@Saving thank you very much for the suggestions!
A diagnosed biter
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Just FTR, I have been bitten by a dog as I was handing him treats. Something that I learned just recently, is that it is more effective for the owner to feed the dog treats as a stranger approaches. With a dog that is at all questionable, a stranger offering a treat can be really conflicting, and will draw a hungry dog towards something that they would rather move away from.
Oh that's terrible! Certainly, I can see caution in the wind with this experience. Guess you have to know your kids before you'd just let people interact. However, with my two, Duke is an instant friend to whoever has a goody for hiim. That is why I offered this tidbit of social interaction. I liken Sharron's advice to toss a "cookie/treat" to dog. No way for dog to directly come in contact with hand or fingers. I have no experience with raising adult dogs. Both of mine were pups when acquired.
TuckerVA - You have advice here from very experienced trainers - and Basenji owners to boot! You're doing a great job caring for Tucker. Kudos to you for moving forward in seek of the best advice and training you can get. I sense you and Tucker are bonded well together. Prayers that he senses to understand your mission for him to have a good, happy and continued life with you.
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I must tell you, having been learning about dogs that are "reactive"…things you don't even notice can set them off.
Like someone leaning over to greet them, instead of standing up straight, can set a dog off.
Someone with a smell the dog has as a bad one...that type of thing...can set the dog up to fail and we aren't even aware of it.
I have lived with biting dogs...I tried very hard to keep them from "issues" that would set them off...but if you don't know, then its tough.
I really do suggest you get a professional dog behaviorist who work only in positive ways and have them come eval your boy. -
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I would give your dog the chance to have a behaviorist/trainer work with him for a couple of months.
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I dont think Cesar is a harsh trainer with all the dogs. I have been watching all the episodes an his style varies from each situation. For example just the other day I saw an episode with a Shiba Inu he barely touched and he was very gentle. Or the episode where he told the woman she did not need to yell at her dog to get the point across. He can be a gentle trainer if he feels it fits the bill.
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@vstripe:
I dont think Cesar is a harsh trainer with all the dogs. I have been watching all the episodes an his style varies from each situation. For example just the other day I saw an episode with a Shiba Inu he barely touched and he was very gentle. Or the episode where he told the woman she did not need to yell at her dog to get the point across. He can be a gentle trainer if he feels it fits the bill.
I do think that Cesar has a lot of common sense advice for dog owners, and a few useful techniques for the type of training I like to teach. But it is absolutely punishment based training…that works great for a lot of dogs. Not for most Basenjis, though. I would much rather go with a reward based training program, you can get the same results, and have a dog that respects you because all good things comd from you, not because they are afraid of you.
The shows that I have watched are heavily edited to make every case a happy ending...remember, it is TV you don't see what training techniques are used when the camera is off. I suspect Cesar has made an effort to appear "more gentle" because he is receiving so much criticism from the more progressive positive reinforcement training community; and because his main TV star competition, Tamar Gellar is gaining great notoriaty as a gentle, and effective trainer.
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Am I to understand that Tucker had bitten three different people and BRAT adopted him out anyway?
The information that BRAT received/I saw on the site, was that he had only bitten one person, a 14yo boy. When I emailed the previous owner yesterday, I think she slipped up because she made reference to Tucker biting a 10yo boy AND her husband. I have mixed feelings about the previous owners. They had Tucker for 3 years so I would ASSUME that they dealt with him okay. If you're not B material, you know pretty much right away!
Apparently, the biting was enough for them to put him up for adoption to 'protect' their baby to be. I emailed with her extensively initially, before and after I picked Tucker up. It was always that he had only been one person. (Mind you, she also told me Tucker could only go 5 or 6 hours before he had to go out to take a leak, I've had him go up to 14hrs now (example: 7pm until 9am next morning, not 14 hours of awake time).I imagine that BRAT didn't get all of the facts, at least not the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, if you get my drift…and I imagine there is some level of embellishment from the previous owner who wants to get rid of the dog.
I think there is a bit of a disconnect with BRAT, but it's understandable. While a noble organization, they simply don't have staffing required for every interviewer to know every dog and what goes on in the foster homes. Tucker isn't going to bite you once he's been introduced properly. Therefore, the fosterer's experience is that Tucker is not a biter. Therefore, the fosterer only knows what the previos owner tells them. Therefore, the person who interviewed me only knows what the fosterer knows and what the previous owner has told them. By the time the information gets to me, its saturated and probably 'not a big issue since it was an isolated incident'...
