Dog problem.. Need help

[willametteriveroutlaw]

I am currently seperated from my 2.5 year old male chessie. hes been a good dog but yesterday he bit a stranger (to him) in my parents garage while he was talking to my dad. He had nipped a couple of people in the past for getting near his food and chewed up a guy attempting to break in my house. This time he broke the skin, what should I do. Hes a great hunting partner and I have invested a lot of my heart and soul into training that dog. I am really torn up.. Any recomendations besides putting him down?

[LIMIT LANDER]

WRO....there is only one thing you can do ..and i think you know what it is...if not you can get a heck of a law suit laid up against you...expecially if he leaves marks in a childs face!..Now im not trying to be a jerk here im just trying to protect your hindend..to the guy breaking in to you house big deal..but to a child trying to just pet him, if it ever happens, and he nails him or her in the face. The dog is your property it does damage to another human being , your liable. Its the nature of the dog he cant help it. I raised German shorthairs for 4 year i checked it out big time, because when my female had pups the neighborhood kids wanted to come over and see them, she was good natured enough it was ok but i had a good friend of mine tell me to keep a eye on her if she shows any sign of over protectiveness to get her and the pups in the back and not to let any kids in to see her. because one "nip" can cost me big time. As a mater of fact when i renewed my homeowners policy they ask me many questions and the first two was, do you own a trampoline, and if you own a dog what kind of breed is it and has it been agressive to anyone, if so why? So you better check thing out. not being a jerk here dude just helpin you out.

[bigshark]

WRO
What a lousy change of events for your summer. I'm really sorry to hear it and I don't wish to add to your worry. I'm not a trainer, perhaps Tilla or Labsforme can help. With the world the way it is LL probably has it right. You can have your life ruined. I wish you the best......you need to get some advice from the law and cover your tail. Don't become cannon fodder for the system.

[Bait Bucket]

I guess you have to ask yourself if keeping the dog is worth the possibility of loosing everything you and your family have worked for. As it is, you stand liable for what your dog does. My friend has been there with a biting GWP. Not a pleasant picture.

[Capin' Dan]

Call a trainier that speacializes in this kind of thing. they are out there and usually it can be trained out of them. This type of disposition sometimes comes up in our dogs for one reason or anther. With that said I would never have a biter in my kennel but I do know that it can be controlled sometimes through proper training.

Dan!

[Labsforme]

WRO, Chessies can be very territorial.One thing I would do if this is not becoming a pattern is to have your vet check him out.IF the dog is becoming more and more aggressive it can become a big problem.I have had protective dogs(GSP) and I put them away when strangers first came in.However if there is a problem with people the dog knows and it's progessive you may have some tough decisions.

[Bill Monroe]

That is a bummer, WRO...
When we gave away a nice Chessy (a non-biter), we did come across a Chessy adoption organization of some sort, but I agree with Dan and others that the vet and then a trainer need to be involved before the decision is made...Good luck...(looks like a goose season like last year's in spite of the funding loss, although a couple of checkstations will probably close)

[Tilla]

Who knows what goes through the mind of a Chessie. They can be defensive and protective. There are a couple of good Chessie specialized trainers out there, Nordom kennels in Wa knows this breed very well. I think you should keep the dog away from strangers when you are not around.

[DriftR]

WRO,
I see from your post that you live in the Salem area and Marion County. Check with Marion County about the rules and regs when your pet bites someone. I think you'll find the answer there. Also, your home insurance or that of your fathers may be raised or worse cancelled because of the dog. Check that out also. Not a happy ending. Good luck.

[Norm]

Sorry to hear about your problems. I went through that a few years ago with my sons 4H dog. We got it as a puppy from the a reputable breeder, but he was a bit agressive from day one. When he was a year old he bit a neighbor kid. I had a trainer work with him to make sure it wasn't somthing we did, but it was just the way the dog was. Some dogs just are not wired right from the factory. As much as it pained me to put down my sons pup, we did it. Your putting other people at risk by keeping him, as you said he has bitten before. I know it really sucks, but you know what you need to do.

[James in Idaho]

WRO:

I am also owned by a male chessie, and he's not my first. It sounds like you are having two common chessie behaviors, food aggression and stranger aggression. The food aggression is annoying, but can be delt with. Always put your dog in a sit or even better a down/stay (submissive) before allowing him to eat. He doesn't eat until you tell him to. Never leave his food dish out, when he is done eating, pick it up an put it away. With a food aggressive dog, I think kenneling them up for a short time after eating also helps. This is not a problem that will go away, so you need to let anyone who feeds him know what the rules are. Trying to kick his butt for this behavior will most likely make it worse. Let the dog eat in peace, but he eats on your terms.

