Hello, There is training that can help in the case of aggression in adult dogs in many cases. There can be cases that are based in genetic disorders like rage syndrome, but most of the time aggression in adults is due to fear, a lack of respect or trust toward the owner, a need for socialization or desensitization, resource guarding or territorial behavior, ect... When the aggression is behavior based, then behavior modification can be effective. With an adult dog opposed to a puppy the training is often much longer and more in depth than it would have been preventatively with a puppy, so its important to find a trainer who has a lot of experience with aggression specifically, to accurately assess what's driving the aggressive behavior, come up with a treatment plan that can be tailored to the dog's needs and your training goals, and who will take precautions to keep everyone safe while training. Teaching an adult dog not to bite is different than addressing puppy biting and needs to be addressed differently also. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

April 25, 2023

Hello, Check out the article linked below. Starting today, use the "Bite Inhibition" method. BUT at the same time, begin teaching "Leave It" from the "Leave It" method. As soon as pup is good as the Leave It game, start telling pup to "Leave It" when she attempts to bite or is tempted to bite. Reward pup if she makes a good choice. If she disobeys your leave it command, use the Out command from the second article linked below to make her leave the area as a consequence. The order or all of this is very important - the Bite Inhibition method can be used for the next couple of weeks while pup is learning leave it, but leave it will teach pup to stop the biting entirely. The Out method teaches pup that you mean what you say without being overly harsh - but because you have taught pup to leave it first, pup clearly understands that you are not just playing (which is what pup probably thinks most of the time right now), so it is more effective. https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bite Out - which means leave the area, is also a good command for you to use if pup bites the kids. Check out the section on Using Out to Deal with Pushy Behavior for how to calmly enforce that command once it's taught. https://www.petful.com/behaviors/how-to-teach-a-dog-the-out-command/ Another important part of this is puppy learning bite inhibition. Puppies have to learn while young how to control the pressure of their mouths - this is typically done through play with other puppies. See if there is a puppy class in your area that comes well recommended and has time for moderated off-leash puppy play. If you can't join a class, look for a free puppy play group, or recruit some friends with puppies to come over if you can and create your own group. You are looking for puppies under 6 months of age - since young puppies play differently than adult dogs. Right now, an outside class may be best in a fenced area, or letting friends' pups play in someone's fence outside. Moderate the puppies' play and whenever one pup seems overwhelmed or they are all getting too excited, interrupt their play, let everyone calm down, then let the most timid pup go first to see if they still want to play - if they do, then you can let the other puppies go too when they are waiting for permission. Finding a good puppy class - no class will be ideal but here's what to shoot for: https://www.petful.com/behaviors/puppy-classes-when-to-start/ When pup gets especially wound up, she probably needs a nap too. At this age puppies will sometimes get really hyper when they are overtired or haven't had any mental stimulation through something like training. When you spot that and think pup could be tired, place pup in their crate or an exercise pen with a food stuffed Kong for a bit to help her calm down and rest. Practicing regular obedience commands or having pup earn what they get by performing commands like Sit and Down before feeding, petting, tossing a toy, opening the door for a walk, ect... can also help stimulate pup mentally to increase calmness and wear them out. Commands that practice focus, self-control, and learning something a bit new or harder than before can all tire out puppies. Finally, check out the PDF e-book downloads found on this website, written by one of the founders of the association of professional dog trainers, and a pioneer in starting puppy kindergarten classes in the USA. Click on the pictures of the puppies to download the PDF books: https://www.lifedogtraining.com/freedownloads/ Know that mouthiness at this age is completely normal. It's not fun but it is normal for it to take some time for a puppy to learn self-control well enough to stop. Try not to get discouraged if you don't see instant progress, any progress and moving in the right direction in this area is good, so keep working at it. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

April 10, 2023

Hello Angelica, First, I would have pup on a back tie leash in your feeding area before you ever bring food out, so pup can't reach you while feeding and training to stop the bites through proper safety measures. I would also hire a professional trainer who specializes in behavior issues like aggression to come to your home to work in person to address the aggression. Pup likely needs their overall trust and respect for you build through generally having pup earn everything they want in life by obeying a command like Sit before you give them something - such as a pet, toy toss, treat, walk, ect...As well as some commands to help manage and build respect and trust taught - like Sit, Down, Leave It, Out (leave the area), kennel (go to crate), Drop It, Wait, ect... I would desensitize pup to wearing a basket muzzle gradually using food rewards before starting the obedience training and having pup work for what they want, since pup may bite any time you ask them to do something new or something they don't feel like doing, like get down. I would also address the specific feeding behavior, building trust around food while pup is on a back tie leash and can't get to you to bite them. You will need a trainer's help to do this safely in my opinion. I would have pup's bowl on a leash so you can pull it away without getting too close while pup is tethered. I would feed pup their meals in portions, so you are giving small amounts several times. It would look something like, give 1/5 the meal to pup once they are not behaving aggressively, without getting too close just in case. While pup is eating sit far enough away pup isn't acting tense around you. Toss treats that are lot better than pup's current food at pup's food bowl when pup is relaxed with your presence in the room. After pup finishes the first portion, once the bowl is empty, toss a treat away from the bowl where pup can reach it, to get pup to move away from the bowl. Say Out while you do this, then reel the bowl on the rope back to you. Place the next food portion in it and return to pup carefully using something other than your arm to push it toward pup once pup is not behaving aggressively. Repeat the treat tosses during the meal. Do this until you have fed the entire meal that way in portions. As pup improves, gradually sit closer to pup while they eat and you toss treats. Only toss treats for good responses. Resource guarding is often related to both a lack of trust and a lack of respect. Sometimes the dog has a strong food drive that's part of the reason they guard. Sometimes a dog has experienced with neglect or interactions with people pestering them while eating that caused food aggression, and sometimes there is a lack of respect for the owner and so pup simply doesn't want the person near something they view as their own. For the furniture/lap guarding, I would have pup wear the basket muzzle while home to supervise for a few weeks. Teach pup the Off command, keep a drag leash on pup while home to supervise. When you want pup to get down, command "Off" confidently, then if pup doesn't get off immediately, use the drag leash to quickly move them off the furniture or yourself. With the muzzle on, pup shouldn't be able to bite in protest. If pup gets off on command willingly, then have small treats you keep in a baggie in your pocket, to give to pup as a reward for obedience. You are essentially teaching pup that your rules aren't optional and pup can't use aggression to protest them, but if pup will obey willingly you will make it worth their while - convincing pup that they ought to listen instead. An example of another aggression case with some safety measures like a back tie leash you can see. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgmRRYK1Z6A Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

March 28, 2022