Sorry this is kind of long, thanks for your patience in reading.
I have a Norwegian Elkhound, he is about 15 weeks old, weighs about 30 LBS. /he is healthy,friendly, playful, and just a really good dog....most of the time.
Lately he has been acting up a little.When he does something wrong,such as chew something,pee/poo in the house, or just anything he knows is wrong, when someone walks toward him he runs off very scared and hides under or behind things.We try to get him and bring him to what he did, just to let him know that was bad, he recently starts yelping before we even bring him to it and tries to bite us. He actually bit me and broke the skin two days ago, and we have never even hit this dog, all we do for punishment is bring him to it and say "NO that's bad."
Today he hadn't even he hadn't even done anything bad, we had just let him outside and let him back in.As soon as he came in he walked up to the couch where my girlfriend was setting, there was a toy beside her, and he bit down on her hand and wouldn't let go for at least a minute.Again, broke the skin and left someone bleeding.He has also bit my girlfriends mom for no reason.
Today he was playing with my other dog, a chihuahua, and they normally play perfectly together, but he started growling and the jumped on top of her and tried to bite her neck.I'm sure if someone wouldn't have stopped him he could have seriously hurt the chihuahua.He ran away when my girlfriend jumped up to get him off of her, and we think that is why he stopped.
He gets this really wierd look in his eyes when he starts acting aggressive or when he is scared.(We saw this look when we first saw him but thought it was the cute sad puppy eyes, and where we were knew to him and he was stiff as a board and we thought it was because it was really cold) We got him when he was 9 weeks old and we are starting to think he has been abused before or something.
What should we do about his behavior?We can't afford training, we have already looked into that.
I know people are going to be rude and say things along the lines of "if you can't afford a dog you shouldn't have one." well, we can afford him, every need like food, water, toys etc. and he goes to the vet regularly, so we take excellent care of him, but dog training costs hundreds of dollars.
Anyway our baby will be born in 2 months, is that enough time for him to change? We really don't want him around our baby if he is going to act like that. Is there anything we can do?
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Recommended Answer:Your "breeder" of 35 years is a backyard breeder, breeding the same two dogs together regardless of whether or not there are health or temperament issues. I doubt that the puppy was abused before you got him, but am willing to bet that he was not given proper socialization while at the breeder's.
Private obedience training is expensive, but have you looked into attending a class from a not-for-profit dog club? These usually are relatively inexpensive, will expose your puppy to new things, and will hook you up with other dog people in your area who can help. You need to do this IMMEDIATELY, as the socialization window for puppies closes at about week 16. After week 16, you can still work on socialization, but it will be more difficult.
Never, never drag your puppy over to see what he did. He doesn't remember. All he knows is that this crazy person is dragging him around. He is responding to you and your body language, not to what he has done. He doesn't "know" he was bad.
You need professional help, not internet help. Look in your yellow pages for a not-for-profit club that offers puppy classes.
If you cannot keep the dog, ask the breeder to take him back. Any RESPONSIBLE breeder has a contract that states that he will take the dog back if, for any reason during its lifetime, you cannot keep it. Do not dump the puppy in a shelter. If your "breeder" will not take the puppy back, contact elkhound rescue for assistance (www.elkhoundrescue.org).
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- Training him yourself might be a good idea. Find a book on basic training and work through it with him. It is possible that he may have been abused as a pup which is disgusting, so it might be a bit harder to get him to get rid of that aggressive side.
Good luck!
- Umm...I would say you need to get professional trainer to come into the home. The biting is a big deal. My fiance said once a dog breaks skin and tastes blood, they like it and get used to it so it becomes a habit you have to break them of.
I don't know-- it sounds like a tough situation and I would have a hard time keeping a dog like that around and I am a HUGE dog lover.
Anyways, good luck but consider having a single older person adopt him that has more time to work with him. But of course, explain all faults before giving him to someone-- that is better than the pound if it comes down to that.
- theres a show called "Dog Whisperer"(i dont watch it)but he comes and helps dogs get over behavier issues.i think it might be free but im not to sure.if it is free, you should try it.good luck.
- Get a trainer or get rid of the dog before the baby is born if it can't be trained.
- look at him in the eyes thats the first thing of getting the attention of th dog by a mouth protector (thats what i did to train my dog that biting is wrong so he started to stop and dont worry they mouth protector lets dogs breath, eat and drink etc.) and look him in the eyes bend down on 1 knee and say "come" with a treat then give him a hug carefully but if he runs away give him the treat n say good boy because if he does something wrong he usually heres bad boy n its time for him to here good boy alot but dont think you should stop disciplining him when he does somehting wrong whenever he growls or barks say "NO!" and say bad boy "NO!" so he'll understand its also wrong then let your gf drop a treat and dont show fear or anger or hate because dogs can feel the emotions and thoughts my dog used to be abused and we said stufflike good boy come here we love you and made little kissing noises and did funny cute faces try to play tug a war with him and spend more time with him its also a possibilty of jealousy and let him no ur the boss and show him the consenquences good luck!!
hope this helps~~!! it'll mean alot if you chose me as best asnwer~~
sincerely,
been there, done that
- First off... you can NOT repremand a dog for doing something wrong unless he is actually doing whatever it is that is bad.
