I can't beleive she bite me!!

[Lucy/Thumper]

Please read these with theunderstanding that this was essed to a dog forum webesitethat I belong to. Understand that this was a emailI sent to my dog forum.Pleaseunderstand that Iwasso upsetI didn't want to have to emotionally express itagain.First off, thank all! If it was not for this forum Iwould have been terrified. However, because of this forum I knew whatwas going on and I knew how to hande it.
I can't believe she bite me! What happened was as some know I have arabbit which was here several months before she came along. When we gother we tried holding the rabbit (T) and letting her (Lucy/oes) come tohim smell and get used to T in my lap. Which did NOT work. Then I triedhaving my son holding the dog and me the rabbit and allow some timetogether, notta, then I though maybe away from the "teritory"would work...NOPE! We then tried telling her "gentle" every time shewent to his cage she tortued him.

Lucy (oes) took the run of the house. But Thumper was here first he was a rescue and in bad shape. Potty trained and all....
Well none of my attempts worked so finally I took charge and realizedthat if I gave the bunny some power back in this home he would realizethis is his house too. So with all of lucy shananganes I started tomake lucy sit than lay when T was out. Well, I did that tonight and(T)umper was right under to the dining room table I had lucy sit- thendown... she would n sit but not lay, I tried again,sit was ok but down-nope...once more I tried. She fought me then. Itwas a domanice situation that she was not going to sucome to!!! Shereached up and bit my ear. It wasn't hard(I wasn't bleeding) but it wasvery intentual and very direct. Her message was loud and clear! Thankyou all over and over B/C of you alone I knew what to do, and how tohandle it!! Educated instinct told me to grab her and wresle her downto the ground and be on top! Win the confrintation!!
Wow! My poor bunny must have been tortured in his cage when we where not home.


I have never been so mad or so worried about my pets ever!



What should I do. Do I need to get rid of my dog. I don't want to.
But Thumper comes first. H just does. He comesfirst. It is like asking a father to chose between hisdaughter or his son. I am heart broken. But thiscan not go on. Thumper diserves somuch more thanthis. And I promised him better when I rescued him?

He hasn't danced twisted or binked all night long.

alison

 

[Slynk]

Personally, I'd find a home for the dog. Thenagain, I know there are good homes for dogs around here, not sure aboutwhere you live. Still, nothing is allowed to torture my rabbits.

 

[Delphinum]

My rabbits used to have the run of the house, butwith the dog, they now have the run of upstairs and the dog hasdownstairs. I just don't trust them to be left in the housetogether. Rolo is a lab x kelpie, so is part retriever, partherder and looks at the rabbits in their hutches when he manages to getup the stairs, but won't touch them. He sniffs Henry butthat's it, Henry has even 'dug' his nose for being to close to thehutch! LOL But I'd never let him in the room byhimself with them... in or out of their hutches. I think hejust finds them fascinating and wants to play. :? He's apuppy so we expect him to be like that until he is older.

What kind of dog is it and how old? Some dogs are bred ashunters, i.e.Basset Fauve de Bretagne'swere bred inpacks of 4 to go rabbiting,and will go for a rabbit asinstinct rather than viciousness. Whereas some areherding dogs, i.e. border collies, and may be better with small animalsthan say a bloodhound or beagle.

I hope you can sort something out with them... even if you limit the space of each of the animals as we have had to do.

Ang xx

 

[Lucy/Thumper]

Thank you Delphium. She is a oldenglish sheep dog. She is pure bred but she is also arescue. That bred is a herding bred Iwill think about how I can seprate them totally. I am in asmall otwnhouse so it is not as easy as you think. I woke upand put Lucy (eos) outside. She was in her crate. Ihave a fenced in backyard. She is begging to come in in a way she neverhas before. She knows she messed up. Sheknows. Thank you for yor responses. I am stillheartbroken.

 

[Carolyn]

Hi Alison,


God, no wonder why you were, and remain, upset. How long have you hadLucy? Perhaps her nipping is the reason behind she's now a rescue. Shemust listen to you without warning (biting you). It sounds as if you'vedone all the right things to try to introduce them, but being a sheepdog and not knowing her background, it may not happen.

As Delphinum said, I do think it's wise to keep them separate, butstill and all, the dog biting your ear is something that you have towatch, of course..

The dog is now biting the hand that feeds it. What will she behave likearound people she doesn't know or just decides she doesn't like?

I appreciate your loyalty to Thumper because he came first. I've knownmany people who've gotten rid of the smaller animal first. No matterwhat, the dog biting you does concern me a great deal.

I used to have a Shetland Sheepdog and as we ran in the yard, she wouldnip at my ankles, never hurting me, but it was her way of bringing inthe herd. Point being is that sometimes that's in their personality,but it sounds like Lucy's agenda in this instance doesn't seem tofollow that line of action.

