Question:

I inherited a Dachshund a little over two years ago. He is very protective of me, toys and food. He does bite without warning. We just rescued an 8 week old Boxer puppy and my dachshund will not have anything to do with her. He growls at her and has snapped at her on occasion. Whenever she tries to play with him he runs away or stands on guard as if he is going to snap. Now the boxer puppy is only 3 pounds and my dachshund is 15 pounds. I love him very dearly and I can’t give him up. Do you have any tips on how to make him come around to her? Also I need to note that they have been around each other for 2 weeks now. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Answer:

There are several different issues going on here that need to be addressed. First, I agree that you can't give him up, mainly the reason is that he is aggressive and a known biter. It is unethical and in my opinion, inhumane to rehome a known aggressive dog. Even if you disclose the issue, someone could get hurt, in addition to that, aggressive dogs are many times treated inhumanely because people don't understand how to treat aggression or that it is problem that the dog is not just doing on purpose. If you had to place one of your dogs, I would definitely say you would have to rehome the puppy, which may or may not be the best option. An 8 week old puppy without an aggression and bite history would be much easier to rehome that your adult Dachshund.

Whether or not you decide to keep the puppy, I do think that you need to make sure that the puppy is 100% protected and safe. The puppy is at a very critical, developmental period in it's life and even one frightening or negative incident can create lifelong problems. This is called single event learning. It may seem like he is not hurting her, but please know that his behavior IS impacting the puppy. It is also impacting HIS behavior. Aggression is many times learned. If he finds that aggressing causes her to back off, he is being reinforced and he will continue to do what makes him feel safe and comfortable. I strongly recommend that you find the puppy a quality, reputable, and well run puppy socialization class so that she can interact and play with puppies and learn to interact appropriately and normally. This is the one point that I really want to make clear. This puppy MUST be exposed to other dogs in a way that is positive and good for her. Please, please, please make sure that this puppy is protected and kept safe. The first thing we need to do is make sure she doesn't get hurt (emotionally or physcially) from him.

Now, onto your Dachshund. He has several issues, and my guess is that they are all fear based (which nearly all aggression is). The fact that he bites without warning is extremely concerning. I am wondering how much, if any damage he has done with his bites. I would strongly recommend that you find a reputable, trainer (who uses science based positive reinforcement methods) to help you. When you interview trainers they should talk about desensitization and counterconditioning. They should tell you how to manage and work with your dog and help you AVOID situations that trigger aggression as you work through the process. Anyone who tells you to hit him, jerk him, shock him, throw him on his back, or shake his scruff is not qualified to help you and they will get you hurt and your dog will get worse. I recommend the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (www.IAABC.org)to find someone qualified to work aggression.

You mentioned that he "protects" you and his things. This isn't actually protecting, it is guarding. He isn't protecting you (so you won't get hurt) he considers you a valuable resource (along with his food and toys) and doesn't want anyone to take that from him. This may make it sound like he is bad or wrong, and it isn't, it's just how he views the world. He sounds like a very fearful guy. I know that it may not "seem" like he is fearful, but he is. He is protecting his space because he is uncomfortable with her in it. He needs to be protected too.

All that being said, it is possible to treat this issue. You need a competent behavior consultant to help you and you need to be committed to changing his behavior. You will need to move slowly and not push them and make sure that both dogs are protected.

Here are some resources that may be helpful.

www.iaabc.org
www.fearfuldogs.com
www.k9aggression.com (this will give you a lot of answers)
Mine! by Jean Donaldson (a helpful book on resource guarding)

Vicki