7 yr Old old Bit someone for the 1st time

[K9Rick]

Hi .. I am writing extremely concerned. I have a 7 year old female Shepherd mix named Roxy. I have had her all of her life and for the first time ever she bit someone yesterday. She did not break the skin thankfully. Let me explain some changes in her life within the last year. My ex wife and I had 4 dogs, we got divorced last year and each of us took two dogs. I have had to move twice since I left my house, so perhaps this issue was a result from her living environment changing? I am not sure. Being that she has never had issues socializing before.. my girlfriend and I took my dogs for a drive to visit her parents. Her parents have a 1 year old Beagle who is also female. Roxy has never had porblems with other dogs so we thought we would let the dogs play. The dogs actually growled at eachother so we seperated them by taling my dogs in the back yard away from their dog in the house. It was a very hot day, we all were sitting in the back yard. My girlfreinds Dad was going into the house to get a beverage..stepped toward me... Roxy bit him on the back of the leg. No skin was broken, but it scared me and everyone was of course upset by this.
My question is...can anyone advise a training book or something I can do to work with her? I do not want this issue to get worse. I am sick about this, so please, serious answers only. Thanks! K9 Rick

[kuritsa18]

Not too clear on the story but did your dad come between you and Roxy? Is roxy protective of you? Does she get aggressive in a way of trying to protect you? Maybe she bit your dad becasue she thought he was coming into her 'terrtitory' and coming too close to you and her? Also, was she aggitated from the other dog? That can trigger aggression.

A divorce is tramatic for a dog, being separated from the other owner and dogs; their 'pack' has been split up and leadership (dominant dog/pack leader) has been lost. She could be confused about the role she plays in your pack now and who is now 'top dog'. You need to establish your top dog status over your dog to show her you are the leader, you make the rules, they need to behave properly and that there is nothing to be afraid of. A divorce causes confusion for a dog. They can't understand divorce, they just see it as that person left me and they don't know why. Maybe your dog is rebelling becasue of the trama of being separated from your wife and other dogs.

Another thing is, was there food/treats or water near her when your dad came near? She could have become aggresive over the water or even food since it was a hot day. Has she ever displayed food aggresion before if so?

There are always triggers to why a dog attacks/bites so try to think really hard about the situation leading up to the bite. It could be anything like a sound or body positioning.

I would suggest to you to call a local trainer and discuss the situation with the bite and the divorce. A dog biting someone is a serious matter and if they do it once they will likely do it again so it is better to get things figured out now. A book is not really going to help you so it's better to consult with a professional who can help you with your specific situation and see the dog first hand. I had some behaviour problems with my dog and I called a trainer and asked for some advice and they gladly gave it to me. Plus, you can set up an appointment with that trainer and have a consultation to discuss the problems and what has been happening; it's very inexpensive. They will have a better idea of what's going on with your dog and how to handle the problem and also, what your dog might be going through.

Hope that helps!

[Muggsmom]

When a dog suddenly acts strangely (I'm assuming this is out of character) I think it's a good idea to have a check-up. Some medical conditions can cause a change in behaviour. Thyroid, for example, can cause aggressiveness.