Cesco attacked me :-(

[hairprincessnyu]

Well, Cesco grabbed some candy from the table tonight and I went to take it out of his mouth and he didn't like that very much. I put my hand in his mouth to get it and he grabbed my hand, sunk his teeth in and wouldn't let go. I am left with 3 puncture wounds and a broken heart. My parents say he has to go. I say it is MY FAULT. When Cesco was a year old he attacked my dad when my dad went to grab his food bowl to fill it up. Then when he got his paw stuck in the front gate, my dad tried to get it out, and ended up with 16 more stiches. Someone please tell me we are stupid humans and this problem can be solved. Please tell me this is all my fault. My dad is ready to put him to sleep and my mom and I are sobbing because we love him so much, but don't know what to do. He gets very aggressive around his food, toys, pen, and treats. Otherwise he is a great dog!! SO happy and friendly. Please guys, I need your help here, PLEASE tell me there is a solution...... .I will do anything he needs. Feel free to tell me I am an idiot for sticking my hand in his mouth to get the candy, I realize this and wish it had never happened. 

[newflvr]

I am SO sorry!  What a horrible thing to have happen.  It does sound like Cesco has some serious issues that have to be addressed, but you need to get some time and some serious training to get control.  There are others here who have better advice, but maybe you can talk your parents in to a reasonable amount of time to get help (like at least six months!).  Look for a dog behaviorist or trainer who can intervene.  Maybe if the whole family helped in training??

Again, I am so sorry!!!

[hairprincessnyu]

Thank you, thank you, thank you, for the quick response, my mom said she will pay for training if it will help. It is just so weird, out of all of us, he is attached to me the most, and it is almost like he doesn't even know he did anything wrong! When I pried my hand loose from his teeth I ran screaming and crying down the hallway and my mom put him outside on the run. About a half hour later we went to take him his and he was tail wagging and jumping up and down as usual. I just don't get it, he really is such a sweet dog, why does he DO THIS??!! I don't even know where we would find a good trainer or behaviorist in this area. I am in the Gadsden, Alabama area. If I can convince my parents training will help, they will go for it, but this is just so depressing!!!!! My poor baby!!! I am leaving on Friday for the summer and I feel awful about the whole situation..... here is a pic from a few nights ago of mom and Cesco :-(

[Gypsy Jazmine]

Cesco has some issues...yes.. but not issues that can't be resolved I feel. From what you describe I believe Cesco needs some good ol' fashion NILIF...That's nothing in life is free...Make him sit for ANY privilege...Es pecially before you put his food dish down...Dogs need to know where their food is coming from...Also make him sit or down before he is allowed outside, gets a toy (PUT ALL TOYS UP ...THAT'S A PRIVILEGE!) or any treat...Follow the natural order of the wolf & ignore him when you enter a room he is in for a full 5 minutes...If he jumps up or nudges you for attention give him you back...praise him & pet him when he greets you appropriatly.. .Does he know the "leave it" command?...That would have been benificial to you with the candy tonight...The incident with your dad & the gate can probably be chalked up to fear & pain...I'd even expect that from my dogs...A scared dog will bite...The rest of what Cesco is doing is resource gaurding...YOU take control of his resources &let him know who the higher status dog is...every time...Good luck!

[hairprincessnyu]

ok one more thing my mom just reminded me to add. When he bit me, he held on and kept biting, it wasn't just a quick "get away from me" bite. It was really weird and really vicious...and definatly not just a play bite.

[doggylover]

You and your family need to make some serious changes today.  Your dog is under the impression that he is the alpha, and he is nice in between these biting episodes because he only has to bite you when you get 'out of line'.  Re-read Jasmine's posts, and also you should talk to Red (I don't know her full bpo name off hand, but she is a rotty owner and she knows a TON about dogs). 
Here is a short list of what you need to do starting today:
1.  The family eats first and best.  You all eat before you feed him, and he gets NO table scraps.  I would make him lay down near by so he has to smell your food, but don't acknowledge him in any way. 

2.  The family goes out the door first, he goes out last.  The alpha leads the pack. 

3.  He isn't allowed on ANY furniture.  Alphas sit higher up than lower pack members.

4.  He has to earn EVERYTHING.  He must perform a command for you for a toy, treat, everything has to be earned.  YOU own everything in the house, including his toys, his bed, his body.  You are a benevolent but firm alpha. 

