Boston Terrior

Question
I have a four year old male Boston Terrior
Jake goes crazy during thunder storms and has chewed the wood trim on our band new $6,000. front door.  This is a brand new house.  We live in Florida.  He came to us becasue a vet was going to have to put him down (no room in shelters) and my son could not let that happen.  I see why the former owners got rid of him.  He also hates men.  Any man (strangers) that come to the house he will try to bite.  It is like he is mad at them.  But sometimes he will like them?  I need help.  Jake needs help.

Answer
This is really 2 questions.  For the thunderstorm issue-I would give him a stuffed kong (stuffed with peanut butter or cheese) in a crate every day for at least a week or two.  Let him settle in the crate for about an hour.

Then before a thunderstorm arrives, give him a stuffed kong in his crate.  He may still be nervous, but dogs are usually more comfortable in a 'den' like this.  (I have a thunder scared JRT..she seeks a 'den' if her crate door is closed)  This also prevents your dog from hurting himself and damaging your house.

If he is absolutly terrified, talk to your vet.  There may be medication to make him more comfortable.

The man issue.  Dogs bite out of fear. Period.  So your dog is a fraid of men.  The good news is, this is easy to fix.  The bad news is it will take time and dilligence on your part.

You need to find a good trainer/behaviouralist who will work with you on this issue.  You need to find one that understands how to use positive methods to help your dog see that men are not evil slavering monsters =o)

Kerri