Stranger aggression is more difficult. It sounds like this behavior may have been reinforced, if my dog chewed up a crook, I'd want to buy him a steak, which is the wrong thing to do. Part of what your dog is doing is related most likely to his age, don't forget that chessies mature slower than the lesser retriever breeds (had to put that in for Tilla!). He needs to be socialized around other folks (on lead), and if he shows aggression, he needs to be placed in a down/stay position, forcefully if necessary. My guess is that this dog doesn't think your dad is the boss, and somehow the person that got bit was threating the dogs place in the pack or the dog thought that he was threating another pack member. I'm also guessing that this dog is intact, sometimes fixing a male will help. There are a lot of chessies that are "spooks", and they are not real warm to strangers. Usually getting them around a lot of people will allow the dog to become more confident and less likely to bite. There are no guarentees however. I have seen a couple were that aggression was encouraged, and the final solution was to put the dog down. Chessies are very well equiped to do some serious damage, and also have the attitude to back it up.

My email should show up in my profile, feel free to contact me. Good luck.

[James in Idaho]

Neanderthal?? Wow, that's high praise from Tilla. Even spelled it right! I think (well, as much as a chessie owner can think!) you're a closet chessie lover, might just have to send you one. :grin: But then, not sure you would know what to do with a real retriever.

Tilla's points about socialization are excellent, and I forgot to mention that you might want to use a muzzle to see what his reaction to strangers is, and it will protect YOU if you need to make some, um, strong corrections. There is a good chance that he will fear bite.

My frist chessie never bit me, but he nailed my brother (who deserved it) out training one day. Bob, my current dog, has nailed me, it was a fear bite that occured after I startled him. I really think he had been spooked by a snake just prior to that, and I got bit because I was not paying attention to what was going on. When an otherwise friendly to the point of goofy dog is acting out of character, don't scare them. We worked that out, and I can still type In spite of what Tilla may say, I really do still have all my fingers. Couple of scars, but they are still attached!

Hey Tilla, finally got Bob's hips done, came back excellent! Still trying to figure out how to visit my little bro over there and have you take me fishing!

[willametteriveroutlaw]

Hes fine at my house, and great with kids.. Little kids run in and out of my yard at will, and have wandered into my house, (neighbor has 4 kids under 9) unannounced next to his food bowl with no issues. part of the reason I think this happened is because he gets no attention at my parents house (hes never going to stay there again) and has to deal with the constant torment of a 9 month old puppy. Once he knows someone or is out of the house and yard he is friendly to everyone and very well socialized. its just in the house or his inner territory (ie the garage at my parents house) that he gets agressive towards adult men (16 +). I am really torn up, I feel like a parent making excuses for a bad child. Hes my only company at home when I go to school. I have cried more than once about this, I am going to have to decide soon though. its really my fault for leaving him more than anything else.. (he lived with my parents for a while when he was a puppy)
Like others said its a huge risk, I know his behavior and can see him getting excited, but he doesn't show a ton of agression, he tries to run them off silently which I nail him for.

[Tilla]

Good point James (AKA "Three Fingers"). There is a good point to associate with the local retriever clubs, the dog gets lots of exposure to other people and other dogs. Retrieving becomes the dogs primary focus and may displace other unwanted behaviors. Retriever folk know how important it is (once they are at least 12 weeks) how important it is to expose the pup to as many positive experiences they can. Taking the pup to peoples homes, letting kids touch them, being with other dogs is important, even with a Neanderthal breed like the Chessie (Put in there for James).
He is only 2.5 years old, you might start exposing him to the public more often, parks events etc.(with or without muzzle)

[James in Idaho]

WRO:

Tried to email you, the message bounced. Drop me a line at martjame@isu.edu.

