Please help…Tosca nipped at my 8 wk old!
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Hi again everyone :)
Thank you for taking the time to respond and help us with our problem. I am going to at least call and speak with a trainer, and go from there. However, I have some questions, as I have no ideas how trainers work, Tosca is my first dog, and we have never had reason to consider a trainer before. I know several people with other dogs, but none that have used trainers, so when it comes to them, I am pretty ignorant on the subject.1.) How do you know a trainer is reputable? I don't have anyone to go to for references in this area.
2.) I doubt any of them in Sheboygan have experience with Basenjis, do you think this will be a problem?
3.) What will a trainer do? Will he/she teach me how to manage Tosca, or will he/she work with Tosca and try to fix the problem for us?
4.) What if Tosca doesn't display the aggressive behavior/problem when the trainer is here? That is most likely to be the case, since we have had her 3 years and she's growled a total of 3 times ever.
Thanks again for your help…I agree with most of what everyone had to say, and to hear it now it seems very obvious we need to do something now, not when a problem gets worse. There are simple things I can now see to do, like not letting Tosca near when we are nursing. They are obvious, but I never had the need to worry about it before, which is why I allowed it to happen. That will change now, though. There are, however, a few things I want to respond to...not that they matter so much, but things I want to clarify, because I feel they are misunderstood. I am not trying to be snarky, but just want to be able to defend myself a bit :)
"you don't want to scold a dog for growling." We did not scold Tosca for growling. I did make the mistake of ignoring her growl, as she makes a similar noise when she is happy, and I misread that. I completely agree that it is not good to scold a dog for growling, and I am glad she displayed that warning sign, I just regret not reading it correctly.
"Certainly if you, or your husband continue to handle it in the manner you did (scold her (well after the fact I might add) then put her outside) you will actually increase the odds that this will continue and will probably escalate to a bite which breaks skin." He did scold her, and put her outside for about 20 min, but it was immediately after the incident occured. Tosca nipped, I grabbed Colton away, and he came right over and dealt with Tosca.
Also, while he may not have acted completely appropriately, this has worked with Tosca in the past. I disagree with negative reinforcement also, and we have argued about this when we first got her, but I have to admit it gets him results. Tosca respects him, listens to him, and does not get into mischief when he is around, therefore he rarely has to do that with her. She is also not afraid of him a bit, loves him, cuddles with him all the time, and has never growled at him once. It's hard for me to argue when it worked so well for him, even if I choose not to behave the same way :)"The question begs - why was the dog put at risk? By that I mean - why do you have a prized possession (a rawhide) accessible to a toddling nephew who has no respect and certainly no concept of boundaries in the same room, or area, as the dog whose prized possession it is? You are asking for trouble." The reason we allowed this was because we had done it in the past before with no problems…however, I agree it was not a smart move, and we have never allowed anything like it since..I agree we need to make sure we don't set Tosca up for failure :)
Thanks again everyone for your input, I greatly appreciate it!
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I also just wanted to quickly add that Tosca has only growled at people 3 times, and this is in 3 years that we've had her. Once, when we first got her and I tried to move her while sleeping, the time with my nephew and the rawhide (probably 2 yrs ago), and then last night. This includes many times where my nieces/nephews (4 of them under the age of 6) have run around with her, touching her, and getting in her space. She always wags her tail, licks them, and loves the attention. Adults are watching the entire time, but since we have had no problems (other than the rawhide, but that was our fault for allowing my nephew to go near her while she had a valued treat), I didn't anticipate her growling at us last night. However, I know growling of any kind is not ok, and I don't want more incidences to happen as Colton gets older, so I do know the issue needs to be addressed and taken care of :)
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You can also try this website to look for a trainer. There are some in NE WI but I didn't see many really close to your area.
I found a trainer for my brother in another state on this site. They were having some issues as well with their dog when they brought the new baby home. I was able to get some references for this trainer which helped my confidence in the choice.
Good luck! Doing something now will definitely help.
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The site that Clay posted is a good one. The Certification Council for Pet Dog Trainers is a good organization with well defined requirements for certification. I would definately second the recommendation to start your search there.
1.) How do you know a trainer is reputable? I don't have anyone to go to for references in this area.
See above, finding a trainer with CPDT certification is a good start in finding a knowledgable, experienced dog trainer.
2.) I doubt any of them in Sheboygan have experience with Basenjis, do you think this will be a problem?
I don't think it is a problem. What you really want to find is a trainer who uses positive reinforcement techniques and hopefully has experience working with families.
3.) What will a trainer do? Will he/she teach me how to manage Tosca, or will he/she work with Tosca and try to fix the problem for us?
A good trainer will work with you to design a plan to help you and Tosca make this adjustment. It will probably have several parts to it, like working on specific skills and making modifications to your behavior and Tosca's to set everyone up for success.
4.) What if Tosca doesn't display the aggressive behavior/problem when the trainer is here? That is most likely to be the case, since we have had her 3 years and she's growled a total of 3 times ever.
That is okay, a trainer should still be able to help you develop a plan to help Tosca feel more comfortable.
I also want to add that growling isn't inherently bad, it is just information.
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I agree, growling should neither be rewarded or punished, it is telling you that she is not happy and distressed, especially as she is not a regular growler. It gives you the chance to de-escalate the situation and be sure everyone is safe and comfortable.
A good trainer will teach you, they won't have to necessarily see it.