5.  You pet him ONLY when YOU call him to you for a pat.  If he comes over for a pet, you rebuff him.  Alphas call lower pack members to them for attention.  A lower pack member wouldn't approach an alpha and 'bug' them, if a pup 'bugs' an alpha wolf in the wild, he soon learns he may be bit. 

6.  If he leans on you, you nicely push him away and give him a command to lay down.  Leaning is dominant.  Also, don't let him put his paws on you. 

There are more...this  is what I can think of off hand.  Your dog won't be 'hurt' by this, he will figure out really fast that he is not in charge.  He is a good/confused animal and he will get the message loud and clear that you are in charge.  It will be a huge relief to him to know that you all love him and he doesn't have to run the show. 
I really hope this helps,
Ronda     

[Gypsy Jazmine]

You and your family need to make some serious changes today.  Your dog is under the impression that he is the alpha, and he is nice in between these biting episodes because he only has to bite you when you get 'out of line'.  Re-read Jasmine's posts, and also you should talk to Red (I don't know her full bpo name off hand, but she is a rotty owner and she knows a TON about dogs). 
Here is a short list of what you need to do starting today:
1.  The family eats first and best.  You all eat before you feed him, and he gets NO table scraps.  I would make him lay down near by so he has to smell your food, but don't acknowledge him in any way. 

2.  The family goes out the door first, he goes out last.  The alpha leads the pack. 

3.  He isn't allowed on ANY furniture.  Alphas sit higher up than lower pack members.

4.  He has to earn EVERYTHING.  He must perform a command for you for a toy, treat, everything has to be earned.  YOU own everything in the house, including his toys, his bed, his body.  You are a benevolent but firm alpha. 

5.  You pet him ONLY when YOU call him to you for a pat.  If he comes over for a pet, you rebuff him.  Alphas call lower pack members to them for attention.  A lower pack member wouldn't approach an alpha and 'bug' them, if a pup 'bugs' an alpha wolf in the wild, he soon learns he may be bit. 

6.  If he leans on you, you nicely push him away and give him a command to lay down.  Leaning is dominant.  Also, don't let him put his paws on you. 

There are more...this  is what I can think of off hand.  Your dog won't be 'hurt' by this, he will figure out really fast that he is not in charge.  He is a good/confused animal and he will get the message loud and clear that you are in charge.  It will be a huge relief to him to know that you all love him and he doesn't have to run the show. 
I really hope this helps,
Ronda     

I p.m.'d you Red's personal e-mail addy...I don't think she'll mind in this case...Tell her Gypsy sent you!

[doggylover]

I forgot something, and then re-read the posts and saw that Gypsy covered it.  I wanted to restate it because she was so dead on.  You shouldn't free feed.  He needs to sit and politely wait for you to put his food bowl down.  I would even make him sit in a stay position after you have put the bowl down, and make him think for a few long seconds about who decides when/what he gets to eat. 

[Kermit]

Cheyenne I just sent you an email with some info from my behaviourist. Good luck!!!!

[doggylover]

YAY help is on the way!!! I anticipate that when I get my puppy, I will be on here needing TONS of help.  It is just SO hard to handle these things when your heart is involved. It is much clearer from a little distance.  My new puppy will probably spend her day peeing on my furniture and eating my shoes...

[Kelly89084]

I agree that it's Alpha issues.  Personally with a guy that set in his position, I would not only NOT free feed, but I'd take it a step further and hand feed him whenever possible..  If he snaps or gets nasty, take it away and he gets nothing to eat.  He's not stupid and he's not going to starve before he figures out what's going on. 

Personally I find the agressive type alpha dogs much easier to deal with that the quietly alpha types, but that's just me.  I'm weird like that. 

[Gypsy Jazmine]

I agree that it's Alpha issues.  Personally with a guy that set in his position, I would not only NOT free feed, but I'd take it a step further and hand feed him whenever possible..  If he snaps or gets nasty, take it away and he gets nothing to eat.  He's not stupid and he's not going to starve before he figures out what's going on. 

Personally I find the agressive type alpha dogs much easier to deal with that the quietly alpha types, but that's just me.  I'm weird like that. 

