AboutBeth Adams Expertise I have 10+ yrs rescuing Cairn terriers. Ask me about rescue work and re-homing rescued terriers. I am also proudly owned by a Jack Russell Terrier rescue. I am also keenly aware that terriers are significantly different from other kinds of dogs, and often not the best choice for some owners.
Experience 10+ yrs owning and rescuing cairn terriers. Proudly owned by a Jack Russell Terrier rescue. My JRT is active in being a foster brother, and earthdog and agility events and we're having a blast
Expert: Beth Adams Date: 4/30/2008 Subject: terriers and aggressiveness
Question Hi Beth. I am a first time dog owner and I have tow children ages 7 and 9. We rescued a Terrier/Pomeranian fromt eh Animal shelter in town. He is about 13 weeks old. We've had him for 3 weeks. I'm OK with his puppy biting phase as that is normal and I feel we can work with him on that-what I am concerned about is his bouts of downright nastiness. He has a tone of voice/growl and seriously goes after biting us. We are gentle with him and do not hurt him so this behavior confuses me. Is this something that is typical of the terrier breed or pom breed? Are they supposed to be aggressive at times to the point of being dangerous? As we don't know who his parents are, we can't know where his temperament may come from so that is why I was wondering if this was something found in the terrier or pom breeds? I am very concerned about my kids or other kids getting attacked. Any comments, advice-whatever would be greatly appreciated. We love him and don't want to be forced into giving him up. HELP!!!
Answer Lisa -
Sounds like a terrible situation.
My first suggestion is to make sure you have a crate. Every single time he even thinks about getting nasty, snatch him up (I recommend keeping a harness on him for this) and crate him for 15 minutes. Just a simple time out often helps - most dogs, especially pups can't stand being out of the action.
Secondly, I feel strongly you should attend a obedience class with him. It helps a lot to have a trainer see for themselves the issue since they can then interpret the behavior better than I can via email.
Terriers can be a little challenging and want to be the "top dog" but so can Poms. Poms are often quite bossy and demanding.
He probably is getting overstimulated and the time outs will help. Do not take your time doing it or be particularly gentle. When I say snatch, I mean snatch. I snatch, then, using a deep serious voice, say "who do you think you are?" and then unceremoniously shove them in a crate.
It sounds mean, but your pup is at a stage where his mommy would need to be correcting his social behavior and would not be all sweetness and light about it. Certainly I am not advocating shaking or hitting, or anything mean, but just kind of sudden and without hesitation.
Some dogs can easily become overstimulated by toys too, so if you think that is a contributing factor, pick up all the toys unless you are specifically playing with him, and then bring just one down for each play session.
Best wishes, and I hope this gives you some ideas for moving forward.
