Adopted Sheltie/May be biter

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kathyl

Forums Regular
Hi. I found a beautiful tri-color sheltie last week @ local shelter. Man found in neighborhood, kept 2 days, walked/asked/looked for owner. Took to shelter in case owner called.
I've went/interacted with him all week. No owner call, adoption opened yesterday. He's about 2-3yrs, un-neutered. Friendly, bit shy, bit aggressive. I'm trying to use wisdom with him. Knows some commands. Follows us.
He's smitten with our maltese, started making humping movement, but not actually on our Maltese.
I slept by him on couch last night. Took him out @ 4:00. Layed back down, I reached to pet him, he bit me pretty severely on my hand. Broke skin,bled.
This morn I called local groomers & posted him on Craigslist looking for owner.
Would like to keep him if owners don't emerge, but can't have a biting dog. We may foster one day and need to know he's safe with kids.
Any suggestions or help? (We've had collies for years & they're always wonderful) Thanks
 
So you adopted the dog from the shelter, and now you are trying to find his owner? Did the shelter do any temperament testing? Does he have a bite history?

What were the circumstances of the bite? Did you wake him up? Did he see you approach? Did you go over his head?

Many times sky dogs react out of fear, which is mistaken for aggressions. Giving the dog a safe place (crate) and a good structure will alleviate some of that stress. Being in a shelter is pretty traumatic and they need time to settle in.
 
Let the sleeping dog lie:yes: Unfortunately dogs do bite and we have to take it seriously.
My best suggestion to contact your local sheltie rescue and see if you can get advice from them. They may direct you to behaviorist that will evaluate your dog and help you to understand what are you dealing with. Now rescues will not take known biter so you might end up on shaky ground there...
ClantyreSheltie gave you great suggestions- being stray and staying in the shelter is tough on any dog. Amount of stress this pup facing might be too much for him right now. So keep safety, give him space, crate and low key environment will be a must.
Vet would be next. Providing he is in good health and you have intention to keep him I would neuter asap. Might not do much for humping or even aggression BUT in some cases it helps.
You do not know if the dog has some arthritis and reacts out of pain. Some dogs have extreme sensitivity to skin touch and while groggy from sleep will not recognize you as friend. You have no relationship with animal. It is really tough call- just be careful and use common sense.
 
i agree, sorry you got bit, it sounds awfully painful!
I would continue and try to not don't 'push' on the dog too early to be your cuddle buddy and best friend. Especially when sleeping. Give him space and the choice to come to you, also provide a crate, where he can go and be totally left alone, so he knows he has ONE spot where he can go when he gets overwhelmed instead of having to snap to get people to back off... I think he could be totally over stimulated at the moment, what with having so many new people, another dog, lots of stuff...
Can you elaborate on the bite, what was his body language before and after? Because in my opinion VERY few dogs are actually aggressive and none are 'a bit aggressive, AND a bit shy' They usually react/bite out of fear, to instill confidence and trust would be key...

Hope you can come to a good solution!
 
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SheltieChe said:
Let the sleeping dog lie:yes: Unfortunately dogs do bite and we have to take it seriously.
My best suggestion to contact your local sheltie rescue and see if you can get advice from them. They may direct you to behaviorist that will evaluate your dog and help you to understand what are you dealing with. Now rescues will not take known biter so you might end up on shaky ground there...
ClantyreSheltie gave you great suggestions- being stray and staying in the shelter is tough on any dog. Amount of stress this pup facing might be too much for him right now. So keep safety, give him space, crate and low key environment will be a must.
Vet would be next. Providing he is in good health and you have intention to keep him I would neuter asap. Might not do much for humping or even aggression BUT in some cases it helps.
You do not know if the dog has some arthritis and reacts out of pain. Some dogs have extreme sensitivity to skin touch and while groggy from sleep will not recognize you as friend. You have no relationship with animal. It is really tough call- just be careful and use common sense.
Click to expand...

