3 Year Old Adopted Male Cairn/Schnauzer Mix

Question
QUESTION: We adopted our Baxter almost a year ago.  We love him very much and he obeys most commands and walks nicely on a leash.  He will not eat unless we sit down with him and it usually has to be both my husband and me.  We can deal with that but the main problem is his lunging and biting strangers and especially small children.  He has done this 3 times this week.  Today he vomited in the floor and when I told him to get in his bed, he ran to another room to sit beside my husband.  I went into the room, called his name and told him to come on to his bed.  He ignored me. I walked towards him and put out my hand to motion for him to come with me.  He growled, jumped up and bit my hand.  He did not break the skin but it hurt.  My husband took him downstairs to the basement.

We are very concerned about the biting and we never know when it's going to occur.  Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated as we are very frustrated.

Thank you,
Billie

ANSWER: Billie -

Let me address the food thing first - No dog has ever **ever** willingly starved itself to death. Put down his food. If he does not eat in 15 minutes, pick it up and try again in 12 hours. I have had a number of dogs go into the 2nd day, but never had one go into the 3rd.  He will eat, and by refusing to without you with him, he is controlling you.

As for the aggressive behavior, the first thing you need to rule out is a medical problem. Dogs do not usually change their behavior like this without a reason.

Without being there to watch him, it sounds a lot like he is resource guarding and feeling defensive.  

He obviously thought he was in trouble for vomiting and felt the need to defend himself from you... which would also indicate he's not feeling well.

If your vet does not find anything wrong, I would strongly recommend finding a trainer or behaviorist to work with. Many behaviorists can help figure out what the causes are because they can watch his behavior to look for triggers.

I'm just not there to watch his body language, so I can't tell you what the cause is. In the meantime, I strongly recommend having him drag a leash around the house all the time so no one has to get really close to him to get him to do what you want him to do.

I would also recommend that you read through this article. You may need to re-establish the proper relationship with each other.

http://cairnrescue.com/docs/NILIF.pdf

I sure hope this gives you some ideas about where to start solving this problem. You need to get it under control ASAP as well as remember that your safety has to be the first priority at all times.

-Beth

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you Beth.  We will definitely follow your advice about eating and also the article -- it is very interesting and it is apparent that I need to do a lot of work with him.  When we got him he had had no training.  He is cute as a button and we, no I, have babied him and allowed him to do just about anything he wants to do. He is very stubborn and has refused to do anything that he doesn't want to do and I have allowed it -- that will change now.   

The aggression however is not a new problem as he has been this way since we have had him.  We are very frustrated.  He has had medical checkup with no unusual findings except anxiety.  We are afraid he is going to injure someone as he will go for anyone entering our home or yard or on walks, i.e. guests, repair or service persons, the neighbors, and especially small children.  We love Baxter so much and want to share him with others but it is impossible at this time.

Where do I find a behaviorist?? Will it be very expensive as both my husband and I are retired and live on a modest fixed income.  

Thank you again for your help.

Billie

Answer
Billie -

I would guess that the best place to start is by calling your local shelter for a name of a trusted trainer.

Also, all the good trainers that I know are certified by the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (assuming you are in the US) and the website is at:

http://www.apdt.com/

It should not cost a bunch and perhaps they would even recommend doing the work in a class situation. Sometimes that helps the trainer to see the behavior, especially since it doesn't seem all that predictible.

I sure wish I could be more help, but it's really hard without being eyes on... but I would recommend some realignment of the respect within the family (pack).

And remember - keeping yourself safe must be your #1 priority... and keeping him from biting other people is the best way you can protect him from himself. You and I both know what's at stake if he hurts someone.

-Beth