I have an adult maltese that we got about a year ago as a retiree from a reputable breeder. We love her and she loves us, but that's the problem... she ONLY loves us. She turns to scary attack dog mode when anyone else enters our home. She's not as bad if we're on neutral turf. She will chase after people and literally bite their ankles; she's done it to both my grandmother and my mom, as well as a house-sitter who was supposed to stay at our house and watch her one time. Needless to say, the house-sitter (a college-age friend from church) ran for the hills after Phoebe (my maltese) bit her hand.

We're planning a 10-day trip to Disneyworld next summer, and I just don't know what to do with Phoebe while we're gone. This past summer, we just took her with us on vacation, but that's not going to be possible for this trip. As I said, we can't have anybody come here and stay with her at our house. I'm highly opposed to putting her in a kennel. We can't take her. I can't leave her alone in the house for 10 days, obviously. I was thinking maybe I could take her to someone else's house, but I don't have any friends who like dogs enough to put up with her attitude. Plus, they all have small kids and I'd be afraid she could actually hurt a child.

ANY ideas!?!??!? I need major help. Thanks!

Apryl

I have no advice....but wanted to tell you that Phoebe is ADORABLE! On second thought...have you thought about bringing in a behaviorist?

OMG she is sooo CUTE!!! I agree with trying to get a trainer to come in. But there are also dog-sitting services, where you can keep the dog at the dog-sitter's house (not a kennel). And I'm sure they're much more equipped to handle "difficult" dogs. Have you looked into any in your area?

I could try a trainer or behaviorist, IF my hubby would spring for it.

If there was a dog-sitter that would keep her in their house, that sounds like it might be an option. Would I just search for dog sitters, do you think?

And yes, she is ADORABLE and CUTE, I agree. Hard to believe she's so fiesty!!!

aak

I think dealing with the behaviour is first, before getting a sitter. I'd consult a behaviourist
and work with her/him on this issue.
She is absolutely darling and probably a bit spoiled, which could be why she is so protective.

She is adorable, she doesn't look "mean"

I was nosey and looked at your old posts and see your in California, kind of near me (unless you flew to pick up your retiree) Is there any way you could have the breeder watch her? I know that most will do that for you.

I'm not quite sure how to handle her attacking people that come in "her" house. Have you tried putting her up until the people have come in, then let her out? If she misbehaves she goes back in the crate/pen? Have the "intruders" give her treats (maybe in her pen if she can't be let out).

I think if she knows they are okay she'll be alright with them, but I've never dealt with that issue. Jax barks at people, but he doesn't really want to do anything but play!

But, if you're still near the breeder I'd check with her and see if she'd be able to watch her while on vacation!

Hi and welcome!!!
Our very first Malt came from a show breeder, he was 6 months old and had never touched the ground!!! What a challenge our little Bogey was. Never saw steps, grass and freedom!!! After awhile he became so bonded and in love with Bob and I that he acted the same way as your little girl. He would bite and we had a heck of a time with him. My parents could watch him but when we went away for any length of time we took him to a boarding kennel. I would take toys, a bed, blankets etc and make sure he had all the comforts of home. They never had any trouble with him and I think that out of HIS house he was on neutral ground and liked the folks there.
If you do that be sure to research extra well the kennel and daily routine plus all who will be involved. Our kennel also had an internet hook up so we could peek in on Bogey from time to time.

Good luck.

Marsha

I do know we need to work on her behavior. Problem is, not a lot of people want to come and be the guinea pig!! My mom decided she wanted to make friends with her, so if my mom comes, we put Phoebe on the couch (because she can't get off and is therefore contained; she doesn't "charge" at people unless they are walking or standing). If my mom confidently walks over to her (tough to do after being bitten and while she's barking like a maniac) and pets her, she will tolerate it. If Phoebe's on the ground at all, her first reaction is to run and hide in her crate and bark like mad. If someone turns their back to her and she's close enough, she'll run after them and bite their ankles.

Like I said, bottom line is, there aren't a lot of friends and family volunteering to come over and potentially get bitten while we try to work with her on this.

I really appreciate all the suggestions. You're all very helpful!

Oh, and yes I'm in CA and the breeder is about 6 hours away. I bet she would be willing to keep her, but it would be a matter of getting Phoebe there in the midst of packing up and getting a family of 4 on a plane to Florida. It's an option though!!

aak

Where are you? I'm on the Monterey Bay!

That would be tough to do, but maybe you could drop her off the night before or something like that.

