This is aggression, right? Please help!

[xFenrir]

I'm really worried for my roommate's dog. He's a Chihuahua (Other people and I agree he's a Chihuahua/Rat Terrier mix, but my roommate stubbornly refuses to agree because "that's not what they said on his papers" from the pet store) named Pablo, and she got him when she works a job at a restaurant every day, and a lot of times she works double shifts and/or gets off work but doesn't come home for hours, leaving him here alone for either myself or my boyfriend to take care of (she doesn't ask us to but I personally feel so horrible for the poor guy to be all alone in a room for hours on end). Ignoring all these things that are a blinding reason as to why she NEVER should've gotten a dog in the first place (we don't even bother bringing up the subject anymore because she gets mad and tells us "not to tell her what to do" and "it's HER dog, butt out", basically. She even told my boyfriend that I had no idea what I was talking about when it came to dogs, even after knowing I've trained dogs before. Basic training but still) we can't change the fact that she has him and that he's rarely socialized. Pablo sees only 3 people on the regular and maybe 4 people outside of that occasionally. We live in an apartment building and there are kids running around all the time. They always want to "pet the puppy", and at first I would let them. But I noticed the hair on his butt standing up, and before I could do anything, he snapped at the kid! And it's happened more than once, and when my roommate has had him out as well. He even snapped at my co-worker when she gave me a ride home, he was totally fine with her then all of a sudden if she reached to pet him he'd go for her hand. She tried at least 3 times to pet him with the same result before she just gave up. My first sign is he flinches if someone reaches for him, his ears kinda pull back (he doesn't show his teeth, he just looks "nervous") and his hair starts to stand up. Sometimes he'll growl, sometimes he won't. He also thinks every toy/bone/food is "his" even if it's not, and will growl and sometimes even attack if another animal tries to take or get near them. He's gone after my boyfriend's parent's Chihuahua before, and he attacked our kitten for playing with one of his toys just the other day. (Rascal gave it right back to him though, Pablo went yelping and running, but Rascal has a cut on his forehead now that's missing hair. No blood though.)

I'm really thinking he has fear aggression/aggression issues, but I know even if I tell my roommate she'll blow it off because it's her "baby" and he can never do wrong. Or if he does, she scolds him then IMMEDIATELY cuddles him and pampers him, which completely negates the scolding in the first place. What can I do to help Pablo? I don't want him to bite someone and there be a huge lawsuit and him get taken away or put down because of his owner who doesn't think there's a problem. And how can I show her that something is wrong? If I can prove it then there's a MUCH better chance she'll not go "You don't know what you're talking about".

[wilomn]

Time for a new room mate or to get rid of the dog. If the lease is in your name it will be your name on the lawsuit when the dog bits someone's kid. I'm not kidding either. Find a rescue and get him out asap if she's not willing to either take him with her when she leaves or get him trained. This is not something you want to deal with. Perhaps your landlord can help you out with this. Did she pay a pet deposit? Does the landlord know about the dog?

[Andybill]

Time for a new room mate or to get rid of the dog. If the lease is in your name it will be your name on the lawsuit when the dog bits someone's kid. I'm not kidding either. Find a rescue and get him out asap if she's not willing to either take him with her when she leaves or get him trained. This is not something you want to deal with. Perhaps your landlord can help you out with this. Did she pay a pet deposit? Does the landlord know about the dog?

Agreed! I sure hope the landlord OK'd the dog cuz if something happens you could be facing more than you bargained for. Give her an ultimatum and if she dont like it give her the boot. That is ofcourse if the apartment is in your name....

[satomi325]

Snapping and growling is not an acceptable behavior. I wouldn't say its aggression, but from what you described, it sounds like the dog is extremely insecure and unstable. Dogs need a pack leader otherwise they tend to have behavior problems. Your roommate needs to learn that her dog needs to be treated like a dog, not a baby. Cuddling a dog after being scolded for bad behavior is counter productive. It's going to confuse the dog and not reinforce the scolding. A spoiled dog without boundaries is a rotten dog.
If she cant care for and acknowledge a bratty animal, she should invest in a rock.

Since it sounds like you take care of the dog more than the roommate, try working with him if you don't want to get rid of him. Start training, play with him, give him something stimulating. I know thats a lot of work, but he needs stability and a pack leader. Maybe try introducing him to new people slowly and at his pace.

You should address this to your roommate. Ask her what she will do when he bites someone. Will she pay for medical treatment if the dog draws blood? What happens if animal control takes him away for 'endangering the public'.

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[Shake_n_Bake74]

Maybe a bark collar and/or a muzzle? Best to think of safety during these situations right away.

-Andrew

[satomi325]

Another suggestion. If your roommate is still ignorant to the issue, take her to get Pablo behavior tested. Most shelters can do this for you. This will show her that her dog's behavior is not normal, not acceptable.


And I agree with the muzzle for everyone's safety while in public.

