Sudden biting

[mitchwright69]

Hi
Can anyone help, 2 weeks ago i rescued a 4 year old rottweiler, who was going insane in the kennels, he was found as a stray and was starved.
The kennel staff loved him and had no problem with him. He had to be rehomed as an only dog due to him not wanting to share his food.
He has settled in beautifully, and is a gorgeous dog.
He knows all his commands, sit down, stay, come, leave drop etc, we take him for a total of 3hrs plus walk a day and play ball in the garden. He walks beautiful, no pulling, no agression towards anyone etc, until the other day when i was putting on my shoes and he was excited and jumping around and then he bit me on my arm, not hard but enough for me to feel, i screamed ow and sent him out the room. At the time i thought it was just because he was excited. Then a few days later when i wasnt at home, my partner was stroking him while he was laying down and wen he went to stroke his head he slightly barked and bit him on the hand. And again this morning after my partner had taken him for a walk and was back in the garden, he got all excited jumping and spinning round as he does and bit him on the leg, again not a hard bite but enought to feel.
We have done alot of dominance training with him, like he eats after us, we walk through doors first etc, but as we are still getting to know him we are not sure if he sees us or himself as the leader.
Does anyone have any idea why he has started to bite us? I am very worried now as he is a big dog who we need to be in total control of, my friends and family have children, and i now dont want them to visit as there is no real warning as to when he will bite.
I dont want to return him to the kennel, but if he keeps doing this and i cant correct it i will have no choice.
Thanks Michelle

[nick_j007]

After 2/3 weeks it is common to begin to see some chinks in the dog's behaviour. The dog settles more and is more confident is displaying such behaviour.

Be sure that affection and attention are only given on your say-so...not his.

Avoid stroking top of head for now (although I do accept you should be able to touch him anywhere). I seen a few male Rotties that growled when touched there.

Do ensure that you have full control when he might become excited, such as shoes on time. Make sure he sits and waits as you go about your preparation routine. This is the true test of how obedient and steady he is or can be. Tether him in the home as you prepare if obedience alone cannot control him currently.

Look through my leadership articles (pt.1 &2) to ensure you're doing all you can there. Expert Articles - Dog-Behavior-Training.co.uk Forum

Consider allowing him to drag a lead in the house to enable a swift collection and removal should he show any such behaviour in the future. Give a time out for 60 seconds and then allow back in again as you ignore him initially. repeat as needed.

Do be sure that you are showing him that the house is a place for calm and quiet....not excitability or play. Avoid ball games in the garden and definitely no hyper play in the house.

The incidents you describe do sound excitement based hence the above paragraph. He is also showing some possessive behaviour. By this I mean possessiveness of himself (the head for example) and your opening comment related to food, so we know he can be a 'bit funny'.

Work together very closely to ensure absolute consistency and that you maintain your rule set with him to 'nth degree so he knows his position in the family unit.

Castrate if entire (but I expect he's done).

What are you feeding him?

Remain calm with him, no shouting or anything rough. You can be firm but fair.

Again, watch out for attention seeking, ignore it and walk away. Affection on your terms only. Be sure you both ignore until properly calm on returns to him. Most important.

If he wanted to bite he really would have done so, and you would not be writing this post He may not have learned full bite inhibition however, hence the nips when excited.

Leave a 5 meter line on him (training line from pet shop) when in the garden to enable a swift collect again and to stop such spinning and excess. Garden and home = CALM. Always. If he is really going for it, pick the line up and place a loop of it over a post to tether him and walk away and ignore. Return once calm.

A dog like this should be ok, and I am not unduly alarmed, but you both need to keep sharp and consistent for a few months until you are utterly happy he is calm and understands the drill. Simple as that. You may need to be much more business-like with a dog that has a bit of history and shows the behaviour you have described. Once he gets it all you can relax a little more.

Remember that dogs like black and white, not grey. they like knowing exactly where they stand. More so for a breed like this. Male too. You may have fallen in love with him and in fact let your guard down too much too soon. Gain his respect first, then his love.

If it persists, you will need one to one assistance to enable a proper assessment and plan of action.

Naturally, ensure you stay reward based, so reward what you do want and be sure to practice a calm approach in the home. Call him to you when calm and relaxed to give calm affection...on your terms.

Be sure he sits and waits at the gate as you let him back into the home/garden after a walk, as a dog rushing back in is not conducive to calm behaviour.

How many times have I said calm?

Good luck, keep me posted. I'm away next week btw.

Nick
Alpha Dog Behaviour Home page. Welcome. Dog behaviourist and dog trainer Nick Jones MCFBA.