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Recent 'Just Chat'
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If you need help, or have questions, comments or suggestions, please post in the Rat-Terrier.com Info and Help forum.
General Moderators:
Lance
Morgan
Tracey
Training Moderator:
Nora
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You're Not Alone
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Rat-Terrier.com
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Daxter

 Ratastic

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| 05/31/2008 5:08 PM |
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Daxter just bites my neighboor's kid!
We were walking in the hallway and the kid pass by, I was giving him the treat to distract him, but after he eats his treat he jumps to the kid and bite him in his thigh, it has 2 bites marks, not bleed but red. What should I do in this situation?
I apologize to the parents and the kid and offer if he needs to go see a doctor. They are not mad and understanding when I said sorry about it and told them that I still train my dog, and they ask for Daxter vaccination paper and I gave them that.
I've been training my dog not to bark, growl or lunge himself to people when we were out on our walk by calling his name, or say no bark or say come and give him a treat, or tug on his leash and say a firm NO if he gets too aggresive. He is getting better but this is a new thing. I thing part of that is my fault too, I should have just walk by and pass quickly instead of stop and give him a treat and ask my neighboor kid if he wants to help me train Daxter and giving him a treat.
Also when he were at pet store a girl ask if she can say hi to Daxter I said yes, she offer her hands and he sniff it, it's OK at this point, but then the girl turn to walk away and he chase her trying to bite, I pull him quickly this time.
Should I put a muzzle on him and what kind of training should I do to make Daxter more friendly to people. I don't really know his background before he end up with Ratbone, I know he don't likes small kids but should be OK with teens.
Help please! Thanks! |
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Monica & Daxter |
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tauney4

 Pack Leader

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| 05/31/2008 5:12 PM |
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| well i am not much help but have you tried using a squirt bottle on him? like when he does bite squirt him. my mom used a squirt bottle on one of her dogs and it really worked on him. now all she has to say do you want me to get the squirt bottle and he stops!!!! |
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LadyLes

 Terrier Terror

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| 05/31/2008 5:18 PM |
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| I think the treat may be reinforcing bad behavior. I am no expert. Nora might be able to help you more. Also, is he neutered? |
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There is nothing better than wine and chocolate! ~Ashley~ |
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tauney4

 Pack Leader

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| 05/31/2008 5:25 PM |
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| with a treat you need to reward him when he doesn t bite the neighbor kid |
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Mitzy's Mom

 PAWesome

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| 05/31/2008 5:29 PM |
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Daxter is a Ratbone dog? If so he's neutered. Have you joined the Ratbone Extra chat site for adopters and volunteers? You can get lots of good advice and help on there.
But for right now - please don't let him near any children. Until you get his behavior under control you cannot risk him biting children - besides the fact you could be sued it could be a death sentence for Daxter! And "agressive" dog who's bitten children - many shelters and vets would advise them being euthanized. So please - for Daxter's sake, don't let him near children right now.
And yes, you should have kept his attention on you and walked briskly past the neighbor and child. And since he's exhibiting problems you shouldn't have allowed the child at the pet store to pet him.
Nora can help you with training and you can also get a trainer or behaviorist to help you with him. Also, on Ratbone Extra there is a dog behaviorist who's a RBR volunteer and she can give you some advice. it's RatboneExtra@yahoogroups.com .
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Mary Beth, mom to the Lollipop Kids
Georgia Foster Mom, New Rattitude Check out our ratties at www.newrattitude.org |
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Daxter

 Ratastic

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| 05/31/2008 5:31 PM |
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I never try the squirt bottle before, that's a good ideas. When he bites I don't reward him with treat, I reward him when he doesn't bark, growl or lunge himself to people when we pass them. Usually it works, he never bites anyone before, hopefully this will be the last. |
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Monica & Daxter |
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Daxter

 Ratastic

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| 05/31/2008 5:46 PM |
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Yes, Daxter (aka Mr. Trevor) is Ratbone dog and neutered. I also join Ratbone extra and I will post there too. I usually just emailing his foster mom for advice and post here. Most of the time I keep him away from kids and he should be fine with teens but I guess not anymore. I will try to be careful next time and will put a muzzle in him. Any ideas how much is the dog trainer will cost if I am going to seek help from one of them? |
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Monica & Daxter |
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tauney4

 Pack Leader

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| 05/31/2008 5:52 PM |
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| do you have a pet smart or pet co near you they have trainers and people there to help you!!!!!!!! |
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Daxter

