3 year old Chow bit my mom.

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kimigirl
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3 year old Chow bit my mom.

Post by kimigirl »

Hi all. I haven't been here for quite a while.
3 weeks ago, my family adopted a 3 year old Chow named Barca (neutered male). Before the adoption, I had my 5 year old Chow, Roscoe (not neutered) meet him to see if they get along. Roscoe grew up with me so I trust him with strangers, kids and other dogs. They got along so well! We took Barca home the next day and I've been working with him everyday since and he has bonded with me. He bonded well with my mom too. (We're 6 in the family- parents, 2 siblings a niece and myself.) Barca would let my mom hug him, brush him, feed him, even kiss him. All in a span of 3 weeks. Please understand that Barca wasn't a socialized Chow. He's very protective of any room he may be in. My bedroom especially.
Tonight, my mom was in the room with me and Barca was laying near the door (sleeping I think). Roscoe was there too but nearer my bed. When my mom got up to leave the room, he suddenly growled at her and nipped her at the knee, then went for her arm. One fang broke the skin and went in quite deep and the rest of the teeth bruised her. All this happened so fast. I tried to grab him after the first nip but wasnt fast enough that he got the second bite in.
My mom is scared of him now and chose to stay away including the other family members.
Is there a way to curb his being so protective of my room? If I let him just roam the house, he might attack someone else. I dont know what to do. I can't lock him in my room forever or have him on a leash or tied up the whole day. It breaks my heart since we're been doing so well. I also dont want to have to find him a new home.
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maikinda
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Re: 3 year old Chow bit my mom.

Post by maikinda »

Three weeks is not very long to have the dog and being startled may have caused him to bite. I would suggest you find someone to help you with training him. Positive training goes a long way in correcting behavior problems. I would not suggest keeping him only in your room because that is only going to make him worse. Even is he is on a lease with you keep him around the family. Just make sure he always sees them coming.

Laura
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Pinoy51
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Re: 3 year old Chow bit my mom.

Post by Pinoy51 »

It looks you adopted Chow is now the selfdeclared leader of your pack.
Three weeks is good enough to adapt to his new environment. The growling was the warning not to move away, when she ignored it he tried to hold her back.
I assume no-one thought about discipline in the last three weeks. hugging and kissing can come later when the ground rules are clearly established.
He CAN NOT own any room in your house. The situation can get worse now if your Mom and other members are afraid of him. Fear is seen as weakness and is just fostering his alpha behaviour.
there is a lot of information about how to establish the leadership within a pack. please go through it and seek help from a professional who is used to work with Chows. Since you have a Chow already shouldn't be that difficult for you to keep control over the two. But your family need to return to normal as soon as possible.
For your dog that was nothing special and he is over it for a long time already, humans need to learn that too.
Don't treat him different than before he bit your Mom, just instill discipline before affection.
Best regards
Pinoy51
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