I appreciate that this is a working dog site, but would really like some assistance.

I have a neutered male Jack Russell Terrier who will be 2 yrs in January. (I also have a female fox terrier cross, who is an excellent dog).

The male has always displayed some fearful behaviour & is a pain at the vets (I now put a muzzle on him there).

This week, he nipped & drew blood on the hand of a visitor to my house. Actually, the visitor arrived un-announced through the back gate of the garden. However, I had happily greeted them & invited them in.

Both dogs received treats from the visitor, but the male then (unprovoked) approached the visitor, snarled & then nipped his hand.

The next day, the male dog was behaving aggressively (or frightened, not sure which) to a new visitor he hadn't met before.

The new visitor had previously bred rotties for 10 years & said he thought that my male was being territorial /dominant. At this, the visitor stared the dog down until he (the dog) looked away (after a lot of growling etc), After this, the dog was fine with the visitor & even tried to lick the visitor.

The dog will obey commands (sit/shake- paw/drop/roll-over/stand/not eat until I say so etc) and I do not have any problems with him being aggressive to me at all. In fact if I play too hard with him, he gets worried & approaches me with head bowed & wants to lick my face.

When we are out walking, if people bend over him or reach out to pat him on the head, he either ducks, or will sometimes snarl. I now don't let people try to pat him.

How do I tell if he is being dominant or fearful? & what is the best approach to treat this unwanted behaviour?.

Julie, most JRTs are very social dogs. Sounds like you have one like me. Pete is a nasty little spook. At 7rs old. I've just learned to keep an ey on him or put him up when people he doesn't know are around. He has a "watch" sticker on his vet records. As for the guy that bred Rotts for ten years. He's lucky he didn't get his a$$ chewed off for stairing at your dog like that. Bet he wouldn't stair at a Rott that he thought was territorial/dominant, especially on their own property.

Hi Old Earth Dog,

I've posted before about this little bugger. He's been a bit of a problem right from the word go.

I actually think he is a fear biter (always very wary & nervous of anything new etc).

So the solution is to keep him out of harms way (ie: keep him out of the way when I have visitors?).

What about corrections, or any other ways to curb the behaviour etc?.

Julie
If he truly is a fear biter, ther is only so much you can do. A dog like that needs structure. My JRT isn't an extreem example, but I still know I can never totally trust him. As for corrections, it all depends on how the dog handles it. Physical correction will send Pete into a snarling, screaming, snapping little monster. I'm no expert on tough dogs but I've had a few that would challenge me. They were a piece of cake to handle next to Pete because they responded to correction. Although he responds reasonably well to verbal correction, I've developed a Scruff and toss <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> method that I resort to ocasionally. I just gotta make sure my timing is right. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

I grew up with JRTs, ive left home for some time now but my folks still have one from when i lived with them - and shes the most vicious nastiest animal ive ever come across - this bitch would take on anything and i mean anything. She loves the family and friends, well most anyway. Lived with her since she was a puppy to 5 yrs - now when i visit my parents and i try to stroke her BANG shes got my hand. little bitch! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />
I laugh when were all out walking and i have my GSD and we come across some walkers who dare not come near my dog because they think he will tare their arms off at the first opportunity (who by the way is a big soft cuddly bear) but see the JRT and say wow how cute, and before you get to warn them to stay away from it there in there trying to stroke it and she's turned into this snarling rabid midget <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> . Their faces are a picture <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> Just goes to show never judge a book by its cover. The only danger they would have had from my dog would be be to get licked to death!!
This JR is about 8 now but would fight the world given the chance - phisical corrections are a no no as this would just be a come on for the bitch. and she pretty much ignores verbal reprimands. This dog has dominance issues that if it were 20-30 pounds heavier would have to be put down. The only thing going for it is the fact that it only has about 3 teeth left so is pretty much harmless. I attribute all these issues to my parents being soft - but to them the dog has nothing but respect, so they have no quarms - they keep it away from poeple nowadays anyhow. This is a prime example of why you should always train your dog and what happens if you dont! This dog needed serious corrections when it was younger and didnt get them. Now its the devil herself

I would check with a good trainer/behaviorist in your area. They will be able to tell if the dog is a true "fear biter" or, a "weak nerved" dog with dominance issues. Because the problems are different the corrections you need to give are different. With a fear biter there isn't a whole lot you can do to change the dog's behavior. You have to manage the situations the dog is in and just not expose it to situations where it can bite. Ed sells some nice muzzles. With a fear biter , when you correct it, that activates the fight or flight drive and they usually go into "fight". It is almost impossible to teach a dog anything when they are in this mode. They are going on instinct and the more you correct, the more they fight. With a weak nerved dog that has dominance issues, you can correct it, and have sucess, but you do it differently. More sturcture, like bob said, and lots of controll of its enviorment. It might seem like it takes longer, but you have to do it in such a way as not to activate the flight or fight drive, so the dog can learn. One of ED's articles goes into this in more detail. Feel free to pm me if you have any questions.

Hmmm,

Willy, you have raised a good point there. The little blighter could well be weak nerved with dominance issues. This behaviuour appears to have escalated as he reaches 2 years of age.

He's fine with family or friends who he has known since he was a puppy. Anyone else is fare game!.

Have had the same problem when out walking. Everyone thinks he looks so cute (nice little doggie) Ha!. I have to really be on my guard, especially with kiddies. Maybe I should muzzle him when outside?.

I have scruffed him before & he goes to jelly, so maybe that's an option for this. But yeah!, timing is everything *LOL*

They are quirky little buggers aren't they?.

They are quirky little buggers aren't they?.
Yep, but you gotta love em!

I'm thinking untill you know for sure what is going on.... muzzle. ED has some nice ones.