Maisy has bitten Rob

[Helen]

ok, some of the comments may not be as sensitively put as they could be but the content is sound

Maisie is a lovely normal puppy, and she is trying to communicate with you as a dog would. 

She was clearly upset at the hairdryer, instead of sulking I would interpret that as confusion and fear, and she did warn your other half that she wasn't happy with her growls etc before biting, so it wasn't unprovoked

It will take time for you to understand Maisie more, and time for Maisie to understand you a bit more.

Please buy the recommended books, and also book up some puppy classes which will be fun and educational for you and maisie (and also increase your bond and confidence) 

(and thanks for re-posting )

[Jan/Billy]

thanks for all your advise everyone.  I really don't think I can answer at this point.  too upset at the comments on here,

OH heck, please don't be upset  

There is not one person one this forum who is a perfect dog owner, well I don't think so anyway, it's not possible, there is always something we will get wrong at some time or another, it's a constant learning curve  

I've been a member here for three years now and I still get things wrong  

It's difficult at first getting to know your dog, it's not easy (well i didn't find it easy) but you'll get there  

[AnnieM]

I got a bit of a shock when we got Archie, as Jade and Amber have never even so much as grumbled at me.  Archie however, is a very vocal little boy, to say the least, he grumbles when you pick him up, (only at his request) he grumbles when he wants to get down, he grumbles when you put him down, he grumbles when you feed him, he grumbles when you give him treats, but my worry with this is that I am not sure if I would recognise now, if he were grumbling and really meant it.   

She needs ground rules and in my opinion needs to know that this is not acceptable behaviour.  I would not let her on the settee for a while and only feed treats when she is on the floor, try trading treats for even yummier ones, so that she gets used to the fact that if you need to take it off her then you can (not saying you should, but it is very useful if she has something dangerous in her mouth to be able to get it without her going for you).  Treat loads, whilst using the hairdryer and only for very short times, building up gradually, some dogs never like it though.   

I am glad you re-posted and I agree good sound advice has been given, but not put in the nicest of ways on some occasions.   

Everyone has to learn, we have had dogs for years, but Archie is totally different to the others, he is a grumbly little chap, my OH calls him Victor Meldrew.   

[Cazzie]

thanks for all your advise everyone.  I really don't think I can answer at this point.  too upset at the comments on here,

Dont be upset  It takes many many years of owning/working with dogs for anyone to understand how their minds work and even then we are still learning. We all have problems with our dogs in some way or another and like us humans none of us are perfect.

This forum is a great way to hear/help/discuss & advise people of all our experiences. Do not take anything personally as we all have the same interests at heart.

 How one person treats or trains their dogs might not be the way another would do or agree with. (I am a prime example.3 of my dogs are gun dogs and are trained down the gun dog training route, (not everyone agree's with this, but it works for me).

Like children, puppies are not born with a manual with training tips to suit their personalities but can be taught/guided/trained with help/advise and experience.

Get involved with a dam good trainer/behaviourist that will help you on a one to one and you wont go far wrong.  If you need any further advice/help or just a freindly ear one of my close friends is a qualified animal behaviourist and is fantastic she would only be too willing to have a chat with you. PM me if you want any details.

Cazzie

[caro]

Hi Beanie - I only picked this up today - poor you, I can understand you feeling upset - I do think there has been a lot of good advice on here - somethings just aren't worth persevering with - my fernie always runs away when I get the hoover out - so I just let her move from room to room out of the way - its strange cos there's never been an occasion that particularly frightened her - you can let a balloon go pop and she's fine (she is a gun dog though I spose, although never been near a gun!) - likewise with the hairdryer - I always said to my hubby that we should get her used to it early but we never did and now she just goes crazy when I point it at her - so instead she just gets a vigourous rub with a towel! Sometimes I leave her wrapped up in it  - trouble with dogs is they can't talk (breaking news!) - and have to use other methods, unfortunately including growling and biting.  Hope things settle soon.