 Ratastic

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| 05/31/2008 7:16 PM |
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| I have petsmart near by and I can check for the trainer. |
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Monica & Daxter |
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Cocoabean

 Rat Royalty

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| 05/31/2008 7:35 PM |
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I just wanted to tell you good luck with Daxter. It sounds like you have a great support system with Ratbones and the foster family. I had a similar problem with Henry, only with other dogs when he's on the leash, and it took a long time (a year and a half) for him to act normally on a leash with other dogs present. I still do not let him come into contact with other dogs when he's on a leash. We quietly pass by and as soon as he looks at me instead of the other dog, he gets his treat. I just feel like this will be a lifelong thing for Henry, but now it's totally manageable. Yesterday, I was at the park and actually had a conversation with another person with a dog while Henry was quietly sniffing around and ignoring the other dog. I kept Henry several feet away from them, but I was so proud. The fellow actually commented on how good Henry was. Amazing! Perseverance, patience, practice, practice, practice. Hang in there! I made a bunch of mistakes with Henry, but when I finally got it right with the timing of the treat, etc. he really came around. |
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Sara Jo Mom to Henry |
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Daxter

 Ratastic

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| 06/01/2008 4:03 PM |
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Thanks for all the support and advice everyone. I put a muzzle on him now when we walk, so far he is not aggresive and don't bark to people or lunge himself. I will be extra careful and keep some distance when we pass by people and avoid kids at all time. He looks sad when I put a muzzle on him and keep trying to take it off, it just breaks my heart to see him like that, but I am not taking any chances and it's better safe than sorry, I just have to be strong and not fall for the way he look at me. I don't let him sleep with me in the bed anymore, I am just wondering that he bite the kid because he feels closer to me and feeling the needs to protecting me like his foster mom said. He usually sleeps in his bed from day one, only this past 2 days I let him sleeps with me. Someone at ratbone extra suggested this website barkbusters.com to find a trainer. Has any of you heard about this place and are they good? |
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Monica & Daxter |
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Emmastaff

 Ratterific

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| 06/02/2008 7:10 AM |
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This is a good place to start when looking for a trainer:
www.apdt.com/
It would probably be a good idea to look for a trainer. They can help you determine the cause of the biting (It could be fear, dominance, lack of socialization) etc... Once they determine the cause, they can help you develop a behavior modification plan. I'd muzzle him while you are out. What about one of those basket muzzles? The kind like they use on greyhounds? I had one for my greyhound, she came off the track with it. It was very handy since she tended to display some aggression around other female dogs. For greyhounds this type of muzzle is something they are quite used to, but I imagine you could find them in any size. You can still feed treats to him through that and he can still drink water with it on.
Only treat for relaxed behavior around children or whomever he is demonstrating this behavior to. Then you are rewarding relaxed behavior. Don't treat when he is acting crazy in an attempt to distract him. Like someone else mentioned, this is only reinforcing the behavior. Increase distance from those things he is uncomfortable with. I wouldn't let people approach him until you can get a trainer to help you out. The muzzle should signal to people to keep their distance. But you may have to explain to well-meaning children to stay at a distance. This is for the dog's safety as well as the children's.
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swatson6

 Attention Starved

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| 06/02/2008 7:54 AM |
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| You really need to consult a behaviorist. This can and will escalate if you let it. Daxter should not be put in these situations if he is known to act this way. He needs to be kept away from children for now until he can be trusted. A dog that bites a child could have a limited future if it gets serious. It can be helped, and with work and commitment on your part, you can work on this with him. Hopefully Nora can pop on with some good advice, but I think you still need to find a good trainer in your area. |
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Sarah Mom to Jack, Jeter and foster mom to Teagan
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Daxter

 Ratastic

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| 06/02/2008 4:26 PM |
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I did contact the animal trainer at barkbusters yesterday and she actually called me today but I miss her call. We have been playing phone tag, hopefully I will be able to talk to her soon. Seems like a nice lady. I met with the kid and his parent yesterday and the kid is fine, the mom suggested if her son can pet Daxter and get to know him, so he is not going to bite him again. I said we can try to train my dog by giving him a yummy treats using a tong or something that basically put a distance between the kid and my dog. We might try it next weekend but I think I am going to talk to the animal trainer first before that to see what she thinks about it and how to do it in a safe way. So far Daxter is really quiet, I think he knows that he did something wrong and feel guilty about it. He doesn't even feel excited anymore when we go for a walk, I think he knows I will put a muzzle on him and he hates it. |
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Monica & Daxter |
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LadyLes

