Need Help

[jurzee's mom]

We have a 3 year old female blue chow. She has been skittish since the day we brought her home as a pup. She has warmed up to our family including our 2 grand kids, but we spend a lot of time with friends and their families and recently she nipped at 2 people. She could have bitten if she really wanted to but it was more of a warning to stay away or get out of her space. We are unsure what to do and don't know if we should put her down or not. She is our 5th Chow and really have never had this kind of problem with the others...We have resorted to putting her on a cable when we are around other people so she can't get to anyone and nip or bite...What should we do???

[Judy Fox]

The only thing I can suggest is that you think back very carefully to how exactly the situation was when she nipped those two people.

Was there a lot of excitement going on?

Did people try to force themselves onto her?

Did someone approach her from behind?

Perhaps it might be an idea to start from the beginning in socialising her. Also, make her secure somewhere when there are a lot of people around and for the forseeable future, never, but never leave her alone with your grandchildren.

She deserves a chance.

One last thing, look into her health - is there a problem you have not noticed? Is she hurting somewhere?

[bobby30]

there are alot of things you can do , the last thing u should do is to put the dog down. thats like you doing something wrong and me klling you .. just not right .. the first thing you should do is find out why the dog is biteing . there is books on chows you can read . chows are very friendly dogs . but you have to train them from the gate it takes a lot of time cause they are stubburn as hell. but you have to do it ,PLEASE DONT PUT THE DOG DOWN. try food tricks , take the dog out for long runs or walks cause you know the saying (a tired dog is a happy dog) .

[sue]

You said shes skittish from the beginning therefore you have a nervous dog.Having her surrounded by people was probably putting to much pressure on her at this time.You will find she nipped at the people to stop them invading her space.I would suggest two things put her in a room away from everyone with her toys and treats when you have guests this will give her own space plus she will have peace and quiet.Tell everyone under no circumstances whatsoever do they enter the room place a chair outside the door so people know not to enter.
Look up local dog training classes and trainers in your area they will offer you help and advice.
As already said by judy take her to the vet for a check up. Arthristis and joint pains can start early in young dogs.
Also you said you may have to put her to sleep you have to think she gave a nip that was a warning .if she had meant business she would have bitten down to the bone and hung on. you may have to look at the fact you have a chow that might be better suited to a single person home that dosent have a lot of visitors.
i hope all goes well for you.

[bellachow]

Let me first say I'm a little confused...you said you brought her home as a pup & she is now 3 yrs old. Did you not visit your friends & their family until now? If you have taken her around these people since she was a pup then there must have been an extenuating circumstance that caused her to nip.

Our Belle has been little on the nervous side since the day we brought her home at the age of 8 weeks. We socialized her early but it did not keep her from being nervous. It takes her a little longer to warm up to people she doesnt know but she does eventually warm up to them. The key is to keep socializing but at a slower pace than with others. You may have to limit her interactions to just a few people at a time or just a few minutes at a time until she gets used to having a whole house full.

For example, we have 1 friend that has a 5 yr old daughter who runs wild & because she gets away with harrassing her dog thought that she could do the same with Belle. At first Belle tried to hide from the girl and her father even told her to leave the dog alone. And when the adults were talking, the girl tried to 'play' with Belle. Needless to say Belle snapped at her; both Belle and the little girl received a correction. The next time the little girl ignored Belle...after about 15 minutes Belle initiated contact & all went well.

I have to admit that I had the same situation more than 13 years ago with our first chow. But being young and inexperienced, I did not take the time to properly socialize or train him. This led to many years of him being put in the bedroom while my young nephews visited (he was ok with adults just not kids). But the key is that I learned from that mistake and Belle is better off for it. She is a happier, better adjusted chow for it. And with a little effort and alot of patience so can your chow.

[Thomas]

Our Teddie is just two years old. We've been socializing her since we got her at three months of age. When we have guests over or we go to visit others she generally lies down near us, under a table, at our feet, etc. She's great around people but we keep her away from toddlers (they scare her). All that said, a friend was visiting us a month or so ago and while we were talking on the deck our friend kept moving back and forth, forward and backward, and unknowingly backed Teddie into a corner. We should have spotted this before it happened but we didn't so Teddie nipped our guest to tell her to back off. Didn't break the skin. Didn't tear any clothing. Just a "back off" warning. Chows don't nip for no reason and the fact that it was a nip means your dog was communicating. Even at three years of age you can socialize your chow. If you're not sure what to do find a trainer near you who knows them and will work with you.