aggressive behavior towards my son

New Topic

aggressive behavior towards my son

Posted : 3/7/2006 10:10:21 AM

I have a 4 year old female rat terrier - I have had her since she was 7 weeks old. She's a very sweet dog. For several weeks she seemed a little sensitive when she was touched - she has a history of skin allergies. Apparently my son inadvertently touched a sensitive area when he went to pick her up, and she became wary of him. She has squealed as if in pain even when he has simply reached out to pet her, and didn't even touch her. Yesterday he tried to pet her twice and she lunged at him and tried to bite him. She has never shown this kind of behavior before. He's a gentle child and is very upset by her behavior. Does anyone have any insight as to what may be causing her to act this way? I have rubbed her and "poked" at her when petting her, trying to find some kind of hot spot and she doesn't seem to have any pain when I do this.

alyssa howe

Posted : 3/7/2006 2:25:17 PM

Definitely sounds like a health issue, especially if she has a history of allergies or other problems. I'd book an appointment with the vet and get a thorough exam.

Seems like she's associating "pain" with your son for whatever reason. Once she's cleared medically, maybe have your son try some positive handling with her... such as clicker training.

Danny

Posted : 3/10/2006 12:37:14 AM

Hello there

As you say yourself, there could be a health related problem. Rule number 1 with all behavior problems is to rule out possible physiological reasons. So do Shandy suggested and visit a vet. Once that is cleared, it will need some serious work to make two things clear to the dog: 1. your son means good things, such as many treats and lots of play 2. your son is in charge, not the dog.

To train these things takes a bit more than a line or two of advice. You should get you, ideally, to a decent dog trainer who can show you how to do these things, or you should get yourself two or three good dog training books (yes, more than one), for instance by Patricia McConnell (The other end of the leash) and Jean Donaldson (The Culture Clash - she talks quite some about agression if I recall right).

If you have any more questions, feel welcome to ask.