So, to answer your question, YES! BRAT adopted him out anyway.
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So all of you want to protect a dog who has bitten on previous occasions by not socializing him?? Sorry, doesn't make sense to me-as I said this was in MY opinion, without seeing the dog, and I DID say he should see a behaviourist-not a trainer-two different people. A trainer will correct the behaviour-a behaviourist will figure out what the behaviour is caused from and figure out a way to alleviate the root of the problem.
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Sorry I have to disagree with you guys on this one. I don't think to keep this dog unsocialized is a good thing it will make him more aggreesive not to see other people. As I said-a behaviourist should be consulted not a trainer. A trainer will try to train the behaviour out of the dog. A behaviourist will try to find out what the problem is and address the problem.
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So all of you want to protect a dog who has bitten on previous occasions by not socializing him?? Sorry, doesn't make sense to me-as I said this was in MY opinion, without seeing the dog, and I DID say he should see a behaviourist-not a trainer-two different people. A trainer will correct the behaviour-a behaviourist will figure out what the behaviour is caused from and figure out a way to alleviate the root of the problem.
In my experience, this problem isn't about socialization. I have a dog like this…she was very well socialized as a puppy, she is very well bred, she has a temperament problem...it happens. About 90% of the people she meets she is great with...it is the 10% that scares me...and I can't predict when it will happen. Usually she will bite when she feels cornered, or in danger. She has improved with training...but I still don't trust her when meeting new people, I doubt I ever will.
I don't disagree with your assertion that these type of dogs can improve with a good behaviorist, and management and training plan...that is absolutely true. But it is my feeling that these dogs will never be "fixed"..there will always be the possibility that they will use their mouths again.
Dogs like this usually blossom with experienced trainers, or people that totally commit to become aggression experts. They aren't suitable pets for your average person who just wants a nice dog. As you know, there are no quick fixes for this type of situation, it is a lifelong commitment from the owner...and left with no intervention it only gets worse.
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Absolutely true, Andrea! I guess this is what I am getting at also. To not do anything would not be right either. If you truly want to manage this dog it is a commitment and it will never be a pet. But this can be a managed dog. But I still feel to not socialize this dog and to keep this dog "hidden" would not help the situation.
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You all have some very good advice. I have watched Ceaser and agree and disagree with his methods, but they always seem to work out nicely on TV.
TuckerVA-please don't take this the wrong way, but if he is biting all these people, why is he exposed to so many? I think every interaction with a person should be very controlled and so that he feel calm and comfortable. If people are over and you can not keep him close to you and away from others then he should be put up where he feels safe. I agree that he feel stresses when approached and bites as a reaction that has worked in the past. Only allowing him to approach people on his terms would be the best way to start until he feels comfortable. I think it will take a very long time to correct this behavior and he should be kept where he feels safe.As far as BRAT or any other rescue org, they can only deal with what they are told and what they personally experience.
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Absolutely...and I never intended to imply that the dog should be hidden. But there are some situations with my girl when she is put in a crate in a room with a locked door...for instance when my son (3) has friends over. I can't take the risk that she will bite, and she very well might, in this situation. Or when we have 20+ people and their dogs over for Christmas...most of our dogs go to a spare room during this time. It is too much for them.
But, I digress. Ivy can go for walks anywhere, she can go to training classes, she goes to the vet and the kennel and does just fine....people can visit our house and meet her (if they want to)...but these are all things that I manage very carefully, I can't take my attention off of her. And I don't allow strangers to reach for her...period. -
Too true Andrea-I have to manage Shadow the same way most of the time he is fine, but there are times when he gets over stimulated or someone comes in (usually men) and he must be removed from the situation.
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TuckerVA-please don't take this the wrong way, but if he is biting all these people, why is he exposed to so many? I think every interaction with a person should be very controlled and so that he feel calm and comfortable. If people are over and you can not keep him close to you and away from others then he should be put up where he feels safe. I agree that he feel stresses when approached and bites as a reaction that has worked in the past. Only allowing him to approach people on his terms would be the best way to start until he feels comfortable. I think it will take a very long time to correct this behavior and he should be kept where he feels safe.
