Need advice, dog snapping

[Skrowten]

We have an 18 month old rescue collie/lurcher cross. Did puppy training, gets exercise everyday, goes to doggy day care to mix with other dogs. I have two ds 7 & 10. The dog bit my husband on the arm recently and actually broke skin, he also snaps aggressively at unknown children. Very needy in general. Am terrified he will end up biting a child. No underlying medical issue. What to do? I don't think this can be trained out of a dog?

It's a bit beyond my competence level, so I'll point you in the direction of a couple of resources.

I would muzzle asap (NB you can't just bung a muzzle on a dog, you have to train them to accept it) to reduce the risks at least in the short to medium term. I've heard good things about the Muzzle Up Project muzzleupproject.com/

Reactive Dogs UK has some excellent information and support www.facebook.com/groups/1633448230248202/

I know you say he's walked daily, but how much? I've found that being walked daily to the point of exhaustion did wonders for DDog and his reactivity. Collies are notorious for needing a lot of energy and mental stimulation - on lead walks don't really cut it, but with his snapping off lead walks can be risky, so there's a danger of a downwards spiral.

Do consider getting professional help from a good, qualified behaviourist / trainer, but do your research and vetting as anyone can call themselves a behaviourist or trainer.

What were the circumstances which resulted in the bite? The snapping?

You say the dog is 'needy' but it sounds as if he is fearful.

Snapping is the penultimate step in an escalating scale of indicators that a dog is not happy with a situation he can't get away from. The ultimate step is a bite. Somewhere along the line the previous warnings he is giving aren't being noticed or understood - and they WILL be there.

It's not so much a matter of 'training it out' of the dog as of understanding why he's doing it and helping him - and you - deal with it.

Please talk to a qualified behaviourist and in the meantime have a look at some bite prevention videos on YouTube.

What others have said, but I really think it is important to be realistic. You are never going to convert that dog into a mellow, happy-go-lucky animal. The best you will be able to do is to cope and to help him cope. Be really careful.