[leeh1317]

I rescued a Chinese Crested Powder Puff about a year ago. She was removed from a basement along with 20 other small dogs. They lived in the basement, with no light, and no fresh air. The basement was where they went to the bathroom, ate, and bred. I took her home about 2 weeks after she was removed from the situation (the organization that removed her thinks she lived there for her entire 6 years). For the first few months, she was scared of everything, including me. She would freeze, like a statue, whenever I had to pick her up. As time passed, she started to like the air outside and all the smells. She started to walk on her own outside, and eventually her tail came up, and she started walking with confidence. She started to slowly gain my trust. She learned to let me brush her, and clean her eyes. She became visibly happy when I would return from an outing.

At first, I had no problems picking her up to go outside, or putting her leash and harness on...but as time went on, she became aggressive towards me when it was time to go out. Other times that she snaps at me are when I try to remove her from the bed, like if I am trying to make it...or if I am brushing her hair, and I get a snarl (which I understand, because that hurts!). Basically anything that annoys her, she bites in reaction to it....and she bites hard. Most of the time I avoid it, by pulling away...but at least once a month, she gets me good. I always say NO BITE when she does it, but that doesn't help. The only way around it, is to use treats to get her leash on...or treats to get her off the bed. I see this as a temporary fix, and something that doesn't address the real problem.

I love her so much, but her behavior makes me so sad...not only because I get physically hurt, but also because I want her to overcome these issues, so she can be a happier dog. Some people have told me that she may be to far gone, to fix this...I am not sure I believe it. Any advice is welcome. Her name is Hazel, and there is a pic below:

[suebgone]

she is adorable & that always makes it harder. she is also not a chinese crested, but that really makes no difference.

ask your vet if there is a reputable behavorist in your area & have her evaluated.

I do not see a happy ending to this story unfortunately. I have a lot of experience with puppy mill dogs, most do not suceed in homes unless they were not in the mill very long.

good luck

[leeh1317]

hey there...thanks for your note. ...ive taken her to several vets and all have confirmed that she is a chinese crested...she just isn't groomed like one in this picture....regardless of the breed, i appreciate your kind note...and ive been searching for a behaviorist in my area....and at least she can be comfortable, clean, and loved for the remainder of her life...thats how i see it take care.

[poodlehels]

hi,
in my experiance the reason that fearful dogs start to bite is because at some point they lashed out at someone who was doing something which they did not like and the person then stopped doing whatever it was. this then teaches the dog that by biting you you will stop, unfortunately sometimes the only way to get an animal out of biting is two persist in tasks no matter how much you are bitten this may mean you need very thick gloves.
i know from experiance that this can be both physically and mentally painful but in the end the animal should learn that there is no point in lashing out at you and will stop.
for example if you touch the animal and it growls increase the pressure (not cruelly) do not draw your hand away, this will be very unexpected to the dog and you could see an instant difference repeating tasks like this will give the dog a hole new perspective on how to behave around humans.
hopefully gaining a new found respect for you, it will believe it or not only increase the bond between you and your dog because the animal should see you as a stronger individual which will protect it.
please dont get yourself unnecessarily injured and to begin with only set yourself small tasks to overcome, such as getting your dog to get off the bed when you want and persist with this untill you can do it with ease and then move on.
i wish you the best of luck

[mightymite]

Please read my post in this thread:

http://www.i-love-dogs.com/forums/do...eedybyb-2.html

Just like what I was describing in the above referenced thread, you have a dog who had a horrible start in life but probably also, for lack of a better way to put it, "bad breeding." It could be one, or the other or both that has led you to having a dog who is a biter. My best advice is that you consult with a proffessional dog behaviorist, or at least, a Certified Dog Trainer and ask foro a full behavioral consultation. Such a professional will be able to write up a rehabilitation program and will be able to give you a professional assesment of the liklihood that a rehabillitation program will be successful. I tend to shy from giving advice on boards to people who have dogs who are biting - without seeing the interaction and knowing your own personal comfort with dealing with the aggression, coupled with your home and family dynamics, there are too many contingencies and things I could get 'wrong" which might make the situation worse - not better.

Here are some resources to help you:

International Association of Applied Animal Behavior Consultants:
International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants at IAABC.org

Applied Animal Behaviorists
Public Directory of Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists: Dec 2006 — Applied Animal Behavior at ABS

[lil mutt]

shes cute... i hope you can solve her behavior problem...

[leeh1317]

Originally Posted by mightymite

Please read my post in this thread:

http://www.i-love-dogs.com/forums/do...eedybyb-2.html

Just like what I was describing in the above referenced thread, you have a dog who had a horrible start in life but probably also, for lack of a better way to put it, "bad breeding." It could be one, or the other or both that has led you to having a dog who is a biter. My best advice is that you consult with a proffessional dog behaviorist, or at least, a Certified Dog Trainer and ask foro a full behavioral consultation. Such a professional will be able to write up a rehabilitation program and will be able to give you a professional assesment of the liklihood that a rehabillitation program will be successful. I tend to shy from giving advice on boards to people who have dogs who are biting - without seeing the interaction and knowing your own personal comfort with dealing with the aggression, coupled with your home and family dynamics, there are too many contingencies and things I could get 'wrong" which might make the situation worse - not better.

Here are some resources to help you:

International Association of Applied Animal Behavior Consultants:
International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants at IAABC.org

Applied Animal Behaviorists
Public Directory of Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists: Dec 2006 — Applied Animal Behavior at ABS

thanks for your kind response. I have an upcoming appointment with a vet that specializes in behaviorial issues. I recently bought protective gloves that i wear and i do desensitizing excercises with my dog. it also helps because her biting me does not prevent me from stopping the action at hand...so in her mind, biting isnt as effective anymore. hopefully she can be heped so that she can enjoy life more, and not feel so stressed all the time.