Agressive Mini Schnauzer

lovemysavior

lovemysavior

Acting My Wage
O.G.
Aug 10, 2008
3,572
172
#1
Help! I have a female mini schnauzer that just bit my neighbor and her father. My dog Sophie is an indoor dog and every time the doorbell rings she goes crazy barking. She not only barks, but she sounds mean and agressive (like a snorting growl). My daughter took her outside the other day and had her on a leash because she was afraid that she was going to dart to the road (she does that all the time). She let her go for a little bit so that she could be comfortable around our neighborhood kids, but instead she darted towards our neighbor an snapped at his ankles. I asked him if he was ok and he said he was fine. There were no teeth marks or anything, but still I was so upset. This happened about a week ago.

Now today, our neighbors daughter came over and my son left the door a little opened so my dog ran at her and also snapped at her, this time aiming for her knees. My neighbor started crying and I asked her if she bit her hard but she said that her knee was already bothering her but it did hurt her a bit.

I don't know what to do anymore. I have had her for almost 2 years and we've raised her since she was a puppy. I am so afraid of getting sued so I told my kids that I may have to find her a new home or put her up for adoption. It breaks my heart because she is so lovable and playful with us and my children, yet she is vicious with anyone who comes to our door or is around my children. Please give me your input. Thanks.
 
#4
You can change this behavior -- get a trainer immediately to help you out. They will know what to do. You don't have to give her away. The sooner you deal with this, the better off the dog will be. She just has to learn how to behave.
 
#5
onesmallchimera said:
Let her go for a little bit??


How was this dog previously socialized? Training courses? Anything?

And by indoor dog, do you mean she's pad trained?
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I got her when she was 4 months old from a breeder that took really good care of her. She is papered and everything but as a puppy she never went to any type of training. I have another dog in my home that has never had any type of training either and yet he has never attempted to bite anyone. I have a 4 year old son that has played with Sophie since he was smaller and she is very gentle with him. She does little soft bites when he plays with her, but has never attacked anyone agressively like she did now.

What I mean by indoor is that she is inside with us all day and just goes out to the back yard to take care of her business. When she's out there too and she hears the neighbors she'll start barking all crazy unitl I tell her to stop or bring her inside the home.

Don't get me wrong, I love my dog to pieces and giving her up is my last option. I've never owned a MS, but I did my research and thought she would be a good dog for our kids.
 
#6
It sounds like she is being protective of her family. You will need to work with a trainer on this and I reccommend finding a trainer that will go to your home, where your dog is probably in her most aggressive atmosphere. With a lot of patience it can be worked through. My boss had a very territorial bulldog that wanted to attack anyone who was around their family. He got me a couple of times but they worked with a dog trainer who came to their house and the dog eventually became tolerant of people being around his family.
 
#7
It sounds like your dog was never properly socialized and she knows nothing outside of your home.

Please get a very good trainer as soon as possible and start working with your dog.
 
#8
dallas said:
My advice is to never let her off the leash in public and consult an expert immediately.
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Ita...as a former owner of a schnauzer..they are typically very loyal and territorial dogs. Ours bit my younger cousin and she required stitches! (they don't normally like children..also my cousin was pulling on his hair..so that is why he attacked her)


Good luck with her..keep us posted!
 
#9
I strongly recommend reading up on Cesar Millan method/watching a few episodes of his show/finding a trainer that is familiar with it. :smile: You shouldnt have any issues with your doggie after implementing it.
 
#10
So the dog only goes outside to go to the bathroom?
Schnauzers are very high energy dogs. They are terriers, that means that they need to work. Your dog needs regular exercise (all dogs do). It sounds like she is so wound up and she has no outlet for her energy, so it ends up getting re-channeled as aggression towards your other dog and other people. It is only a matter of time before she bites you or your children.
I agree with the other posters about getting a trainer for your dog ASAP. In the mean time, taking her for walks would certainly help to lower her energy level.
 
#12
aklein said:
So the dog only goes outside to go to the bathroom?
Schnauzers are very high energy dogs. They are terriers, that means that they need to work. Your dog needs regular exercise (all dogs do). It sounds like she is so wound up and she has no outlet for her energy, so it ends up getting re-channeled as aggression towards your other dog and other people. It is only a matter of time before she bites you or your children.
I agree with the other posters about getting a trainer for your dog ASAP. In the mean time, taking her for walks would certainly help to lower her energy level.
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No, that's not what I meant. She goes outside a lot to our backyard and does a lot of running around. I meant she's an indoor dog because she sleeps in here at night/throught the day and hangs out inside whenever she wants to come in. Sorry for the misunderstanding.
 
#13
^Running around in the backyard is not the same as a structured walk.
Your dog needs major discipline. The biting needs to stop, because the next person she bits will not be as nice. When it comes out that she has bitten in the past, she could be destroyed.
I hate to be so harsh, but that is the sad reality.
 
#14
It's not only the quantity of walks, it's the quality. I think the OP needs to start to WORK with her dog.

Every dog, big or small, deserves to be treated like a dog - with all it's needs.
 
#15
aklein said:
So the dog only goes outside to go to the bathroom?
Schnauzers are very high energy dogs. They are terriers, that means that they need to work. Your dog needs regular exercise (all dogs do). It sounds like she is so wound up and she has no outlet for her energy, so it ends up getting re-channeled as aggression towards your other dog and other people. It is only a matter of time before she bites you or your children.
I agree with the other posters about getting a trainer for your dog ASAP. In the mean time, taking her for walks would certainly help to lower her energy level.
Click to expand...


I agree!
 
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