DDog tried to bite. Rehome or PTS?

[TetleysSurpassesYorkshireTea]

Hi, I have a 10 month old Maltese-Westie cross.

Today, after his bath, I tried to remove some dirt from his face and he tried to bite me. He is normally very placid after a bath, and I had him wrapped in a towel having a cuddle. He had let me wash his face in the bath, but as soon as he saw my hand approach his eye, he tried to bite. He has tried to do the same thing before in similar circumstances, when being groomed.

DDog does have a history of nipping ankles and hands, and we have redirected to toys or said a firm "no". We have also gently pushed him away or distracted by getting him to sit and calm down.

I do feel DDog's behaviour is deteriorating. We have contacted the Behaviourist, based at the vet, about the nipping and have followed her advice, but DDog still tries to attack feet and hands, often in an attempt to play, and despite our best efforts.

DDog has also become very barky. Again the Behaviourist advised us how to deal with this, which I thought was going pretty well, but he has now started barking and growling at people just passing the house.

It sounds silly, as he is only a Maltese, but his nips really hurt.

I have an 8 year old daughter who cannot cope with th1r barking or nipping due to Aspergers. I am worried that the dog will try to bite her when she pushes him away from licking her fave etc.

It seems as if in the past few weeks, the behviour has deteriorated more.

Does anyone have any advice re what the best thing to do in this circumstances?

We were looling at rehoming anyway due to the barking and its adverse affects on my daughter. I have contacted Maltese Rescue and have arranged for the lady to call me back.

Do I try to rehome or PTS? Any advice would be great.

[TetleysSurpassesYorkshireTea]

Oh and a general comment to some of the harsher posters on here:

I posted asking for advice, have been ripped to shreds, assumptions made and had a thoroughly unpleasant experience. But hey, my poor pup lives to woof another day so all is ok, right?

Wrong! Anyone reading this who has also got concerns, about whether their dog trying to bite is normal, would likely not bother posting to ask. Instead, they may post on AIBU or Chat, where the advice may be very different.

So my pup is safe......other people's pups, maybe not.

One thing I know for sure, if pup tries to bite me or my daughter again, I won't be back asking for advice. I will seek it elsewhere.

[adaline]

One thing I know for sure, if pup tries to bite me or my daughter again, I won't be back asking for advice. I will seek it elsewhere.

I thought you were re-homing it?

And people HAVE given you advice. That it's normal for a puppy and that if you'd done your research you would know that. You would also know that wrapping a dog in a towel like that (so it can't escape or back off) and trying to touch it's face is really not a good idea!

[DogInATent]

We were told we were being sold a docile Maltese
Sorry, but someone saw you coming. No pedigree dog should ever be described as having traits that are contrary the standard breed traits. For a Maltese to be docile would mean it wasn't a Maltese.

[ExcitedForChristmas18]

I thought you said you were getting the puppy rehomed? So now you have changed your mind?! And that poor puppy isn't going to get the right love, care and attention it needs?!

[anniehm]

Not all dogs are keen on grooming, I don't bother (hosepipe and tub of soapy water in garden does trick for mud, though I usually avoid this by sending him in the river just before getting in the car), the barking needs correcting but at 10 months they are adolescent and it's normal for behaviour to be up and down. Training needs to be consistent too, that's why they don't improve.

[TetleysSurpassesYorkshireTea]

Ok, as many of you are adamant that my pup is from a puppy farm, I shall contact the KC directly as I got the breeders details from them. They are not on their site any longer and their number is not recognized. When I went round, the new owners said the.old house owners have moved away.

So I shall contact KC direct.

[BiteyShark]

I honestly think you need to concentrate on rehoming the puppy rather than phoning the KC.

What did the breed specific rescue say in terms of rehoming? Are they waiting on you? For space or would it be a rehome from your house to new owner but via them?

[stayathomer]

I don't think you should give him more time just because it doesn't sound as if all of this is good for your daughter but please please rehome

[adaline]

Where you got him from is irrelevant now though. It's very sad if you got him from a puppy farm but what's done is done. You just need to focus on your pup and either re-homing him via a rescue, or getting specialised 1-1 help from a behaviourist.

[whateveryousay]

You think people are being harsh, OP?! That’s because you are talking about killing a young dog for being....a young dog!!

[DanielCraigsUnderpants]

Where the puppy came from isn't really important OP now. No one wants to buy from a puppy farm. We can't know if you did or didn't. They can be very slick operators what is important now is the present and future

I understand you've got a lot going on. You're here for advice if you didn't care you wouldn't have bothered posting, getting a behaviourist or seeking breed rescue support. You have possibly been naive or not researched in the right places. But so many other dog owners have done the same. What's important is learning and moving on.

