Can someone help me avoid killing our dog

[Dante]

That sounds really sick - doesn't it. We all desire to love our dogs, to care for them to make each others lives as good as possible. We have three at the moment and two of them love us to death as much as we love them. They all live indoors with us, we keep the food and water next to the door so we can always make sure they've got something to eat or drink whenever they want. In fact, I've shared a bed with them on a couple of cases. Not really the best of sleeping conditions - but sometimes they really feel like they had the last spot on the couch first.

The problem is that this new dog isn't like our 'other' dogs. He challenged our pit-bull from the time he was a puppy. Our pit-bull-lab mix, the saint, only growled and took an occasional snap in the air from being constantly challenged and bit at (and bit). We've truly been amazed at how many things this creature has pulled on our pit-bull that we thought we'd have to jump in and save his rump from, when the pit-bull just chose to be the bigger man and walked away. Still we pulled the puppy away and told him to stop when this happened - but that just hasn't worked. We smacked them both when fights broke out later on - our pit-bull stopped trying to hold his position as alpha among the dogs. While, the puppy just snapped at us.

Overall though, we've never used any kind of real force on our animals - that would be wrong and violates everything we believe in. They may get a quick tap on the butt, but that's only if they're going to hurt someone else, or themselves. But unfortunately, that puppy is now a dog and has made it clear on several occasions he doesn't feel the same way towards us. He drew blood on my mother because he didn't want his nails trimmed (when the claws get too long, they curve around which can hurt them - as they live inside to avoid sticking them in 100 degree weather. We just trim the tops of the nails to a more natural length. The other dogs take this without making a face at all). He didn't like it, he didn't flinch, he just decided he didn't want to do it and so he bit her hard bruising her bone and drawing blood.

In fact, that seems to be the trend. If he does something bad and we try to put him in another room to isolate him for a few minutes, he turns around and snaps at us. Today he bit me on several occasions including one time strong enough to break the skin and bruise my right hand... it doesn't feel to good to type this at the current time. He literally lunged at me and I had to grab him by the collar and yank him back and felt very much threatened by his actions. He wasn't just snappy, he was being downright aggressive and I felt that if this went south and I didn't do anything I could well end up in the hospital (this is not a small dog).

After I had caught him, I pushed him back then pushed down to signal that I wanted him to give up dominance... I had him by the collar, I controlled his head. He could still turn it fast and give me a nip, but one twist and I could cut off his air and... well I had solid control over where that fight was going and I wanted it to end peacefully (although I felt quite frightened and confused about what to do in this kind of situation - I never ran into it before and I hadn't been taught what to do if your own dog attacks you). He acted like he submitted, laid down and essentially said "I give up" with his body language. I waited with this for about five seconds, then released him and went to leave him be.

But the moment I let go of his collar he flew and bit down into my hand by the rim (which was the bite that results in my current pain), before going for a better nip... at which point I had him a second time. I had him down on the ground a second time and noticed that while his eyes said, "I give up" he was literally curling his lip at me. I gave him a couple of whacks and pushed him back. He took a snap at me and missed as I closed the door and left him in there.

I'm confused at this point how to proceed. He is making it clear that hurting me, even severely hurting or trying to kill me is on his list of options... but it's wrong for me to have those on my list and frankly I'm not looking for a hand-to-tooth fight to the death with a great-Pyrenees, especially as they get older... at which point nothing my natural body will have will be sufficient to stop him. (No I didn't choose a great-pyreness, my parents did)

The violence is escalating from his end and for my own life I fear I may be forced to escalate it myself out of protection of my own life... maybe that's just because my hand still hurts a fair a deal and I'm just happy it wasn't my neck he bit. At this rate though, he's going to end up dead if he keeps down this path by one means or another. Has anyone else run into this with their animals before? I've had tons of dogs, cats, birds - they've all been awesome, even a wild sparrow and tarantulas. We get along great with animals, if he's never been hurt, or injured or harmed by us all the way from when he's a baby, why is he acting like this and does anyone else know what needs to be done (we've joked about getting his teeth removed on a couple of occasions and just feeding him jello for the rest of his life XD - needless to say my mother and I both didn't like getting nipped - but without teeth, the most he could do is gum us to death... Our pit-bull likes this option too).

Anyways - what would you do if your dog was acting like this?

Sadly,
-Dante

[Tsukuyomi]

Have you tried obedient classes for it o.o? It may or may not work, but it is worth a try ^^

[Dante]

Have you tried obedient classes for it o.o? It may or may not work, but it is worth a try ^^

Tried that - the day he graduated, he bit me for trying to stick the cap on him for his picture. There response for the biting and other bad stuff was telling us to stick him in a room and ignore him for a while - which is what got be bit this time.

[Sheenar]

Sounds like a temperament and not a training issue. Please consult with a licensed animal behaviorist before this gets more out of hand.