Thanks for reply. I think he's been given too much rule and not enough training of who Alpha dog is. I will get a crate set up for him. Vet tomorrow/neuter asap. Don't know yet if he can stay. Would love for owner to contact me through one of the avenues I've contacted. He does know some commands, and is very attentive, but acts like he thinks our maltese is in heat.
 
Thanks for replies. I don't know if he saw my hand reach to pet him. Night lights were on/wasn't totally dark. I sharply told him, NO!", then got up to clean/put peroxide on my hand. Made me sick to my stomach that he did that. I was excited about him, but have to have a trust factor with any dog we bring in. Will talk to a local trainer when I get her #.
Taking to vet tomorrow, neuter asap. Hope the owner finds out through one of the avenues I contacted.
This dog needs more obedience and ???.
 
No expert, but...

We have three Shelties. Two are from local Sheltie rescues, one from a breeder I'd never use again no matter what. That said all three get along great and are very good dogs in their own right. We adopted our newest rescue Murphy a year ago. About three months after we got him we noticed he would "nip" at people sometimes coming into either our front door or back patio door. He's NEVER done anything like this to my husband and I. However, I have on occasion startled him from a nap with the vacuum cleaner (just near him on the sofa) and he's jumped and snapped at the vacuum.

Seeing as you are not the owner and he's not comfortable with his surroundings I'd follow up with an evaluation with a certified trainer to see what might be going on. I'm sure he's stressed and scared, so coming at him while he's resting is probably not a good idea.

I understand your concerns, though. Shelties can be nippy around children and fortunately we don't have any. We are consulting with a trainer for Muphy's issues and using a basket muzzle in the meantime when we have company over.

Best of luck with your little guy.
 
Biter

This dog is in new surroundings and you may have startled him.

I really wanted to chime in here to caution about that all that "alpha" stuff. Shelties (all the collie-type breeds, really) are especially sensitive. If you tried any of the stunts that I've seen Cesar Milan (not a fan) pull when trying to prove he's alpha, you may damage the dog for life.

Crate him if you think that will add to the dog's security, but not because you're trying to show him who's boss. Remember that shelties herd by nipping heels; all of my shelties have gently nipped at (not actually making contact) people who grabbed at them too soon after meeting, or at heels when someone stepped on them. They didn't bite, but it startles people and those who are unused to shelties (or any dog who is naturally reserved) tend to think the nip was unprovoked, but that's not the case from the dog's point of view. It's his way of enforcing boundaries. Most shelties are wary of strangers, and so far you are a stranger.
 
Have you had a Sheltie before? They are super sensitive. Being in a shelter was probably traumatic for him. His last human contact could have been the dog catcher. Everyone has given you great advice but, I just wanted to add don't go overboard w/ the Alpha dog stuff. He'll probably come around w/ time and some basic training.
 
PDXWalker said:
This dog is in new surroundings and you may have startled him.

I really wanted to chime in here to caution about that all that "alpha" stuff. Shelties (all the collie-type breeds, really) are especially sensitive. If you tried any of the stunts that I've seen Cesar Milan (not a fan) pull when trying to prove he's alpha, you may damage the dog for life.

Crate him if you think that will add to the dog's security, but not because you're trying to show him who's boss. Remember that shelties herd by nipping heels; all of my shelties have gently nipped at (not actually making contact) people who grabbed at them too soon after meeting, or at heels when someone stepped on them. They didn't bite, but it startles people and those who are unused to shelties (or any dog who is naturally reserved) tend to think the nip was unprovoked, but that's not the case from the dog's point of view. It's his way of enforcing boundaries. Most shelties are wary of strangers, and so far you are a stranger.
Click to expand...

Yes, agreed
Very few of us here are dominance based handlers, so you won't hear much show him who is boss crap on here... it simply doesn't work in the long run :D
Dogs learn once they trust you, so giving him a safe spot is key in my opinion
 
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