That is by far the cutest ankle biter I have ever seen. She can nip me any time. I am of no help.

I don't think you have much of an option. Biting dogs are a liability!

Well I for one just can't believe that sweet little innocent GORGEOUS face could EVER become mean!

Maybe Deb (3MaltMom) could baby sit. She has experience with fluffs with attitude! JK!

Seriously though, it will make her a much happier and secure little girl if you got a professional behaviorist/trainer in to work with you and her. Hopefully with a professional there, someone will be willing to help out. Maybe even he/she will have an assistant or friend to help. I have recently opened a pet boutique and have had many opportunities to observe, especially toy dogs, with their parents. And honestly I never knew just how many insecure and frightend toy dogs there are. And I hate to say it, but it appears to be because the mommy's and or daddy's have been way too protective and a bit indulgent. All with the best intentions of course.

Once you work through this issue with her, why not check out a doggie hotel/resort? They are becoming very popular and sooooo much nicer than a kennel/boarding facililty.

Good luck!

We're in northern LA County, so southern CA. My husband used to live in Salinas and his grandmother lives in Prunedale.

Yeah, I was thinking we'd have to set it up for the day before as well. I also have a Havanese who will be staying with his breeder, and even though she's a lot closer (thankfully), we'll have to get him there too. Logistics!!



haha... I need someone like you to help me break her of this!!




I feel dense, but I'm not following you. I agree that she's a liability, which is why I hesitate to leave her with a friend, etc. But you have a wink at the end, so... I'm confused?

aak

I bought a hand held thing that's about the size of a TV remote. When I press the button a high pitched sound comes out that even I can't hear. The idea is to issue a command and immediately push the button. Biscuit had a bad habit of running toward the road when he heard an auto coming up. Since we live on a dead end road, it was usually my neighbor with a big truck that couldn't possibly stop in time if he saw Biscuit. So I tried the hand held thing when he ran toward the road, I said NO loudly and beeped it. Immediately he turned back and came to me. I was really impressed. I've tried it since on other things he does that he shouldn't and it always works. Next I'm going to try it when he jumps on people, not everyone wants to be jumped on by a dog. I got it at www.carolwrightgifts.com and I think it was $19. You could try that first with your mom and then others and see if you can train her to behave. Its about the same thing as training with a clicker.

Yes! I think you hit the nail on the head. She's very insecure and frightened. I honestly don't baby her (knowingly??)... for example I don't hold her when people come, hence she bites them (haha). I haven't done any obedience training with her, but I don't think I'm overprotective either. Still, I'm definitely open to instruction.

It's just hard.... you guys see how beautiful she is. I want to share her cuteness and sweetness with everyone, but everybody is scared of her. It hurts my heart!

aak

[quote name='rozporter' date='Nov 13 2008, 07:46 PM' post='670061']
I bought a hand held thing that's about the size of a TV remote. When I press the button a high pitched sound comes out that even I can't hear. The idea is to issue a command and immediately push the button. Biscuit had a bad habit of running toward the road when he heard an auto coming up. Since we live on a dead end road, it was usually my neighbor with a big truck that couldn't possibly stop in time if he saw Biscuit. So I tried the hand held thing when he ran toward the road, I said NO loudly and beeped it. Immediately he turned back and came to me. I was really impressed. I've tried it since on other things he does that he shouldn't and it always works. Next I'm going to try it when he jumps on people, not everyone wants to be jumped on by a dog. I got it at www.carolwrightgifts.com and I think it was $19. You could try that first with your mom and then others and see if you can train her to behave. Its about the same thing as training with a clicker.
Its called a Dog Trainer

Sorry! I hit the wrong smiley guy! You aren't dense! What I mean by liability is if someone gets bit they could sue you....like if a delivery guy came to the door and by accident she was able to get out the door you could have major problems!

I found it! I may get one; worth a try!




Oh, ok. Thanks! Got it now, and yes I agree.

Oh my goodness is she adorable I don't have any advice, I just wanted to say that she is so stinking CUTE!!!!!!!!

Given that she is prone toward being scared and insecure and that you are not going on this outing for a number of months, I think we should work at correcting these issues. There are people on here which are much better with behavior issues like this than I but I have some ideas.

For instance, I think putting a harness and leash on her and teaching her to go on a walk with you is actually a good thing and can help... I know this seems like it would have nothing to do with the issues you describe but I have found that it actually seems to help a dog have more confidence about the world and since you are in control of them and where they can go, it can help them feel more secure.

