Eileen,

Everything you posted makes me say, again, that you need professional help, at your home.

If you don't trust or agree with whoever you get after an interview, get someone else.

You've had him two months and he chases the cats, has bitten your daughter, and threatened you.

JMO.

Thanks.It makes sense to me. I'm still waiting for a time from another person to come to evaluate Willie.

Hi. I am at a loss- I haven't been able to find anything on when to take a problem dog in the car, if at all. Willie used to go everywhere w/me prior to biting Ally. As I've written before- I think Willie may have decided that the car belongs to Willie and I. Any opinions on this? (Still don't have a time from the behaviorist to assess him).

Sounds like a progressive problem with Willie. I tell my wife, who sometimes has minor problems with our dogs, is that you need to find the source of the problem. I'm no doctor but my profession allows me to apply my observation skills to that of my animals. Anyway it sounds as though you are probably right on the terriotory issue, since he only bites Ally. Take into consideration who is allowed into the vehicle first, Willie or Alley. Take into consideration if there has been a change in seating arrangements. When exactly did this occurr? You may be able to infer by the dogs age and the time in began that it may be fighting for a position. As silly as it may seem to fight for a position in a vehicle, animals think in the moment. I can apply this concept to humans. Think of inmates who need to fight for a position as small as the chow hall (aka dinner line), or recreational yard. Same concept applies. Willie may take the vehicle as an important staple in his life and sees Ally as a threat, not too mention she is probably nearer to his level than you. I would suggest through strict supervison that you implement some type of domination excersise with Willey, and that would mean Ally would need to be the dominator. Nothing physically challenging but as simple as Ally standing over the top of him, or holding him down in the vehicle to show him that he is not in control until he is relaxed. But this of course needs to be monitored in fear of her being over powered. But as time goes by you need to allow Ally to conduct this excersise, because you don't want him to be submissive only when you are around, and then you leave the two in the car and the unthinkable happens. Willie needs to know that in all situations in the car he is not in control, at least when there are others present. Hope this helps pin point the source.

I wouldn't do domination things such as Ally holding him down, this is akin to an alpha roll and is dangerous and could result in her getting severely bitten. I would make sure she enters the house, car, anywhere first. Feed yourself and Ally in his site and he only eats after you are both done. I even saw on TV once where they bought 2 identical food bowls and the person ate out of one in the dogs presence while he intently watched, then they fed the dog in the other. Have Ally work on his obedience with him with you present, even let him see you hand her the leash.

Really read all the groundwork stuff on this site and do it. The dog gets nothing unless you say so. Use a crate.

Good luck

Thanks Justin, When Willie was in the car he was usually on the passenger side, rarely in the back seat if I was driving. If he had to wait I would find him on either seat. Often I would have to move him from the driver's seat to get in but he never showed any aggression, just reluctance (I recognized it as unacceptable behavior but not a problem- a missed sign?). He had already begun threatening Ally ( as I've said, after 5 weeks of being in our home) prior to her being bitten- in fact, I muzzled him and restrained him in the car -the one time that we forgot she got bit. Ally is a new driver and I spend a lot of time w/ her in the car. I never thought about it but maybe who entered and when might have been important to willie and it was another sign that I had missed(?). He hasn't been in the car since or even in close proximity to her unless he's muzzled/caged/ or on his line.
Your analogy to prison behavior makes sense. Your info is helpful. I think that the posts re. owner's/ handler's/trainer's observations and experience are what I hoped to get from this site. Jenni,Connie and Amber have been a big help.
It was evident,right from the first, that Willie thinks he's the top dog but I was't concerned because he was able to be corrected and I could control the cat chasing and peeing in the house by keeping him leashed and next to me. I have never had a dog like him- I guess we've been fortunate before to have not had a dominant dog.
One last thing: I know, I know, read and listen to the materials available here! I am and I'm following advice but I still need some input. I agree w/Candi;I want to neuter Willie and the vet thinks it would help. I think his bad tooth may be hurting him. I'm waiting for the behaviorist to schedule an eval. My question is- (I know, I know,I'mlooking for immediate solutions to a long-range problem) should I just go ahead and take him to the vet? I can't afford to spend the money if there is the possibility that Willie can't be rehabed. I love this little guy and I desperately want him to be saved but the safety of Ally and anyone else he might target has to be the main priority! I have always been critical of people who have dogs who bite and now I'm one of them.

