Bite without warning(up date)

[daisy do]

Hello this is daisy do's mum many thanks to everone for your support things are still pretty bad  here I do not know how this story will end she bit my O.H.bad yesterday. She has not been spayed because we have to wait until 3 mths after her first season and that will be sept and I am worried it will make her worse even me just loosing my balance and just catching her paw not even treading on it made her angry and go to bite me no growl or curl of mouth just full on BITE I have children about sometimes and this whole situation is really upsetting me I am grateful to Jenny bee she has been wonderful as I have been messageing her  and as you probably know Gordo and I are trying to cope with the same problems I hope Lily having her tooth out solves her problem.

I can not believe such beautiful little dog that I love so much can cause so much heartache we will see what tomorrow brings .

Thankyou everyone

Anne xx

[Crazy Cocker Gang]

Has she been told off for growling in the past?

[cazza]

at what age did you get her?

did you take her to training classes and did you start brushing her gently from day one that you got her home?

Mmm What tests is the vet going to do?

How have you dealt with telling her off for something?

sorry for the questions but this is your first post and we don't know very much about your relationship with her.
I'm glad you have taken her to the vet and getting her checked out.

I would wait to see what the vet says, and then get in a behaviourist to see you and her interact etc. This sort of advice can not be given over the internet - what part of the country are you in? as someone might be in your neck of the woods that has seen or knows of a behaviourist that they can recommend

[HeatherandBenjy]

Firstly, please check that there is nothing wrong with her physically, she could be in pain (hip dysplasia or something else) and this could be her only way of letting you know.  

Once you've ruled out any physical problem, then my advice would be to get in a behaviourist who can see first hand the interactions going on and offer advice.

Hope that you can get to the bottom of this soon.  

[joanne_v]

Ditto what the others have said plus if the vet mentions rage get another vet. You say there are no warnings for her biting but EVERY dog gives a warning, it may just be that you dont see the signals or she's had to bypass the usual signals if nobody has taken notice of them.

[daisy do]

We have had her from 12 weeks old and when she does anything to be told off for we use the ah ah or time out I have groomed her from the start and also taken her to puppy classes but she has always been nervous of anyone she does not know which is fair enough .I started her at the groomers by just letting her go for a bath and they gave her time to get used to her surroundings I also had a dog trainer in and she said she should not be around children.The vet is doing tests for hip problem and blood tests but said thing do not look good he has put her on pain killers to see if that helps Incas she does have any pain I do not know what else I can do sorry for the long  log

[stuffster]

Please dont give up yet and dont despair. There are lots of ways to get through this with time and patience.

Alife, our golden boy, has been seen by two vets who both thought his agression was just behavioural and recommended rehoming etc. But the second vet gave us a month's course of pain killers and after a few days we began to see a real difference. Over the last 3 weeks, he has become more and more relaxed and less growly and snappy, so at least now we know that the "mild" arthritis in his hips is obviously causing him a lot more pain than the vet believed.

If you find the pain killers dont help, then make sure your vet is doing very thorough thyroid testing, as even slight fluctuations can cause agression problems in dogs (but not many vets seem to be aware of this!)

Failing that, find a GOOD behaviourist (APDT registered or similar) to work with you, and also maybe consider some alternative treatment, such as t-touch or bowen technique which can really help stressed dogs.

[daisy do]

She has had a go at my OH and myself this morning and is now sulking in her bed she goes off her food when she is like this and sometimes wets herself after she has got so aggressive I did mention  thyroid but he said... .   she has no other signs it is that .This has been going in for quite a while now and getting worse she just goes straight in for the bite no growl and does not curl the lip or show her teeth she has bitten my OH twice and we have grandchildren it is very worrying as I look after one of them and she is only 3yrs.. I am doing my best to sort it out and will go to the next stage after the vet a behaviorist that is a problem how do you know they are reputable

[stuffster]

If they are ADPT registered, they SHOULD be pretty good - you can find a list on here.