Pulling your dog out of hiding, because you have become angry will teach your dog nothing except to fear you, which by what you have described is exactly whathe is doing. The yelp and biting when you pull him from his hiding spot is because he is afraid of you.
Your dog doesnt know that poo/pee on the carpet is wrong..all he knows is that when he see's you and your in that "mood" he should be scared.
I think you should find him a great home that has experience with dogs. Because it is life time commitment to have him change his behaviors.
- the Norwegian Elkhound has a mind of its own and is fairly independent. It may be somewhat resistant to obedience training. It is important to be firm with this dog, showing good pack leadership. Puppies need firm but gentle discipline. Be fair when training this breed, and understand it is a canine, not a human and treat the dog accordingly. They have been bred to hold prey at bay, barking constantly until the hunter arrives. Some Norwegian Elkhounds bark a great deal and must be taught enough is enough after they alert you once, it's time to quiet down. They also have a tendency to roam.
Without enough mental and or physical exercise they can become high strung. Be sure to make the dog heel when on a walk beside or behind you, never in front, to reinforce the human is alpha over the dog. (Pack leader goes first)
If he isn't neutered have him fixed, this will probably help a little with the aggressive issues.
- You need to do obedience training with him
- You are going to have to show him who is the leader of the pack and the order within the pack. I would keep a leash on him at all times and when I am not home or he is around those he is not familiar with I would crate him. You get him in the crate by putting a leah on him and taking it off at you put him in. When he is out and he does something wrong you get the leash and lead him there and say no. My dogs got so good all I had to say was kennel and they went in on their own. Right now he is also a baby throwing tantrums. He can change quickly but I would be very careful when the baby arrives as he will be jealous. he has to see the baby is also above him in the pack ranking. Good Luck
- I hope your dog has shots and you took your Chihuahua to the vet immediately. Your dog seems harmful to society, it is not normal to hurt humans and other animals. Take your dog to the vet, and let it find out what's wrong with your dog. He could be sick, and has aggression as a side effect. If your dog doesn't have shots and it bit your girlfriend she might want to seek medical attention for a dogs mouth is a carrier of numerous diseases.
With a baby on the way you need to be 100% certain that this dog will not be aggressive toward humans. Protect your family, and your other pet and seek help for this dog ASAP.
- hmm....thats really strange that out of no where he became aggressive.... well wen my labrador does something bad, we always get a couple of people and pin her down, (shes quite big) She's at the age wheres shes testing you, and i think your dog is testing you as well, so i suggest buying a training book , and if u can pin her down (gently) so shes on her back and say "No!" also i like to say something like "you need to listen to me"! Only do this when she does something bad.....and seriously consider buying a dog training book.
- I think that you should do some research about training your dog. Get a few books, or look at podcasts/videos from dog trainers; it may help the situation. I think that it is possible to get the dog to be less aggressive when the baby comes, but make sure it happens because you will never be able to have the dog close to the child. Don't lose hope, he is still young so you have time before it becomes extremely difficult of breaking his habits.
Good luck!
- I am normally a fan of simple home training, but I think this is too complex a problem to diagnose over the internet.
It sounds like a combination of fear biting and aggression biting, which is weird.
I think in this case you need to talk to a trainer, who can actually see whats going on, and suggest methods to correct it.
And you really DONT want a dog that bites around your baby.
- Well ... duh! If the dog is doing something bad, and you catch it in the act, a verbal correction is warranted. However, if the bad thing is already done and you want to drag your dog to scold it, in it's mind it does not associate what it did, even if you bring it to it, and the scolding as being related. It just thinks you're being mean.
So, no wonder it's running from you. You're being nothing but a bully to it. The dog is confused and afraid of you. It does not understand what you're doing or why. If you keep this up, it's going to totally ruin the dog .. if you haven't already.
NO, the dog is NOT going to change in two months if you don't train it. Yes, training cost money. And yes, you should either fork out the time and money to get the dog trained or give it up now and concentrate on the baby that's coming.
And no, I'm not being mean, I'm being realistic. It takes much longer than two months to train a dog that's been messed up the way you're messing this one up, to be a well socialized dog that will do well with an infant in the house.
Training is a huge part of why people say dogs are expensive and you if you can't afford to train the dog, you can't afford a dog. That expense should have been figured in from the get go. Right along side, food, toys and vet bills.
And the scary part is, you're about to have a kid too. Gonna rub it's nose in it's dirty diaper and chase it around so you can drag it over to see what it did wrong? Yeesh, some people.
- He probably was abused before.
