My Father-in-laws little mix breed is extremely aggressive! he will snarl at you if you even look at him and will snap and bite if you try to touch him to move him, sometimes even if I pet him!! He has lunged for my 16 month old son (but thankfully I was holding him at the time so he only got a small scratch on the foot) when he just reached for the dogs ball. I have told my Father-in-law but he doesn't seem to express any concern! noone will play with the dog & from what I've been told one of the boys used to (with his friends) pick him up and shake him around! (I'll bet this accounts for some of his aggression)

I don't know what to do! I am afraid to take my son or my niece out back to play (he attacked her once when she was 2 1/2, I told then and nothing was done) and my father-in-law seems so unapproachable I don't think he'd care if I kept talking to him about it. Should I try to talk to him or call animal control or something? This dog I'm sure doesn't even have his shots & he isn't fixed, so there's a double worry that if he bites me or my son we may have to undergo those rabies shots I've heard about.

Wow, that's a tough situation. It's hard to give advice not really knowing your father-in-law. How does your husband feel about all of this? Could he possibly approach his dad and tell him he is concerned for the safety of your child around his dog? Is it possible to put the dog in a laundry room or somewhere? Maybe a baby gate between your child and the dog and try to teach your child to stay away from the gate, that "grandpa's doggy bites." You have to keep your child safe and if your father in law doesn't comply, maybe it's time to stop visiting until he takes responsibility.

Good luck!

Maggie

Oh, I forgot to add, what are the rules in this area for dogs? Are they required to be licensed? Along with the license, dogs are required to have at the minimum a rabies shot where I live. Do you have a humane society that may be able to give you some advice or would be willing to report him to proper authorities so you don't have to do it.(to get the rabies shot)

I hope that helps.

Maggie

Oh, forgot. What are the dog laws in your area? Do they need to be licensed and required to have a rabies shot? Maybe you have a local humane society that can help with your questions on this and what your options are if you decide to report this situation.

I think I would ask your hubby first to talk to his dad before doing anything else.

Maggie

quote:

Originally posted by maggiemay85:
Oh, forgot. What are the dog laws in your area? Do they need to be licensed and required to have a rabies shot? Maybe you have a local humane society that can help with your questions on this and what your options are if you decide to report this situation.

I think I would ask your hubby first to talk to his dad before doing anything else.

Maggie

Thanks, we do have a humane society an hour or do away from here (or I could just call if I have to) but my cat has an appointment to get his shots updated so I'll try talking to the vetrinarian & if that falls through I'll go to the humane society.

The dog is kept outside but there is a playground for the kids and I'm afraid if I leave him hear to be babysat or watched while my hubby and I go out that someone might take the kids outside to play & my son might get bit again, If not my niece as well. I have been trying to work with him to the best of my knowledge but I dunno how it's doing, I do things a lil like Victoria does on "it's me or the dog" making that "Ah! ah!" noise when he does something bad and trying to praise him when he's good (Though like I said he snarls when he's petted, though I've successfully been able to give him a treat without him snapping for it.. once)

I feel like a flunky because I've never had so much trouble with a dog before, so I must be doing something wrong. I am a little scared of him sometimes (I feel much better have long pants and my riding boots on when I go out back and attempt to work with him) that's a strike against me there.

That's a kicker, I now own a dog that looks like a pitbull mix & I'm more scared of this dog that's not too much bigger than a dachshund.. -.-; is that bad? lol

Maybe this little nipper senses you are scared and then he acts upon it. Stand your ground and look him in the eye and don't look away before he does. Let him know who is boss. Sounds like he might have big dog syndrome!

Maggie

Acually eye contact is seen as a threat to dogs. If you HAPPEN to make eye contact, make sure he looks away before you do.

Is the dog kept on a chain? If so, the dog needs to be removed from the chain, put a collar on, with leash and start working with the dog everyday. A simple walk around the yard to start, then begin with a few commands such as sit. You need to establish you are the leader of the pack by letting the dog know you are in control.

U should call the dog whiperer (Cesar Millan)

quote:

Originally posted by doggglloverr:
U should call the dog whiperer (Cesar Millan)

Look up the guy on this forum. We've had a couple of discussions about him, and most people here do not like his methods.

For the actual aggression topic, the best route is an animal behaviorist. I would talk to your father-in-law, and possibly buy him a few books. Dogwise sells a book on resource guarding that I've heard is really good- here it is. Then, maybe offer to pay a bit for the animal behaviorist. Other than that, just keep the kids away from the dog. That's the only full-proof prevention. I would be afraid that a bad encounter or two could really make a kid afraid of dogs. If that ever happens, be sure to get them around other very kid friendly dogs (other that ones they know already) and teach them about dog safety- early on.

This is a tough situation because this dog is not yours. For a dog to respond to you, it first must be under control by its owners, ie not you. The dog does not respect you and therefore is not going to respond to your attempts at controling the dog. Without going through intensive training (your father-in-law, not the dog) there is no good way to alter the behavior. Sending the humane society after your father-in-law will only create tensions within the family but you must protect your children. If you are willing to deal with the consequences then contact the humane society but do not expect much to be done, they don't have a lot of authority in this situation, other than making the dog be taken for a rabies shot. Otherwise, keep your children away from the dog and tell your in-laws that your children are not safe in the house with the dog and cannot be left with them unless something is done.

quote:

Originally posted by maggiemay85:
Maybe this little nipper senses you are scared and then he acts upon it. Stand your ground and look him in the eye and don't look away before he does. Let him know who is boss. Sounds like he might have big dog syndrome!

Maggie

He's been bitey before I was ever scared of him, the first time he tried to bite was my niece when she was about 2 1/2, I scooped her up and he started jumping on me to get to her and I gave him a good kick, he just came back and started to bite me, but since I was wearing some tough leather boots he couldn't. I kicked and yelled at him a couple more times while walking away and he finally stopped.

I doubt my Father-in-law will ever put in the time to train him and noone else in this house likes the dog, plus he's older so I think they should just get rid of him or put him down. He's started really biting my dog (pitbull mix) recently, like leaving WOUNDS on him biting on his back legs. It's making me angry.