Aren’t you the guy who found the Bassett Hound the other day?
I would say put it down.
Dogs like that (and I know, I know) the owner will blather on and on and on about how sweet it is, etc, yada yada blah blah
But any dog that bites it’s owner is inherently a ticking time bomb.
And if it latches on to a two year old kid, that’s something you cannot undo, no matter how much you try.
There are many, many gentle, family friendly dogs available who would be eternally grateful to have a loving home.
And I’m a dog lover all the way.
Have the dog put to sleep before something worse happens.
The first thing you do is get the dog OFF the bed or any other furniture.
It lays/sleeps on the floor only.
He has given himself equal stays in his mind as he sleeps with the alphas.
The next thing is a complete full blood test to check for _hypothyroidism_ and a full tick panel.
Hypothyroid makes them “suddenly go berserk”.
Been there, done that.
Good luck and don’t give up yet.
Put it down.
Fer Pete’s sake, dog out of bed! Kicked out as response to biting if they’re too stupid to do it before bedtime.
And fear/pain biting - not nipping a warning, but biting down to bone - don’t trust that dawg til the thyroid/tick panel as recommended already.
But don’t cause deliberate pain or fear as a reflexive response to the dog. Deliberately slow, painless correction, fine. Let him focus on what drew the negative response, not trying to avoid revenge.
I knew someone else who let the dog bite them if they shifted & disturbed its sleep in bed. Blew my mind, they treated it like that’s just the way it is. Heck naw, get your humble butt into to the crate!
Since you are asking for help you want to correct the problem and not put him down. It will not be easy. You must on his terms show him that aggression to any member of his pack (your family) is unacceptable. If he shows any aggression you must react to it immediately and overwhelmingly. I don’t believe hitting a dog has ever done any good but if you show him he will be banished from the pack it might work. The other is to show him you will not be cowered or afraid of him. When he shows any aggression yell good and loud at him and remove him from the pack. Put him outside or in another room so he knows the results of that behavior. Dogs seem born to please and he should soon realize aggression is not acceptable. I just hope it is not too late.
I had a rescue Sheltie Terrier that we adopted at about 3 years old. Early on we were sitting together outside on the stoop. I don’t remember why but he growled at me. I kind of lost my head for a second and swiftly knocked him off his feet and grabbed him by the throat. With my voice I let him know that was not to be tolerated. I didn’t hit him or hurt him in any way. I don’t know why I did it but it worked and he never showed aggression towards any member of our family.
A few years later he was napping in our bedroom on the floor and my daughter about four at the time walked in and before we could stop it sat on him like a horse. He woke from a deep sleep with a blood curling snarl and snapped his head around. When he saw who it was he was pissed but not aggressive. I reprimanded my daughter and though if it was me I would have bit her.
Good luck with your problem.
We used an Italian made, soft rubber basket muzzle on a biter and it worked very well. He could drink, bark, cough, spit up, and even take a small snack, with it on.
Contact your local police dept. and see if they want a dog to train for sniffing out drugs.
I think it is important you understand the basic causes of aggression in dogs. There are of course subsets to these causes but in dealing with aggressive behavioral issues such reactions are usually caused by A. the dog’s fight instinct, 2. the dog’s flight instinct, 3. medical problem.
Dog’s are not people their communication is limited to vocal and physical actions. When a dog is in a situation where he feels threatened or afraid he is going to return to his basic instincts which are to either escape the situation or challenge and fight the situation. These are situations so stressful that the dog is not going to be submissive because his fear or pain is so overwhelming. A dog that does not feel safe is not going to submit.
Such situation are not about who is Alpha. Dogs learn their place in a pack not by being made to be submissive over and over again or being yelled at or by being roughly handled or jerked around by a choke collar. They learn their place in the pack by food control. The one who controls the food portioning is the alpha. Dogs learn by positive reinforcement and control of their environment (feeding is part of this) and only when necessary to protect the dog from harm to it or others brief negative reinforcement which does not involve physical punishment.
When a dog becomes aggressive for some unknown cause you first see if there have been any changes in his routine, environment that could be stressing him. A common example would be fear bought about by a 4th of July fireworks. Another common example would be ab injury. It can be introducing a new pet. It can changing where he sleeps. My point is you need to look at this from the dog’s point of view. You must also realize that behaviors on your part that you do not see as being in any way threatening may be just that for the dog. Most of the time people approach dogs in ways that signal to the dog “Watch out she can’t be trusted and may hurt me.”
THis means that after eliminating environmental causes for the aggression the second step is to observe your own behavior. Read up on how to approach dogs so they don’t mistake you for a threat. Loud noises are out. Running up on them and surprising them is out. Waking them up abruptly is out. You have to look at everything you do from their point of view. Remember they have 2 main ways to tell you “Don’t to that.” Flight or fight.
Now if a thorough examination of those two things do not yield any sudden “eurekas” the most likely cause is going to be medical. You can of course check out all 3 likely causes at the same time you don’t have to go in 1.2.3 order. Most medical causes of aggression can be treated very successfully and not always at great expense.
I believe it is essential that no matter the cause you consult with an animal behaviorist. The behaviorist can help you build back a good relationship with this dog. I hate the idea of you giving up on the dog and putting it down because people here have told you there is no hope. There is hope and you owe it to yourself and the dog to do what you can to get the dog and your relationship with it back to normal.
Pulling his teeth is an extremely bad idea and quite frankly is abuse.
PS. Signs of anxiety are often a precursor to aggressive behavior (which may actually be defensive behavior). People can easily miss these signs. Look back and try to remember if the dog was anxious over such things as feeding or playtime or meeting strangers. You can look up the signs of anxiety in dogs to help you if you are not familiar with them.
I had trouble (not as much) with a Golden Retriever showing signs of aggression. The dog rescue organization said do not allow the dog on the bed, they think they are alpha. Also, when feeding, require the dog to wait and to look at you before feeding. There are other tools, but those two worked for me.
/.02
The next time might not be this 'minor'.
Be humane in how you put him down, but this is important.
A dog in pain will become aggressive and start biting.