I have an aggressive 14 week old Shih Tzu! What should I do?
I bought this puppy for my 3 year old son so he could have a pet, but this thing is mean! Every time I leave them alone, the puppy ends up biting my son!
I don't know what is wrong! I have taught my son to be respectful of animals, so I know it isn't his fault! Just the other day, the puppy jumped up and bit his shoulder and ripped his shirt!
What can I do with this puppy? Should I have him put down because he is too aggressive?
Answers:
Wow.. When a Shih Tzu acts like this at a mere 14 weeks of age.. It's a huge sign that he is going to be an aggressive out of control dog.. I have to say.. much like was suggested for the 14 week old Doberman.. This Shih Tzu should be put down.. Once Shih Tzu's taste blood, they tend to go on murderous killing sprees. Basically what happens is the Shih Tzu's brain grows too big for it's head and well the rest is history.. Sorry.. You should have done your research better...
Take the puppy to some puppy classes to learn some manors. It doesn't sound like the puppy is aggressive but rather trying to play with your son. When dogs are young like your pup they play all of the time and that includes play biting. Some puppy classes will help you and your dog understand how to live with eachother peacefully. You'll also learn how to correct certain behaviours before they become a larger problem. Good luck
NO WAY!! dont kill him just because of that!! ummm..well have u tryed just telling him no when she does something bad..then put him outside just for like 10-15 minetes and then bring him back in then if that does'nt help...try squirting him with a spray bottle but just mist not like a strait shot..thats all i've got but just remember to never abuse animals!! :D and if you dont have dog toys like chew toys i'd suggest you get some..hes a puppy hes teathing and maybe he just wants to chew?!?
I agree.. it doesnt sound like aggression.. it sounds like he's playing too roughly.
NEVER leave a young child and a dog unsupervised! Both are still young and both still need to be taught how to interract with each other appropriatly.
Puppies will playbite and play roughly if given the chance.. ALL puppies will do it!
I think training classes are a good idea.
He's 3 MONTHS old! He's a baby! Do you expect your son to behave and always know exactly what to do and follow every rule, everytime? NO! It's the same for puppies.
He doesn't know any better. Puppies are like babies, you need to teach them how to behave.
He's not being mean, he thinks your 3 year old is another puppy. Puppies bite each other when they play.
I suggest you either take a puppy class, or give the puppy away. They are A LOT of work for the ENTIRE FIRST YEAR!
The fact you also have a 3 year old means you have a lot of work a head of you.
I suggest an adult dog would be better for your family.
3 year olds don't need pets, they can't handle the responsibility. YOU need to make the commitment to the animal, or you need to get him a new home.
Altho they may look the same, there is a big difference between rough play and aggression. Let me give the pup the benefit of the doubt, and suggest teaching him that people are very sensitive, so the pup needs to learn bite inhibition:
Bite Inhibition
Puppies are very energetic and playful. You want to teach them to be obedient as young as possible. In this case, teach him bite inhibition:
1. When he nips you, then yelp ! This will startle him and he will back off. Pet him for stopping.
2. If he nips you a second time, then yelp again, and pet him if he backs off.
3. If he bites you a third time, then yelp, and turn your back for 15 seconds. Then turn and pet him. If he comes around before you turn and he licks you or barks, then he is apologizing. Accept this and pet him.
4. If he nips a fourth time (they can be hard headed), then yelp, and turn around for 2 minutes. Again accept the apology, if offered. If not, then turn around and pet him.
5. Finally, after the fifth nip, yelp, then get up and leave him alone. Don't move him or put him in the crate. Instead, you move to somewhere that he can't follow. After 5 - 10 minutes, you can return to him, or just leave him alone.
6. The next time you pet him, repeat the sequence, he should respond a little faster, and learn not to nip you after a week.
7. You can fine tune the process so that he mouths you or only touches you with his lips. I taught my dog to mouth me... I didn't have the patience to go further.
The reason for doing this is to train the puppy how fragile human skin is. When puppies are in the litter, they bite each other to play. If one puppy bites too hard the sibling will yelp. If the biter doesn't back off, then the injured puppy will not play, and all the puppies will treat hard biting in this way.
Most puppies want attention and will learn anything so that they don't lose your attention. If you learn this method, you will have a powerful training tool.
You will have to do this first, then try to teach your son. Don't shriek at the pup, just try to reproduce the sound that he makes if you step on his paw. Just saying "Yipe !" may be enuff.
On the other hand, if the puppy barks, growls, snarls, then attacks and bites, with the *intent* to injure and draw blood ... then I suggest that you take him to the vet and have him put down, because he is brain damaged. And I have only seen a few pups (Out of thousands !) like these, but they are dangerous.
If you yipe! and the dog startles, it is probably just rough play. If you yipe and he grows more vicious, you have a big problem. But,I suspect he is just playful and rough. I hope so.
