Biting

Question
My sheltie (2 1/2) recently bit my fiance.  She acts as though she is scared of him even though I am the one who punishes her.  She wouldn't go outside to go to the bathroom so he went to pick her up, she then snarled so he handled her by the nape of the neck.  Once he had picked her up, she began peeing; to this he moved her, at which point she bite him twice.  My question is, what would cause her to bite him or make her scared of him and what can we do to reverse these actions?

Answer
Renee,

This answer is not going to be what you expect.  You are putting me in a difficult position because I must answer from the perspective of the Sheltie and from a 5 sentence question.

First, let me clarify the difference between a nip and a bite.  A nip is using the front teeth to pinch.  A bite is a full mouth snap at someone.  Shelties will harmlessly nip at people and dogs just like they will sheep.  Biting is another story.

When biting it could be a pack order issue.  I had one previous rescue who was old and very confused from his initial human about his place in pack order.  The father was also abusive to the pup in that family.  We had him for 8 months and thought he understood better where he stood when permitted him to be adopted.  He bit his rescue-adoptee human and she brought him back to us after placement.  We had him put down.

Any time I see a Sheltie actively bite a human it has been associated with how the Sheltie was treated by that human or a previous similar human.  I have a rescue at my home who was abused by a male.  She will on occasion submissive pee when scared.  This happened frequently when she first came to our home until she understood that it was a safe place.  It happens rarely now but still does happen.

Now I will ask difficult questions you need to answer:
Does she bite or is she hostile toward anyone else?
Was she always scared of your finance?
Did she act that way before you met him toward anyone?
What has happened between them when you were or were not around to make the Sheltie scared of him?
Does anyone else have reservations about him besides your dog?

YOU must answer those questions carefully please.  It may be that you have a crazy dog who has always been hostile and vicious and there is nothing you can do to change that.  Considering the breed, I find that NEVER is the case.

I would also tell you that "handling" by the nape of the neck would hurt a dog quite a bit and is abusive.

Dave