Hey guys. I'm in need of some much needed advice. A little distraught and shocked over here to be honest. Luka and I started the day off driving to his favorite grassy spot to get some energy out. There aren't many grassy areas here in Jerusalem and his favorite spot was not available for him to play in because people were gardening. He didn't like that I had to take him away but I brought him to another grassy area right next to his favorite place. He was fine, running and playing per usual. Then all of a sudden he attacked me. I'm not talking about the play biting because I know the difference. This was with a snarl and just an extremely aggressive attack. He didn't break my skin but had his new teeth come in, I'm pretty sure he would have. I'm distraught and worried. This is unlike the breeds behavior from what I read. He wouldn't dare do this to my husband. He doesn't even play bite with my husband when he gets excited. And it's not like I can just turn around, cross my arms and look away. His bites HURT. I love him but I feel like I'm not getting that in return sometimes...
Hello Leanna and Luka It is nice to see another poster from Israel although I live in a Moshav in the Northern Negev, near Ashqelon and am not really that knowledgeable about J-m. I do not know why your pup bit you - who knows what triggered it but if he had never bitten, as against puppy play biting, something must have triggered it. My pup tends to use my hands as chewies although she has not marked my skin since her initial puppy bites. That seems to be her way of being affectionate but she will not bite. And she never shows her teeth to anyone else. May I ask, do you live in an apartment where you have to take your pup somewhere for regular exercise? It must be difficult if you do not have your own yard.
Thank you for your reply! In Jerusalem, there is not a lot of space especially where we live. We live in a "house on top of house" style home. There are no grassy play areas walking distance. I literally have to take him by car twice daily to get a good walk/outside playtime in. Luka will be coming with me to the states for a few months and I'm sure he will get a lot more walks and outside time. It's been very difficult raising a well rounded puppy here unfortunately. People are not too fond of dogs in this area
You don`t say how old he is , obviously as we did not see it we can only surmise , but my guess is he is just being a stroppy boy what were you and he doing right before he reacted. From what you say he respects your hubby as he does not play bite with him, I think you need to start a regime where he has to work for you , there is a way of training called NILF.......... (nothing in life is free) goggle it and put it into practice, it might help you get a little more control over him. I would think he just got over excited and forgot himself and went a bit to far, if he is not getting enough stimulation and exercise the frustration can influence behaviour. This is where the NILF will help as it will make him use his mind to work out what gets get good rewards ..........
@Jackie - unless you know the city and the area, especially with the people "not too fond" of dogs, regular NILF training might not be suitable. The OP's dog lives in what is basically an apartment. There is very little free space in Jerusalem and very very few single story homes with private gardens. And as she said, people are not too keen in that area, so it is not easy to keep a dog as a pet. There are people where I live who hated my Little One, then my beloved angel Pereg, and still scream at little Tikva even though she is always on a tether when outside in my yard. Dogs are throwaway - mommy, I want a puppy - and then the dogs are dumped in the nearest Moshav, Kibbutz or Army base. Please do not blame the OP for her dog to have gone for her. Neither of us know why. But one thing I do know is the hatred so many people have against dogs in Israel. And there must have been a reason for the OP's dog to have turned on her. And I do not think it was her fault.
Thank you for your reply. I'm sorry I did not mention Luka's age. I'm new to this forum and thought maybe it would state it on my profile. He is 4 months old, the "make it or break it" time to get those good behaviors engrained. I know he is young but I had not experienced such a thing before and I really want our bond to be a positive one. I will look up NILF and hopefully be able to apply such a thing into our lives. Much appreciated.
Thank you for your understanding. It's like you read my mind. I HATE how they look upon animals here. It's so heartbreaking. I think over the years, it has gotten just a little better but not nearly where it needs to be. I love animals and can't imagine my life without one which is why I adopted Luka. I have seriously considered moving back to America for this reason. But I'm going to research more and start by playing with Luka even more. I'm just going to have to dodge those glares in the neighborhood.
i am not sure you understand what NILF is, where one lives has will not impact on this form of training, its all about teaching your dog to have self control, and manners, it can be easily done in the home, out on a walk (she does walk the dog) the basis of the training is to get the dog to work for EVERYTHING..........i.e before you put the lead on, you ask for a sit, before you feed the dog you ask for a sit, before you pet the dog you ask something of it, sit , down, wait even give a paw, what you are teaching the pup is that before he gets anything "good" he has to earn it.... This way it will teach him to respect his owner, it will teach him some self control, living where others do not treat dogs well will not have an impact on the owner implementing this............ she does not need open spaces or understanding people to do this....... it can all be done on a daily basis in a normal routine. BTW............ I don`t believe this pup "attacked" at 4 mths old, he is probably as I thought, just overstepping him mark and being to "mouthy" and boisterous.
I feel I need to address this, Malka I did not say it was her fault, I merely gave the poster my thoughts on her pups behaviour, unfortunately puppies can be very over boisterous, you only have to look at them playing with their siblings in a litter if you do not understand canine behaviour you might think puppy A, B, or C is aggressive , due to the snarling , biting and lunging, but this is all part of them learning boundaries, when they go to far........ I suspect this is what has happened with said pup, the poster has stated pup sees her as his play toy, as he does not mouth /bite her hubby, he sees her as something to play with and as such has forgotten himself, implementing discipline into his life should hopefully address his behaviour. I do not think pup has "turned on her" hes young and boisterous, believe me if you could have seen some of Figos actions, you would think he was an aggressive dog, biting , lunging, barking, nipping and tearing my hubbys hands to shreds........ he was A full on puppy, and I suspect this pup is to. Obviously I am making an assumption based on what she has told up, but hopefully after coming here she will have a better understanding of him...
@Jackie - I know full well what NILF means. Do you know anything about how dogs are considered and treated in Israel? Throwaway, chuck them out we are bored with them. NILF? I have lived in Israel for 31 years and although I do not know the exact area in J-m where the OP lives, I know exactly how dogs are thought of there. You do not.
I am not getting into an aurgument with you malka on who knows best about Israel ..... Maybe you could explain why NILF would not work on this puppy due to it living in Israel ?? To the poster I am sorry this has turned into a who knows best, you are welcome to give my advice a go, it might help. I will bow out of this now as I don't live in Israel and can't possibly help, I hope malka can give you the help you need as she is the on,y one who can understand.
NILF training/training in general is not about where one lives or other people’ it’s about getting the dog to respect you, all the exercises can be taught at home, on walks. The op says he doesn’t play up with her husband because he obviously knows he cant get away with it, they soon pick up on whom they can mess around with and whom they cannot, so by her working on the dog it will help them to bond more and he should learn to respect her.
If the dog doesn't act up with her husband, seems the most logical thing to do is to do what he does. Nigredo will snuffle over my brothers plate of food while he's eating, but he won't do this with me. Why? Because my brother will tolerate it and I've even caught him forking over a tidbit of chicken to Nigredo. If Nigredo tries this with me, he is told to go and sit down and pointed into the direction across the room. Dogs will do what they want to until you make it clear that it won't be tolerated. My thoughts on play biting are a bit different, as I'm quick to snatch a puppy off of me and I have NO aversions to sharply telling a dog NO (bend down, gruff voice, and finger point style). Contrary to what some people try to claim, they ALL seem to understand perfectly and it is extremely uncommon that I have to repeat myself. I've never had trouble with play biting or any sort of biting and I never hit dogs. Them knowing that I am larger than them and very unhappy with them is enough.
