Expert: Jill Connor, Ph.D. - 10/13/2008

Question
Hello,

We have a 9 month old miniature dacshund names Frankie!We got him from a reputable breeder.  We also have a 9 month old Maltese named Lola. We got Frankie at 8 weeks and Lola at 14. We love them more than words could express! "WE" means my wife, me and my mother in law! The dogs absolutely adore my mother in law. Thats why what Frankie is doing is perplexing!

He gets aggessive when my mother in law feeds the dogs. She does feed them together, on opposite sides of the kitchen. Lola is a slower eater, Frankie gobbles down his food. Frankies will run to the other bowl of food, my mother in law will tell him NO!, but on occasion, he has growls at her. it also happpens when they are both chewing a bone or a toy. Frankie thinks everything is for him! Meanwhile there are 2 of everything. Today, he had both bones, my mother in law reached down to take one away, and he growled and nipped her! She yelled at him and said "NO FRANKIE" and tries to pick him up and he nipped her again, HARD! She finally got him into his crate for a time out, where he knew he did something bad! He doesnt have this behavior with me or my wife. They are with my mother in law most of the day! They adore her! Frankie will sleep on her laps for hours while she is on the computer! She has no problems walking him, he does pull the leash, though! And they want to take off! They are rarely around other people, and when they see another dog or person, they both go crazy!

I just dont want my mother in law to be afraid of Frankie~ she loves him to death! Granted, he only weighs 8.5 lbs. But he does have some sharp teeth. She is sick over this because it is her "grand dog"!! I know a behavior specialist is in order, and I have a call out to our vet. But in the meantime, when measures can we take, besides the obvious ones?

Thanks very much!!!!

    Edward

Answer
Frankie appears to be making a statement to your other dog and your mother in law got in the way.  It's unsettling to hear that you got Frankie from a "reputable breeder"...anyone can be a breeder; all it takes is two dogs (of the same breed, hopefully) of opposite sex to call oneself that.  A truly reputable breeder selects breeding stock not only for form (appearance) but also for temperament.  I suggest you contact this "reputable" breeder and tell her/him about this behavior; if it were me, I would want to eliminate his line from my breeding program.

I see you are about to find a certified applied animal behaviorist.  It's unlikely that your veterinarian will know one; you might get a referral to a dog trainer.  DO NOT DO THAT.  Your Doxie is exhibiting referred aggression toward a human being (she interfered with his behavior) but that is STILL totally unacceptable, ESPECIALLY in a 9 month old puppy.  Call the veterinary college in your geographical area and ask for referral to a certified professional who is expert in treating dominance (between dogs) and loss of bite inhibition (which your Doxie exhibited by biting your mother in law.)  

Meanwhile, these two dogs need to be fed in separate rooms (TWICE a day, not ONCE.)  While your Doxie may be exhibiting signs that he may not have received adequate nutrition as a neonate (another sign that his breeder isn't so "expert" or reliable), he may also be responding to Lola's slow eating behavior (which is, by itself, a sign of lower rank and anxiety in Frankie's presence.)  He may be gobbling his food so that he can then take Lola's.  Meanwhile, Lola is suffering enormous anxiety over mealtime, not acceptable.  Each morning and late afternoon, the dogs need to be confined to separate rooms and given ten minutes with their meals.  After the ten minutes, Lola may not have finished hers, but she should be distracted out of the room away from the food and the bowl removed out of her sight.  She will soon learn to eat if she's hungry. Frankie, on the other hand, will most likely not only have finished his but be waiting for his opportunity to get into the room where Lola's food is; do not allow that.  Lola's food must be picked up, and Frankie then allowed out of his eating space.  NEVER use a crate for discipline under any circumstances.  The crate is a safe space (for some dogs) and NO dog understands that confinement is disciplinary (too much time elapses between the "wrong" behavior and the crating.)  The only thing the dog learns is that the PERSON is ANGRY when he is crated, and this makes him fearful of the crate, and might provoke future crate guarding behavior (because the fear association generalizes.)

NO TOYS or COOKIES should be given to either dog by your mother in law.  Frankie appears to desperately be attempting to make a rank statement to Lola and this may begin to affect his interaction with humans in your household.  Trophying behavior is not uncommon in the Doxie.  He has already lost bite inhibition (accidentally on purpose) with your mother in law.  You all have to be taught how to interact with a dog who has aggression issues; you need to learn about positive reinforcement training and how to read dog body language so that you can instantly perceive what's really being communicated between your two puppies.  It's a shame and frankly outrageous that these two young dogs have not been adequately socialized.  "going crazy" when they see other people or dogs tells me that their socialization has NOT BEEN DONE.  There's no excuse for this.  The window of opportunity for socialization has effectively slammed shut for both these young dogs but they can still be assisted in accepting others, with guidance from an expert.  Find one.