Thanks Shody. I will never put Ally in a situation that could be dangerous. She is araid of him, even when he's crated. She does give him treats but she only does it when he's maxed on the line outside and after we've been petting/feeding our other dog,Harrison.I don't know if I should be around when she does treat him? She will not handle him and I won't let her. Should I make him sit or stay out of it? Interesting about the food; we can eat in front of him, even out of a similar bowl. I welcome any ideas and am very open.

I would suggest taking him on walks with you holding the leash and Willey muzzled while you and he follow Ally (she will be in the dominant dog position). At feeding times go for an Ally-in-front walk and when you get back wait for Alley to put his food bowl in his crate and then you take his muzzle off and put him in his crate to feed him. When it is time for walks have Ally hand you the muzzle and leash where Willey can watch the drama unfold. Both you and Ally need to do the "aloof dominant dog routine" as outlined in Ed's "dealing with dominant dogs" article. I see no reason for him to get treats from Ally when he is being such a rude dog to her. If he shows any aggression to Ally when he is in his crate have her throw a sheet over the crate and drag him and his crate to the garage or some other lonely place. When he has been isolated long enough have Ally bring him back to the public area of the house. (hopefully Ally will cooperate in the dog training)

If he shows no signs of reform after a week or two of the dominant dog boot camp he may be beyond your skills for dealing with him.

Frankly it sounds like he was just being nice to you because he liked what you did for him and he doesn't want HIS territory sullied by any other creatures in the house, including your daughter.

Since I started feeding my dogs raw I have noticed that they are showing more submissive and friendly postures to me. They REALLY love me now. If you and Ally are feeding him the good stuff that may help him change his tune for the better.

Eileen, being new to your home, I believe your dog is trying to establish a dominance order. Unfortunately you've let him push the boundaries, and if you haven't already, read Ed's groundwork article mentioned by Candi.

For now, I wouldn't rush to neuter him. He's 6-7 yrs old and neutering isn't a miracle cure to aggression, as Jenni posted. Wait till you have more info, do research on neutering and consequences. At the same time, if you decide not to neuter him, make sure he doesn't breed. That's your responsibility.

1. No more treats from your daughter. He doesn't deserve treats from her.

2. No more riding in the car with your daughter there, muzzled or not.

3. No more riding in the car with you until you have him under complete control. Walk him instead, a lot.

4. Refresh and retrain anything he already knows. Train what he doesn't know. Do obedience work with him. Work with him often on this in short 10-15 minute sessions, 2-3 times a day. Exercise his brain.

5. If he's territorial over his crate, I wouldn't feed him in there. I'd feed him with a prong and leash on, in the kitchen, then take him out to potty and stretch his legs for a while, then back in the crate.

6. Exercise him a LOT. Get him tired. Then in the crate for a nap.

7. Don't be afraid of your dog. Not a good start to a dog/human relationship, nothing good will come of it, it will only breed more fear on your part and more dominance on his. He's a dog, get control. Be authoritative and calm.

8. Make sure your behaviorist is qualified to deal with aggressive dogs. If you're serious about rehabbing this dog, you don't want someone who doesn't have experience and immediately tells you to put the dog down.

 Quote: eileen loretz

I think his bad tooth may be hurting him. I'm waiting for the behaviorist to schedule an eval. My question is- (I know, I know,I'mlooking for immediate solutions to a long-range problem) should I just go ahead and take him to the vet? I can't afford to spend the money if there is the possibility that Willie can't be rehabed.

Hi Eileen,

Take him to the vet. If he is in pain, it will make any retraining much more difficult to impossible. Also, make the vet appointment before the evaluation. The evaluation won't be very effective if it can't be determined what behaviors are Willie and what behaviors are pain induced. I am including a link to a payment plan for the vet. My vet offers this and it has saved me several times when something unexpected happens.

http://www.carecredit.com/practices/veterinary/

As far as, can he be rehabed. That is a tough one. My first concern is Ally. I imagine she is 16? How afraid is she of the dog? If she is petrified (and I wouldn't blame her)all the dominant exercises in the world won't change the situation. Also even if she agrees to being able to do the work and get over her fear, make sure that is really how she feels vs. blaming herself if the dog needs to be rehomed or worse. If you haven't already had one, a heart to heart with Ally is crucial to whatever decision you make.

IMO I think Willie can be helped but I am no expert and am basing this on how I interpret posts. I am less sure about if he can be rehabbed for your home. I don't envy your position Eileen, you have a lot of tough choices ahead. Sometimes it sucks to be the Mom. I'm hoping for a happy outcome for all involved.