Biting

My male barks and if someone comes in before I can pick him up he will grab their pants leg and shake it or he will jump up and scratch them or bite them, but only leaves a red mark. He is 5 and this just started a few months ago. I do not have this problem with my 6 year old female. We spend a lot of time in hotels and this is a big problem. Help I love my Cotons like children.

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Jan 16, 2013
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starstarstarstarstar 		Agressive NEW
by: Vicky & Jonah (Az)

Please remember before u label him agressive is he is still a baby. Learning what is right & what is wrong. Learning proper house or outside behavior is not something a dog or even child knows without guidance.

I am glad u got help but if some cannot afford that much of a leap a good agility, obedience or even dance class for ur pet will help because they learn to listen & socialize w/other dogs & people. It gives them a focus instead of getting into puppy trouble LOl.

I will say I believe in a positive reward system in dog training & it has never failed me yet. Their r many trainers out their so I hope when looking folks at least try out 2 or 3 before making a choice & for the 1st meeting their should not be a charge to examine their work.

Good luck & most of all have fun training & working w/ur pup. To me this is the best part of a dog. Weather it is teaching to sit, throwing a frizbee, going to the dog park or just taking a walk its the best.

Jan 16, 2013
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starstarstarstarstar 		My Coton hates visitors NEW
by: Lisa J from MN

Hi fellow Coton lovers! I am new to this wonderful site! Of particular interest to me is this post on biting. I feel for both of you that are struggling with how your dogs behave with visitors - we are having similar issues. My 16 month-old male Coton has become more reactive to visitors. He bit my 3 year-old niece (didn't break the skin)and I can tell he is considering biting other visitors. When we have company he barks like crazy and grabs the back of their pant legs when they aren't looking, which is close to biting in my opinion. We hired an in-home trainer and have been working on obedience training. We are starting to see some results - he is less reactive and just an overall a calmer dog! Some things we changed are 1)out of our bedroom and back to crating at night 2) off the furniture 3) correcting the bad behavior but mainly focusing on teaching him WHAT to do rather than what NOT to do. One example, when we say 'quiet' he is to sit away from the door and hush - then he gets a favorite treat. We do this even if he is barking at a passing dog. He will probably never be silent but he is gaining self control!! Some of our trainers methods seem a bit old school but I am willing to try anything. I love this boy so much and don't ever want him to hurt someone. That could end badly so I am trying to change his behavior before it escalates. So far, so good! I would love to hear what behavior modification techniques people are using! (Oh, and a REALLY good book someone recommended to me is "Aggression in Dogs", by Brenda Aloff. I am about 1/4 of the way through it and I am learning a lot!) Thanks for sharing and I look forward to learning from you all!
Jan 09, 2013
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starstarstarstarstar 		Biting NEW
by: Vicky & Jonah (Az)

Sometime old behaviors surface called sowing their oats. They try something & if they get away w/it the behavior comes back into play.

Try going back to basics. When someone enters ur house leave a squeaky toy & treats hanging on the door knob coming into the house. As they enter have them squeak the toy & then throw down for ur pup. Then when he drops the toy to turn the attention to the visitors again have them throw down a good treat to the pup then another. They do not need to reach down & pet him they r just reenforcing visitors a good thing.

As ur pups confidence comes back into play if they would like a scratch from the visitor they will approach them in their own time. Good luck. I do not think ur dog is turning mean i think they r getting a little overly stressed so by going back to basics u r just practicing an old trick. Remember to not get overly stressed yourself since dogs pick up vibs from u. Just like they know when u do not like a person yourself. U will do fine.
Jan 07, 2013
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		BITING NEW
by: KATHY FROM PA

TRISCUIT HAS BEEN DOING THE SAME THING WHEN SOMEONE COMES TO THE DOOR..SHE BARKS AND RUNS TO THEM AND HAS NIPPED AT A FEW PEOPLE...I HAVE A SQUIRT GUN THAT I USE WITH SOME EFFECT...SHE IS SO FAST THAT IT IS HARD TO GET HER TO PICK HER UP. I AM STILL LOOKING FOR HELP IN THIS MATTER ALSO....INDEED, WE LOVE OUR LITTLE PUPS.

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