Fear biting (need help)
Moderator: chowadmin
Fear biting (need help)
Hi everyone,
My name is Aidan. I have owned four Chow Chows (including my current Chow, Mazie). My precious Chow, Oliver, lived to 14-years-old and was an absolute angel. I never had any issues with Oli. He was gentle with everyone, and I could take him to the dog park and all around town. Fast forward to this summer, and my mother decided to get a Chow puppy from a backyard breeder. I told her this wasn't a good idea, and I encouraged her to adopt an adult Chow from a rescue, but she bought the puppy (Mazie) anyway. From the minute I met Mazie, I knew she was going to be a handful. Mazie was extremely scared and shy, and she was fear biting even at 8 weeks old. My mom couldn't handle Mazie, so I ended up taking care of her and trying to raise her. Mazie lives with me now, and it's been a struggle. I have done my best to try and socialize Mazie and get her more comfortable with people, but at 1-year-old, she is still incredibly wary of people and afraid of men, especially. She will growl at men and shows no interest in strangers other than to be very cautious. She's incredibly stubborn. She growls at the vet and had nipped my groomer.
Recently, Mazie's pinch collar broke when I was on a walk with her during the late evening (I have no idea how it happened) I had to chase her to get her back because she thought it was a fun game. Some well-meaning young couple pulled over in their car and tried to help me catch her. I didn't have time to explain to them that Mazie is afraid of people, because I was trying to get her back. When I finally caught Mazie, the guy ran up to us and tried to reach down and grab Mazie's neck because he thought he was helping. She growled once and then proceeded to bite me, hard, because she was so scared of the guy. I told him to back off and stop grabbing at her. I had to go to the ER and get stitches.
I'm at a loss with how to train Mazie. I've tried introducing her to calm male friends. I've tried asking other people to meet her and give her treats since she was a baby. We go walking outside and see people at least 3 times per day since I live in a city. But no matter how many positive interactions she has with people, it seems like her personality is only getting worse as she gets older. The only people she trusts is me and my mom. Is there anything I can do? I don't want her to bite anyone else in the future. My mom loves Mazie, but I feel so in over my head with this Chow.
Thank you,
Aidan
My name is Aidan. I have owned four Chow Chows (including my current Chow, Mazie). My precious Chow, Oliver, lived to 14-years-old and was an absolute angel. I never had any issues with Oli. He was gentle with everyone, and I could take him to the dog park and all around town. Fast forward to this summer, and my mother decided to get a Chow puppy from a backyard breeder. I told her this wasn't a good idea, and I encouraged her to adopt an adult Chow from a rescue, but she bought the puppy (Mazie) anyway. From the minute I met Mazie, I knew she was going to be a handful. Mazie was extremely scared and shy, and she was fear biting even at 8 weeks old. My mom couldn't handle Mazie, so I ended up taking care of her and trying to raise her. Mazie lives with me now, and it's been a struggle. I have done my best to try and socialize Mazie and get her more comfortable with people, but at 1-year-old, she is still incredibly wary of people and afraid of men, especially. She will growl at men and shows no interest in strangers other than to be very cautious. She's incredibly stubborn. She growls at the vet and had nipped my groomer.
Recently, Mazie's pinch collar broke when I was on a walk with her during the late evening (I have no idea how it happened) I had to chase her to get her back because she thought it was a fun game. Some well-meaning young couple pulled over in their car and tried to help me catch her. I didn't have time to explain to them that Mazie is afraid of people, because I was trying to get her back. When I finally caught Mazie, the guy ran up to us and tried to reach down and grab Mazie's neck because he thought he was helping. She growled once and then proceeded to bite me, hard, because she was so scared of the guy. I told him to back off and stop grabbing at her. I had to go to the ER and get stitches.
I'm at a loss with how to train Mazie. I've tried introducing her to calm male friends. I've tried asking other people to meet her and give her treats since she was a baby. We go walking outside and see people at least 3 times per day since I live in a city. But no matter how many positive interactions she has with people, it seems like her personality is only getting worse as she gets older. The only people she trusts is me and my mom. Is there anything I can do? I don't want her to bite anyone else in the future. My mom loves Mazie, but I feel so in over my head with this Chow.
Thank you,
Aidan
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DashiDashJason
- Rank 0
- Posts: 8
- Joined: Thu Sep 28, 2023 9:01 pm
Re: Fear biting (need help)
Hi Aidan, welcome! It's clear you care a lot about Mazie. To address her fear and aggression issues, seeking help from a professional dog trainer or behaviourist might be your best bet. They can provide specific guidance to work on her confidence and trust.