Thank you for taking the time the explain his background and behavior. Form reading your posts in both threads it sounds like Thunder was originally fine around your boyfriends dad and that for reason unknown to you he started showing signs of aggression: growling and baring teeth and then eventually he bit him hard enough to draw blood. Is that correct?

I meant absolutely no judgments when I asked if he was kept in the basement. I just wanted to know where he considered home. Raven, my Husky, has her crate in the living room. She is not allowed in our basement, it is mostly unfinished and is not safe for her. Everyone's living conditions are different so I was just trying to figure out where Thunder considers home.
The more information you can provide the better people can offer helpful advice.

My dog is only 10 mths and I have no experience with aggression but I don't think you should stop walking him. That may make the situation worse. If he has never reacted negatively on walks you should be fine. If he has then, you could muzzle him on walks. That way he would still be getting exercise that he needs without the danger of a bite occurring.

Looking back are there any other behaviors that you may have dismissed in the past , he's new, he's just adjusting to us, he was just playing rough, that may shed any other light on whats going on.

Again thank you for providing information and for seeking help.

dbingham12 wrote:

Heather! wrote:

and have witnessed that happening with several dogs you have personally dealt with, I would refrain from ever making such statements.

I have seen it happen. My best friends dog bit her son and drew blood. She spent thousands of dollars on highly qualified, highly recommended professional trainers (three of them to be exact) and after recommendations by all three trainers to have the dog put down, 10 additional less serious bites, a dead family cat, and an almost catastrophic attack on her toddler, she finally had to put the dog down.

I am in NO WAY suggesting that this is the case here NOR am I suggesting that it is breed specific NOR am I suggesting that this is the case with EVERY dog who bites and draws blood. I am simply stating that encouraging the OP to attempt to handle this on their own until they can re-home Thunder is IRRESPONSIBLE AT BEST.

And if you had read the rest of my post, you would know that because of this I encouraged her to either hire a professional or find a Husky rescue that could provide the proper rehabilitation to Thunder!

I read your entire post.

Not a single one of us was encouraging her to handle this on her own, nor did anyone, from what I can recall, mention re-homing. Personally, I think it's foolish to just rehome this dog because it made a mistake that we still don't know was instigated or not. That, and they HAVEN'T spoken to a professional train, just jumped to rehoming. i was trying to avoid that part of the post to avoid causing an issue, but no one said she should train the dog and then rehome it - we are all trying to make it manageable and trying to understand why it happened.

The OP clearly states that they are looking for a new home for Thunder. There are several suggestions in the posts about bite inhibition, NILIF and many others. This isn't about pointing fingers. I posted what I posted originally because I would not be able to sleep at night if the OP was hurt trying to use any of these techniques. I also wouldn't be able to sleep at night if Thunder was re-homed and the new family had the same result. In my opinion this is a serious issue. I don't think the OP would be considering re-homing Thunder if it wasn't.

thunder99 wrote:

Also, I do not know why Thunder did what he did with Patricks dad. He was standing by his toolbox fidning something and Thunder walked up to him and bit his harm hard enough to make it bleed and the dad still has teeth marks in his skin.

So what has come from only growling, baring teeth and hair standing up has turned into him attacking..I do not want this to happen again..and it maybe will or it maybe wont I do not know. But we cannot have him stick around to find out =(

You mentioned that Thunder was abused at one of his previous homes...is it possible that your boyfriends father wears something (cologne, deodorant, aftershave) that triggers a memory in Thunder that made him lash out in fear? I don't have any real experience with aggressive/fearful dogs so I can't offer any real help. But this thought occurred to me earlier today. Can you test the theory by putting Thunder on a leash and having Patrick's dad in the same room?

I hope you're able to figure something out for your and Thunder's sake. Good luck!

Maybe not, but I don't think re-homing is the answer in the first place, but that's my opinion. I don't think anyone suggested anything that would cause her to get hurt when trying these new techniques. ESPECIALLY since the OP stated that the dog never acted like this with her.

I'm trying to decide how this dog became such a danger over one bite. I'm not condoning it and I do not think biting i right, but I have been bit by Delilah, because she had SERIOUS resource guarding issues and she has rehabbed perfectly fine. It was a lot of work - and I used the suggestions I got here. These people do know what they are talking about. I'm not proud that Delilah had resource guarding issues, but I would never claim she is aggressive.

A dog doesn't just walk up and bite someone out of the blue. I still feel that this story isn't the entire story.

dbingham12 wrote:

The OP clearly states that they are looking for a new home for Thunder. There are several suggestions in the posts about bite inhibition, NILIF and many others. This isn't about pointing fingers. I posted what I posted originally because I would not be able to sleep at night if the OP was hurt trying to use any of these techniques. I also wouldn't be able to sleep at night if Thunder was re-homed and the new family had the same result. In my opinion this is a serious issue. I don't think the OP would be considering re-homing Thunder if it wasn't.

