Pekeapoo aggression

Question
I think the mother was being overly pregnated.  My two doberman died and were so gentle and loving especially the male Rowdy.  He was the last to die, evacuated our town for hurricane but we hadn't left when he went outdoors layed in the sun and brought him in the house and laid down beside my disabled husband and died in my arms.

I was not ready for another dog when I made a phone call to see what a pekeapoo looked like.  This male was and is adorable and very smart...my husband could not move around and wanted this adorable puppy....so I entertained the idea my husband needed a lap dog at this time of his life.  Just before he died this year...I think I over reacted when I had Maji on the bed on his back and had been picking off fireants crawling in his hair.  They didn't appear to be biting him which was unusual as my doberman would get big welts.  The doberman were so easy to train...one jump on me as a puppy and one knee in the chest and he never jumped on anybody.  learned to walk beside me...not pull me...watch me was my command and he obeyed...he was my best friend and even slept in our bed.  The maintenance people wanted to not come in and once they befriended my dog they were always anxious to see him again.

I cannot pet my dog with my hands...if he lays down beside me on the bed your first reaction is to put your hand down their and pat him on the head...no can do or he ATTACKS...aggression and he bites hard...has a good grip and will not let go and attacks you right off the bed.  If I am sleeping and reach down for the blanket and not realizing he is laying there...I will have blood dripping.  I am losing a fingernail right now from his bit into the quick of my finger penetration my nail.

He loves to play with his toys...can catch a small ball in the air, plays fetch, tug a war...loves it when I play with him.  When I blow my hairdry I have to blow his body and brush and fluff up his tail and he runs in circles after his tail.  When I am on the POT...he comes running, he wants his hair brushed and his eyes wiped with the toilet paper....if I try to clip his hair on his butt with scissors which is the only place he lets me work with him....he attacks.  This probably will be my last dog...I have always had two dogs but now that my husband just recently passed away need a dog I can hug...I loved hugging my doberman and they worshiped me. Very frustrating as he comes to me and wants loving and is begging for it yet I have to put my hand under sheet and rub him or he'll lay down by my foot under the sheet..he wants contact but he won't accept my petting.

I will be moving closer two my two grandchildren and know he has played ball all day with one no problem....he could hug him and everything...not sure if his aggression is just to me although he is glued to me and will not leave my side....where I go he has to go...he is always close.  Do not even need a leash outdoors...have to watch him but he seems to have learned his boundaries and knows the street is a no no.

ONE MORE THING......will not eat dog food.  He'd starve to death before he'd eat it.  He was taken from his mother too early at 5 weeks, as his owner wanted to leave town.  I objected and wanted him to be  with his mother until 7 weeks...but that wasn't possible.  He was raised in a closet and ate chicken...it took over two weeks for him to venture out of my closet to the other side of the house to where Daddy was.  I bought six dog foods in put all of them in separate dish in living room....waited a whole week to get him to eat dog food....he didn't touch any it...he hadn't eaten for over a week and I didn't want to give in to giving him chicken but I finally did.

I am frustrated as this will be my last dog and I can't hug him.  I can't feed him dog food, have to fix him chicken - chicken hotdogs - beef....like cooking for your husband.

I have beeen told 3 months ago to get rid of him or put him to sleep as once aggressive always aggressive.

karen stewart
karenste@gmail.com

Answer
Karen, first I want to say that I'm so sorry for your losses over the past year. I know that must be terribly hard for you.

As for the dog, I believe his problems stem from several things:

1. Being separated from his mother and siblings way too early
2. Being 'babied' (small dogs often fall 'victim' to this)
3. Not being taught proper 'pack order'

It sounds as though he views himself as the alpha, or leader, of the household, and that position should be yours. The first thing I would do would be to immediately begin the "Nothing in Life is Free (NILIF)" technique with him. You can find lots of information about this technique by doing a search for it at http://www.yahoo.com Basically, it requires that he follow a command before he gets anything, whether it's food, being allowed up on the furniture, having his leash put on to go out, actually going through the door, playing with you, etc. You should keep all toys put away until you would like to play with them with him. Then, when playtime is over, take the toys and put them away again. If I were you, I think I might even suspend his furniture privileges for a while, until you are able to gain his respect. That means that if he jumps up on the furniture, you simply push him back off again. If he tries to bite you when you do this, then have him drag a leash around, and use the leash to get him off the furniture. Another option is to use your whole body, rather than your hand, to push him off with. Say, for instance, you are sitting on the couch and he jumps up beside you, if you are not comfortable trying to reach over and push him off with your hand, then just scoot towards him, then scoot a little more, then a little more, until he has no choice but to jump off the couch. Then praise him with a 'good boy' when his feet are on the floor, and repeat until he finally gives up. NILIF is a non-confrontational way of attaining and maintaining alpha status over your dog.

You need to get with a professional trainer that can come to your home and work with you one-on-one as far as his aggression towards you is concerned. I do not feel comfortable giving advice over the internet, when it comes to dealing with aggressive dogs, because there are so many things that could be going on, and if I were to give you the wrong advice for your situation, you could be injured. Open the phone book and just start calling. Call every trainer listed before you decide on one. Make sure they have experience dealing with dogs who are aggressive towards people, and they should be able to come to your house, rather than you taking him to a training facility, since your house is where all the problems are occurring.

He needs to learn to eat dog food, unless you don't mind cooking for him for the rest of his life. I have put together a web page that tells all about how to choose a good dog food. I would suggest that, when you have a few minutes, you take the time to read over it. The address is http://dogfoods.angelfire.com

Once you've chosen a high quality dog food to feed him, then you need to start getting him used to eating it. To do this, you have to completely STOP feeding him anything else, including treats. If you want to give him a treat, give him a piece of kibble. For the first 2-3 days, put a piece or two of hot dog in the bottom of his bowl, and then pour 1/4 cup of dog food over top of it (or 1/2 cup if you feed him only once a day). Have him sit, then put the bowl down and leave him alone for 20-30 minutes. Whether he's eaten the food or not, pick the bowl up and pour whatever kibble is remaining in the bowl back into your dog food storage bin. I recommend storing dog food in an airtight storage container rather than the bag. It stays fresher longer this way, and doesn't attract pests such as bugs and rodents, either. At the next scheduled feeding time, repeat. After the 2nd or 3rd day, stop putting hot dog in the bowl, and only offer the kibble. Again, leave the bowl down for 20-30 minutes, and then pick it back up again. I >>PROMISE<< you he will not starve himself to death, though you may think he's going to. He may go without food for several days, but I assure you he >>will<< eat the kibble once he figures out that that's all he's going to get, and that he only has a certain amount of time to eat it after you offer it to him. Dogs are masters at 'holding out' for the good stuff, though, so don't give in!!