[Beanie]

I was just trying to perservere with the hairdryer as 1) she loves swimming and mud so is often dirty and 2) she is already getting long curly hair so will need grroming when older - will they not dry her with a dryer?  obviously I don't want to freak my dog out in any way. 

She is VERY vocal normally, she asks to get up on the bed and then grumbles when you pick her up!!  all whilst giving you a kiss.  So in this way you can see why in a way we was not too worrie about the grumbling going on whilst she was on the sofa.  We are going to keep her off the sofa (I don't mind the floor!) and treats just whilst we are training and see how it goes.  I think I done the wrong thing with the treat type too cause it was quite hard and she is teething badly  it's just she has lots of toys and chews and has never been possessive.  She even has a "baby" teddy which she has to take everywhere and she has no problem you touching it!!

Thanks for all your words of adivce, I have calmed down a bit now.  just upset that someone would think I was forcing my dog to do somethiing she is unhappy with or a complete idiot who doesn't listen!

Nina

[Sheryl]

just upset that someone would think I was forcing my dog to do somethiing she is unhappy with or a complete idiot who doesn't listen!

I read your original post and I didn't think either of these things   One thing this forum has taught me (and what I told my Kali's trainer) is that although I thought I knew dogs well, in fact I know nothing.  I now know that everything Kali was doing wrong is in fact, my fault, not hers   It is a huge learning curve and sometimes it is steeper than you expect! 

[Sarah.H]

just upset that someone would think I was forcing my dog to do somethiing she is unhappy with or a complete idiot who doesn't listen!

I read your original post and I didn't think either of these things   One thing this forum has taught me (and what I told my Kali's trainer) is that although I thought I knew dogs well, in fact I know nothing.  I now know that everything Kali was doing wrong is in fact, my fault, not hers   It is a huge learning curve and sometimes it is steeper than you expect! 

This is the same with me, we have had an Irish setter and two cocker spaniels before we got Charlie last year and all three lived long lives so I would have said I was experienced.  Now I know better  .  To be honest I look back at how we treated our dogs and realise that all the little problems we had were down to us and I feel ashamed.  Then I started coming on here and more importantly read the Culture Clash and it really opened my eyes to how much easier you can make your dogs life (and yours   ).  I would say that Charlie is better trained than any of our previous dogs and he is the 'doggiest' of all them as well.  And most of it's thanks to COL! 

[Penel]

OK I am sorry if I was too blunt.  As everyone on COL will testify I am not known for prettying things up .  I do, however, always tell  the blunt honest truth .  Mostly people don't want to hear the real basic truth, they want to hear that it's the dog's fault, not their own.  Unfortunately it is usually the owner's fault.
You really need to read some of the recommended books.  You mention you have / had a potentially "dominant" staff... I don't believe one bit in the "dominance theory".  I can't even begin to list the reasons why, so it will be quicker, and easier, if you get some of the recommended reading material, and see what the more current thinking is.
In the meantime have a look a this article....
http://www.crosskeysbooks.com/newsdesk_info.php?newsPath=2&newsdesk_id=78
and this one
http://www.flyingdogpress.com/puppack.html
and this one
http://www.flyingdogpress.com/candy.html
in fact if you have time you could read all of them....http://www.flyingdogpress.com/artlibreg.htm

Are you taking her to training classes ?  what sort of classes are they, how many puppies in a class, is it clicker training ? reward based / does the trainer use positive or negative methods?

[Beanie]

I have never said and never would say it is the dog's fault, I just wanted some advice on how to deal with it from here on in if it happens again. As I said I have lived with an domineering and at times agressvie staff (only not agressive as we have set ways of delaing with him as taught by a therapist he has worked with)(he is my parents dog) but each dog is different and responds differently.

Maisy is trained once a week on the lead in a class of four, it is all praise led with treats (she is food orintated) I have also began clicker training at home.  she responds very well to training and has all the basic commands down well.   

How should I have responded to her?  how do you suggest we deal with her should she do this again?

[LurcherGirl]

You need to desensitise masie to the hair dryer as you will need it throughout her life, as you quite rightly say.