I believe from what you have said the best thing for all of you is to rehome. Your dog is young and stands a good chance of finding a new family easily.

[FATEdestiny]

@TetleysSurpassesYorkshireTea

What documents have you got from KC? It is very worrying if you have been issued a KC 5 generation pedigree for a dog that is a suspected cross breed.

[Dottierichardson]

Had a small, nippy dog who hated baths and hated having his face cleaned. I got round this by using flannels and baby (no tears) shampoo, he still tried to nip sometimes when having his face washed but ended up nipping the flannel. On ankles and hands that's about training, both my dogs did that when they were small but took them to training classes and learnt techniques to redirect them, took a while but it stopped.

I think part of the problem is the idea that someone can sell you a 'docile' dog, any dog can be a problem, or react to situations that scare or over-excite them...no puppy is automatically 'docile' or will grow into an automatically calm dog, it's all about training. My current dog is from a very excitable, terrier breed, we took her to training classes weekly from a young age, and we did training with her every day until she was over two...and sometimes had to do extra training as sometimes they forget or lapse back into old behaviours. Puppies like children have to be taught things and we have to work with them, and it takes time/effort. If you have the time then that's fine, find a decent ADPT trainer, rewards-based, or find a home that can provide this for the puppy. Terriers in particular big or small need a lot of training and a lot of stimulation or they get bored and act out...but 10 months is incredibly young, your expectations are too high and your behaviourist should have redirected you to a decent training class.

[Dottierichardson]

Also puppies will get more mouthy when teething so need lots of appropriate teething chews, and will go through phases, just like children and the terrible twos, so will need extra training at certain developmental stages.

[Dottierichardson]

Finally reacting when face being touched can be the sign of an eye or ear infection/problem so should get that checked out. Pedigree dogs far more prone to these problems. And on that subject no breed has automatically got the traits claimed, like people they are individuals and will vary. Sure your children will take after you but will also have their own habits/ways of behaving, dog breeds no different!

[Ihaventgottimeforthis]

Come on OP, grow a thicker skin.
Under the abrupt comments, the advice is good.
You had unrealistic expectations of what owning a puppy is like, you should not euthanise a puppy just because of natural behaviour, if the dog is not the right fit for you and your family then yes in the long run it is best to rehome.
I'd think on any dog lovers forum, peoples sympathies will be with the innocent animal who has been let down by its' owners, however well meaning and misguided they are.
So brush it off and don't try to guilt trip us for not protecting your feelings!

[Wolfiefan]

What exactly do you expect KC to do?
If this is a crossbreed then any papers relating to the pup being KC reg are fake. Even if the parents are registered the owners “moving away” screams puppy farmers moving on.
No puppies are calm. No puppy is trained after a few sessions of puppy classes.

[Alfie190]

You are just bored with him and want rid. Of course you do not put a 10 month old puppy to sleep!

Rehome to somebody that either knows what they are doing or is willing to learn. And do not ever get a pet again.

[wombatron]

Some really holier than thou posters on this thread. OP asked, took advice and has a clearly defined path of action she'll be taking.She's already explained very early on why she assumed they would want to PTS - because half the bloody threads on here that suggest a dog that shows aggression say it needs to go/ that's what vets recommend. this isn't AIBU. How about we be a bit friendly to someone asking for help and advice and is probably a bit lost.

Op I think def take pup to a vet as you said you would if it happened as a reaction to movement to his eye - could be something there he's defending. One of mine had an ulcer and was very cautious of movement near it for quite some time

[wombatron]

She asked if she should. Presumably she doesn't keep the stuff at home so it would have been a trip to the vet, where the vet would probably give the same advice as she's been given here - it's a puppy thing, just rehome. Or to quote you.... do all morons on here think that if someone said yes she'd go outside and shoot it? 

Apply some common sense before mounting high horses!

[SlowNorris]

I repeat, it’s not self-righteous/holier than thou to not condone killing a dog.

[SlowNorris]

And quite frankly, if OP’s response to a puppy displaying puppy behaviour is to even consider killing it, I don’t think we can credit her with possessing any level of common sense to take the dog to a vet.

[wombatron]

I'm talking about those that are really going off on one. Even I posted about rehoming as it seemed the OP couldn't cope.... there are some downright nasty posts here for someone who just really didn't know how it works.... even after she'd admitted that she got it wrong and just didn't understand. Not everyone has all the answers or knows how these things work - you only learn by asking (or google)