My dog is weird

[LynLyn]

My MiniPin loves being pet, and although he has never done this with me, he has done this with two of my friends.

My friends will come over, and he'll charm them into petting him, he'll wag his tail, roll over on his back, nuzzle and they will fall madly in love with him.

BUT......when they stop petting him, he growls and lunges at them!! He's even made my friend bleed!!!

I'm really getting worried because there are no warning signs that he will lunge, and he doesn't do it every single time, only some the times

PLEASE HELP!!

[jessi76]

I've known a couple of minpins... all of which have been tempermental. that's definately not to say they all are, or it can't be fixed. IF I were in your shoes, and my dog acted that way, I'd stop handing out "free" attention. making him work for the petting, make him EARN it. rolling around and looking cute is not "earning" it in my book. I'd make him sit, down, and STAY on a mat. In the same room, but not close enough where he could nip my guests. if you can't accomplish this with him free, try a leash to empower the commands. when he does comply, THEN he gets praise/treat. you may also want to instruct your friends/guest to acknowledge the dog, say hello, give a quick pat IF he's sitting polietly, and then stop. don't lavish him in physical attention.

IMO, nipping guests and making them bleed is not acceptable, even if it only happens "some" of the time.

[jiorji]

wow if your minpin was a BIG dog you';d be in a LOT of trouble, and you don't want to encounter someone who will actually press charges for getting "bitten" even playfully. I think the best is to try what jessi said. Make him earn his pettings. Looks like there's an issue of dominance with the guests.

[LynLyn]

thank you, i'll definitely try that, he does tend to get spoiled by friends with attention cause he is a "small" dog (how much harm can he do?)

hope it works!

[tenderfoot]

Small dogs are often on the spoiled side because they are so cute and the damage they can do is fairly slight. You need to treat him as though he was a lab - you would not tolerate most of his behaviors if he was a lab because it would ruin your day. No more picking him up. Make him do tricks for anything he wants. Teach him patience. Teach him to look to you for the answers. Teach him to ask NICELY for things he wants.

Dogs tend to spend too much of their day in 'recess' doing as they please 24/7. Its all about them and what they want. They don't learn patience, they become bossy, and they don't respect their people. Having him on the leash attached to you in the house as much as you can stand it - is an excellent way to start engaging his brain and take him out of recess. Start building a huge vocabulary and USE IT.

This is also a sign of general disrespect for people and that he is willing to get nasty to get what he wants. I would HIGHLY recommend that you put him into a routine throughout his day that places you in charge and has him jumping through hoops (figuratively speaking) to please you. At present its all about him and it needs to be about you.

It would do you well to desensitize him to your hand moving away from his face. That seems to be the trigger that gets him snarky. I was attacked by a Bull Mastiff who did the exact same thing - only a Mastiff does a whole lot of damage when he is mad at you for stopping the attention.

I would start with him on the leash. Pet him once and reward with soft praise for good manners. Then increase your attention as he can show good manners. But if he were to get snarky then you are going to be firm in your tone, look into his eyes and tell him to 'quit' - you can add a slight leash correction when you do this. I want your energy to be intense enough (not loud) to see him soften to you. Try again to stroke him and then stop and see what he does. Respond appropriately.

You are giving him lots of chances to make a better choice. But if he doesn't respect you and continues to be nasty then I would correct him and walk away (all attention leaves). I would prefer that you end on a positive note with learning good manners - but if he just isn't taking you seriously then walk away. You can always come back in 5 mintues and try again. Better to teach the right choices then to avoid teaching - but sometimes it can be powerful for a needy dog to get ignored.

[LynLyn]

Thank you tenderfoot!! i super appreciate advice. I have some more questions too. Bowser is VERY submissive to me and boyfriend, so is it also friends that come over that he has to work for? and what are some quick things that they can do the minute they walk in to prove that they are more dominant and he needs to listen to them?

thanks again for the advice!

[tenderfoot]

First off - if he is super submissive to you then you could think about lightening up your energy a bit. Many dogs are drama queens and use their pitiful ways to get you to stop working with them. So find balance - continue with what you are asking but lighten up a bit until you get a response in the direction you want and then stop for a second - let him think about what just happened and then try again.

For example - you ask him to 'come' - use a happy tone and be invitational. But he cowers in submission. Get closer to the ground and be super happy, encouraging him to come (use a leash if you have to). He takes one step towards you. STOP. Offer soft praise - breathe and try again. You want him to take a second and think - oh, when I came towards her she backed off the pressure (yes, even enthusiasm can be a form of pressure). That must be what she wants. So next time she asks me to come I will try that again and see if that is what she wants. Then he will probably take 2 steps towards you - PROGRESS!

For your friends - they should ideally ignore him at first and just greet you - you are the rock star of the house not him. Then if they want to acknowledge him they should have him sit first and then stroke him after he sits. If he stands or goes to lick them they should pull their hand away as they give a soft but firm 'nope'. Then start again. He needs to learn that sitting nicely gets him attention - not demanding by standing, jumping up or licking. The second he heads down the wrong road the attention stops. But quickly give him another chance to make a better choice. Thats when learning happens. Oh, if I sit quietly I get attention - when I get pushy they back off - guess I will sit quietly".