It also helps her to get used to the harness and leash because when someone new comes into the house, you should hook her leash up to her to keep her under your control.

From her point of view, what is happening now is someone new comes into the house, she gets scared and does her bark and bite routine, the person backs off, and this all serves to reinforce her behavior because nothing bad happened to her so she thinks her actions kept her safe.

You putting the harness and leash on her will serve to tell her that YOU are in charge of things and you are going to keep her safe.

You repeat this sort of thing a few times and I believe that you will notice she is not quite so tense when someone comes into the house. At that point, you can take another step and have a guest come in and offer a treat or toy to her (whatever motivates her).

Even teaching her basic commands like SIT or DOWN are good things to help this . Again, it tells her that you are in charge. Each of these things should be broken down into the tiniest steps possible. You do not want to over load her or cause her to become even more fearful.... so you take tiny steps and you keep repeating those over a few days until you note that she is becoming a little more relaxed and then you add the next tiny step to the routine.

Thank you!! It sounds like a harness should be my next purchase. I do walk her on a leash at times, but I never have put a harness on her. Food for thought!

She should always wear a harness when she's outside, instead of a collar. Collars can pull and stress their tracheas.

Other than that I have no advice other than to hitch my wagon to Steve (Max & Rocky) and to suggest a behaviorist.

Good luck with your adorable little girl.

I agree with Steve too. I have the same problem with our Dixie although she doesn't bite (thank God) she just barks but she gets pretty worked up at times. I can tell you what I think you should do but I haven't done it myself yet. I think Dixie's problem is fear aggression, like Steve suggested about Phoebe. She barks, people go away, she's successful so keeps it up. I copied a reply JMM made to a post someone made a short time ago about her dog barking and fear aggression. She'd tried so many ways to make him stop barking and he just kept it up. I don't think anyone would mind if I copy the post here, for you. I'd give you the thread but didn't copy that, of course. The advise she gives sounds so right. Please look at it. Maybe it will help you.

Click to view attachment

Thanks Elaine.

Some of JMMs advice was exactly what I was looking for and referring to when I said there are those that give much better advice...

Elaine,
Thanks so much!

I noticed that she is very prettily groomed. Do you do that yourself or does she allow a groomer to do it peacefully?

If all else fails, just ship her to me (of course, you won't get her back)

AWWWW what a CUTIE PIE

Following JJM's advice will sure work she can learn in no time. Dogs are very smart

I take her to be groomed, though I would love to learn to do it myself, since the prices are skyrocketing on such things lately!

did i happen to meet you at petsmart today? I bumped into a nice lady and the most adorable little maltese that kinda looks like yours! She was a biter alright! She chewed on my fingers and when i stood up she went for my pants/ankles. If it was you, sorry I had to make a hasty exit - i was getting all chewed up!

She is drop dead gorgeous........She looks like Jett's sister!!!! I sure hope you get the problem solved because I think she is worth it~~~I don't have any advise but Good Luck to you!!!!!

Hey, just wanted to let you know, my Baxter was the same way, he would bark at people when they came in our apartment (especially men) and sometimes he would bite their legs/feet. He also bit my 5 year old neice's leg! So, I did hire a behavioralist. Interestingly, when the behavioralist came to our apartment, Baxter barked at him nonstop for 20 minutes and tried to bite him! But he showed us techniques to use (very detailed, like when to give eye contact, how to say "no", etc.). It is about getting control back over your dog. It was hard for me to do some of this, but it works! By the time the trainer left, Baxter was sitting on his lap! So I recommend you hire someone, I live in Florida but it cost me 80 bucks per session and it only took 2 sessions. Hope this helps!

P.S. She is soo cute!

omg...when you look at her little face, it is hard to believe she is biting. She looks so innocent. JMM will prob be able to provide the best solution for you. It is going to be tough though if you just have a short amount of time. I think I would be looking for someone she could bond with if you don't have much time left before you leave. That person could possibly visit with her on a daily til then, but she is sure going to need some behavior modification.

My sister in law has a yorkie/maltese mix with an attitude. We all went on vacation together and he was a perfect angel with us and all the other dogs. Of course, it was not HIS house but a vacation rental.

I assume she does well at the groomers?

My little boy had/has some of the same issues as your adorable girl. Jackie (JMM) gave the best advice on this and in addition to the Cautious Canine, I highly recommend Scaredy Dog. I believe the links are in the post. Both books are excellent.

The next thing is to get a trainer that will help teach you how to appropriately adjust her behavior. Jackie gave a lot of good tips. "Watch me" is a great command.....my trainer just has us use the dog's name.