There's nothing really wrong with your dog, as Shih Tzu's can be very aggressive and aren't the best choices to have around kids. HOWEVER, that doesn't mean his behaviour can't be modified to be a better pet. I would contact a local trainer (ask at your vet for the name of a good one) and start working with him right away. The trainer will be able to watch how you and your dog interact, help nail down the issues to be worked on and give you a precise gameplan for overcoming those issues.
The trainer will probably also tell you to make sure you are socializing the dog well, so that he's less fearful. (Fearful dogs are nippy dogs!) This would include spending a lot of time meeting other dogs as well as children in proper settings. Pet stores which allow you to bring your dog in are a great place to socialize, as are obedience lessons and dog parks. To get a dog more comfortable with children, some experts suggest frequently walking them near playgrounds where they can become accustomed to the sounds and movements of children without being too close to them.
Good luck, and remember not to bring your pup in close contact with other dogs or their poops until the vet tells you he has enough shots.
Well you have to determine why the dog is biting. Is it really aggression, or is the dog simply playing too rough? One common mistake with puppies is to play tug of war or roughhouse a little too much, hence encouraging biting behavior. At this point I don't think it's a good idea to leave puppy and son alone unsupervised as when your back is turned, you can't really say what's going on. Also I would strongly suggest obedience classes and socializing the puppy now. But to be honest, there are some dogs that don't get along well with children, just like sometimes they cannot get along with other dogs or cats. If the dog isn't aggressive towards everyone and everything, I don't think the dog should be put down. But if the puppy truely doesn't have the temperment for small children I'd look for another home and stress the point it's not an appropriate companion for little ones. It's hard to determine that though without a consult with a dog trainer or behaviorist. You could also try contacting the breeder for help finding another home. GL
Maybe you should call Casar Milian or maybe use a pinch collar to teach it how not to bite. I bet your son poked it in the eye or something?
Don't blame the breed blame the deed!!
;)
Would this be the same dog that has fleas and you shaved off all of it's fur? Sorry, but I can't take your question seriously. No reasonable parent would think that a 3 year old will be "respectful of animals" when unsupervised. Even older children do foolish things to dogs without realising the consequences.
Of course you need to put him down! You have to worry about your son! One a dog bites, it will always bite!
I am sure that your son would have never done anything to hurt the puppy. Some puppies are just born mean! Your biggest worry is that once that puppy becomes a dog, it could really do some harm. I mean full grown that dog will be up to 16 lbs. I mean it has the potential of jumping up and doing some major damage to a kneecap or something! You can never be too careful!
I heard about a similar situation with a dobie pup. Can't trust dogs at all!
DP, I can't believe what you just wrote here. You should have done your research. For one thing Shih Tzu is not a good dog for kids at that age. She should have gotten one that was more suited for little kids. Shih Tzu are very loving dogs and what you said here is so untrue. I would hate for anyone to read this and think what you said is true.
Like I said they are not for three year old kids..Why she went that route I don't know, but for you to say what you said here was not right. I have study this breed, raised this breed, and had this breed for many years and you are wrong in what you said.
Give the dog away to someone who is going to love it before you ruin this puppy. You do not buy a Shih Tzu for a 3 year old kid. They are bred to sit on a lap and be pamper. That is in their gen.
China,
could it be that DP was being sarcastic? Have you considered that possibility?
I think the problem is that the dog was bought "FOR a 3 year old". Dogs are NOT toys to be bought for children. Dogs need to be bought FOR the adults in the house, as the dogs will consider the kids "siblings" in the same pack. Kids are not recognised by dogs as higher ranking animals till the kids are about 12 years old. Till then, YOU are the top dog and you have two puppies now. One of the canine variety and one of the human variety.
Every dog needs to be taken to dog school (as every child needs to go to school) and learn how to fit into the world of humans.
At 14 weeks he is hardly "aggressive". He is playing rough, as puppies at that age tend to do. He is mouthing. Having said that, of course that needs to be stopped, but YOU are the one who has to stop it.
When he play bites YOU, yelp loud like a puppy would, say "Leave it" in a stern voice and walk away. The pup will soon learn that all his fun ends when he bites too hard. That's how puppies learn, from their litter mates. That is one of the reasons why it is important that the pup is never seperated from his mum and litter mates before he is at least 8 - 10 weeks old.
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I do not think you should put it down, I think you should sell it to a security company, a dog that aggressive will make an excellent guard dog. You could maybe even sell it to someone who does Schutzhund because it might be small in size but it sounds like it is big in attitude. The dog needs to reach his full potential as a sport or guard dog, maybe you could have him trained as a personal protection dog.
I heard those people on that TV show, Little people Big world were looking for a guard dog.
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