 Terrier Terror

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| 06/02/2008 4:35 PM |
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| Poor little guy! I hope you can work out his issues so that he can go muzzle free. Maybe he is just having a hard time adjusting. |
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There is nothing better than wine and chocolate! ~Ashley~ |
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Mitzy's Mom

 PAWesome

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| 06/02/2008 5:23 PM |
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"Also when he were at pet store a girl ask if she can say hi to Daxter I said yes, she offer her hands and he sniff it, it's OK at this point, but then the girl turn to walk away and he chase her trying to bite, I pull him quickly this time."
From your first post about the girl at the pet store I would not let the neighbor kid around Daxter until you consult with the trainer. JMO but the trainer/behaviorist will better understand how to handle this safely. |
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Mary Beth, mom to the Lollipop Kids
Georgia Foster Mom, New Rattitude Check out our ratties at www.newrattitude.org |
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Daxter

 Ratastic

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| 06/02/2008 5:54 PM |
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| Yeah I agree MB, I don't want anymore incident. I talk to Robin at ratbone yesterday, she thinks is because Daxter is jealous and afraid that the boy will take his trreat. When we were met him again yesterday and there is no treat involves he was fine, I am holding him when I talk to the family, he just look at the boy but didn't growl or bark or show any aggresive behaviour. I also took him to another pet store on Sunday, he is fine doesn't bark or growl to people passing by. Anyway, who know what trigger it I just needs to get him some help and keep alert at all times. |
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Monica & Daxter |
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swatson6

 Attention Starved

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| 06/03/2008 7:01 AM |
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| I also would not try to "train" this dog yourself at a childs expense. Right now Daxter has proven he cannot be trusted with children and is not something you should take lightly in any way. Please, until you have professional help, keep Daxter away from kids for everyones saftey. |
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Sarah Mom to Jack, Jeter and foster mom to Teagan
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Daxter

 Ratastic

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| 06/03/2008 12:11 PM |
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I keep him away from anyone right now especially kids and I just pick him up when we pass by people in the hallway just to be sure. I bought a gentle leader yesterday and try it on him, which I actually like better because it easier to control him. I got him the small size but I think the nose loop is too tight and there is no room for adjustment, I might try the medium size. Do you guys know if the nose loop supposed to have a little leftover on the strap that allow the adjustable clamp to go up and down? See the instruction on their web: http://www.gentleleader.com/App_Content/media/gentleleader/GL...FittingInstructions.pdf With a gentle leader he doesn't bark or lunge himself to people anymore and he looks more calmer. He come accross people and other dog this morning, he didn't bark or growl or lunge himself to any of them, I just call him and redirect him to different direction gently and he follows me. Way much better than a muzzle because he looks sad with the muzzle on and doesn't even looking forward to go for his walk anymore. He usually look happy everytime we go for a walk. I think using either muzzle or gentle leader give the message to Daxter that he is not supposed to be aggresive to people or dogs, and it really help makes him calmer. The dog walker that walk him everyday told me he walk good yesterday. So far so good. I still going to talk to a trainer though to see if we can train him better and make him a friendly dog in the future. Wish me luck! |
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Monica & Daxter |
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Mitzy's Mom

 PAWesome

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| 06/03/2008 12:16 PM |
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| Good luck! |
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Mary Beth, mom to the Lollipop Kids
Georgia Foster Mom, New Rattitude Check out our ratties at www.newrattitude.org |
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swatson6

 Attention Starved

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| 06/03/2008 12:35 PM |
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| Good luck. Just remember 2 things about the gentle leader. 1. it is not and does not work like a muzzle so if he wants to still bite he can. and 2. On some of the shorter muzzled dogs they can easily slip their noses out even when you think they can't so don't forget to use the extra clip and make sure it is always clipped to his collar also. As far as size, if it has no play in the slider whatsoever I would go with a size up. |
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Sarah Mom to Jack, Jeter and foster mom to Teagan
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Daxter

 Ratastic

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| 06/04/2008 1:10 PM |
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I talked to the animal trainer last night over the phone, she said sounds like Daxter have some fear aggression, from all the things that I descrbed to her. I am still debating if I should use her help since it rather pricey, but maybe it worth it if he can be a better dog. In the mean time what should I do to correct his behaviour or at least minimize it besides put a muzzle and try to avoid kids. Any toughts? Nora, if you happen to see my post and have some tips please help. I really appreciate it. |
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Monica & Daxter |
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