I think you're also assuming this is clear-cut aggression and many people here are questioning that. When you don't have experience with dogs, especially huskies, many normal behaviors that need to be corrected are mislabeled as aggression. HOWEVER, no one is suggesting that she doesn't seek professional help. She already has-- as stated-- and is here for some extra advice at the request of her trainer.

Further... NILIF, bite inhibition training, and the other training that has been suggested is by FAR not considered dangerous training. It's what she should have been doing all along. What you are suggesting sounds like because the dog bit once, that no one should touch the dog until a rescue or a trainer can come.... that's not really realistic is it? NILIF is non-impact training. So is removing a dog from the room when it gets unruly, especially if you keep a leash on the dog all the times. How is having someone toss treats in a dog's path a problem?

I'm sorry, but I just really disagree. I fail to see how ANY of these training methods are putting the OP in danger anymore than simply having the dog live in her house.

I'm sorry that my opinion and experiences are so offensive to everyone and that you don't see any value in my advice. I was simply trying to suggest a better option than re-homing for the OP and a word of caution. You are right, every time a dog bites there is a reason. But regardless of the reason it can happen again!

I will just delete my account because I didn't sign on here to be bullied. I signed on to get opinions and advice from lots of different people with different perspectives and to sharr my opinions and advice. If the OP doesn't like my suggestions then the OP doesn't have to follow them.

...

Can an internet forum cause women to sync? Everyone seems a bit touchy reactionary lately.

dbingham12 wrote:

I signed on to get opinions and advice from lots of different people with different perspectives and to sharr my opinions and advice. If the OP doesn't like my suggestions then the OP doesn't have to follow them.

Then you should have seen it coming, especially from a breed specific dog forum. I personally thought your reply quite useful because I have not seen this behavior from sled dogs of any stripe in play or aggression. It just doesn't all add up right to me. But I haven't read it all either.

Also, a couple of people quoting your post does not equal everyone.



As for the topic itself, I have no ideas or recommendations.

Back on topic, this is the kind of problem that behaviourists are used to dealing with and can usually fix. It's a good idea to consult a behaviourist - look for someone who uses positive reinforcement in their training. They will be able to evaluate the dog and work out the root cause of the problem. Without understanding that, it's hard for anyone to offer advice. Tori has some good suggestions though.

Forget about the alpha thing - that comes from outdated theories of dog behaviour. Staring at a dog is actually quite a threatening thing for it, so (even though she meant well) when your mum tried to stare him down, it wasn't helping. If the play gets too much and teeth are involved then it's better to do what Tori said - yelp as if it hurt and walk away, ignoring the dog. But it's hard for us to know if the problem is that he doesn't have bite inhibition, or if he really is aggressive for one reason or another, and that's why you need a behaviourist.

It does sound like he wasn't socialized properly and is fearful as a result. Again, this is something that a behaviourist can help with.

If you want to rehome, it's best to go through a breed-specific rescue. Whoever you rehome to, you need to disclose his behaviour, like the people you adopted him from should have done for you.

A lot of rescues have behaviorists and trainers that they work with as well. You could possibly find a rescue who'd be willing to spend the time rehabilitating him prior to placing him, I've seen this done with a few of the rescues I'm familiar with. I believe the OP already has someone trying to work on finding this sort of resolution for her, but a lot of trainers or behaviorists who specialize in troubled behavior like this will sometimes take the dog under their wing until they're ready to be adopted out.

+1 on finding outside help if you can.

Without anyone on this forum being there 24/7 we can not say if this is indeed aggression. In the end it is your experiences with thunder that determine if it is or not. If it were me, and I'm aware it isn't, I would look for a qualified person to help me determine first, and then rectify the "aggression" or unwanted behaviour if I just couldn't do it myself.

We can sit here and guess all day, but in the end that is just what they are... Guesses.

Tori (AkA Koda) I think provided you with a GREAT example that could give us some insight into your plight. Watch the diesel video and if this is what you are talking about it for sure can be worked on. Even if not that video is a great starting spot in giving the forum members here an Idea on how bad it is and corrections that could be made if any.

If I may I would request clarification on one thing.

Quote :

Yes, it is very sad that the owners were not honest with us. When we went to visit him before keeping him, he was jumpy and hyper, which is typical and I did not have an issue with that because it is easily trainable. I am actually scared to put on here why he is aggressive, but I am not going to be like his previous owners and hide his flaws.

That quote is taken from your "other" thread.

Quote :

I am actually scared to put on here why he is aggressive, but I am not going to be like his previous owners and hide his flaws.

I'm confused by this section of it. I'm guessing it just reads wrong.... but I have to ask because of the wording. Is there anything more you know about why thunder might be "aggressive" to anyone he has shown these signs too???

If it is just the way the sentence that is worded funny, or I'm reading it wrong I apologize.

Best of luck and I'm sure we all hope we can help.

~Chris~

ETA - Clarification: This Meatbag has indeed read and understood the post in this thread detailing Thunder's History. I just wanted insight into the above statement.