Einstein

[Einstein]

Hi I  am  a owner of a carrin  terrier  that I  have had for 10 years . I moved in with my daughter and grandchildren  2 years ago  it was always  just me and Einstein  and now he is with  a family.  He has been  very  aggressive  the pass few months,  trying to  bite my daughter and  grandson,  with nothing  to  provoke  him. When I  try to  correct  him he  will  snap  at me. I  am at wits end. I  have  appointment with  Vet next  Wednesday.  I  just  can't  have  him in  this aggressive  manger.   He was fine  when  we lived  alone. But I thought  by now  he would  settle in 

[Catalyzt]

I will, generally, defer to those on the board with more experience, but will share a little of my own.  Spike now can go six months or more between snapping or biting incidents, but it is a long road.  There are months on end when I don't worry about him, but during some periods, I still feel like I have to be careful.

One thing I'm not clear on: Was he okay with your daughter and grandchildren for the first two years you lived with them, and is this new behavior?  If so, he definitely needs a full physical.  He could be in pain.  Or, has there been any change in your own health or your family's health?  He could be worried about you.  When I was really sick once, and going back and forth to the ER a lot, Spike got very difficult-- sat in front of the gate, like, "You are NOT going back to that place!"

If not, or just in general:

* Observe him very carefully before these incidents (and instruct your grandson and daughter to do the same).  With Spike, there are certain 'tells' that he might bite.  He might growl, he might bare his teeth, he might just give me a 'look.'  Identify the situations when the biting and snapping happens, and try to avoid or de-escalate them.  For example, if he feels crowded passing your grandson in the hallway, call him into another room to let your grandson pass, or vice versa.  You are not 'losing' some contest with him if you avoid these situations.  Every time he doesn't bite, it's a win.

* Keep correcting, but the only punishment that worked well for us is a time out.  I raise my voice for sure, speak firmly, loudly, with my voice pitched low, but never scream, and never, ever hit.  Even a time out has to be applied consistently: Instruct him to go into the kitchen or some other neutral zone, give him a stern but non-screaming 'bad dog' and shut him up there for a few minutes-- not too long.   He may not want to go into the neutral zone, but just keep commanding him to do so, or lead him in yourself and then exit.  The worst offenses get a seven-minute time out, anything more than five minutes is hard for them.  Be careful when you release him from the time out, he may be confused and briefly aggressive, but make it clear the punishment is over.  

* Reward good behavior.  Say, if he snarls, is about to snap or bite, and you can de-escalate, make a big fuss over him, and give him a cookie.  Or, if he obeys a command from your daughter or grandson, or sits quietly near them without incident, give him a reward.

Every dog is different.  Spike is a Cairn X, but from what I've heard here, behavior patterns are similar.  Spike also has infrequent seizures and neurological problems.  But this is a dog that sent me to the ER, and who I considered giving back to the adoption agency.  Now, we have a nip a few times a year, and that's the worst of it.  He also used to attack his elderly brother (too aggressively) and now the worst that happens is a snap and a snarl-- never saliva on the other dog's coat.  He doesn't make contact anymore.

But I do always have to watch him.  Backsliding is possible, mistakes happen.  Still, now he can lie on the couch (by my knees, never above my waist), kiss my nose sometimes, and even be picked up in an emergency.  So your goal is to decrease the number of incidents over time until they are rare and predictable.

Brad and many others here have a lot more experience than I do.  

[Jackie]

Thank you for the information

[Einstein]

He has had some growling  problems  at beginning of  2 year move but  more frequent and  more  aggressive  now

[Jackie]

I'm not sure. I think I have keyed in on another trigger. When I let them out the door, Riley used to nip at Molly and Molly always stepped back. Now Molly forces her way out right along with Riley. So, I'm thinking it's an Alpha female thing. Now I just need to find ways to show them I'm the Alpha and work on manners. Never thought adding another dog could get so complicated.