Or if you tell us which area you live in, someone on here may be able to advise you of a good local person.

Re. your grandchildren, obviously you cant take any chances and should keep the dog shut in a different room, or crated, until you get it sorted. It might be worth training her to wear a muzzle, for trips to the vet etc. (put treats in the bottom of the muzzle and let her put her face into it - dont strap it on for the first few times etc.)

[joanne_v]

She has had a go at my OH and myself this morning and is now sulking in her bed she goes off her food when she is like this and sometimes wets herself after she has got so aggressive I did mention  thyroid but he said... .   she has no other signs it is that .This has been going in for quite a while now and getting worse she just goes straight in for the bite no growl and does not curl the lip or show her teeth she has bitten my OH twice and we have grandchildren it is very worrying as I look after one of them and she is only 3yrs.. I am doing my best to sort it out and will go to the next stage after the vet a behaviorist that is a problem how do you know they are reputable

Going off her food and wetting herself after the incidents are classic signs of stress/fear reactions. It may not make any sense to you what she is doing but it will to her. Ask your vet to do a full blood and thyroid tests, not just the usual basics......

In the meantime Stuffster has given very good advice.

[JennyBee]

Hi and welcome to COL

I have lived with a dog who also would give no warning before biting, it can be scary and I know what you are going through. Even if she turns out to be physically healthy, she is still a young dog and I believe that with the correct help from a behaviourist this is something that can be worked through. As Jo says, the not eating/wetting herself is a sign of fear - I know dogs go through a fear stage at around your girl's age which I guess could be making things worse for her, especially if there's an underlying problem .

This forum offers amazing support and advice, there are many of us who have had similar problems so we are always here to listen if you need us.

[spanielcrazy]

Going off her food and wetting herself after the incidents are classic signs of stress/fear reactions. It may not make any sense to you what she is doing but it will to her. Ask your vet to do a full blood and thyroid tests, not just the usual basics......

In the meantime Stuffster has given very good advice.

Agree 100% 

In the meantime (while you wait for vet results and finding a good behaviourist) You can put her on Rescue Remedy or Emergency Essence. They are flower essences, 100% safe and will help her with fear/stress issues. You can put a dropperful in her drinking water. I can't recommend this enough! It really does help.

Now comes the hard part  You need to work on your own actions, behaviour and attitude around her. Keep eveything very soft, calm and low key, but at the same time very upbeat. Talk to her lots, just sort of narrate the day for her. Watch for stress signals:

http://www.wagntrain.com/BodyLanguage2.htm
http://www.natural-pet-care.com/natural-pet-health-blog/signs-of-stress-in-dogs/

This will sound silly but  lick your lips a lot when you are around her and don't look her full in the face, look just slightly off to the side; these are called calming signals that reassure her that everything is ok and your intentions are peaceful

http://www.diamondsintheruff.com/calmingsignals.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lj7BWxC6iVs

And very difficult, sounds counterintuitive, but very important: don't react when she bites you (or tryyour very best to minimize the reaction) At most say "How ridiculous!" but carry on with whatever you were doing (if it does not involve handling her)

You can also try this:

http://home.att.net/~vlea/THE_JOLLY_ROUTINE.htm


Wishing you success and please do get some professional help 

[JennyBee]

*****************UPDATE*******************

I’m writing this update on behalf of Anne (Daisy Do)

Daisy has been seen by a behaviourist who has diagnosed her as having fear aggression. He is working with Anne and her OH to help them overcome her problems. Unfortunately in the last two days Daisy has went for four people, including Anne and her OH - with whom she managed to draw blood. Anne, as you can imagine, is very upset and worried and desperately needs some support from the good folk of COL. Anne, her OH and Daisy are all going through a terrible time and would appreciate everyone’s positive thoughts to help them through it

Thanks, Jenny xxx

[Karma]

Really hope that Daisy manages to overcome her problems... 

Positive thoughts on their way from Hampshire!

[kalem]

(((hugs))) and positive thoughts are on their way from here