I am in mid-LA county, Manhattan Beach. I love my trainer, but I'm certain she doesn't go up to your area. I can ask her for a referral however. Its worth it to do about 4 training sessions in my experience. But you will need to practice and anyone that walks her needs to follow the same rules. She needs consistency.

Another thing that Jackie recommended to us was "Nothing in Life is Free" method:
http://www.sspca.org/Dogs/TANSTAAFL.html

Here are some more links that you might find helpful.
Guidance on Fearful Dogs:
http://www.sspca.org/Dogs/FearfulDog.html

Jean Donaldson (excellent trainer) "channel" on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=Perfec...amp;view=videos

Karen Pryor clicker training website:
http://www.clickertraining.com/

Good luck with your precious little girl, I'm sure she can be rehabilitated in no time!

haha, nope not me! Though I'm glad to know I'm not alone. Oops, did I say that outloud?

Wow, I really didn't expect so much great advice and support! Thanks to each and every one who as responded, truly. You all have given me HOPE!





Thank you for your recommendations. I'll be sure to check out these different books and methods. I do have some time; we don't go to Disney World until the end of July 2009. If you wouldn't mind terribly, would you get a recommendation from your trainer for me? I'm in the Antelope Valley. I tried looking for behaviorists through a link on Cesar Milan's site and I only found one.

Oh, and yes she does fine at the groomer- go figure. Neutral territory again, I'm assuming?

Awwww....I'm sorry. I do know how you feel. It could have nothing to do with how you handle her. I was just making an observation of something I'm seeing way too much of with toy breeds. Kind of gives toy breeds a bad rep, you know?

Like I said, I do know how you feel. I've been having some behavioral issues with my Zoe at the store and have decided that for now, she's happier spending time with Grandma and Grandpa when I'm at the store. And "it hurts my heart" is the perfect way to describe how I feel when people don't see the sweet, lovable, smart, funny girl she really is. Zoe was properly socialized as a puppy and has gone through training with a wonderful trainer. I have to laugh cuz a really good trainer basically trains you (me) and not the dog. lol Anyway....not to take away from your situation, just wanted you to know that things can happen even IF you do everything right. In my case, Zoe was attacked by a large dog when she was 2 and shortly after that a male friend really intimidated her by staring at her to the point she peed. He didn't understand that she had been trained to "watch me" and was giving him her full attention when he was telling her to "sit" and "down". I don't know why men feel the need to intimidate small dogs.

Anyway, I've been in touch with my old trainer and she will be coming to my store this winter when things are slow and observe her and try to help me figure out the best technique to deal with her issues. I've tried all of the standard technique's and feel the problem was just getting worse. I think just teaching your Phoebe basic commands will really help her in her confidence as well as helping her to realize that you are the one in charge, the pack leader, and that she can rely on you to tell her/show her what to do and to know that it is your job to protect her and not hers to protect you.

Hopefully Tamizami's trainer will be able to refer you to an excellent trainer in your area.

Besides Cesar Milan's website, ask your vet or their office - I bet they know of a behaviorist!

Tom and I have had some strong-willed fosters over the past couple of years. The advice you're being given is good. You need to gain control and show your little princess that YOU are alpha. It's easy to not correct behavior when it's a cute little fuzzbutt. Please trust me on this; both Tom and I are extremely guilty of this with our Lilly.

Our most recent 2 fosters had real issues. Each time there was an agression/attitude incident, we spent more than a few minutes (up to 20 minutes) with the dog on their back, with us straddled over the top, looking the dog in the eye. We did not yell in the dog's face; we talked calmly and reassuringly "You need to calm down". Until the dog relaxed (kind of like saying "uncle"), we'd always let go of the dog gently with a "good boy" and lots of scritching and loving. Staying calm is key to establishing alpha status.

To meet new dogs (like OURS!!), we made the foster dog lie on his back and let our dog sniff and examine the foster. Always be sure you have control of the dog which is on the ground and be absolutely sure that the dog cannot lunge out and bite your face or bite a dog which is being allowed to sniff.

When company came over, we'd hold the dog on his back and invite our new guest step over the dog.

This is NOT a good method to use with a timid dog who bites. The only suggestion I can offer for a timid or shy dog is that each time I go to pick up the timid dog, I say "1, 2, 3". It only takes about 5 or 6 times before the dog realizes that when I say "1, 2, 3" that s/he is not going to be beaten, but that s/he will simply be picked up, scritched, and loved.