[Cognitive Gear]

I don't think that this has anything to do with the nurturing. This sounds like it is more on the nature end of things.

If you can afford it, take them to a specialist. If not, I honestly don't know what to tell you. Great-Pyrenees are not dogs you want to mess with. Thankfully it sounds like there aren't any children around him, right now that sounds like a recipe for tragedy.

Good luck with him, though. Hopefully he can make a great pet!

[Jingo Jaden]

I had a pretty disobedient dog for around 16 years. Can't count the amount of times he bit me to the point of blood-bruises, albeit that ended after a while once it got raised properly.

I suppose it was just because it was an exceptionally jealous dog. He loved my mother a great deal and always loved challenging me, as I challenged him. Play-wrestling and the occasional tug of war was things he loved, but he knew how to separate that from pure aggression. If the love factor was separated from his aggression, then I doubt there would be any saving grace. I severely doubt isolation works in the instances of angry/aggressive dogs, especially those that can over-reach that far. Making it work for treats is one way to mend the problem, other than that the dog needs to respect you and have a fair bit of physical activity.

Needless to say you can't keep a dog like that around other people. I'd recommend one of these before you think about pulling it's teeth.



Anyhow, I'd stop isolation as I don't think it is fruitful in this case. I would work more with the dog, learn it a few tricks, give it treats each time it does good, scold it if it crosses the line. *The mouth-basket is a good punishment on that same note.* It's important for it to have love and respect. Which can take some time to develop. There is also the chance that the dog might be a bit messed up, and I would really not advice to raise the aggressive type of dog breeds without considerable experience, as it gets harder to teach them the older they get.

I don't think based on what you've written that it is a lost cause. What worries me the most is that it seems to have a instinct for retaliation and a tendency to over-step despite the odds.

[Kaligraphic]

Talk to your veterinarian. It could be that there's some underlying medical problem with the animal. A chemical imbalance or something might explain heightened aggression. Also, if something is causing a continuous pain or discomfort, your dog might be lashing out just to respond to that.

[Sapphire225]

That's an awfully peculiar trait from a Great Pyrenees; they're usually friendly (and protective) dogs. But any breed of dog has exceptions.

In any case, you'll definately need to probably see a specialist as things are getting out of hand, or rather out of hand as it is. That is probably your best bet. If not, have him checked by the veterinarian, like Kaligraphic suggested,

But for now, the muzzle is probably your best bet. Get one tight enough so he won't be able to bite but loose enough for him to eat and drink. Not just around guests but your family. All it takes is one bite on a stranger for a lawsuit to come into play and for your dog to be euthanized.

[wildpurplechild]

I work at a kennel so I know a good amount about dogs. I agree with the advice that has been given, a dog trainer, muzzle, and checking with a vet. Is the dog neutured? Un-neutured males tend to be more aggressive than fixed ones. Also, I don't suggest hitting your dog (even lightly) for misbehavior. This gives him a reaction and makes it a game to him. Try giving a sharp voice command and maybe muzzling him. Some dogs have to take medications to maintain a possitive mood, maybe your dog has something like that. However, if your dog continues to bite and disobey and he disobeys trainers and vets, you may have to face the very real possiblity that he has become too big off a danger to himself and others and he may have to be put to sleep. I know an older couple who had to put down their dog because of such behaviors (and he was a little one). They were very sad to do it but he refused to be trained and the vet he was too tempermental to continue like this (he caused the owner to break his hand).
I hope this helped!

[Mouse2010]

I'm going to ditto all the people who said to consult a specialist. You can start with a dog trainer, and if necessary, consult an animal behaviorist. (Be warned that even a behaviorist might say that not all aggressive dogs can be saved.)

If that doesn't work, you might consider rehoming the dog with someone who has more experience dealing with aggressive dogs. In a worst-case scenario, you could take the dog to a no-kill shelter or a breed rescue organization. The people who run such shelters might be able to find an appropriate foster home for the dog even if your family can't keep it.

I, personally, would not keep a dog that bit people. I'm not saying that I would immediately rehome a dog after the first bite, but if I wasn't confident about our ability to retrain the dog, I would rehome it. Dogs who bite are legal liabilities and they can pose a serious danger to family members.

[TheMewster]

I love dogs, but your health and the health of others is more important if human life is at stake. I heard that in some cities that if a dog bites or attacks someone it has to be put down. Anyway I probably need to take my meds now before I say anything I'll regret.

[Dante]

Well - he's actually on probation again. My mother was trying to give him a hug the other day and snapped at her face and ended up biting her on the neck, leaving a nice red half moon there. I've essentially told her that it might just be best to let him go off to be a field dog working with sheep - the whole 'love' thing just doesn't seem to be his gig .

