"Mac Cool" wrote in message
...
Judith Althouse:

I have ulterior motives as I do not want her sent back to the SPCA
becausse every time she is returned makes her less adoptable obviously.

I don't want to return her either because 95% of the time she is very
sweet. Today we had guests including three kids and my nerves were on
edge
all day hoping there wouldn't be an incident. The youngest girl (3yo) had
a fright and claimed that Polly tried to bite her but there was no mark
so
I wasn't sure what happened. Then later in the day, out of the blue,
Polly
just suddenly turned and bit my six year old daughter on the thigh,
leaving a bruise but drawing no blood. When it happened my wife grabbed
the dog with one arm cradled under her chin and the other arm under her
belly, something she learned in obedience training and scolded her.
Afterward both my wife and the dog were moping around the house.

I don't know if it was a good response or not, but there seems to be
something terribly wrong. Possibly the fact that everyone was on edge was
picked up by the dog and caused the behavior, but if these bites have been
unprovoked and not preceded by any warning, it is a very serious matter. If
I had experienced any such behavior with Muttley, I would have had him put
down. The fact is that he did bite someone, once, but it was (in my dog's
mind) provoked, and he had given some warning by barking and showing
fearful behavior, which I dismissed at the time, not knowing it could lead
to a bite.

And I was advised to have him put down after he exhibited dog aggression
during group obedience classes. But there were contributing factors that
explained his behavior. I had been subjecting him to very forceful
corrections on a prong collar while he was attempting to interact with
other dogs, and I think he associated my frustrated and unusual actions
with the other dogs, and it resulted in redirected aggression. There have
been no incidents since then, after more than two years, so I think he is
stable and trustworthy.


Training is the key and as Diddy said in an earlier post be sure to tell
the trainer of her behavior in the event that she doesn't exhibit it
while at a training session.

The only thing I have to add is that though I believe she can be taught
to behave and can be trained not to nip. Please be sure to protect your
children until she is trained. Her behavior could escalate and whether
it does or not being nipped could harm them or at the least instill a
fear of her and dogs in general.

Unfortunately I don't know how to protect my children without confining
the dog. Early on her nips were part of play but the last several days
they have been out of the blue with no warning. At this point we are
losing trust in her and I'm afraid to take a chance on her biting one of
our kids or a guest. Monday we're going to contact the behavior
specialist
at the SPCA but I have to admit that I am leaning strongly towards
returning her to the SPCA for biting behavior. It's one thing to
discourage play biting but sudden random bites are something else.

IMHO, training can only go so far to mitigate dangerous behavior such as
this. Most dogs have a human bite inhibition which may be genetically
determined, or taught during the early formative weeks of puppyhood. I wish
you luck with the behaviorist, but I doubt that any simple training or
behavior modification technique will be able to eliminate this potential
danger or restore your confidence in the dog. A professional behaviorist
will cost $500 to $1000 or more, and for that you can save several other
dogs who otherwise would be put down for no other reason than there is not
enough room. As I was told by the dog trainer who provided obedience
lessons for me and Muttley, "They can't all be saved". But I had bonded
with Muttley in the six months I had been fostering him, and others who
knew him urged me to spare his life, and I am glad I did.

But I don't think you and your family have yet formed such as bond and
level of trust with your dog, and the relationship has been eroded by your
recent experiences, so I think the kindest thing would be to return this
dog and try to rescue another one that is more stable. Probably an older
dog with more of a known previous history would be a good choice. I know
this is a difficult thing, but I was prepared to do it for Muttley, until I
assured myself that I could keep him safely and not present a danger to
myself (which was never an issue), or to others.

Paul and Muttley
www.smart.net/~pstech/Muttley/MuttleyStory.htm