Keep us posted. Keep an eye on Thumper when Lucy's near because it maycause the little one a lot of stress which is also something that's notgood for Thump. See if Thumpers eyes look as if they're bulging and ifhe huddles down and freezes.

-Carolyn

 

[Lucy/Thumper]

Thank you all again. I Took Thumper tothe vet yesterday just to make sure he is ok. The vet saidthat he thinks the shedding is b/c of him being stressed out.I think I will get the carpets cleaned and put a baby gate at thebottom of the stairs. Do you think Tumper will ok with therun of the upstairs ank know that is his territory and feel safe?

 

[Carolyn]

Yes, I do think Thumper will be okay if he knows that you'll protecthim and his area's his area. Just be careful when you have visitors.

I have a baby gate up separating the bunny territory and I can't countthe number of times people have forgotten to close it when they visit.It sounds as if Lucy can't be trusted with Thumper at all, so you justhave to be extremely careful that when Thumper's out, you pay closeattention to when people come and go from the upstairs to thedownstairs. As you know, it only takes a second.

Just give Thumper a lot of reassurance when he's out for the next couple of days.

Glad to hear the vet said he's okay.



-Carolyn

 

[Lucy/Thumper]

Thanks Carolyn, I have been giving himbannanes over and over. I feel terrible that he isgoing through this. I am the worst mom ever.

 

[Carolyn]

You can lay off the bananas now. Too much sugar, which isn't good for their digestive system.

Just give Thumper pets, chats, and kisses; that's even more meaningful.



You're an excellent mother. You caught it before anything happened and you even took Thumper to the vet!

I wouldn't trust Lucy with Thumper, and do be careful in case she needs to warn someone else of a command she doesn't like.

-Carolyn

 

[Loppy Earred Mom]

The baby gate is a wonderful idea..

However I have to agree about the dog biting thats definitly not a goodthing and quite honestly if thats in her background then it probablywont be the last time.

I know when I had a rottie when she was a pup and in growing I wouldroll her over on her back and lay on her tummy letting her know that Iam the Alpha female in the house but from what I was told you do thatwith rotties just for that reason.

I imagine that works with other dogs as well however an adult dog isdifferent. LUCKILY she didn't hurt you but shestill bit at you and that is not a good sign. Of course notknowing her history is ruff both on you and on her.

Good luck with the situation I hope things go well. I would keep them seperated most definitly.

Marie

 

[Delphinum]

Sorry this is a long post...:? I don't mean it to sound like a lecture, it's just my experience.

I've been thinking about you over the last couple of days and I thinkyou've done the right thing with the baby gate idea. Therabbit will feel more secure and the dog aware that there areboundaries which she cannot cross. For example, our dog willnot even try getting through the door to the upstairs of the house ashe knows it isn't allowed... thefirst time I did let himupstairs, he was frightened to go up in case he was repremanded forit! LOL I had to coax him up!

As for the biting,she can't do that! Our dog biteswhen he feels threatened... so no hitting, no newspapers bopping him onthe snout, etc... we have to squirt him with water when he's bad... thesame way with a cat or rabbit. He has also bitten me when Ihave taken a bone from him as he hasn't been taught not to defend hisfood. As he's young, and is also a rescue, we don't knowwhat's went on before, but we think his owners hit him, hence thesnarling, biting and growling whenever he feels threatened.The best way I've found when he's being aggressive is to tower over himand growl very deeply, he usually stops snarling, and sometimeswhimpers,as he understands that I am, as Loppy Eared Mom putit, the Alpha Female in the house. Also a sharp growl at himwhen hebites on the lead when out walking stops him in histracks. Most people must think I'm mad for doing this, but Iwill not have a dog which will bite or will not walk to heel.I don't want him destroyed if it happens to be a child the next time heloses his temper! I couldn't have that on my conscience, asI'd hate anyone to be injured at the hands, well... teeth,ofmy dog. We have also found that shutting Rolo in the kitchenwhen he has been bad calms him down and also gives us time out awayfrom him and he is grateful when he is allowed back into the livingroom to be with us.

Also keep some treats on you for when you want control ofLucy. A quick sniff of some mature cheddar cheese and Roloforgets whatever he is doing and will sit or lie down whentold. Another way is to grab her collar and hold her up, itmay seem cruel but you must be assertive, using your command for 'sit',and when she does sit, praise her. She knows then that youare the dominant one and she has to do as she is told. Mostof this, I have had to do with Rolo as he was really unruly when we gothim and my trainer has been very impressed with the change in him.

We've only had him for 2 months and he has gone from a biting,snarling, angry dog into a controllable, if hyperactive and naughty,happy one. I'm sure Lucy isn't an aggressive dog, but maybethe rabbits are just too much of a temptation for her and her bitingincident may well have just been a one off. Some dogs can betrusted with a rabbit and others can't. :?