Miniature Pinscher: authority issues and a nasty bite

P
Pacotille Icon representing the flag French
Report

I'm splitting my post into two parts (apparently it's too long 😅)

Hi everyone,

I'm writing this feeling quite distraught about our Miniature Pinscher's behaviour. We adopted him last July from a rescue. At just 8 months old, he had already been through six different homes since birth.

We already have a senior Labrador who is 15 and a half, and three cats—all of them rescues.

The rescue told us he was good with cats and didn't bark (the only real deal-breaker for us, which we made clear when we adopted him).

It turns out that wasn't exactly the case: he chases our cats every chance he gets and barks at the neighbours as soon as he sees or hears them, or when someone comes to the door.

Anyway, we adore him regardless, and to work on these two 'flaws', we called in a dog behaviourist in October who explained how to use positive reinforcement.

We're doing our best but, I'll admit, probably not as consistently as we should. Still, the weeks are passing and we're finding a balance with our five fur babies.

Translated from French
icon info

The forum content is sometimes translated from another language, and posts may concern countries with different animal laws. Do your research before making any decisions.

Since the forum is translated by AI, the translations may contain errors.

Write your message and upload a photo if you want to! Please remain courteous in your exchanges.

Your post will be visible to all members of the international Wamiz forum.

23 answers
Sort by:
  • Show previous comments
    • P
    Pacotille Icon representing the flag French
    Report

    Thanks so much for the quick reply, Beaujabote.

    We’ve no idea why he’s been through so many different homes, sadly.

    We figured people probably assumed a small dog would be calm and easy-going.

    But the truth is, Pinschers are real bundles of energy! 😅

    Yeah, we realise we’ve probably been a bit too soft on him 😞 He’s just so adorable.

    That said, he’s a very fast learner and really eager to please; he picked up "sit", "down", "on your bed", and "stay" in no time at all.

    But that bite was so vicious, it’s left us completely shell-shocked... 😔

    Translated from French
    Beaujabote
    Beaujabote Icon representing the flag French
    Report
    Hi Pacotille, You've already had quite a few replies to your post 🙂. As you mentioned, you haven't been very consistent with the training recommended by the dog trainer, and he's so "cute" that you probably let him get away with a lot. That's the trouble with small dogs; we tend to let them do things we would never tolerate from a larger dog. Your idea of seeing the trainer again is a good one, to review the situation and get things back on track. If I've understood correctly, your husband was holding the dog with one hand when he was bitten. The dog might have felt quite vulnerable in that position. Also, you mentioned that you pushed him away because he wanted to jump up on your lap. You shouldn't push him; a firm "No - down" should be enough to make him understand that you're not happy. And most importantly, don't shout. Do you know why your dog went through so many different homes before you adopted him?
    Translated from French
    P
    Pacotille Icon representing the flag French
    Report

    Part 2:

    However, our lad is starting to show signs of aggression. It happens when we stop him from doing something, when we try to take something away from him, or when we "scold" him. He barks really loudly and stands up on his hind legs, leaning against us. He only weighs about 8 and a half pounds, but it's still very intimidating!

    It mostly happens with my husband. Or with people who try to use a firm, loud voice to show authority—at least, that’s how it seems to me (though I might have misread the situation).

    The reason I’m so devastated is that today he actually bit my husband and drew blood on his hand. I had pushed Loulou away because he was trying to jump onto my lap, and some coffee got spilt. My husband picked him up with one hand while I wiped it up. Our old girl (our Labrador) wanted to get past, so my husband nudged her away with one hand, and that’s when Loulou bit him really hard... Was he trying to protect our other dog, or was it out of jealousy?

    I honestly don’t know, but we’re both in shock. Out of surprise, anger, and pain, my husband put Loulou down, but he tried to bite him again, so my husband shoved him away quite hard with his foot.

    Loulou had "nipped" before, but never a proper bite like this.

    I’m completely lost. Ever since we got him, I’ve read page after page of dog training advice. I’ve seen every possible opinion and its opposite. Some say Loulou is being "dominant," even with us, while others say dominance doesn't exist between different species.

    What have we done wrong? Have we let things get out of hand? (He’s such an endearing, affectionate, and funny little dog that we probably let him get away with far too much...)

    How should we react to a situation like this? Should we punish him? If so, how?

    How can we make sure this doesn’t happen again?

    We’re considering asking the trainer to come back.

    Should we be looking for a "firmer" trainer?

    I feel so helpless against our 8.5lb Loulou, which sounds ridiculous. We’re probably making loads of mistakes, but I just can't understand what would cause him to bite like that.

    Thanks for reading to the end, and thank you in advance for your advice 🙏

    Translated from French

  • 23 comments out of 23

    • Do you have a question? An experience to share? Create a post on our forum!
    These topics could be of interest to you!
    Find out more