Puppy biting - potential health issue?

[Murray]

We have had our 4.5 month old standard schnauzer for 9 weeks now. Ever since day one he has been very bitey, but we put it down to normal puppy nipping (we are first time dog owners, so no actual experience).

We had a behaviourist visit after a week for advice on the biting as we wanted to make sure that we had professional guidance, and some of the advice did seem to help.

However, 8 weeks on it is a constant issue, and the biggest problem is his random outbursts where he will lunge and bite in quick succession. The behaviourist visited again and we explained all of the issues in detail, and I showed her photos of my bruised thighs. She said that our description made her see some red flags, and has offered a plan of action.

He is also very touch sensitive, he has never really wanted affection (he will jump on the sofa next to us, but then lunges and bites us so we have to move and try to encourage him off). And he will spin and nip very hard when we try to unclip his harness, clip on his lead, etc.

All in all, she has recommended two courses of action. The first being a thorough vet check to rule out any potential pain issues. The second to swap him to a single protein diet to identify if he has any food intolerances that may be causing gut issues and making him aggressive.

We really hoped it was just normal behaviour, but while she was here she experienced his normal puppy biting, as well as his hyped up lunging biting, and she pointed this out to us.

Does anybody have any experience of anything like this? We are so worried that if we can’t get on top of this, we may not be the right owners with experience to be able to give him the care he needs, and the thought of this is heartbreaking.

[zeta1454]

Have you discussed these issues with your puppy’s breeder? A reputable breeder should always be able to offer advice regarding the pups they have bred and (unless you have misgivings about the breeder now) they would always take responsibility for rehoming any puppy from a family which can no longer keep him. I don’t mean to suggest that you should be giving up on your schnauzer but just to mention that initially. The breeder should be familiar with the temperament and behaviour of parent dogs as well as the puppies and should have introduced the pups to gentle handling, grooming and other activities which accustom them to accept handling without fear or intolerance.

If everything about your boy’s start in life was fine and there is no hereditary temperament issues known in his pedigree, then as suggested by your behaviourist, you may need to look at something which may have triggered this random aggression. Pain or fear are the two most common triggers and the cause of pain is not always easy to diagnose. It could be a digestive issue although allergy may not the reason. High carbohydrate and ultra processed foods such as kibble can often cause gut issues in dogs who thrive best on a raw or lightly processed fresh food diet of primarily meat / fish. The other possible cause of pain may be orthopaedic. Some puppies can suffer during the birthing process and have initially minor misalignments in the spine / neck area which if not treated can worsen as the puppy matures. Rough play with siblings or older dogs can also cause issues. With our puppies we have them checked by a canine chiropractor at between 7-8 weeks of age and if there are any minor misalignments they will be corrected at that time but it could be worth seeing if you have a canine chiropractor near where you are who could check out your boy to see if there are any issues of that kind. There is also the possibility of some neurological issue either naturally occurring or triggered by any chemical treatment he may have been given.

There is a link here which you may also find of interest regarding ‘conflict aggression’ which does have some similarities with issues you describe and, although I am not in favour of using pharmaceutical treatments to resolve this kind of issue, the advice re training and working with the dog to modify their behaviour may offer some pointers as to what may be needed, if this definitely is a behavioural issue unrelated to a physical / neurological ailment.

https://cvm.msu.edu/vetschool-tails/agg ... pathologic

It is distressing for anyone with a dog in the family to even consider giving them up and I would definitely see if you can get a certain diagnosis or understanding of what is happening to trigger the aggressive outbursts as this will at least offer you a sound basis to decide whether you can work on resolving this or whether it is more than you were prepared for or able to give. Your puppy is still young and hopefully you will be able to work with him to resolve this once you have pinpointed the cause.

[Murray]

Thank you so much for your reply. We have been in touch with the breeder a couple of times about his biting and his hyperactivity, and they gave some dietary advice at that stage about reducing his protein which did seem to help. We also mentioned that he wasn’t a very affectionate puppy and wasn’t keen on being touched, and they said that that was unusual, as the other puppies from the litter loved cuddles. I think at that stage we worried we had done something wrong.

We have already reached out to the breeder again, so are just waiting to hear back. Hopefully they can help. Possibly we could take the puppy to visit, and ask them to assess his behaviour and temperament from an experienced point of view?

We will start with changing his protein from chicken to Turkey, and see if that makes a difference. At the same time we will visit our vet and also look for a canine chiropractor (i didn’t even know that these existed). Hopefully something will come to light that can help.

I would love to get this sorted, because he is a very friendly, clever and confident boy who has really made us smile over the last few months, and who has learned so much already. But the outbursts of lunging and biting is something that has really made our experience with him very stressful. As we have a baby nephew, if we can’t find a reason behind this, I don’t want to live feeling that I can’t spend time with the child and dog together, just in case. (Not that I would trust any dog with a child, and would never leave them alone together).

[zeta1454]

It could be a good idea to visit the breeder with Murray as it can be much more helpful for someone to see what is happening rather than just going on a description, however detailed. Dogs do have different preferences, just as people do, regarding touching and close physical contact and there are some who do prefer not to be picked up, cuddled or just having harnesses or leads put on. To some extent you can adjust to their likes and dislikes if it is just a temperament quirk but it is important that a dog will accept some gentle handling as there are bound to be situations where this is necessary such as visiting vet surgery or to move him from a dangerous situation such as the approach of an aggressive dog or in a busy traffic area.

I do understand that it is a difficult situation for a novice dog owner as not having any previous experiences to refer back to although dogs do vary quite a bit and not all puppies will behave the same. When we got our first miniature schnauzer in 1997, although we had done lots of research and had an excellent breeder to guide us, we did still make the odd mistake which we did not repeat with our next dogs - neutering at 6 months on the vet’s advice being one of those errors. Try not to fret though that you are doing the ‘wrong’ thing or have done with Murray. He is learning how to fit in to the family and, like all puppies, there will be biting as his adult teeth come through and he must learn to suppress the strength of his bite and not use it against humans. Puppies are boisterous and bitey with each other and the bigger and heavier the breed the more likely they are to cause bruising or the odd small cut if their teeth come into contact with human skin. Hormonal surges in adolescent dogs of both sexes can also lead to occasional bursts of hyperactivity and a single puppy may sometimes go over the top with this and lunge or bite at their humans as they would have done in play with their siblings. A mature, calm adult dog can often help a boisterous puppy to learn that certain actions are unacceptable and if you have any friends or family with an older friendly dog it may be worth letting Murray have time playing with them. It is really a matter of judging whether this lunging and biting is aggressive or simply boisterous rough play. The former may be due to pain as mentioned in my previous post but, if it is the latter, it would be a training issue. Puppies need plenty of physical outlets for their energy as well as mental challenges to develop their brains but also to help tire them for the all important rest times.

The diet may be a crucial factor although I would be cautious of reducing protein intake in a growing puppy as protein at this stage should be higher than for an adult dog and is vital for healthy development. Carbohydrates and added colours, flavours etc. in any food or treats can certainly lead to hyperactivity so just make sure that there are no artificial additives or sugary ingredients in Murray’s food and treats - if you are not already doing this

Certainly you will need to be careful of introducing your nephew to Murray while both are so young especially with Murray being unpredictable at present but I would not give up on him just yet for sure. Dogs mature much more quickly than humans but Murray is still under 6 months old and just a baby himself. Hopefully you will get some positive help from the breeder and any professionals you consult.