My small shelti mix is always biting people. She was just born that way…. we don’t know why, and she also seems to get crazy around my dad… when he comes home she runs around the house until she crashes into something… we have considered mental illness..
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Wow, what terrible advice you’ve received so far! Especially in reference to the “alpha/dominance roll” – this is a good way to exacerbate existing biting problems.
How long would it take you to bite me if I grabbed you by the neck, threw you to the ground and held you there? And you’re a person, for goodness’ sake!
I hate to be the bearer of news, but you have a herding breed. Herding breeds control movement in their “flock” with their mouth very frequently.
I would recommend a full veterinary check up to rule out physical causes for the behavior, including a full thyroid panel (which should be sent to Dr. Jean Dodds at http://www.hemovet.com) to start out.
If all the medical checks out, find a qualified behaviorist to help you with your dogs’ behavior. Check out the American Veterinary Society for Animal Behavior (www.avsabonline.org) or contact the Animal Behavior Society (www.animalbehavior.org) for a referral. I also recommend checking into the Karen Pryor Academy and searching for a certified training partner (www.karenpryoracademy.com).
Incidentally, if you check out the AVSAB site and read their position statements on punishment and dominance theory, you will see confirmation of just how absurd the previous answers are and how dangerous their implementation could be for your dad and your dog.
euthanize it.
Lol it’s not a mental illness. Or if you’re really concerned about it being so, take her to the vet. Otherwise she’s just too wound up I guess. Exercise her and teach her ‘wait’ when she’s around your dad. Make her stay still and give her a treat. As for the biting issue…teach her who’s the dominant one. When she does this, lay her on her back and stare her down. She won’t like it guaranteed. But it’ll make her more submissive and show her who’s the alpha and who she shouldn’t be messing with. Hope this helps. Good luck!
what you need to do is train her properly… every time she bites someone give her a big THWACK! on the nose. It will give her an idea and soon she will stop biting people
Have you ever watched its Me or The Dog on the animal planet? Victoria usually has some pretty good ideas. Other than that a muzzle when other people are around, and only to teach her, might not hurt. Only 20 minutes at a time. Hope this helps, good luck.
Sounds like a glitch in the brain. All dogs get excited, but they do not run into things….or sometimes…and briefly…but sounds like her crashes are normal to her. And the biting is very wrong. She sounds like a lost cause to me.