[Sheenar]

Well - he's actually on probation again. My mother was trying to give him a hug the other day and snapped at her face and ended up biting her on the neck, leaving a nice red half moon there. I've essentially told her that it might just be best to let him go off to be a field dog working with sheep - the whole 'love' thing just doesn't seem to be his gig .

That's REALLY concerning! Is the dog people-aggressive or is this response more from fear-aggression?

I do really hope your family is able to find somewhere where the dog can live out his life and not be a danger to people. Do consult with a behaviorist if you are able to --a dog with a history of biting like that is a liability to have around. I hope nobody else gets hurt.

[Dante]

It's neither people aggressive nor fear-aggressive. It's more along the lines of "I don't feel like it aggression". Occasionally my parents decide to place him in the other room for doing something wrong (say harassing our pit-bull) for five minutes. He doesn't want to go, so he just sits and refuses to go in the room and if you give a tug on his collar he occasionally decides he just wants to attack you and keep it up.

Fear induced would mean that after you let go he'd stop and try to get away. Instead he'll push the aggression himself continuously going back at you. A couple of days back, he bit my mother three times in a single day. Once for accidentally tripping on him because she didn't see him on the floor, once because he wanted to go out and she was trying to take our other dog to the vet and once for I don't even remember what (I think it was putting him in his room for attacking the other dogs).

My parents want to think that this is because he had worms when he was really little, he's already been neutered so it's not that. However, I personally think he's just not meant for the 'house-pet' lifestyle, he just doesn't seem to want it, I think he'd do better with sheep.

[Atria35]

^ If he's refusing to do things and gets aggressive when people try to get him to, then he probably can't work with animals, either. Dogs that do sheep herding or the like need to be willing to be trained and willing to work whether they really want to or not. Since you've already been to trainers and it hasn't helped, it's doubtful he could be trained to work no matter what.

[ChristianKitsune]

Hmmm. Gosh, honestly? I know this is heartless and strange coming from me...but I would get that dog euthanized. He went for your mother's neck? That's terrifying and an instinct that says, "You know, I'd really like to kill this thing."

When you say he is biting you, do you actually mean he's chomping down with all he has? GPs are huge dogs, (Also very loving from what I hear, this dog seems like an awful dog) and if he's chomping down with full force on you guys all the time, that's... not good.

Do you think it's perhaps that he is such a big working class dog and that keeping him in the house is what is bothering him? Do you have a dog park anywhere where you can just let him run (if he doesn't attack other dogs?) Part of his aggression could be boredom, and built up energy.

But yah.. I'd say if things don't look up soon, you shouldn't keep a dog like that around. If he hurts a child or another person, unfortunately that would be a huge liability.

I for one am amazed that you're being so willing to keep this monster beast. XD (Has been bitten by a grouchy elderly Old English Sheepdog because I scared him while he was sleeping. But that was a one time deal, but I Still have the scars. )

[airichan623]

I know little about dogs, but before you get rid of him, I agree with going to the vet about it- sometimes when animals are hurting in some way, they r especially aggressive. it could be it has some kind of brain issue or something.

Also, after a little research it said that they are not well acclimated to indoor life and need lots of room to roam. Maybe it needs to outdoor time? (with muzzle perhaps)

[TheMewster]

Ok, I definitely agree with Kit. EUTHANIZE THAT THING!!! It already had a chance, and you and you're mom's health is more important. Get a kitten or something. Not trying to sound heartless, but just...

[Furen]

Ok, I definitely agree with Kit. EUTHANIZE THAT THING!!! It already had a chance, and you and you're mom's health is more important. Get a kitten or something. Not trying to sound heartless, but just...

What if they don't like cats? I'd still say bring it to the vet, if nothing helps, then putting it down may be a bad option

[Arya Raiin]

I've trained a pyranese before, and they aren't good house dogs. Plus they can be very agressive. They almost act more like a wolf hybrid than a dog, and they don't tend to like human company very much. Not saying that all of them are bad pets, it's just their typical nature.

From a medical point of view... a chemical imbalance isn't very likely. He could be in pain, but there would be other signs than just agression. Has he been marking the house a lot?

Becareful, that dog is big enough to kill you if you aren't careful around him.

If I was you, I'd have him put down. No question about it. He's too dangerous to keep around a family. If you wanted to try, you could hire a professional dog trainer. Keep him away from the family until you do that or have him put down. I know it's sad, but you don't want anyone to get seriously hurt by him.

[Sheenar]

Yes, if the dog is causing bodily injury to human beings and is of that sort of temperament to bite like what you are describing, euthanasia may be the best option --it would prevent people from getting hurt/your family being held liable for it (in many areas, if a dog bites and injures a human being ONE time, it is labeled a "dangerous dog" and put down by authorities). It wouldn't mean you don't love the dog, or that you gave up on the dog --this really seems to have become a huge safety issue for you and your mom.

A Pyr is a huge dog capable of inflicting some serious damage. It really sounds like this dog is not sound temperamentally.