Or he may have rabbies maybe take him to the vet
- Definitely sounds like a dominance issue. A little young to start, but considering the behavior of your girlfriends parents dog, I think your pup is learning by imitating. All is not lost for your pup. He is still young. What you need to do is have your pup look to you as the dominant one. Right now, he sees the boston x as the leader, therefore follows him. And it doesn't take long to learn that you can bark bite and growl to get what you want. (The boston x has learned this quite well!). Being dominant is best shown with small, subtle CONSISTANT actions. Tips: no freebies! No treats/toys without working for it! Something just as simple as sitting for a treat or being fed. Always feed him meals rather than free access. You control the food. Do lots of leash training AWAY from the boston x. Build the bond between you and the pup. How to discipline/punish is tricky. If he bites, shout "no" or make some loud, startling noise. Then remove him from the situation (time out). He will learn to play nice if he wants to play. A loud, startling noise is similar to what his mother would do if play got out of hand, or innapropriate. Remember, he doesn't understand the "words" you are saying, its the "tone" of your voice.
Some definite no-no's. Don't feed him from the table or encourage begging. Don't reward any kind of rough play. EVERYONE needs to be consistent!
I hope this helps! I think there is great possibility for change. You may even find the boston might start looking at you differently too. One more thing...he's too young for this to be hormonal yet, but I would definitely recommend neutering him before he becomes sexually mature (5-6 months). You really don't want to add hormones in the mix! Things will be much more difficult!
Good luck!
- Hello :-) My biggest concern is the arrival of the new baby. I think that 2 months can sometimes be long enough to make change, but at this time, I'm guessing you guys will already be pretty busy with baby plans, and family stuff and maybe the intensive time needed with your dog will be a little too much to add right now.... unless you can somehow gain the assistance of a specialist trainer (and I did read the bit where you said money is an issue)... But, you sound like you love your dog, and maybe you do have the time to commit, so I hope I can help a bit :-)
After doing a bit of research on the Elkhound (www.lovemypet.com.au) I'm thinking that maybe your puppy is a) taking some cues form the 5 year old Chihuahua/Boston mix (despite your best efforts), and b) learning about pack hierarchy, and c) responding to changes infamily behaviour patterns with arrival of new bub. The site lists that Elkhounds are a breed which often tends to bond to one owner and can be a bit "bitey" around people in the family who have not yet established dominance over the dog. I'm thinking this is what was going on both with your girlfriend and the Chihuahua, and possibly him trying to establish some dominance over you, too because the family "situation" is quite complex and he might be a bit confused about the members of his pack, who to be submissive to, and who he can dominate etc. At four months, this is a huge learning time for him. He's probably also reacting to the mix of emotions everyone will naturally be feeling about the arrival of a baby... you may think you are acting normally, and are sane and calm, but he's probably picking us some tension, stress, excitement and all sorts of homonal-ly-type scents which will be a bit confusing.
OK... so by not you're thinking "WHAT DO I DO???!!!" and I reckon a bit of basic training should help... albeit simple but time consuming repetitious training! First, Elkhounds are boisterous, so exercise is a MUST. Now, he's pretty young to be walking far, but some fetch, short walks and play time a few times a day should help. Secondly, I love "Say Please" or "Nothing in Life is Free (NILF)"... you can google both, but the basics are that a dog should have to work for everything- food, treats, play, even coming through a door! This establishes your dominance as pack leader, and has the added bonus of training some nice behaviour! I also think your girlfriend needs to, for the time being, become the dog's pack leader. So, your girlfriend becomes the ONLY source of good things like treats, tummy rubs, whatever the dog loves. So, he HAS to behave for her, not try and dominate her. Exercise may need to be your domain, though, given you're not 7 months pregnant!
Lastly, babies and dogs dont mix! I know folks who trust their dog with a baby... even I've had dogs I have thought trustworthy... but dont take the chance! Babies start out vulnerable, but they become toddlers who can be quite demanding and stressful for dogs, so always, always supervise! Of course, your dog, like any sibling, will also have to adjust to the new patterns, routines and behaviours in your "bigger-by-one" family, so be aware that dogs rely on patterns to adjust their behaviour. When patterns suddenly change, they have no way to figure out what to do, until they have seen and practised the new pattern and put it in long-term memory.
I dont sense that this dog has been abused, but honestly, who knows... dogs are at their most unpredicatable when scared, and scared when they are out of routine or their comfort zone. Maybe you just have quite a sensitive pup who will need understanding all the way to adulthood. I hope you dont have to rehome your dog, but if you feel it is too much, I'd suggest first contacting the breeders, they may be able to help.
Good Luck!
EDIT: A few folks are sugegsting that you cannot chastise your dog once the behaviour is over. That IS generally the truth, and you MUST catch the dog in the act or you dont get the point accross (Gotta think "Short-Term Memory with dogs as they cant take notes, right?). Within 1.5 to 3 seconds. BUT there IS an exception to the rule, which is: if you have chastised the dog within 3 seconds for a behaviour REPEATEDLY (like over 50 times), then you can bring your dog back to the scene of the crime and tell him "No". Just not recommended if the behaviours are new...
