Adopted a Rescue Dog who has triggers - Advice? (bite, vet, training)
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She stopped giving him treats awhile ago. I hardly give him treats now, only as a snack once a day.
If Jack growls at her when she first arrives I tell him in a gruff sound "bad boy" and he stops. So for an older dog he is learning. That said, I found out more about Jack and his original owner who fed him from her plate which I refuse to do and Jack knows this. I also found out that Jack nipped or bit the previous owner's grandkids, another reason why the previous owner got rid of Jack (the other reason is that the previous owner is sick and couldn't take care of him anymore).
If I didn't rescue him they were going to put Jack to sleep. Jack is a very protective dog and I wish I knew about his history before adopting him. I'm not saying that I wouldn't have adopted him (I probably still would have) but I feel it wasn't right not to tell me.
My concern now is taking him to a groomer to get his nails cut. I can give him a bath, clean his ears and eyes and he doesn't mind that at all.
He has calmed down a lot since I first adopted him and is very lovable and can act very silly.
I would not take him to a groomer to have his nails cut. I would do it yourself and, as with everything with Jack, go slowly. If you are concerned about him biting you, put a muzzle on him. Try to cut one nail. If it upsets him, then stop and try again the next day. Or use a dremel. This is a much better approach for him than a groomer who will probably get the nails cut no matter what.
Also, many shelters don’t give out info about a dog’s past behavior because dogs are different with different owners and because many people won’t adopt dogs with “problem behaviors.” I think that the shelter was trying (in their own way) to save Jack’s life.
First of all thank you for adopting this little guy. He sounds like a wonderful dog who is trying to do his best to adjust to a brand new environment after 10 years. Jack already loves you and is doing his job by protecting you.
The woman who yells at him is displaying energy that will only juice the dog up. He will match her negative energy. Is she afraid of dogs? She needs to, as Caesar says on his show, display calm confident behavior toward him. Have you watched Caesar on Nat Geo. Jack is a dream dog really which you'll realize after you watch that show.
Is it critical that the dog and this woman interact at all? Not sure I wouldn't just put him in his crate before she comes over as I wouldn't be sure of what goes on with them when I'd be out running errands.
Hi, my cat of 16 years passed a couple of months ago. About 3 weeks later a friend told me about an older dog (he just turned 10) who's owners could not take care of him anymore. Jack is a Doxiepoo.
Needless to say I adopted him. We both took to each other the very first moments.
I could use advice about triggers that can set him off to growl and show his teeth.
Trigger #1 (which I think I solved): My elderly mom (who has dementia) was feeding him some of her food (I put a stop to that). When I eat he won't beg, only my mom. I put Jack in my bedroom when my Mom eats. I think that solves that problem.
Trigger #2: A lady comes in 3 times a week to clean and watch my Mom to give me respite care (I am my Mom's caregiver). He growls at her (and sometimes bares his teeth) when she first enters the house and also when she leaves. He knows her by now so I don't understand it. She also gives him a treat after she arrives and sits down which he likes.
Other than that, Jack is a loving, smart dog. He tells me when he has to go out to do his business, etc. Because his legs are too short I lift him on the couch. He sleeps with me in bed and I bought him steps that I taught him to use.
He came with a crate which he doesn't use.
Of course it's not good that when Jack growls and bares his teeth. To date he has not bit anyone but has come close. Any advice would be appreciated.
Jack thinks he is doing his job when he growls and barks. Does he spend the whole time your helper woman is there growling and barking at her? Or is it just when she comes in and leaves? If it all the time then put him in his crate when she is there. It will releive a lot of stress for everyone and if he came with a crate he is crate trained and will settle down if he has a soft blanket in the crate to lie on. A doxie poo is a weird combination and dachsunds are by nature somewhat agressive. They were bread to go into badger holes and pull the badgers out. The little ones are like toy poodles, just breeding a dog to be small and useless except as a lap dog. it sounds like you are getting along with the dog well except for the respite care person. I know how important having that person come is as I am taking care of my 90 year old aunt. We have to have some time to ourselves.
As for the crate, never feel bad when you have to put the dog into it, they need a safe place as well and usually a crate trained dog considers that crate their safe space. If it is a wire crate you can put a blanket over the sides so the dog feels better.
You're right. He gets yelled at if he growls viciously and stops as soon as I say "bad boy". He stopped getting treats afterward.
Yelling is not good. All dogs have a job and that is to protect it's people so you need to do something else to let him know that the woman he is growling at is welcome, tell him "stop" and shake the woman's had or hug her, let him know she is ok. If that doesn't work you need to figure out what she is doing that bothers him. I had a dog that loved everyone except the apartment maintenance man, it turns out the man was a theif and not nice to kids and animals. Dogs know.
I would not take him to a groomer to have his nails cut. I would do it yourself and, as with everything with Jack, go slowly. If you are concerned about him biting you, put a muzzle on him. Try to cut one nail. If it upsets him, then stop and try again the next day. Or use a dremel. This is a much better approach for him than a groomer who will probably get the nails cut no matter what.
Also, many shelters don’t give out info about a dog’s past behavior because dogs are different with different owners and because many people won’t adopt dogs with “problem behaviors.” I think that the shelter was trying (in their own way) to save Jack’s life.
Thanks for the advice, I will try to cut Jack's nails and try one nail at a time and see how Jack reacts. I never heard of a dremel before so I looked it up and that may work as well. I used to cut my previous dogs nails (I had many).
