My mini bit me today...

[KellyDP]

Hi, I was not expecting to post another behavioural question so soon but Walter, my ten and a half month mini bit my leg today whilst we were out on a walk. He can be quite reactive to other dogs - barking and growling and today he saw two dogs he did not know and started barking and lunging when they walked towards us. This was on a quiet country lane with no traffic or any other distractions. I have him on a short lead and a front clip harness and had moved him to the side of the road and as they walked past he became so aggressive that he bit my leg. This was quite a hard bite - even though I was wearing thick jeans he has broken the skin and it is already quite bruised. It was not just a little nip! I am really upset that he would bite me and now quite concerned.

Has anyone else had this experience with a mini and does anyone have any advice?

Walter is a lovely boy, he grew out of puppy nipping very early and is not aggressive in anyway towards me or my partner in the home, it is clear he adores us both. We have socialised him well with other dogs (despite Covid) we live in a village and several times a week meet other dog owners on the village green and let him off the lead to play with adult dogs and puppies and he has made some great friends. If we see these dogs on walks around the village, he is pleased to see them and we have no problems. If we see a dog he does not know, sometimes he will be fine, as long as they can be introduced property. However sometimes he just reacts badly and there are a number of dogs in the village he just does not like or he will see a new dog and go crazy. I have looked online for training tips, and we have tried high value treats and directing his attention to us but it does not work - nothing seems to distract him and I am concerned that if he were to actually get too close to a dog he will bite and if we keep him away he might redirect that aggression to us again.

We are planning to have him neutered at around 14 months (our breeder advised to wait until then) but I am wondering if we should do this earlier if this might reduce aggression around other dogs? As I type this he is laying on my feet - he really is a very loving dog in the home but this morning I did start to wonder if we have done the right thing, as I really did not think he would ever bite and I am now worried we may have a real problem?

[Dawnspell]

He sounds as though he has some fear issues. The fact you say he only sometimes reacts indicates that things have lead up to him reacting. Think of us if we've had a stressful day eg you slept through your alarm, then the car wouldnt start, you were late for work, you forgot your lunch, something went wrong at work. Someone then says something to you and you snap back at them when you normally you wouldnt have even reacted. Dogs are just the same, things build up they lose control which is whats happened with your little fella.

If he wont take treats while out then that is an indication the environment is too overwhelming for him which is why you cant get his attention.

As far as neutering that could actually make him worse since is he showing a lack of confidence. Testosterone gives them confidence if they're neutered then their main source of testosterone is gone and they can become more fearful. The only thing that neutering guarantees is that they wont sire puppies. Behavioural issues can be resolved by training, neutering is not a quick miracle fix to behavioural problems. I would see if you can get a consult from a behaviourist who can come up with a training plan for you.

[zeta1454]

I agree with all that Alison has said above. It is easy to panic when your dog suddenly bites but it is most often because they feel vulnerable, unable to escape a situation that disturbs them and can often be as a result of other stress factors building up beforehand. Dogs do behave differently off lead with other dogs than when they are restrained and, if they feel unsure or threatened even without obvious provocation, they may lash out physically. Biting is a hard wired self preservation reaction in most dogs when they feel overwhelmed by a situation and Walter may not have intended to hurt you but, as he could not flee from the situation, he just reacted with a bite. This does not mean he is or will become an aggressive dog or one that bites for no justifiable reason.

Walter is also still in adolescence and his hormone surges are going to make him that bit more reactive in certain circumstances but this will settle as he matures and, as said above, castration is unlikely to help in this situation and may make things worse.

This link is to a book which is useful for looking in a fresh way at dog reactivity and there are also online resources available connected with this which may be worth looking at if you cannot get good professional help from a behaviourist locally.

https://www.canineconfidenceacademy.com/yel-book

However, having said that, it may be that Walter does not actually need this level of intervention if, as you say, it is intermittent and not his usual behaviour with all dogs. It may be a question of trying to avoid him coming close to dogs that you don’t know and that he may react fearfully towards. You say in your post that if a ‘new’ dog is introduced properly, Walter can be fine and this is an important point. There are many poorly socialised or minimally trained dogs around who have not been helped to learn ‘canine social manners’ and I have noticed when walking our mature dogs in the village that they will react differently to certain dogs and are clearly uncomfortable being near particular individuals. Dogs pick up on signs that we humans do not or cannot detect - scent, body posture etc. There may always be some dogs that Walter will not like and that is fine - not everyone gets on with all the individuals they meet in human society. While he is still so young, try to avoid any situation you are not confident that Walter can handle calmly, if you can see approaching strangers before he does and in a relaxed way begin to draw his attention to you, talking softly, encouraging, playfully this can help reduce his adrenaline surge when he does see the other dog. Definitely do continue as much as possible to allow him positive, fun interactions with dogs he does trust and enjoys playing with as the more positive experiences he has with other dogs the better.

I hope your bite wound is getting better too - I do know how painful these can be!

[Schnauzerluv]

There is a thing called redirection, they are so over threshold that they will 'accidentally' turn their fearfulness to whatever or whoever is closest.

As mentioned above, the key to desensitization is keeping them below threshold and good positive experiences with new things.

I would not take it personally, it was most likely a reaction of panic in the moment.