jumping up and biting when out

[ldavidson84]

Hi All,

We have had Kara for a couple of weeks now, she was kept with 3 other GSD's when we got her. She is 3 years old and un spayed, she came in season a few days after getting her and is still in season at the moment. She didnt know what a toy was or a bone when we got her but she is settling in really well. She is absolutely fab in house, she is my little shadow and follows me everywhere , she does cower from men (think she may have been mis-treated by a man previously ) and now has also started to bark at men who come to the house she doesn't know.

Only problem we are having and i dont know how to stop is, first noticed when throwing stick for her she would jump up and bite at same time and got me a couple of times (this was before in season only few days tho) then she started doing it on lead while on beach one day i had a real struggle with her to get back to car. Since that day things have gotten better but still she does it, but not as bad. Cant seem to link together why she does it, on walk if we walk pass a track we sometimes take she does it to me, so thought she was telling me she wants to go other way. She doesnt do it to OH when he walks her on his own.

Went for walk with OH to show him what she does to me, so tried to test and walk past track and nothing all ok, then hubby had her and walked off and left me behind, she then did it to him. I then took her and walked off and left him behind and she didnt do it. I cant find a link except i think when she does it she is trying to tell me something and has look of fear or anxiety in her eyes.

When she does this i now turn from her before she jumps on me and say 'NO'. Is there anything else i can do? I dont push her down like i did do when she was playing with stick, which made it worse.
The bites are not aggressive but i can feel them! Could this be because she is in season and will it stop when she is no longer in season?

Help/advice greatly appreciated!

[Stuart]

I think this is simular to another thread we have just had,..I think this is also excitment, I think she does it when you pass the track juntion, because she wants to go that way, she likes to go that way,.. she did it more when you pushed her away, because then you started to play the game too.

You are doing right, by antisipating her jumping up and turning away from her,.. try doing it a little bit earlier and offer her something before she jumps, and as you pass the track junction

I dont think you are seeing fear in her eys, but you could be seeing excitment or expectation,.. I dont think it has anything to do with her season

[ldavidson84]

I did get told that about the pushing down, thats why that was stopped straight away.
Just wanted to know i was doing the right thing and if there was anything else i could do. She wont take treats when we are out on walks so cant offer her a treat when passing track.
She loves treats in the house but no interest in them when out.

[kita]

Firstly I would not throw sticks for a dog as they can easily get splinters etc. and also they can impale themselves through the mouth when they catch a stick. You would be better off with a ball on a rope (I say on a rope so they cannot swallow them) or a frisbee.

I would agree with Stuart, the jumping up and biting sounds like over excitement or frustration that she is trying to convey something to you and she does not know how. Dogs will often nip to get your attention.

I think you are doing the correct thing in turning your back, the more you try and push her down the more she will think you are playing. The other thing I did when I had a dog do this is to kneel down and curl up into a ball - looks a bit strange but it stopped him in his tracks!!! I did that because he was a very big dog and simply turning my back on him did not work. By curling up he had nowhere to bite and he could not see my face at all so he had no communication from me.

She will still be settling down into life with you and learning all about your household and what rules you may have.

Don't feel sorry for her about her past life and what may have happened to her - that is all in the past. Start as you mean to go on, this is the start of her new life and the rules you set now should be set for the rest of her life.

Be careful about letting her be constantly with you. Sometimes it is good to shut them in another room so that they don't develop separation anxiety. If she gets too dependent on your company you could find yourself in a situation where you cannot leave her alone at all.

Are you planning on getting her spayed?

She sounds like a really nice dog and I think she has landed in a really caring home!

Sue

[ldavidson84]

Thanks Sue for advice, we set up a camera in the kitchen so we could watch her reaction when left alone and she was fab, plays with a kong and then lays on her bed. She often goes and takes herself into kitchen for lay down away from noisy kids
We have also now got her a ball to throw for her when she is no longer in season.

About the spaying, im not sure what to do , my previous dog which was sadly pts over 3 years ago was a rescue dog and was already spayed so have had no experience with seasons etc. I have read things on forums about not spaying unless its for a medical reason. Is this correct? Luckily we have laminate floors, so eaily wiped clean!

The rules have been set in this house and she is getting used to them, she no longer trys to get on sofa and has stopped standing up on kitchen worktop etc. She is such a lovely dog and we love her som much already, she has deffinately found her forever home with us.

[Caryll]

Spaying is a very emotive subject. I'm not for it unless medically necessary, but others here are. All I will say is do your research and make up your own mind. There are many sites online that'll give you information. This is one I found helpful.........
Spaying & Castration. Neutering Dogs

[kita]

If you have no experience of seasons then to be honest I would definitely spay. Bitches can be a real pain when they are in season, some will do anything to get to a male dog. Then you also get any stray male dogs hanging around your house waiting for her to come out! Also some bitches suffer badly with false pregnancies and can 'build nests' and protect toys etc. around the time they would have pups.

Having had a bitch with an open pyo. and having to have her spayed much later in life, I would rather spay a bitch when she was younger and when I could choose the time she was most healthy and able to bounce back after the operation.

Far too many people don't know the signs of a pyo. (I didn't) and it can be life threatening and can kill very fast.

"Signs and Symptoms of Pyometra

Because the infection can be so overwhelming, the reasons for presentation are not limited to the genital tract. The animal can become so overwhelmed by the inflammation associated with the infection that the animal may die from its own uncontrolled inflammatory process. The most common clinical signs that are present in >50% of dogs are:

* Lethargy
* Depression
* Anorexia
* excessive water intake
* excessive urination
* pale mucous membranes
* Vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, abdominal distension, and inflamed eyes have been reported although much less frequently
* Up to 16% of patients may have no clinical signs other than purulent vaginal discharge.

Many dogs and cats will have a closed cervix and therefore the obvious sign of a sanguinous (bloody) to mucopurulent, hemorrhagic vaginal discharge may not be present."


Knowing what I know now I would not keep an entire bitch. I would find it far too disruptive to have her coming into season every six months and not being able to take her out (unless I am prepared to fight off male dogs), take her to training, having a 'moody' bitch around etc.

Sue

[ldavidson84]

Thank you all so much for this info, i will do some more research and speak with my OH before making the decision.

[Caryll]

At her age spaying shouldn't affect her personality or make her nervous afterwards as it does with some very young bitches (and before anyone tells me that it didn't affect their young bitch, I know it doesn't affect all), so if you are at all worried about the effects of 6 monthly seasons (and they ARE a pain) then go ahead and spay. My main anti-spaying thoughts are directed at very young (pre-2nd season) bitches, which yours obviously isn't. My very first bitch used to get awful phantom pregnancies & ended up with pyometra & was spayed because of it. Having said that, I have had a further 4 bitches, all unspayed, and no problems whatsoever (apart from the inconvenience of 3 - 4 weeks every 6 months!).

[sami]

I tend to think about the dog having to go through her seasons. They can be a pain for them, restricted excercise and all that. Also I always think if they let me be spayed I would have it done in an instant!!!

Tracy