Sheltie with a 3 year old! HELP!

M

Melissa-canada

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We have a 5 year old sheltie which he has started nipping and attempting to bite our 3 year old son. He has just started being like this in the last 6-8 months or so. Now he has even started doing this with my husband and I when we touch him on his back to motion him off the couch or to move him out of a room.

Is there something we can do to try and get rid of this behaviour from our sheltie. We scold our dog when he does this and we try to make sure they are separated most of the time but would like them to be able to share the same room. Our 3 year old son would be playing and then he may accidently touch the dog and then the dog jumps up and snarles his teeth. He hasn`t bitten yet so we want to take care of this before he does bite! :no:

Melissa
 
Hi Melissa:

It would be really wise to consult your vet (could be something physically ailing them) or a behavior specialist.

It might be dominance-aggression from your Sheltie. Here are some good resource on the topic.

http://www.petplace.com/dogs/dominance-aggression/page1.aspx

http://www.hilltopanimalhospital.com/dominance aggression1.htm

http://www.hilltopanimalhospital.com/aggression.htm

If this is the case then you want to try to restore the appropriate dominance hierarchy in the house. One way to do this is implement the "Nothing in Life is Free" technique in which any resource or attention the dog gets is all based on them being rewarded by you AFTER they respond to your commands.

Not sure of any ideas for remedying your 3 year old's interaction with your Sheltie. It's probably wise to keep them separated until you can figure out what's going on and modify the behavior.

I'm sure others should have some ideas for you.
 
I have a 2 year old Grandson along with my 5 month old Sheltie. :eek2: Kia will occassionally go after My Grandson but it's because he is falling on her or playing too rough with her. :rolleyes2: Watch them carefully and I would keep them apart during unsupervised play. How old was your Sheltie when you got it ? Have they grown together? these are questions that are important, if they have been around each other since your son was born and this behavior has just started than I would say it might be a physical problem with the dog somewhere. But followTangos suggestions also .
 
I think I have to agree with Tango on this and I would take the dog to the vet. If it seems to be a specific area of the back when he is touched that he does the nipping, I would have him checked out thoroughly. I hope you can get it figured out!
 
Hi Melissa...I second David and Shaun's recommendation for a vet visit. This sounds like a dog who is hurting and may be in pain for some reason, especially if this is recent behavior. Your vet can rule that out if he's not, and then I'd consider the behavioral route, although it really sounds like a physical issue. Shelties don't usually behave this way so there is a reason. Do check it out and don't try to just deal with it yourself. It would be a shame if someone were bitten. Please keep us posted!
 
Hello Melissa,

I too am a Melissa and from Canada :biggrin2:

I'm sorry to hear of the problems you're experiencing. It must be very frustrating.

I agree with everyone, consult a vet to make sure there aren't any physical problems with your pup.

If his physical turns up normal consult a trainer. I'd recommend looking for an experienced trainer and NOT one from Petsmart or a similar pet store. I went to petsmart for puppy socialization classes but I don't think they'd be good enough or having the training for such a serious issue.

Good luck, let us know how you're doing!
 
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