My Dobie

borinqueno3

New Member
Hello,

I have a 10 month female named Shiloh. She has tried to bite our family members three times now, while been petted and one time she was looking at my wife and growling in her face. She tried to bite me in the face last night. These were not playful bites, they were aggressive moves. What should I do?
 
First thing that comes to mind is, Wow. A 10month old that is aggressive to the family that has raised her from a pup?.???

You stated “face” two times. Y’all need to stop putting your face in the area of danger. I don’t expect Ragnar to bite my face but as same time I don’t put myself in vulnerable positions either.

Some dogs don’t like to be petted on top their heads. Mine don’t, he is quick to whip his snout around and knock my hand off and position his head over my hand as for me to pet his neck or underside. He does not bite or growl at me though.

Aggressively bite and growling tells me there is a major dominance issue going on or she has issues of injury or pain. Rule out the dominance issue by making sure you are the alpha of the house, if this is not it then a visit to the vet is necessary to rule out a health issue.

Please be more specific with the situations you stated above.
 
Hi and welcome!

Well, hmm. If you have such a young Dobe and she is already acting this way, something if definitely off.

How has life been otherwise with her? Does she seem stable and happy? Is she unpredictable in other ways? At what age did you get her? Have you done any training with her to show her that all the humans in the home are her boss?

It's always possible she something that is physically causing her pain – something wrong that it's hard to tell. Dogs hide pain very well sometimes but may lash out because of it. A veterinary visit might be wise here.

If she has had a good life so far (as in, you didn't rescue her from an abusive situation or something like that) and there is nothing wrong with her physically, it is possible you have a Dobe with an unstable temperament. I had one with a problem, but the signs didn't show up until much later – when he was full sized – but he would get aggressive unpredictably despite a stable, loving, structured life with plenty of training.
 
You stated “face” two times. Y’all need to stop putting your face in the area of danger. I don’t expect Ragnar to bite my face but as same time I don’t put myself in vulnerable positions either.

Some dogs don’t like to be petted on top their heads. Mine don’t, he is quick to whip his snout around and knock my hand off and position his head over my hand as for me to pet his neck or underside. He does not bite or growl at me though.
Good point. And, along this same line of thought: It is a bad idea (I'm not saying you're doing this necessarily) to allow a dog to assume a physical position higher than you. Do not lay down on the floor with the dog in the room. Do not let the dog put its head/neck higher than yours. Watch for it. Do not let the dog on the furniture or beds. Sorry, but there need to be some hard and fast rules – especially since there is clearly a big problem happening here.
 
We have her since she was 6 weeks old. She has gotten nothing but love with us. The times she snapped, she was the one that came to us for affection. We have taken her to the vet for her regular check ups and vaccinations and everything was fine then. This behavior started after her first heat. The first time she tried to bite she was laying on the floor and I was petting her. With my wife she was sitting in the couch were my wife was sitting watching tv when she starter looking at my wife and growling. After some of those instances I told my kids not to put their faces close to hers, and of course I broke that rule and last night she snapped at my face as I was removing it.
 
I also wonder if (just asking) you are interpreting normal puppy biting and playing as aggression.
 
I would start her training in a club type setting if possible. This way she will learn proper behavior as well as being socialized with other dogs and people. It also will form a strong bond with you while she is learning who the alpha is!
 
I play with her and this was not puppy play, this was real aggression.
You might want to not "play" with her, if that means wresting around or things like that – especially given the problems you are experiencing. There are plenty of ways to provide your Dobe play, exercise and stimulation that do not include play wrastlin' or thing of that nature.

I would avoid any tug play. Later on, after this is under control, you can play tug with an article such as a rag or rope toy, but you control it. You have her wait to take a bite until you issue the command. You have her release the bite immediately upon your command (Unless your intention is to promote effective biting/gripping and confidence, in which case you would let her "win" the article upon achieving suitable aggressive tugging/gripping. But even at that, you let her have her prize for a minute, then you issue the command to drop it and stop touching it so you can pick it up and take possession of it. You determine when the play is over).
 
