[Gayla W]

Hi Everyone,
I've been reading here for a few months now, trying to find some help with my pup. Some background on me- I've always
had dogs. Since 2017, I've lost two Yorkies and a Maltese all three made it to 16yrs old and they were all male.. Never had any problems with those wonderful fur babies, they were so easy going. So, I've never dealt with a dog that growls and bites and am wondering if it's a female trait in a dog.

I rescued a mixed breed female about 17lbs 3 years ago and haven't had any issues with her other than she is not a "lap" dog. So, I got a puppy in Oct 2021, hoping she would be like the other dogs and want to be with me as much as possible....and she does. I got her when she was 12 weeks old, she is a Malti-Poo. Weighed 2lbs when I got her and now weighs almost 5lbs.

She was spayed at 6 months. Love her so much EXCEPT when I got her she didn't like to be brushed, she would growl and try to bite. I took it slow and now I am able to brush her. She went to the groomer last month and I did warn the groomer about her temperament. The groomer told me "she wasn't terrible", LOL.

Here is my issue with the her. If she doesn't like something; ex- like putting a sweater on when it's 20 degrees out, she will get growl and try to bite, but I continue on. I don't want her to think if she growls and bites she won't have to wear the sweater. When it's all done she's back to her sweet loving self, trying to give sugars. But I am worried about this aggressiveness. No problem trying to take food or toys from her. It's grooming, dressing and sometimes when she's in the bed sleeping and gets jilted or moved.

Sorry this is so long.

 

[BigBlackDog]

Have you done any training with her? I'm a firm believer that training, actually teaching the dog that learning is fun and rewarding, goes a long way toward avoiding these kinds of behaviors. It builds trust, and it shows the dog that they can trust you...provided you act trustworthy!

 

[DogRun]

I’d tackle this with training too, a lot of it has to do with trust and confidence. I like to teach consensual handling as a skill, starting slowly, going at the dog’s pace. I actually found that with my own dogs and the ones we were pet-sitting, things went faster if I allowed them to “opt out” and show me when they were ready.

Also worth checking for pain or sensitive spots. Ruling out physical problems is always wise.

Consider using equipment that is requires minimal handling until your dog learns to accept more: coats vs. sweaters etc.

 

[JoanneF]

It seems to be based on handling - grooming, dressing etc.

By powering through, the message that actually is giving her is that although she is communicating she doesn’t like it, you are going to do it anyway. I’d put money on her having given more subtle signals before she got to the aggression, but you haven’t seen them (or in her view, disregarded them) so she is having to be clearer by ‘shouting louder’.

She is young, so it would be well worth putting the effort into counter conditioning her to handling - she has a lot of it ahead. So for grooming, I’d suggest that if her tolerance is 15 seconds, you groom her for 10 seconds then reward - before she gets mouthy - and take a break. And very slowly build up.

Similarly with the coat, depending on how you put it on her, lay it on her back, reward and remove. Or if it is an over the head one, put it close to her head, reward and remove. Then after some repetitions offer a reward through the head hole, and remove the coat. And again build up. Basically, going very, very slowly and building up.

Don’t expect this to be a quick fix, take your time. But it is an investment of your time, if you don’t put the time in now you will be battling with her for years.

I‘d also suggest looking at Chirag Patel’s bucket game which helps with consensual handling. This looks long, but it’s in several chapters so you don’t need to view it all at once.

 

[Gayla W]

Thanks, for the replies! I have worked on training such as sitting for a treat and leash walking.

I wrote in my original post when I started brushing her which was when I got her, she (Zola) hated it. She will now sit and let me put her hair in a top knot w/o any fuss, because she knows the reward is a treat She is tolerant of having me do her nails to a point. I always promise a treat and give her one.

I did consider something being wrong, I checked her over and had the vet check her also. She got a clean bill of health. The sweater, I don't know, my other dog Gabby loves her sweater, so when Gabby gets hers on Zola runs over, but then gets fussy when it's her turn. I wish we could do w/o the sweater right now, but the groomer went way too short on her hair and it has been unseasonably cold here

I will check out the Bucket Game.