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[Dracoluna]

I agree that this sounds like a very insecure dog. I've trained several rescue dogs with this issue and honestly, the first thing I've done with every single one is to grab them the second they growl/snap by the neck and pin them to the floor (only if you can physically handle it though with that small of a dog, shouldn't be a problem). It doesn't hurt them (obviously you do not choke the dog or even put much force behind it) but it tells them in their language that that behavior is unacceptable and that you are the pack leader. You can also scruff him if that's easier to do as it's less risk of getting bitten. Since the dog is doing this just with being unsocialized and no physical abuse, it signals that he is a more dominant dog. He's trying to be boss and that needs to stop or someone will be bitten. Each time he gets away with it, it reinforces the behavior. Many times, flipping and pinning them on their back by the neck only needs to be done once to get the point across. You hold them until they lay there calmly and accept the pack hierarchy. After that, then you can start working with him if you wish.

Honestly, a dog with that sort of reaction is going to take a strong owner and if taken to a shelter, very few are going to bother trying to rehabilitate him. Your roommate needs to realize that and quickly or she may well get bitten as well. It doesn't matter how small the dog is, they can do a lot of damage. I had to train a schipperke that had been abused and resorted to biting to protect herself. She'd torn a gash in the guy's arm that needed over 20 stitches. I flipped her once the first time she tried to bite me, and she was a great dog after that (my brother's dog). She still needed guidance and would test the boundaries a bit, but she never did bite another person. Same with my miniature poodle who was simply unsocialized as a puppy. He tried once, got flipped, and became a lot more stable dog after that. The fear goes away because they then realize where they stand in the pack.

[xFenrir]

My only issue is that MY training always gets counter-acted by hers. I taught him to sit and lay down; one day, my roommate asked him to do one of those and he rolled over. She was delighted and rewarded him whenever he did it, no matter what she asked him to do. Now ANY command of "sit", "down" or "stay" is "roll over". I could've pulled my hair out. He's NOT stupid, he's just getting rewarded for the WRONG thing, and now he thinks it's right.

I really think it's because he has NO experience with children, and not much with people in general either. I will try to start working with him, but unless I get my roommate's cooperation, she's just going to counter-act every training exercise I give him. He recognized me as "pack leader", but he won't listen to me a lick if she's anywhere within running distance since he knows she'll protect him. He'll go straight to her and then I get all barbs and sarcasm from her about "her" dog. I've tried to be nice and I've tried to be patient, but I don't think the dog's the real problem, I think it's the OWNER. Luckily our lease is up at the end of September and she will be moving elsewhere. I want to help her but how do you help someone who doesn't want to listen?! It's so frustrating!!!!

[Navy]

My only issue is that MY training always gets counter-acted by hers. I taught him to sit and lay down; one day, my roommate asked him to do one of those and he rolled over. She was delighted and rewarded him whenever he did it, no matter what she asked him to do. Now ANY command of "sit", "down" or "stay" is "roll over". I could've pulled my hair out. He's NOT stupid, he's just getting rewarded for the WRONG thing, and now he thinks it's right.

I really think it's because he has NO experience with children, and not much with people in general either. I will try to start working with him, but unless I get my roommate's cooperation, she's just going to counter-act every training exercise I give him. He recognized me as "pack leader", but he won't listen to me a lick if she's anywhere within running distance since he knows she'll protect him. He'll go straight to her and then I get all barbs and sarcasm from her about "her" dog. I've tried to be nice and I've tried to be patient, but I don't think the dog's the real problem, I think it's the OWNER. Luckily our lease is up at the end of September and she will be moving elsewhere. I want to help her but how do you help someone who doesn't want to listen?! It's so frustrating!!!!

Yeah, she has no business owning a dog.
Dogs need training, proper training. Not just tricks but things like sit, stay, no.
Aggression should NEVER be tolerated. It's time for her to either taking him to a training specialist that will help him get past the aggression, or she has to get rid of the dog if it's your lease. Because if it is, if that dog bites someone, it comes back on your ass.
No matter if it's her dog or not, it's your responsibility.
Of course, this is only true if you're the lease owner.
Either way, she obviously shouldn't have that dog.

[Dracoluna]

Unfortunately, you have a combination of a more dominant and intelligent dog with a stupid owner. Every single 'bad' dog I've ever met, I could point to the owner and tell them what the cause was. It's always the same: the owner. It is frustrating to watch, knowing you can't do a thing to really solve the situation and unfortunately, it's always the animal who pays the price. Luckily, I've only been in that situation once with a couple who owned a pair of 'wolves' (hybrids but they had them because they were 'cool'...) and I can't tell you how much I wanted to smack both of them for ruining two beautiful animals. Hopefully you can at least show Pablo a bit of what life should be like and maybe when she realizes she shouldn't own a dog, he'll remember what you taught him when his next owner takes over. Luckily, dogs tend to live in the moment so given time and the right owner, he'll be a great dog.