You might want to not "play" with her, if that means wresting around or things like that – especially given the problems you are experiencing. There are plenty of ways to provide your Dobe play, exercise and stimulation that do not include play wrastlin' or thing of that nature.

I would avoid any tug play. Later on, after this is under control, you can play tug with an article such as a rag or rope toy, but you control it. You have her wait to take a bite until you issue the command. You have her release the bite immediately upon your command (Unless your intention is to promote effective biting/gripping and confidence, in which case you would let her "win" the article upon achieving suitable aggressive tugging/gripping. But even at that, you let her have her prize for a minute, then you issue the command to drop it and stop touching it so you can pick it up and take possession of it. You determine when the play is over).
I don't play that way with her. What I do is throw stuff so she can go get it. Thanks!
 
We have her since she was 6 weeks old. She has gotten nothing but love with us. The times she snapped, she was the one that came to us for affection. We have taken her to the vet for her regular check ups and vaccinations and everything was fine then. This behavior started after her first heat.
Seems to me like 6 weeks is a bit young but I'm on my first Dobe so someone else can correct this if I'm wrong. I know most of us got ours at age 8 weeks. The littermates learn bite inhibition from their regular rough play with each other and the mother also corrects them. Just something to keep in the back of your mind as you work through this.

So she came to you for affection...did she just walk up or did she nudge your hands? If nudging, that's being demanding and shouldn't be rewarded with a pet.

It seems the females do show some extra snappy behavior around heats, but others with females can comment more around that.

Re the vet, a full thyroid panel would be required to detect imbalances leading to aggression, but first, I'd run a tighter ship at home. If she can't be nice while on the couch, remove couch privileges.
 
Seems to me like 6 weeks is a bit young but I'm on my first Dobe so someone else can correct this if I'm wrong. I know most of us got ours at age 8 weeks. The littermates learn bite inhibition from their regular rough play with each other and the mother also corrects them. Just something to keep in the back of your mind as you work through this.

So she came to you for affection...did she just walk up or did she nudge your hands? If nudging, that's being demanding and shouldn't be rewarded with a pet.

It seems the females do show some extra snappy behavior around heats, but others with females can comment more around that.

Re the vet, a full thyroid panel would be required to detect imbalances leading to aggression, but first, I'd run a tighter ship at home. If she can't be nice while on the couch, remove couch privileges.
I did get her at 8 weeks (6 was typo). She did not nudge she came to me. My wife and I spoke about this, I purchased a muzzle from Amazon last night and revoked the dog's couch privilege. I am going to take her to a trainer to see if that helps. Thanks!
 
We got our last 2 dobies at 6 weeks, that has nothing to do with aggressive behavior. I would get some professional help like youre doing with a trainer if you dont feel capable of handling this behavior. Sounds like a pack leader situation to me.
 
Interesting that you say she got aggressive after her first heat. Is it possible she is experiencing or experienced a false pregnancy or something along those lines. I don’t have experience with this sort of thing but maybe something to look into.

I believe @Doberman Gang Prada went through a false pregnancy.
 
This would drive me nuts. No pet should be snapping at its owner, let alone a 10 month old. :nono: It's very hard to NOT be afraid when that happens. But to show fear will accelerate the situation.

As long as she was checked out physically and has no pain or false pregnancy, I'd do this:
but first, I'd run a tighter ship at home. If she can't be nice while on the couch, remove couch privileges.
I'd do this immediately! Go back to NILIF (Nothing In Life Is Free) Think of her like you would a child. If your child came up to and back talked in your face, first off, you wouldn't back down in fear. Second, you would probably stand up and look large and mean. :tap::tap: AND you would be taking away privileges. Real quick! You don't have to yell, hit or anything. Just LOOK the part!
CesarMillan_Dog-Whisperer.jpg

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I would have given her that 'look' and taken her off the couch! And mean it. Don't give her anything without your permission. Make her sit and stay before giving her food, letting her out the door, etc. Take back your power.

Getting a muzzle can be a good precaution, but its not the answer. Being leader is the answer. She is still a 'child'. Teach her now while she's still young(ish) or you will have a teenage bully on your hands.
 

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