ArcaMax

These reader questions regarding challenging canine behavior were answered by veterinary behaviorist Dr. Lore (cq) Haug, of Sugar Land, TX. Lore is one of 20 contributing authors of "Decoding Your Dog: The Ultimate Experts Explain Common Dog Behaviors and Reveal How to Prevent or Change Unwanted Ones" (Houghton Mifflin, New York, NY, 2014; $27). I'm one of the book's editors with Dr. Debra Horwitz and Dr. John Ciribassi.

Q: We rescued a 6-week-old puppy, in part, to be a loving companion for my 4-year-old granddaughter, who lives with me. That was a big mistake.

The puppy is terrier/Chihuahua-mix, and a relentless ankle biter. The constant soundtrack in our home is, "No!" We've tried growling at the dog, yanking on her leash, swatting her with a newspaper, yelping 'ouch' like a littermate, and rewarding her for calm behavior.

I realize that if this dog had grown up with the mother and littermates, excessive biting would have handled by the other dogs. Today, my granddaughter and I have scratches and bites all over.

We offer our dog lots of toys, but she's not interested in them. We're keeping her in a large wire pen so she can't run around biting us. If we can stop the biting, I think she'd be a good pet. Is there any hope of saving this puppy? -- P.K., via cyberspace

A: "The exercise pen is a great idea," says Haug. "The aversive methods have only made the dog more serious about this biting, so it's likely not play, though the behavior could have begun that way. If you continue those methods, they'll only diminish the dog's trust and your ability to teach (her)."

Instead, Haug suggests you offer your pup various toys (individual dogs have different preferences) inside the exercise pen. Encourage her to play, either by tossing a toy or (depending the toy) stuffing treats inside. When she expresses any interest in a toy, reward her with treats and praise.

"Meanwhile, whenever your granddaughter is nearby, keep the dog in the pen," says Haug. "When you do take her out of the pen, put a leash on. Should she go after your ankles again, use the leash to direct her back to the pen. Once she's in the pen, walk away." That way, she gets no further attention for biting at ankles, and at best can only continue the behavior sporadically, if at all.

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Q: We adopted a wonderful Cocker Spaniel last June. She loves people and settled beautifully into our home. We had an electronic fence, which we used successfully with our previous dog and we wanted to train Sally to it.

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