For everyday activities, the dog had to sit every single time before the door would open to go outside or to come back into the house. The dog had to sit before receiving every single meal, or even to get a treat. In fact, we do this with ALL dogs. Call the dog over to you to receive attention and make the dog sit before you give him/her the loving s/he wants. When you are done petting, stop. If the dog paws at your hand for you to continue petting, DO NOT!! If you do, you have just told the dog that s/he is in charge.

These simple actions are a very small way to reinforce the "nothing in life is free" theory and establish that YOU are alpha, and that the dog should look to you to be leader of the pack.

It's also true that people cannot be afraid to be bitten; the dog can sense that. Having blood drawn by a dog's teeth isn't the worst thing in the world. My vet says she is bitten probably twice a week. I'd love to hear Dr Jaimie's take on this.

I LOVE your mother for being willing to work with you. What a terrific lady!

Please understand that Tom and I are NOT professional behaviorists or trainers. Others may not agree with the methods we have used. I am reading all of the posts to this thread because I am always open to new ideas and new suggestions. I don't know it all and I want to continue to learn more and better ways to handle this type of situation.

p.s. I'm guessing that your beautiful Phoebe does well at the groomer's is because there's no doubt that the leader of the pack there is the groomer.

Jackie (JMM) recomended a book a while back about the Reactive Dog. I think this was one of the ones mentioned already, I just want to say I am reading it now and I think it has some great suggestions for a dog like yours.

I also have a fear aggressive biter at home. It is difficult to find help with pet-sitting I know. I find that with these difficult cases sometimes your local vet or your local emergency vet may have a list of folks who pet-sit. Often these are veterinary nurses or others who are used to some of the kind of health and behavior issues that can come when circumstances make it difficult to use a tradtional pet sitter.

Your little girl is lovely. I hope you can help her with this problem.

I also noticed you have a Havanese. I just love them. We had a Havanese named Clouseau who came to us through Maltese rescue. He died almost two years ago at the age of 14. We miss him. He was such a happy guy.

If you would start a thread about your fluff and share some of your thoughts and ideas on behavior modification (what has worked, what hasn't worked), I would love to read it.

I strongly advise NOT to use Cesar Milan or other corrective treatments (i.e. alpha rolls) for a fear aggressive biter. It can totally escalate the problem and intensify the fear, thus intensifying the problem. The book Scaredy Dog (Ali Brown, you can get it here, they also have a DVD!) goes into this in detail in the first 15 pages. We are using all of the techniques in the book with great success! Stuart slipped out of his lead on the boardwalk earlier this week and started running towards 2 other dogs. I said "Stuart, stop!" and he froze, sat down and looked at me. Then looked back at the other dogs, then looked at me and stood there frozen until I could get to him. I scooped him up and took him into an alcove and fed him lots of treats for listening to mommy so well. It takes practice and patience, but it works extremely well and will totally reinforce and strengthen the bond with your dog.

I've asked Rebecca for a recommendation in your area or a better way to find positive dog trainers in your area. In the meantime, I urge you to get the book and the DVD and start reading. You will be amazed at how much you learn that will quickly help you with your little one. I'll PM you as soon as I hear back from Rebecca......

I agree. There have been numerous threads here on SM about the Alpha Roll being totally misunderstood and even the people who came up with the concept have come forward stating it was never intended for the regular pet parent to use. It has really exasperated problems in too many cases to use it imo. I'm not a huge fan of Cesar either. I really think you will do best with a trainer that is a Positive Trainer. Especially for one with fear issues.

If it were me, I'd start with the list of board certified veterinary behaviorists at the bottom of this page to see if there's one near you:

American College of Veterinary Behavior



Also, here's a link to a couple of articles by behaviorists on dog aggression toward people:

Territorial Aggression Toward People

Fear Aggression By Dogs Directed Toward People








Joy

Sorry I haven't had much time to respond today, but thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who continues to post advice and resources!!

aak

This is an excellent article with great suggestions. Thanks for sharing!

For the pet sitting, here are two of the big associations:
National Association of Professional Pet Sitters
Pet Sitters International
You can put in your zip to see if there are any members in your area.
If not, you can always google your town or your state and pet sitters. If you live in a town of a reasonable size you should be able to find some. Good luck!

Just wanted to check to see if you got my PM with the name of the trainer in your area? I don't think she would mind if I posted it here, so here is her name and number:

Nicole Wilde
661-299-5704

Good luck with your little one!