What do I do when my 1 year old dog tried to bite me?

[flipflopsandsunshine]

We have a much loved 1 year old papillon. I’m at my wits end and so upset.
He nips and growls at me daily, and it’s not the usual playful puppy mouthing.

He likes a lot of affection and being brushed and cuddled etc but will growl, nip and bite when being handled is not on his terms, for example when;
trying to get him off the sofa
trying to get him off the beds
trying to put his harness on when he’s not in the mood
trying to put him back in the car when he doesn’t fancy coming home
trying to stop him ripping up the rugs (we use a house training line but sometimes I can’t pick up the end of it because he will snap at me)
He steals the kids toys if they drop them then resource guards them (we swap things for treats)
Most of the time he welcomes hugs from the children other times he growls and snaps.
After an off lead play (he is very friendly with other dogs) I sometimes can’t put him back on the lead if he is too fired up, he will snap and bite me.
If he gets into anything he is not allowed at other peoples houses. It’s so embarrassing because I can’t stop him. He will bite if he’s in that particular mood.
I’m worried he is getting worse. He always used to let me untangle the lead from his legs when on a walk, but now even that gets me a growl and snap.
I am trying to use positive training methods but all we are really doing is managing a lot of the behaviour.
I literally don’t know what to do when he won’t let me handled him. I’m starting to be a little scared of him and he rules the roost! Although right now he’s sleeping on my lap like butter wouldn’t melt.
The vet has suggested it may be fear aggression and to see a behaviourist, but in the meantime what do I do in the moment when he tries to bite?

You need to stop him practicing the behaviours - I wouldn't be taking him to anyone's house or letting children hug him. Huge tidy up & use baby gates etc to control access and keep him away from the sofa / furniture he guards, & get a referral to a good behaviourist ASAP.
Resource guarding can be resolved but if he is biting, then you need to put safeguards in place first & tackle the behaviour second.

AwkwardPup tends towards guarding "stolen" items, we try to never take anything from him & work really hard on drops & swaps instead. We've had a bit of a setback as he found a cooked bone in the park & was chewing it to splinters, so we had to intervene, so we are back to high value treats to swap items at the moment. He's far better when well exercised (mentally as well as physically).

Doesn't sound like fear to me!

More like he's got far too big for his boots.

He needs to be kept off the beds / sofas as it’s a form of resource guarding.

You need to keep the kids toys away from him or him away from the toys.

Dogs tend to not like hugs. Practice good animal behaviour with the children. Do not let them hug him or approach him, wait until he approaches you.

You need a good behaviourist and LEARN the body language and how to treat a dog.

Is he going straight to bite with no warning? I’m guessing there is growling that is being ignored, listen to him.

This post should have been titled 'what do i do when my dog bites my kids'
It's not good is it.
Vet appointment needed to check dog is ok.
If you cant see yourself undertaking a total regime change regarding training, feeding and boundaries then rehome it.
Imagine if it bites your kids beautiful little face.

I think you need to pay for a registered behaviourist to visit you at home and you should treat this as seriously as if he were an 11 stone Rottie. He can’t to the damage a large dog can but he could still scar someone’s face for life. He is also not happy and as a loved pet, he needs you to get help. They will probably be able to help a lot if you rigorously follow their advice to the letter.

It sounds like he is really escalating and you need help as soon as possible. You need to stop the children handling him in the meantime and yes, no hugging.

I really hope this works out for you and him.

Most of the time he welcomes hugs from the children other times he growls and snaps.

You have a dog that regularly “nips” (i.e. bites) and you allow your children to hug it? Christ alive. What are you waiting for before you either remove your dog from your home or completely separate it from your children? For it to first bite your children’s face?

How are you trying to get him off beds and sofas and into the car?

If you're picking him up - stop it. Dogs generally hate being picked up (it's not natural to them) and they can find it scary, uncomfortable and even painful if it's not done properly.

This is not fear aggression.

This is dominance aggression. Your dog thinks he's the boss of you. That is a very dangerous situation as he could bite strangers and children. I recommend Cesar Milan's training as he's all about getting your dog back down to being subordinate and he has all the techniques.

Thank you for your replies.
He does growl and warn us before he tries to bite. Then he air snaps. We do heed his warnings and back off.
The children know when/if he growls they must leave him alone. I am teaching them better behaviour around the dog. The kids love him and want to pat him all the time and 99% of the time he loves it. He will growl to say when he's not in the mood.
I don't believe they are in danger of a bite, but I am taking this very seriously and will do whatever training it takes.
The biting is directed to me, as the one who needs to handle him. I do feel like he has gotten too big for his boots.
The lounge is fenced off with a baby gate. He is invited in when we are in there. If he gets hyper and bounces around biting the rug etc he gets put out the room. He doesn't want to be put out the room so this is an occasion when he will bite me. I have to lure him out with treats if he is not on his lead.
He is left on a long lead a lot so I can manage him.
A behaviourist will absolutely be called. We have worked with a trainer and he does the training practice beautifully. Very good with recall, drop it, leave it, during training sessions.
However we haven't yet cracked this with real life situations. We practice daily.
The trainer thought castrating him would calm him and that the nipping wasn't too much of a big deal because he doesn't break skin or leave a mark! And it's predicable.
The vet advised against castration before seeing the behaviourist.
I'm so sad getting a puppy is turning into a nightmare, we really have tried so hard to get everything right

Well done OP you need to take this seriously

A dog will be quickly euthanised for biting a child and if your dog is aggression tested by any form of authority, he will be found to be a biter.

Your dog is definitely trying to control you and how you behave with biting as a punishment. This will escalate.