So, take the hair dryer out and put it on the floor, feed her treats around it. Then click and treat her for touching it on the floor. Then switch the hair dryer on at a distance and click and treat until she is happy with it. Then gradually move closer and click and treat etc. until you can use it on her and she is happy with it (and click and treat for that too).

This is how I desensitised my puppy to the clippers and am now working on the hair dryer. You probably won't be able to do it all in one session, but you will get there.

Vera

[Colin]

Once she first growled I'd have tried to entice her off the sofa in a cheery manner to maybe play a game that she likes... it sounds like a cop out but as you found, by grabbing her and removing her it just increased the tension and made things a whole lot worse. Alternatively you could maybe have just walked out the room and left her - often pups will follow as they don't like being ignored. It was probably a mistake to return her to the sofa again so soon after she was dragged off it - the next time Rob approached her she was proabably wary of him doing the same thing again, so got her retaliation in first without giving a warning as the earlier warning growl was ignored.

I do think the no sofa rule is worth implementing for a while though - just to avoid a possible repeat of what happened before. Less picking up and stroking and more interaction through getting her to work for treats through commands and play - this will help build up trust. I'd probably leave the hairdryer for a while too - stick to towel drying. Whilst all the conflict that occured through the hair dryer and being on the sofa is fresh in her mind, these situations are probably best avoided or it could become a pattern.

Edit - I agree with Lurcher Girl re desensitsing her to the hair dryer but think it might be best left for a couple of weeks before you start. Best not to push things too soon after it caused so much of a problem. Can I ask how you used the dryer ? Were you down on the floor, or holding her on you lap ? If so, it would be better to have her standing high up, maybe on an ironing board with a towel or car/bath mat to stand on - it gives you more control of the situation and reduces the opportunity for the pup to wriggle, nip and be daft.

[spanielcrazy]

Colins advice is excellent 

To put things in perspective: After the hairdryer she was all hyped up with adrenaline and fear, and it takes dogs a long time to recover from that type of thing, longer than we think, so everything else that followed was while she was still upset, and we really don't know what goes through their minds at those kinds of times.

I do think the fact that she is teething may play a part in making her grumpy if her mouth is sore.

I also think that for some dogs these incidents can be like a toddler that hits the parent in anger or fear. You don't react with anger, but let it be known that this is not acceptable behaviour. You just sort of mentally file it away that this is a stress reaction, it does not mean that a child or dog is going to grow up to be a psychopath, but will gently have to be taught how to handle stress and fear. It's not unheard of, nor is it necessarily a bad sign, for a puppy and owner to "butt heads" a few times as part of a learning curve for both. So don't panic! 

Maisy is still a "child", she does not yet know all the rules for living, and has not yet learned how to cope with her environment. If you got her at 8 weeks that means she's only been with you for 10 weeks, thats only a little more than 2 months, there is a lot more for her to learn, and it can't all be crammed into that small amoutn of time.

A couple of tricks: You can wrap her in a towel and pin it across her chest and under her belly and this can be kept on till she's dry enough not to be chilled.

If she has another "sofa incident" and won't get down for treats or being left alone, you can grab the back of the sofa cushion and dump her off without touching her.

As far as your daughter is concerned, she just needs to know to leave a growling dog alone.

I hope this helps 

[PennyB]

I also think that for some dogs these incidents can be like a toddler that hits the parent in anger or fear. You don't react with anger, but let it be known that this is not acceptable behaviour. You just sort of mentally file it away that this is a stress reaction, it does not mean that a child or dog is going to grow up to be a psychopath, but will gently have to be taught how to handle stress and fear. It's not unheard of, nor is it necessarily a bad sign, for a puppy and owner to "butt heads" a few times as part of a learning curve for both. So don't panic! 

Its often just part of the learning curve (which can be very steep at times and equally frustrating) --- Ruby did similar to this age 6 months yet she was 5 on Sunday and she turned into a sweet little adult dog.

[Beanie]

Thanks for all your advice 

I followed all suggestions last night except for the hairdryer as I want to leave it a few days before I use that in front of her.    She is no longer on the sofa and her treats are being used just for training.  All went ok.

Nina