazing what they can learn. You can fix this!

Re: Not sure what to do about my dog...

Re: Not sure what to do about my dog...

I only would recommend watching him to see that it can be done and to motivate him.. Its more to train the husband.. I also recommend a hands on trainer.. I did mention maybe they can try to reach out to him..

I also want to tell you that I trained my dog and myself by everything I saw on that show in addition to reading his books.. I am so proud to say my dog is very well balanced and trained, and so am I.

Re: Not sure what to do about my dog...

I know Diana's(dilb712) very well and everyone should have a dog as well trained and as lovable as her dog Lola is. If I ever get a dog I would let Diana train him for me. Whatever she did worked and I would take her advice in a heartbeat. We had a dog that bit me on the face when I was young and used to bite us all. He also loved my mom the best. He was abused when we got him. Perhaps since Wyatt was a rescue dog a man might have done something to him that you don't know about. Diana, Lola is so sweet and well behaved I want you to know that I would take her anyday and you can trust her with your daughter.

Re: Not sure what to do about my dog...

Re: Not sure what to do about my dog...

Posted by dilb712

I only would recommend watching him to see that it can be done and to motivate him.. Its more to train the husband.. I also recommend a hands on trainer.. I did mention maybe they can try to reach out to him..

I also want to tell you that I trained my dog and myself by everything I saw on that show in addition to reading his books.. I am so proud to say my dog is very well balanced and trained, and so am I.

Re: Not sure what to do about my dog...

You're absolutely right, every dog is different. If you watch the show regularly, he does switch it up sometimes and changes his approaches to cater to the dog's needs and what it responds to.

Cesar does have a few "base" beliefs that I think everyone can benefit from following. To be the pack leader, reinforce a strong hierarchy where all humans are at the top, approaching problems with the dog's psychology in mind - not the human's, and exercise exercise exercise!

I think these days with our busy lifestyles, a lot of dogs don't get the attention, training or exercise they need and many people don't realize how important it is. Eventually, the dog starts acting out destructively and people are surprised, and instinctively blame the dog, which really isn't fair. My first thought when people tell me about problems like that is - what have you done for the dog? Merely needing the dog to act the way you want it to isn't going to accomplish anything. It really requires a complete change of mindset that many dog owners are not comfortable with.

We also opted to train ourselves but I had a lot of help along the way from books by Cesar Milan, Patricia McConnell, Turid Rugaas, and online forums devoted to our breed. I'm very proud of what we have accomplished but it is hard work. Some people joke that they would like me to train their dogs - but that really isn't the answer. Without the owner's constant reinforcement and training, all of it would fail.

Sorry to monopolize here... I just realized how long this is!!

Re: Not sure what to do about my dog...

I'm sorry this is happening to you. The same thing happened with my DH and our foster dog Remby.

The foster group told us that my DH should feed, give treats, and walk Remby so it establishes that he should not bite the hand that feeds him.

If Wyatt is snapping at him when hes on the bed then hes being territorial and he should not be allowed on the bed or your husband should be the first one on the bed and then you and Wyatt should be invited on the bed.

I would definitely hire a trainer who can help you figure out why Wyatt is snapping at your husband and what you should do to nip it in the bud.

Good luck!

Re: Not sure what to do about my dog...

Posted by greenfreak
I think these days with our busy lifestyles, a lot of dogs don't get the attention, training or exercise they need and many people don't realize how important it is. Eventually, the dog starts acting out destructively and people are surprised, and instinctively blame the dog, which really isn't fair. My first thought when people tell me about problems like that is - what have you done for the dog? Merely needing the dog to act the way you want it to isn't going to accomplish anything. It really requires a complete change of mindset that many dog owners are not comfortable with.

We also opted to train ourselves but I had a lot of help along the way from books by Cesar Milan, Patricia McConnell, Turid Rugaas, and online forums devoted to our breed. I'm very proud of what we have accomplished but it is hard work. Some people joke that they would like me to train their dogs - but that really isn't the answer. Without the owner's constant reinforcement and training, all of it would fail.

Sorry to monopolize here... I just realized how long this is!!