Serious Problems - Please Help!!

[EAO76]

Although the DR didn’t find anything wrong Yoshi still could have been in pain. From everything you described it really seems like that was the case. Thankfully it doesn’t seem that the injury was serious and Yoshi is obviously feeling better.

If Yoshi has never showed any other behavioral problems (growling, guarding toys / food, previous snapping/ biting, etc) then I really feel it’s safe to assume that he was acting out because of pain or serious fear. If he were my dog I would start with NILF (nothing in life is free) training ASAP just so he understands his place in the home. Additionally I would go forward with the neuter. And I would get him into some positive reinforcement obedience training. Also for now I would stop putting your face too close to his until you are sure that this was a one time incident.

Good luck with your boy and I hope that you wife continues to improve.

 

[ELubas]

So glad Yoshi is ok! I agree that he may have been in pain at the time and hence his reaction. Also, testicular torsion is a funny thing and can cause intermittent pain so he may feel good and then not-though I am sure your vet checked for that. I think you are wise to be cautious but do not think you need to be overly concerned about this dog. Agree your mother needs to be told in no uncertain terms that what she did is unacceptable, and I would probably keep her away from him until Yoshi returns to his old self. Best of luck with the neuter and please keep us posted.

 

[dhernandez]

Glad to hear Yoshi is slowly getting back to normal. Can I ask why your wife's face was near his while he was trying to feed him? I know dogs should know not to bite, but I wouldn't put my face down in my dogs while he wasn't feeling well and was trying to feed him. But, I am glad your wife is doing well, that is a painful thing I'm sure.
I do hope you have a talk with your mother about kicking or hitting a dog. No matter what the circumstance, hitting or kicking an animal, even if it isn't hard, usually has the opposite affect you are looking for. If she wanted to get his attention, an "uh uh" in a louder voice would probably do the trick. That's what I use and it usually gets their attention when they are doing something they shouldn't be doing. I would definately put him in some classes. Not only are they good for him obedience wise, they are good for him to be around other people and dogs. I know during our obendience class, we had one lesson where we took turns approaching the dogs and giving them a treat and petting them so they could get used to others approaching. I wouldn't give up on him being able to be trusted with a child in the house yet, it is amazing what a little behavior training can do. Just make sure the right methods of corrections are used with him. Good luck!

I was still at work at the time, but she said her face was not very close. She tried to feed him cheese and he wouldn't eat it. She then tried yogurt and he wouldn't eat that. He usually goes insane for those things, so she decided to put the yogurt down and let him eat it on his own (we usually spoon feed it to him). When she bent down to put it on the floor he bit her.

Yoshi showed a lot more progress. He seems normal. He's listening to all his commands, eating normal, running around and playing with toys, peeing outside .

Also EAO76, I tried searching for NILF to see the results and couldn't find a previous thread. What is this? Is it the name for a reward based training?

For now, I think any bad habits he has are our fault...there aren't many. They are just normal dog things like jumping and putting his face up to the counter where our food is. We plan to enroll in some classes as soon as he's neutered.

 

[bayleighmom]

Here's a link that explains NILIF

http://k9deb.com/nilif.htm

 

[liamsmom]

don't give up on him....
he's such a young dog.
i'm glad to hear that you are humble enough to admit that Yoshi's bad habits can be formed by his parents.
get into a good obedience class. have fun with it and be sure that Yoshi is having fun, too. training classes do more to "train" us owners than you can imagine.
hugs to all of you!

 

[elindave]

So glad to hear Yoshi's doing better. Could it have been that he just missed you guys so much and had separation anxiety? I can honestly tell you I love my family very much but I do not trust any of them to take care of Nikita as we do. Not because of hitting but because they'ed probably lose her! I've got Nikita going to a dog daycare 2x per wk, and sometimes just what they need is other doggie friends. If we have an occasion to attend, we'll drop her off at the daycare. I know she's safe there, plus the trainer also has boxers. I hope your wife has a speedy recovery and remember to do what feels right for you and your situation. Tomorrow's a bright new day....

Eli
Nikita (Aug 28 07) fawn, floppy, docked

 

[kidzarme]

I'm glad Yoshi is doing better and your wife, likewise. I would say the bite was out of distress in some way. A kick I think at the very least would cause bruising. Those little ribs stick out and take the brunt of a hit sometimes. Possibly, he was sore in some area and when 'Mom' bent down, she moved or pushed on a sore area and all the dog knew was 'Mom' did that. I think it sounds like it also scared him senseless that somebody hurt him when he's never encountered that before. It probably is taking him time to understand and trust that it won't happen again, with anybody. I would definitely stay consistant with NILF and his usual commands/routines. But also give him lots of love, along with a little space as others have said, nothing too close to his face. Show him he can trust you totally, again. I would not push him into visiting your mom. You may need to consult a specialist in doing this. At the very least if your mom has to be around the dog, I would make her stay a distance from him, with you in between and give him room to 'escape' the area when he wants. Let Yoshi be the one to decide when he wants to 'be friends' with her. I wouldn't let her even stand near and/or try to touch him until he makes a move to get close to her and love on her. And make sure you can trust her not to ever do that again or even yell at him. I know maybe another generation of people might say they will yell or hit if they want and it doesn't hurt anything but we all know better now. I'm not trying to be harsh towards your mother, only hopeful that she will regret what she did, understanding now, how many problems it could cause the dog, even if only phychological! Maybe you can even have her read some of the posts or articles about this and she'll totally understand. Sorry for being long and I know you want the best for your Yoshi and I appreciate that you were not embarrassed or hesitant to ask for help for his sake! Good luck and 'big ole boxer hugs' to Yoshi!!

 

[dhernandez]

Thanks for the help everyone. Yoshi is back to being the same dog he once was. He was just neutered this past weekend, so he is walking around the house with the e collar on...bumping into everything. He had two incisions because they found that he had one testicle stuck to his intestine. The correct term for his condition is "cryptorchid". They said it was a genetic problem and that those dogs shouldn't be bred. We felt so bad for the poor little guy. He was in so much pain that first night, they gave him some pain killers to cope. He seems to be back to full health now though. He has also adopted a new hobby of chewing the e collar. I'm convinced that thing won't last the full 10 days.

Also, my wife is doing good. Her stitches were taken off last week. She does have a scar still, but it will fade more with time.

 

[kayboxer]

Glad to hear everybody is on the mend!

 

[elindave]

Nice to hear Yoshi and your wife are doing better!

Eli
Nikita (Aug 28 07) fawn, floppy, docked