Jack thinks he is doing his job when he growls and barks. Does he spend the whole time your helper woman is there growling and barking at her? Or is it just when she comes in and leaves? If it all the time then put him in his crate when she is there. It will releive a lot of stress for everyone and if he came with a crate he is crate trained and will settle down if he has a soft blanket in the crate to lie on. A doxie poo is a weird combination and dachsunds are by nature somewhat agressive. They were bread to go into badger holes and pull the badgers out. The little ones are like toy poodles, just breeding a dog to be small and useless except as a lap dog. it sounds like you are getting along with the dog well except for the respite care person. I know how important having that person come is as I am taking care of my 90 year old aunt. We have to have some time to ourselves.
As for the crate, never feel bad when you have to put the dog into it, they need a safe place as well and usually a crate trained dog considers that crate their safe space. If it is a wire crate you can put a blanket over the sides so the dog feels better.
I understand that Jack thinks it's his job when he growls and barks. No, he only growls and barks at her when she first comes in and later on leaves.
I had bought foam steps so Jack can get into my bed due to his short legs (where he sleeps). I taught him to use the steps and he learned really fast.
I used to keep him in my bedroom before this woman comes but he's been getting better. Some mornings he doesn't growl or bark at all. It depends on where I'm sitting. If I'm in the room where she enters in the morning he "may" bark at her, if I'm on my computer in a different room he doesn't. Maybe it will just take more time, I don't know yet.
The woman is very good with my 97 year old Mom who has dementia and my Mom really likes her. I like her too but she did have this attitude (she dropped that attitude) that she knows everything about dogs. She rescued a dog herself 2 years ago and thinks she's an expert. I told her that every dog is different just like people. So I kind of shut her up.
When I do leave and go out Jack is fine with this woman. He sits in my bedroom and will cry a little bit waiting for me to come back home but he doesn't bother her at all. She is nice as she brought me a thunder jacket for Jack as well as a winter coat.
Jack does have a crate and so far I only used it once. In the past I crate trained my puppies.
Last but not least Jack is definitely a lap dog, he loves being on my lap!
Thanks for the advice, I will try to cut Jack's nails and try one nail at a time and see how Jack reacts. I never heard of a dremel before so I looked it up and that may work as well. I used to cut my previous dogs nails (I had many).
Be sure to buy a good one. I bought an inexpensive one off of an online seller (the big "A") and it doesn't work all that well. She's learned to tolerate how long it takes to do even one nail.
Also watch out for a long quick. I have to do one at a time because my girl has super long quicks and she bleeds very easily. I bought some "Kwik Stop Styptic Powder" that works very well. It actually came with a high quality nail cutter that also has a curved nail file in the box. It's made by Göbeigö.
Be sure to buy a good one. I bought an inexpensive one off of an online seller (the big "A") and it doesn't work all that well. She's learned to tolerate how long it takes to do even one nail.
Also watch out for a long quick. I have to do one at a time because my girl has super long quicks and she bleeds very easily. I bought some "Kwik Stop Styptic Powder" that works very well. It actually came with a high quality nail cutter that also has a curved nail file in the box. It's made by Göbeigö.
Thanks for the reminder about Kwik Stop Powder (yes, I know about quicks in dog's nails). I used to keep a jar of it in the house when I had my other dogs. I will buy a good nail clipper. Thanks for the recommendation.
This thread is reminding me that I'm overdue to clip her nails. Sigh. I dread it. Two times ago I didn't hit a quick, but last time I made it through 3 quicks until the 4th one got hit and she bled. It's painful for her and she trembles. But little by little I'm making progress. This is something new since we no longer go on dry dusty, rocky hikes as in the past.
Hope you're having good luck with the behavior mod with Jack. He sounds like a great dog who just has a couple of adjustments to make and will be able to learn. It's hard when other people are involved and they don't understand or accept that they need to approach a dog differently.
Be sure to buy a good one. I bought an inexpensive one off of an online seller (the big "A") and it doesn't work all that well. She's learned to tolerate how long it takes to do even one nail.
Also watch out for a long quick. I have to do one at a time because my girl has super long quicks and she bleeds very easily. I bought some "Kwik Stop Styptic Powder" that works very well. It actually came with a high quality nail cutter that also has a curved nail file in the box. It's made by Göbeigö.
There are some clippers that have “quick sensors” but I don’t think that they work as well. And you’re right about the dremel—they take a long time. However, they are the only option for dogs who have issues with having their nails cut.
One trick that I’ve learned re: finding the quick is to look at the underside of the nail before I trim. I have a GSD with dark nails and his quick is clearly visible in the underside of his nails.
Lastly, I cannot stress the importance of not cutting the quick. IMHE, once a dog has a nail trimmed too short, the experience is so painful and traumatizing that trimming their nails afterwards is very difficult. So, my advice is to go slowly and trim a small amount each time. You might end up with a dog with longish nails but at least they won’t be a dog who is terrified of the nail clipper!
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This thread is reminding me that I'm overdue to clip her nails. Sigh. I dread it. Two times ago I didn't hit a quick, but last time I made it through 3 quicks until the 4th one got hit and she bled. It's painful for her and she trembles. 
But little by little I'm making progress. This is something new since we no longer go on dry dusty, rocky hikes as in the past. 