Part of dominance training so your dog knows it's not in charge is things like never looking at the dog first when you walk in a room, making sure your dog is following you and worried where you are when you're out walking not vice versa, it's very subtle and it has to be done 100% consistently. Dogs are pack animals and they get very confused when they don't know where they are in the pack and pretty demonic if they think they're in charge of the human pack. As I say Cesar Milan is the absolute best for this.

Any 'trainer' who doesn't take snapping and biting seriously isn't qualified. I rescued a dog that was euthanised after biting the vet. She was tiny, a small JRT, fear based biter, but he came in the room unexpectedly and she whipped around and bit his leg. She had bitten many many people by the time I rescued her and she had to be constantly muzzled in public (which she hated and made her more aggressive and unhappy). It was awfully sad, broke my heart the whole thing.

"I don't believe they are in danger of a bite"

They are.

The nipping is a big problem. Imagine if it was a great Dane "nipping".

Get a better dog trainer.

And yes fucking neuter your dog. Are you insane?

You have come across a very poor trainer. Do NOT castrate your dog this will makes things a hundred times worse.

He has not got too big for his boots

He is a dog that is being forced to do things that either make him uncomfortable, fearful and stressed

How else can he ask you to stop doing something?

He cant politely ask you to stop.
He growls and if you do not understand he has no option but to bite and up the anti to make you understand.

All dogs that resource guard are very stressed dogs you will need to get professional help to deal with this and who can show you how to get the dog to be happy with what you are asking him to do. If the trainer wants to teach leave it to "cure" the resource guarding" find a better one!

In the meantime back off, give him space, do not pick him up or let him be hugged by the children ( there are stuffed toy dogs that the children can hug)

One example you give he bites when you get him off the sofa. Just put a treat on his nose and lure him off the sofa , no biting, happy relaxed dog and not need to bit or be stressed.

He tears up the rugs, give him chew toys that he can chew and tear and put him in a quiet area so he can chew these without being disturbed

Your dog hasn't "gotten too big for his boots" - he is telling you, loudly and clearly, that he's frightened of the way you're handling him.

It sounds like you man-handle him a lot - it's not natural or normal for dogs to be picked up and physically moved about like that, and the vast majority don't like it. They may tolerate it (and not bite or snap) but that's not the same as actively enjoying what's happening to them.

Imagine if he was a Great Dane - you wouldn't be able to just pick him up and move him around, so you need to treat your little dog with the same respect as you would a giant breed. Use a treat (or a toy) to encourage him onto the floor and reward him when he has all four paws off the sofa. Add a command in there and eventually (over the course of weeks/months) you can slowly stop using the treats.

How much exercise and mental stimulation do you give him every day? You say he bounces around and chews up the rug - does he have lots of appropriate chews and toys to play with or is he just making his own entertainment?

Your vet is also right that castration won't help - in fact, it could make things a whole lot worse.

Do not rehome this dog - you will pass on an agressive dog to someone else which is unethical. You would probably have to lie to get someone else to take the dog.

You have to deal with it properly yourself.

I think you need to take the risk to your children much more seriously.

@LittleMissSunshiner that is awful behaviour. Dominance and pack theory have been debunked.

Do not neuter in case this is partly fear driven. Avoid the things that make him react such as moving him. Throw a treat where you want him to go. Use the longline. Don’t let the kids cuddle him.

I disagree - dogs are strictly hierarchical pack animals.

This dog is obviously unhappy and distressed because it's not being trained and is being manhandled and is probably in a chaotic noisy unpredictable environment, fair enough all that is true.

But only a dog who thinks it's running the show would dare to bite someone and does not see that person as in any way dominant but in fact inferior and to be put back in line.

I agree the dog should not be picked up and moved, it should be trained sufficient it's commanded 'get down' 'get off' or whatever phrase by using food rewarding as a start.

Neutering the dog is not the solution to this particular issue but I agree all male dogs should be neutered as this causes untold other issues.

The OP needs to speak to a good vet and find a reputable experienced dog trainer and dog handler.

Nope dogs are not "dogs are strictly hierarchical pack animals"

Why is Mn being filled with out of date inaccurate dog theory today? The Dog house has gone really weird this afternoon.

Quite amusing really but not great for people trying to get advice

Are you aware of the concept of 'agree to disagree'?

I do not agree with you, plenty of people and dog trainers don't. Unless someone died and made you god then that is just the fact of how it is, people have different opinions and some disagree.

I'm sure the one thing we can all agree on is that a biting dog is a dangerous dog, even if it's only of the small and floofy variety.

@IngGenius How do you think dog packs are organised? If not hierarchical, then how do they work out who leads the pack?

So many animals seem to have a ruthlessly aggressive way of deciding leadership. Hen's working out their pecking order is shockingly violent. So are cows, horses and donkeys in my experience.

Couldn't agree more.

Have a look at the Will Atherton videos on youtube regarding biting OP.

@LittleMissSunshiner you clearly have no idea at all about dog behaviour. Behaviour is communication. This dog isn’t happy. The behaviour is how it’s showing that.
The person who came up with dominance and pack theory has even said that they got it wrong. It’s outdated and dangerous.

@LittleMissSunshiner it's not really a case of agree to disagree. Pack theory isn't a thing. The hierarchy in a pack is fluid and changes depending on resources etc.

The best thing the poster can do is contact a qualified behaviourist for personalised advice for the dog. In the meantime I'd use a long line and avoid trigger situations. Certainly keep the kids from cuddling the dog. Even a small dog can cause significant injuries, especially to a small child.

Am I right in thinking that, other than the resource guarding, this all comes from being “mishandled” (as in, being picked up and moved)?

Obviously look at getting a good dog behaviourist - but also can you start looking at other ways to “move” him (using treats, toys or similar).