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Rat terrier bite

11K views 19 replies 10 participants last post by  mom24doggies 
#1 ·
my roomate has had her rat terrier here now for about 2 months..me and him get along very well, I treat him as my own as I love dogs.
When I cook, if he comes near me in the kitchen (close to the oven) I usually go to the living room, call him there and tell him to stay, which usually works.
Today, my roomate left for work without any dog food left in the house and he was hungrier than usual and kept coming over to the oven.I had too much stuff on the stove to leave so I VERY GENTLY moved him with my foot same way I wouldve done with my hand, and he bit me pretty hard on my big toe. I quickly picked him up and put him on the couch in the "submissive" pose but couldnt stay there because I had to tend to the food...any suggestions as to what I should do?
Thanks
 
#6 ·
Ive tried the calling him to the couch idea many times, sometimes he listens but today he didnt have food. "feed the dog" yes thats a given, it just so happens today his owner left forgetting to stock up in food, she is home now and has brought food. Anyway thanks for the tips
 
#9 ·
And keep in mind that this is a terrier, and therefore not very tolerant of being physically pushed around. Terriers in general don't take to what is called "harsh correction" and react very negatively to it - and what is harsh to them may not seem very harsh to you.

All terriers are more-or-less "sharp" and snappy in their general behavior. Be glad this was a rattie - which is less so than most. What you got was a nip, not a bite. If this were a JRT or a scottie - just to name a couple of notable ones - that "bite" could have been a lot more real.
 
#10 · (Edited)
This ^ ... ^ ... ^ ....... for sure! Lol!

All but one of my dogs is a Terrier mix ... Eddee last evening for example ... wanted what I was eating. I calmly told him " No." He stubbornly kept jumping up at my face and my bowl of food. I pointed my finger at him and said "No!" again ... about the third time I did this ... he nipped my arm! Eddee is a Schnauzer mix. They are big guys in little dog bodies with "attitude!" I just then redirected him to his own snack ... a filled bone .....

I do not suggest any physical manipulation such as "posing" the dog. "Posing" will just make his nipping worse.

EDIT: After reading through this thread again ... I thought I should mention that my dog is a new rescue and one year old. I did not have the opportunity to train him as a small pup from the beginning.
 
#13 ·
well like i said in my original post, he was being very stubborn and coming too close to the stove and I had too much going on on the stove to go to the couch and call him and wait for him to come. His owner forgot to buy food and put it in his bowl that morning
 
#14 ·
Stop doing this "submissive pose". He may not be biting you while you're alpha rolling him, as it's known, it is aversive to most dogs.

You have a variety of options that do not involve touching him. I've had a handful of dogs nip, bite, or give me a warning bite for trying to physically move them.

1. You can teach him "place"(or bed, couch, whatever you want to call it). This involves teaching him that he has a place where he needs to be AND it's very rewarding. Have sessions when you aren't cooking to start out with. Lure him onto the bed(or couch), give him a verbal reward marker, and reward. Repeat, repeat, repeat. He will learn that the bed is where he gets treats and you can start rewarding at random. Rewarding randomly will increase the likelihood that he'll stay on the bed just in case a treat might be coming his way. THEN have practice cooking sessions. Go through the motions with food on the counter. When he comes into the kitchen, give him the cue for bed and call him back to it. Reward frequently at first and then randomly. The bed should become his default for when you're cooking with practice and repetition.

2. Depending how you're kitchen is set up, you can just body block him out and teach a boundary line. Some dogs do not react well to be body blocked but I haven't met many. Body blocking is walking directly into the dog so they back up. For my roommates' dog, I body blocked him out of the kitchen so that he was behind the piece of metal that separates the hardwood floor and the kitchen tile. He gets bits and pieces of food tossed his way as long as he remains behind the boundary line. If he crosses the boundary, I body block him back out and count to at least 20 before rewarding him again.
(I count to avoid accidentally creating a behavior chain)
Now, his default is to hang out behind that boundary when I'm in the kitchen. He rarely breaks position and I don't reward him as frequently. It's pretty nice.
 
#16 ·
thanks for the tips, im gonna try this out more..hes a rat terrier with a temper so its gonna take a while, the owner had to let him stay with one of her friends for a while, im starting to think he was abusive with it.. he can be the most loving dog one second and growling at you because you sat to close the next...doesnt seem normal even for a rat terrier.
 
#17 ·
All terriers are more-or-less "sharp" and snappy in their general behavior. Be glad this was a rattie - which is less so than most. What you got was a nip, not a bite. If this were a JRT or a scottie - just to name a couple of notable ones - that "bite" could have been a lot more real.
Stereotypical much? My JRT has one of the best temperaments I've ever seen in a dog. The worst dogs I've seen have been a chocolate labrador, a generic fluffy white thing, a dachshund, yorkies, chihuahuas and a collie/corgi cross. Terriers should never be human aggressive. If a dog gets stuck in a hole and you have to pull it out by the tail you don't need it biting you for invading it's personal space. How the dog is brought up has a lot more to do with it than what breed type it is. If you have a well trained, well bred dog it's not gonna bite you for no reason.
 
#18 ·
if you don't understand the difference between general breed characteristics and what you call "stereotypes", you are (1) not very experienced in handling dogs and (2) unconvincable.

But for others who might read this, while it is true that every dog is an individual, you'll do a lot better in your training if you start with the assumption that your dog's general temperament and characteristics does 'follow the breed' and take it from there . You'll also tend to be less disappointed and frustrated. It is not a formula for success to train a dog of one of the terrier breeds while expecting it to respond in the same way as, say, a poodle or a border collie, just to name a couple of the more 'biddable' breeds.
 
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