Don't worry, it's all good, I know everyone is simply here to help… As for exposing him to so many situations - you might want to read this thread more carefully and my other thread, referenced in a previous post in THIS thread, about each individual situation. But in summary, he has only bitten about 3-4 people in a year while he was being managed by me. He bit me the first day I had him because I took something away from him he had stolen and this was all prior to me 'knowing' my dog. He's bitten a few friends who treated him like any other dog, most happened in the first month, again, before I truly knew my dog. I think any person, B experienced or not, would chaulk up a couple bites the first couple of days to stress involved with relocation, new environment, strange people and strange situations... My dog walker was briefed on his behavior when I interviewed her. Under her care, he bit two people. I had a sit down with her to reiterate what she needs to do and what I am liable for should she fail. And I wasn't all that kind with her to the point she quit on me and I had to beg to get her back. At least 2-3 times, I wasn't even around. My previous roommate brought a child into our home unbeknownst to me, the child messed with the dog and got bit. I left him with my parents for an HOUR and during that hour, my stepbrother showed up (again, I didn't know he was coming) and when he left, he tried to push Tucker back into the house as Tucker tried to escape, he pushed Tucker back. Finally, the most recent was after Tucker has exhibited a lot of improvement. He was introduced to a stranger on the street VERY slowly (maybe over a 20 minute period of chatting) and initially he allowed this stranger to pet him. It was the second time she reached for him, offering her hand first, that he bit her. So I HAVE NOT exposed Tucker to 11 situations in which he was prone to bite. Simply stated, I am can only rely on my walker to do as I have asked her to (no contact with human or dog, which she now has drilled into her head). When I am away from home, I can only hope that noone will unexpectedly arrive and if they do, that the people I left him with will do as I have asked them to. ALL of my friends are new aware of Tucker's behavior and ALL of them have an amicable relationship with him.
As far as BRAT or any other rescue org, they can only deal with what they are told and what they personally experience.
Understood, but the question was posed to me, I only answered based on what I knew.
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Most of the sbiting incidents sound situational. Each is an individual situation and with too much stimulation. EG. New people, new environment, child could have been screeching which could have irritated the dog, new hands on him (stepbrother pushing him back and stimulated from having step brother in house) stranger reaching for dog a second time. Sometimes dogs have reached their point in the stimulation world very quickly and need to recoup. Just a thought too keep in mind when new things happen or things happen too quickly for Tucker.
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It doesn't really matter who or why in this situation. You have to take steps, whatever they are, from keeping him from biting anybody else, and practicing the behavior (emotion) that leads up to the biting.
Again, if a behaviorist is out of financial reach, I would recommend The Culture Clash, by Jean Donaldson; and Click to Calm, by Emma Parsons. Both are available on Amazon.com or dogwise.com
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It doesn't really matter who or why in this situation. You have to take steps, whatever they are, from keeping him from biting anybody else, and practicing the behavior (emotion) that leads up to the biting.
Again, if a behaviorist is out of financial reach, I would recommend The Culture Clash, by Jean Donaldson; and Click to Calm, by Emma Parsons. Both are available on Amazon.com or dogwise.com
I agree, you have taken the steps to manage the situation… which is a good thing.
I agree also with the more you learn the better you can continue to mange the situation
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I wanted to tell you how I admire your commitment to this boy.
You might always have to run interference for him, but your caring, well it could work.
I would again suggest you get a pro in to eval him.
I know you want him to be the very best dog he can be…with your care, he will be.
Oh, with my biting basenji, I used baby gates.
New folks who came in, or with kids, the basenji was behind the babygate.
He could see the folks, they could greet him, even treat him, but he knew he was safe and they were safe.
It was a small step that worked for us. -
I have baby gates.
Typically, when I have company I pick him up and hold him until the person or the people are inside and settled. I use the gate for pizza deliveries or for company that will only chat at the door. There is a problem with the bars, though. He's more aggressive when behind them so I've stopped using that as a method of isolation while people are over. If anyone comes near the gate, he growls at them and is especially menacing if anyone leans over the gate or reaches over the gate. He even growls at me when I reach over. He certainly doesn't like to be trapped in a corner! The gates, unfortunately, isolate the kitchen, which is a high traffic area - especially when friends are over. He stays on the balcony during the days, so if I have company and am worried about his actions, I just put him out there and put the blockade thingy in the doggie door.
