FishinBC Posted April 11, 2006 Report Share Posted April 11, 2006 Shame on me though...I dropped a hamburger wrapper on the ground and he picked it up. I didn't tell him to drop it, just reached down to take it away from him, he growled and chomped down on my thumb. So we have food aggression. We took Buddy in from the people we bought our home from because they were just going to take him to the shelter or put him down. He is 13 years old (got his records, was told he was 11), border collie. He and Rob have moments of play and moments of looking sideways at each other. They are seperated during the day when there is no supervision at this point. Briar thinks everyone is her best pal so no problem there. Anyway, back to the bite which I feel was mostly my fault...how do I approach this issue with him? I can pick up his food dish (with food in it) with no problem, he takes treats from your hand as gently as a baby. Was this just a dog out of sorts and loving his hamburger wrapper? Please help!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northof49 Posted April 11, 2006 Report Share Posted April 11, 2006 Well, the hamburger wrapper probably has more value to him than his food, so I would work on exchanging things like that for a high value. For example, let him sniff the wrapper, and give him cheese, some raw hamburger. Also with his age, if when he had something in his mouth that he shouldn't had he was grabbed roughly and disciplined, then you have to desensitize him to the fact that you just want to take it away and nothing bad will happen, something good will actually happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigD Posted April 11, 2006 Report Share Posted April 11, 2006 How long have you had him? If he's had 13 years of acting a certain way it will be hard to just suddenly change that without some sort of counter-conditioning. As the PP mentioned, you will just have to work with him on it. HTH! Denise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunar Posted April 11, 2006 Report Share Posted April 11, 2006 We had the same problem with Zeeke when we first got him. I reached down to move something without really thinking about it (turns out it was a bone he was attached to) and he bit me. It's a shocker, I'll tell you that. With Zeeke we kind of made it worse before I figured it out. I taught him "drop it" with his toys (low-value items), which he learned and did pretty well. Now I can walk up to him with any object (yes, even things pulled out of the garbage, which in his book are SUPER high value items) and quietly request that he drop it, and he does. I figured out that if you approached him like "give me that RIGHT NOW or you'll be in trouble" he tensed up and put on an aggression display (and was far more likely to bite). But if I'm firm but gentle he's fine. He also relaxes a great deal when I praise him for dropping the object. So definitely work on trades and making it seem like you approaching his food/items is a really GOOD thing. Put cool yummy treats in his dinner while he's eating, take toys away to replace them with higher value items. Hopefully pretty soon he'll be thinking, "Oh goody, here she comes! I wonder what i'm getting this time!!" (Sometimes take the item away and don't give it back. Sometimes just give the item back. Sometimes he hits the jackpot and gets something GREAT. He never knows what to expect.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishinBC Posted April 11, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 11, 2006 The trade out thing sounds like a good way to work through this. But like I said I wasn't rough with him , I think I actually reached down from behind him, so he may have thought was Rob Dog coming from behind. Denise, this is only our second full day with him, so he hasn't even begun to have a chance to know that we are here for all good things. In every other respect he has been a perfect gentlemen. He was very up and very happy last night and that made me feel much better. It was so sad watching him watch his other family hauling their stuff out of the house, while we worked on enlarging the fencing for the dogs. I'm sure he is going to love being in the house, I coaxed him in last night and once he walked around a bit he settled right in and followed me around. Poor old man has lived in a small dog run all his life. He is off to the vet tomorrow for a once over then on to the groomer for a wash and spruce. (He is one DIRTY dog) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted April 11, 2006 Report Share Posted April 11, 2006 Cheri - You are my hero! Bless you for giving this dog a better home than he's ever had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishinBC Posted April 11, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 11, 2006 Thanks Sue, I couldn't let them haul him off and put him down. The funny the thing is it has been his home, he just was never allowed inside it. When I called him in, he stopped at the doorway and just looked at me, after some coaxing he came in, kinda of looked around over his head and then trotted over to me with his tail going a mile a minute. He explored a litte bit then just started following me around and when I stop he plops out of the floor. I have ordered him a nice bloster bed like Robs and Briar's and hope it gets here soon. I was in tears last night talking to hubby, I know Buddy probably won't be around too much longer at 13 he is getting up there, but at least he will retire in comfort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb Scott Posted April 11, 2006 Report Share Posted April 11, 2006 Cheri! You are a wondeful person for taking on an aged BC! At his age, you may even have startled him taking the wrapper away! Barb S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fooshuman Posted April 11, 2006 Report Share Posted April 11, 2006 Fishin when we gonna see pics of the old feller? Oh and once again you are truely a good spirit! I hope when i'm old and unwanted someone will take me in and let my remaining years be filled with loved! I should've come down and helped you move last