[BonkBonkBonk]

our lab/chessie mix is just like that too
i hope she dosent start biting people..so far she hasnt bit anyone, she just snarls a little when people startel her..
hope you can figure something else, it sure is a shame to get rid of a good dog

[ 07-31-2003, 10:08 AM: Message edited by: BonkBonkBonk ]

[LIMIT LANDER]

WRO.. .the only thing that might help...just to keep you safe and every one else..take him out in the evening...on a leash...run the "hell" out of him with tennis ball..many time virgious exercise will take the aggression out of animals...its a bonding thing also...and if you can bring along a 16+ male if you know one and have him throw the ball also..it may work. then when your done, if you can make or buy a kennel to keep him in... it protects you and your dog....just a thought here bud!

[Old Coot]

Originally posted by willametteriveroutlaw:
[QB] Little kids run in and out of my yard at will,

(neighbor has 4 kids under 9)

Like others said its a huge risk, I know his behavior QB]

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helv">Forget the emotions and look at the facts. Per your post, he has bitten 4 people so far. You might know his behavior and warning signs, but nobody else does. Do you have any basis for actually believing he isn't going to nail somebody else? This dog has the potential to destroy you and your family financially, your parent's finances if he goes off at their house, and the potential to injure and scar some totally innocent person. Think about the kids next door, the water meter reader, the gas meter reader, the electrical meter reader, the religious zealot who comes to your door, the boy scout collecting for the food bank, the high school cheerleader selling candy bars, the garbage collector, the county appraiser....front page of the "Local" section, ambulance, blood, lawyers, courtrooms, general judgements, bankruptcy, credit issues, et al.

This is my .02. Glad I don't have to make the call, sorry you do.


Notes: 1. I like dogs. 2. Apology if this post is screwed up, I have never tried to excerpt a quote before.

[Labsforme]

1st a disclaimer:I do not own a Chessie! :grin:
It seems like this is being taken out of context.WRO did not say the dog viciously attacked someone.There are certain breeds that are naturally protective and if you own one you need to be cautious.That's all,not necessarily put the dog down unless the pattern of behavior is radical and uncontrollable.It is important to accept certain traits and don't allow a situation to arrise:always crate or kennel when strangers are first around,never allow children to run up unannounced,and especially with males be careful of hunting partners dogs too.

[willametteriveroutlaw]

Only broke the skin on the crook and the recent guy. The nips in question werent serious, didn't even get anything but pants on one and the other one was a fishing partner who walked in the house when I was asleep to wake me up. he was corrected on each occasion.
James sent u an email..

[k9jeff]

WRO,, I work with dogs which are suppose to bite. There are several drive which a dog operates in which is causing the MINOR problem. You can contact one of several persons in the salem area who deal with that type of problem. Ray Reed in the South Salem might be able to steer you in the right direction. Hes in the book. The behavior problem can be corrected. E Mail me and we can set up a time to talk on the phone.
Also, if you have a dog which bites, you need to have the dog secured in a kennel when people are around who might be a victim to his little problem. Drop me a line. It is a problem which can me fixed, it might take a little work, but it can be taken care of.

Jeff

[stilly bum]

Sorry to hear of your situation. I hope you figure out a solution so you can keep your dog. My best friend is a 5yo female lab/chessie cross and she's very similar. Overly protective at home, a baby with the family, and fine around others away from home.
Good luck. They're amazing animals.

[rockn'reel]

Willamette,
Sorry I am a bit late on this post and hopefully you have not made any hugh decisions yet. I might have a solution for you but it might cost a few bucks or maybe a barter of services. I havea good friend who trains dogs, not hunting dogs (although he wants to get into this), but French ring dogs. This is the sport of attack dogs. These dogs are trained better than those the police use and in fact they buy dogs off this guy when he is in full swing training them. I am not saying to train your dog to attack because that would ruin his mouth for retrieving. What I am saying is e-mail me and I will give him your number to see if he can work with you. He has several dogs in which he has worked with such problems. Just remember there are no black and white answers on this issue. Most of the time the problems the dogs have are directly related to our failure as trainers. My lab has several problems, but they are all my fault on how I trained him and I must work to help him understand what I want accomplished. E-mail me and let me know if you want me to pass on your name or not, I really think this guy can help you.
Good luck with whatever decision you make.

[willametteriveroutlaw]

i have decided to keep TJ, i have heard the force fetching will help him to control his agression. Any reccomendations on methods?
james,
Did you find that chessie trainers phone #? I need to send our little girl out to spend some time with him.
K9,
i tried to reach you.. I'll try and call you again later.

[k9jeff]

I did not forget about ya... I have been busy as all get out. Drop me a line when you get back in town. We can meet up if you like.