Dear Dogfather,
We recently adopted a 4½-month-old puppy named Bear. We are unsure of the details regarding his background, but we do know that ours is the third or fourth home he has lived in since leaving the shelter. He becomes aggressive when he encounters a situation that makes him fearful or uncomfortable. When I tried to remove a tick from his front, he growled. I ignored the growl (Mama thought she knew best), and Bear made a snap at my face! And when my son tried to nudge a sleeping Bear off his backpack, he was bit on the hand, drawing blood. What should I do? I would like to socialize him, but I am afraid! If I left it up to Bear, he would spend the rest of his days hiding beneath the furniture!
Mama Bear
Dear Mama Bear,
You’re one of the good guys. Maybe too good! It’s great that you saved a life by adopting instead of supporting the puppy mills by buying a dog from a pet store. But getting a puppy that bites and draws blood is not what you signed up for, and many people wouldn’t hesitate to return such a dog. I’ve met a great many overly aggressive puppies through the years, and in my experience, the great majority of them can be rehabilitated with proper direction and patience.
Sounds like he’s fear-aggressive (hiding under furniture and tick removal) and dominant-aggressive (over your son’s audacity to move him off the backpack, and tick removal). Yes, dogs can be both fear- and dominant-aggressive, depending on circumstance.
First, no yelling or grabbing him by the collar. When in the house, under supervision, he drags a leash about 5 feet long, with the handle cut off. He’s not allowed on or under any furniture. If he goes under a table, he’s pulled out by the leash. You never grab his collar negatively to make him, or stop him from doing something. Use the leash with a gentle, loving firmness.
It’s much harder to make a fearful dog confident than it is to take the overly confident dog down a notch or two. How do you make a coward brave? The most stable dog is afraid of nothing, so Bear needs to be exposed to the whole world, and nothing bites him. If a tick needs to be removed and you have to muzzle him with a stocking wrapped around his snout and tied behind his ears, do it! If you need him to get off the backpack on the floor, tell him “Off” and lure him with a treat and the leash. Rent an apartment in Boston for a month, and expose him to trucks, buses, homeless people, noisy firetrucks, and throngs of people and dogs. If you’re not up for a $2,000-a-month apartment in Boston, try sitting at Mocha Mott’s in Vineyard Haven with Bear watching the world go by, and nothing bites him.
Realistically, you probably need the help of a pro to deal with a dog like this. He needs to be taught all the obedience skills, which will serve to increase his confidence because he will know what he has to do to please you, and that will give him the confidence to stabilize him. Good luck, and don’t hesitate to reach out to a pro for some help with this guy.
The Dogfather