Naw you're not wierd...At least with the aggressive Alphas there is no question what you're dealing with & what your next move should be...I have a "quiet Alpha" girl & it's like a da** chess match with her...Though sometimes I am not sure whos in check.

[cricket36580]

I think I'm about to be the pink elephant on this one...  I'm not so sure it's about being alpha but more about he needs to learn that there is a give and take in a pack and when you give you can take away...but he will always get it back.  Putting your hand in his mouth unexpectedly was, to him, rude and if you had done it to a human would be considered assult.  I'm not going to count the stitches dad got because of the paw being stuck.  Fear and pain biting are common with injured animals so I don't feel like he can be blamed for that.  What you need to teach him is that if you take something away, he's going to get something better in return.  Also, he needs to be taught that you are allowed to do things like stick your hand in his mouth...howeve r, when you do you are going to respect him and warn him that you're about to do something like that.  If you haven't read Bones Would Rain From the Sky, you need to.  There is a whole section on this issue.  What will be very hard to do is to look at yourself honestly and see where your communication is short. 

Of course, if you have doubts about being alpha then you also need to correct that asap.  does he listen to you or does he humor you?  Does he get annoyed when you don't do what he tells you to do?  Does he allow you to sit in certain places but not others?  When and where does he eat?  How often do you spend alone time with him and how does he react?  Don't answer here...the questions are to help you to think about causes and put the dots together to make the picture.  Remember, you know this dog best and you've recieved really good advice here...you still have to do what you think is best.

[Gypsy Jazmine]

I think I'm about to be the pink elephant on this one...  I'm not so sure it's about being alpha but more about he needs to learn that there is a give and take in a pack and when you give you can take away...but he will always get it back.  Putting your hand in his mouth unexpectedly was, to him, rude and if you had done it to a human would be considered assult.  I'm not going to count the stitches dad got because of the paw being stuck.  Fear and pain biting are common with injured animals so I don't feel like he can be blamed for that.  What you need to teach him is that if you take something away, he's going to get something better in return.  Also, he needs to be taught that you are allowed to do things like stick your hand in his mouth...howeve r, when you do you are going to respect him and warn him that you're about to do something like that.  If you haven't read Bones Would Rain From the Sky, you need to.  There is a whole section on this issue.  What will be very hard to do is to look at yourself honestly and see where your communication is short. 

Of course, if you have doubts about being alpha then you also need to correct that asap.  does he listen to you or does he humor you?  Does he get annoyed when you don't do what he tells you to do?  Does he allow you to sit in certain places but not others?  When and where does he eat?  How often do you spend alone time with him and how does he react?  Don't answer here...the questions are to help you to think about causes and put the dots together to make the picture.  Remember, you know this dog best and you've recieved really good advice here...you still have to do what you think is best.

I had't thought of that...My trainer taught us to "trade" an item that the dogs have that I don't want them to for other "good stuff".

[GreatDanz]

Gosh, this is a tough one.  What concerns me about this situation is that it appears Cesco didn't give you any warning before biting.  Usually dogs will give a warning growl and snap before biting, especially if it involves their own pack members, i.e. the family.

My white Dane is wired incorrectly, and he is an aggressive (fear-aggression) dog.  I am aware of this, and I make sure that he is never in a position to feel uncomfortable with a situation.  When people come to the house, he gets baby-gated in the dog room where he can see what is going on.  IF he knows the people, once things have calmed down he can come out and socialize.  If he doesn't, he stays in that room until the people leave.  At the vet, we only see women, men frighten him, and they are usually aware of the situation and are willing to work VERY slowly with Mickey to earn his trust.  I still muzzle him while drawing blood or giving shots just to be safe.

I can tell you though, never once has he bit me, my husband or our other dane.  It never even occured to me to be afraid of him that he might bite me.  I am alpha and he knows it.  Cesco is obviously under the impression he is in charge, mixed with the propensity for vicious behavior you have a VERY dangerous situation on your hands.

Please start by hiring a behaviorist and have her/him come to your house to observe.  They certainly can help you understand what may be going through Cesco's head.  Also, PLEASE don't allow Cesco access to anyone outside of your family that lives in your house.  If he bites, you will be stuck with an administrative and legal mess on your hands, and knowing the dog's history you're at risk for having him PTS.

There are some dogs that for whatever reason are just wrong in the head, and there is nothing you can do to "fix" them.  This isn't your fault, it just is what it is.