my 7 1/2 month old chow is out of control.

[babe214]

i have a 7 1/2 month old chow chow, named Bear. My puppy has been out of control, since day one I thought he'd adjust and come around but he hasnt. I have 3 other dogs at home, he constantly is attacking my maltichi dog whose only 10 pounds and as tiny as a small puppy. He pulls her by the tail and whips her around and what not. Then hes been in 2 dog fights, with my cockapoo and almost tried killing him, by attacking him. He bite my dad, when he tried breaking them up, it wasn't bad it was his finger. He has food aggression, and im having trouble house breaking him, and training him, im so frustrated and I dont wanna get rid of him, but my dad does. I really need help and advice on this matter.

some please help.

[Auddymay]

A few questions...
How old was the Chow when he came into the home?
Was he abused as a chowling, or come from a litter with no incidence?
How old are you?
Has Bear had any formal training?
Who is primarily responsible for Bear?
Is he crate trained?

[babe214]

Bear was 2 months old when he came into my house.
He was never abused, he came from a liter of 3 and his parents seemed to have aggression issues, his mother was cream color and his father was black color.
im not really sure what my age has to do with anything, im not like a child or something.
we've tried teaching him, some training options. But its like trying to teach a wall.
I am mainly responsible for bear, but my father over seas the dog.
crate trained, no he isn't.

[Auddymay]

Your age is an issue, because most teenagers do not have the skills to handle a Chow. They are more work than an average breed. Also, if you are subordinate in the household and also in charge of the Chow, the Chow will have a harder time accepting you as his master. Is he altered? He should be. He sounds unsocialized and untrained. If it is like trying to teach a wall, you are doing it wrong. I will be honest. if you are not willing to put in a good amount of work with this Chow, you should do Bear a favor and find him a Chow savvy home ASAP. If you honestly love him AND are willing to put in the work, time, and a little money for formal training, the folks here will be more than happy to help you.

[babe214]

mmm thanks.....

[Auddymay]

Well, not saying you are commited and willing to work with him speaks volumes. Drop your gaurd and be willing to accept the word of those amongst us that can help you...you admit there is a problem, but from our side, we are not going to all jump on the band wagon to help you if you are not commited to doing so!

We are all busy people, and have addressed these problems time and again. Mostly, it's people like you. They come in, post 3 or 4 times, and when they find out how much work it is going to be, they are not heard from again. It is not worth our time to spell out how to fix your problems if you aren't commited to helping Bear. I would suggest you check out the training section for some tips on how to help your situation. Or do a search for fighting. Good luck, and please don't let me piss you off and leave in a huff...

[Boogie and Linda]

Where are you located? What Auddymay said is correct. It will take a lot of time and commitment from you to properly train your chow but it can still be done. If you do a search on NILF (Nothing in life is free) you will find several techniques for becoming a leader. Your chow is not fully grown yet and I am worried because a dog fight with a little 10lb dog could be deadly for the little dogs. You really need to work on this ASAP or it could mean his life too. He would be killed immediately if turned into a shelter in his current condition. And if he bites anyone it will be all over for him too.

[Sarahloo]

Audymay!!!
Why take home a dog whose parents seem aggressive to you?
There is someone whose opinion I respect who says that all dogs in the household should be approx. the same size and age. Smart advice, I have come to realize, but of course that doesn't help you now that the dogs are there.
My Chow gives me zero trouble at home because I make sure he's always tired! Does Bear get enough exercise? Probably not. He's young, he has lots of excess energy, he wants to play, but his playmates aren't size-appropriate, so they get hurt. When he starts playing rough with your dogs, try to transfer his attention to you. Play with him, take him for a walk, provide entertainment for him. I'm not a big fan of crates, but since I've seen a really huge one that looked like an indoor kennel I've been coming around to them a little. Put him in one of those when he's insisting on being difficult ALTHOUGH you have already taken care of all of his needs. You are not his entertainment center, so he can't use you whenever, you need to enforce quiet time, BUT ONLY (as I've already said) when you can reasonably expect him to be quiet because he's had his exercise!
Should he approach your other dogs, and it looks like things might be getting out of hand soon, give him the kind of "No!" that is going to set his ears ringing and separate him from the others before anything can happen. Encourage friendly interaction, but look out for signs of the mood shifting!

[Sakura]

Hello,

Your chow looks very cute and I believe it's not too late to give him some proper training and caring. One thing you should keep in mind that chows look cute but they are very stubborn and can cause injury to small dogs or humans if you don't establish leadership and give good training.
I can tell you that your chow is the leader of the pack in your household, and that's why he bites your dad, attacks your other dogs and doesn't want to share food.

However, it's not too late to train him. As other people posted above, you should take some proper action.

Good luck!

[JustinEason]

Easy food aggression fix.

NILIF (nothing in life is free) + feed him every meal out of your hand. He will understand food comes from you and not the bowl. After months of this you can slowly go back to his bowl.

[ljyoung]

I know that this is not a popular suggestion among those in this forum; however, it is a good corrective measure if done properly. When I got my Odie about 2 years ago, he was showing signs of aggression towards others as a young pup. At the time he was the only dog in the house. The breeder worked with me, and showed me that you have to establish yourself as the alpha persona in the house (and so does your dad). Dogs do this with each other by one putting the other on his back. You can do this and use a firm and stern voice when he is doing something wrong. It does not hurt him, and it shows him in his "language" who is the alpha persona. Just be careful that he is not too aggressive as to bite you in the process. I actually had to do this with my Odie a couple of times, and he now responds to a voice command when he is in the process of misbehaving. In regards to crate training, be sure to have a crate just big enough for him to stand in and turn around in. My advice is to never use the crate as a disciplinary action or you will never get him to go into the crate when you need to. While I was crate training my dogs, I would throw a treat into the crate to entice them and soon they would go into the crate on their own. Eventually, I no longer needed to crate them when I was out of the house. I had a friend move in from OK with her miniture dachsun (spelling?), and they all get along great. I think her dog thinks he is one of the big dogs. I agree with JustinEason -- feed your Chow out of your hand and graduate to the bowl. When you do graduate to the bowl, be sure to pet your Chow when you put the bowl down, and make sure you can take the bowl away at any time. If you cannot, please get some professional help in that department. If any dog is aggressive over food, you have a big problem not only with other people trying to feed him but also with other dogs trying to "share" his food. All the suggestions about socializing your dog are good, and the more you can do this, the better dog he will be. Be sure to establish the pecking order with your dog or your dog will rule you. Good luck!