weekend, city-wide yard sale kept me up here tho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dal & Mad's Mom Posted April 11, 2006 Report Share Posted April 11, 2006 I agree with everyone dont take the bite to heart you are dealing with a new relationship and he has decreased senses due to his age. So many things could have come into play. Thanks for giving him a good home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixie_Girl Posted April 11, 2006 Report Share Posted April 11, 2006 Cheri, that was truly great you taking the dog with the house. Wonder what those people thought? Hope it haunts them, but then again, if they could just leave him outside all the time..... Anyway, I would think with all the other possitive things, it could have just been a startle issue. I would wait till he shows other signs. Did you do anything, besides yelp? How did he react afterwards. That would have more bearing on the situation than just the fact that he bit. Foosman, as long as you don't bite over a hamburger wrapper! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrisK Posted April 11, 2006 Report Share Posted April 11, 2006 I'm just adding my heartfelt thanks as well. You know, one thing is for sure, Buddy's final years will indeed be golden, because of you! I'll be looking forward to seeing his picture! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoloRiver Posted April 11, 2006 Report Share Posted April 11, 2006 With a dog this old, my inclination might be simply to manage the situation and not get into the position where you you have to take away something that he might really want to guard. That might be more trouble than actually working on the problem though depending on his personality and how much access he has to things he might really want in normal everyday life. Jean Donaldson has a great book out called "Mine!" that is all about resource guarding. Skeeter guards food and gets progressively more "tiny Cujo" depending on how yummy the item is. Trading games worked well for him. You start with stuff he could really care less about just to get the dynamic going, then add in low value stuff, then higher, then higher, and once he's really good is when you go for the hamburger wrapper test. You are a good person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miztiki Posted April 12, 2006 Report Share Posted April 12, 2006 I agree with everyone's replies. How is your thumb? Did it break the skin? If so, how bad? Those things can get infected so you'll want to keep an eye on it if it broke the skin. Laura accidentally got nailed on her finger while breaking up a fight and she said that thing hurt like a son of a gun (my words, not hers). Since you have his records, does it say anything about his hearing or his sight? If either are going downhill then you'll want to keep that in mind for future reference. Old people and dogs can get grumpy and sometimes lash out. Keep your wits about you and do the best you can. You're giving him the best life he's ever known. Bless your hearts for doing that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carson Crazies Posted April 12, 2006 Report Share Posted April 12, 2006 How is your thumb? Did it break the skin? If so, how bad? Those things can get infected so you'll want to keep an eye on it if it broke the skin. Laura accidentally got nailed on her finger while breaking up a fight and she said that thing hurt like a son of a gun (my words, not hers).Did I put it that nicely? Yepper, someone's tooth went down beside my middle fingernail, and basically ripped my finger open. They actually did an X-Ray of my finger to make sure there was no contact with the bone - you don't want to get a bone infection. At any rate, if there was any significant damage your doc will probably want to put you on a round of antibiotics. After about 12 hours they can't sew it back up, either, without serious risk of infection. Just FYI. At any rate, its so neat that you're taking him in Cheri. I'm sure his retirement days will be the best ones of his life. I too vote for the trade game, and / or management. My newest rescue is a 12 year old Papillon. All in all he's a very neat dog, but he (of course) has some issues. Some we are working through, and some we are managing around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishinBC Posted April 12, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2006 Thanks everyone! You all made me tear up. He was wonderful last night and we all took a walk down to the lake. He loves water and dived right in! He and Rob are still sizing each other up and I am giving Rob loads of lovin so he doesn't feel slighted. There are times when Rob invites him to play and times when he tells Buddy to get away from his mom. Mostly, it is just grumbles that I put a stop to immediately. They tangled once and that was just after the hamburger wrapper episode. Miz: He broke the skin on both sides of the knuckle and it did hurt like a */!?*. But today it is looking pretty good. It sure didn't take long for it to look nasty after it happened. I will see if I can get him to stand still long enough to snap a picture. I want him to be at least presentable. Right now he is filthy! Buddy is black and white rough coated with white collar and white socks. He has the normal blaze on his face. The eyes are a little droopy with age and his ears don't stand up which makes him look even sadder. He is very active exploring his new inside world. He doesn't seem bothered with any joint pain and bounds around and up the stairs like a young dog. We are off to the vet in the morning so I will give you an update after we see her. Thanks again everyone! I keep you posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karrie Posted April 12, 2006 Report Share Posted April 12, 2006 Even thou the thumb looks better today, keep an eye on it. Hope all comes back good from the Vet! Rob may have been getting on to him for hurting you. Sounds like they are on their way to sorting out. Thanks for taking the Old Man in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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