Maltese Shih Tzu snaps at kids indoors. Is it past trauma? How to fix?

Definitely take Max into a veterinary behavioral expert for help! Aggressive dogs are not something to leave alone, and this behavior can and does get worse over time. In addition, if he did bite someone, he could seriously injure them and there could be very severe repercussions for that occurring including euthanasia. There are a number of cases where a dog has had to be put to sleep for biting people, and you do not want that to happen. Speak to your vet about a referral to a professional behavioral expert asap. I hope this helps!

I'm sorry to hear that this happened! How upsetting for you and your cousin. The situation you describe - a child coming up behind a dog and startling it, particularly when food is involved - is an extremely common trigger for bites. Any dog will bite if it feels scared or threatened. Our responsibility as adults is to make sure that these situations don't happen. For safety reasons, I would recommend keeping Max separated from any visiting children from now on to prevent this from happening again. Also, in the future, please don't hit him or scold him for reacting this way - the aggressive behavior was prompted by fear, so punishment will only make him more tense and defensive around kids in the future. This is likely why he growled at your friend once he was back in the house - he was stressed and upset, and already "on-edge" from everything that had happened before. If you want to try and work on this issue through training, I would strongly recommend getting help from a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate Max in person and help you put together a detailed plan for him. Training for aggression issues is generally focused on teaching the dog to associate good things with whatever he is currently afraid of (such as children, visitors, etc.), and should not involve punishment of any kind. Management is also extremely important to ensure that everyone stays safe, for dogs with any history of biting. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org

I strongly recommend you consult with a professional, in-home dog trainer. You need a trainer to come to your house so they can see the behavior and the interaction of all the family members with Max. This is your best bet. Aggression problems need special care and it is not recommended that you try to correct this on your own. You may give him the wrong signals and make him worse. Especially with his breed you need to do this correctly and since his life start was not good that plays into his issues. This is a situation that definitely needs professional intervention. I suggest you call your vet to get a referral for a trainer or do an online search for trainers in your area. Best wishes.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Chewbacca is super cute! Biting children especially in the face is very serious. Chewbacca should not be in a home with young children. Biting in the face is unacceptable in any breed of dog. I recommend seeing a Veterinary Behaviorist for the best possible outcome. They can provide you and prognosis for his ability to be around children. Sadly it is likely best for him to be re-homed with someone with out children. I am not convinced that stress of moving has anything to do with the bite. I would at a minimum discuss this with your Vet at an appointment and consider behavior modifying drugs. In the meantime Chewbaca should be kept in a separate room from kids. I am sorry! I hope this helps and I wish you the best of luck!

Aggression towards other dogs is usually a result of not being comfortable around them - it can happen due to a lack of socialization as a puppy, a bad experience with another dog at a young age, or even a genetic predisposition to this problem. It usually starts to appear around social maturity, so if Max is about a year old, this would be a very common age to begin seeing this problem. Aggression issues are complex and difficult to address succinctly in this format, so I would really recommend making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist if at all possible - he/she can evaluate Max in person and help you put together a treatment plan to work on this problem. In general, I can tell you that treatment will involve teaching him to associate good things with seeing other dogs and behaving calmly around them - we normally use food rewards and other types of positive reinforcement to achieve this. Punishment for this behavior is not recommended, since it tends to make the dog more fearful and worsen the problem over time.

I'm so sorry you and Baby are going through this. It sounds like she has some behavioral and mental health issues that would benefit from medication, counter conditioning, and desensitization. I would recommend getting in touch with a veterinary behaviorist right away to schedule an appointment. Here is a resource for finding behaviorists: https://avsab.org/resources/behavior-consultant-near-you-2/ In the mean time, avoid her triggers. If she comes up to you to be pet, only pet her for about 15 seconds and then stop for a moment - if she reinitiates by rubbing up to you, pushing your hand, etc, keep petting (and checking every 15 seconds or so). If she just stands there or walks away, leave her be. That can help give her a chance to disengage before she's overwhelmed. Also, if she shows any aggression or fear towards your child whatsoever, it would be best to keep them separate until her consultation with a behaviorist. Good luck!! Let me know if this was helpful information.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I understand your concern! Until you get to the bottom of this, for safety reasons, I recommend that Lily not be allowed around children. She should be put in another room that she can not get out of and kids can not get in. I recommend that you make an appointment with your Vet. At 8 1/2 years old she is approaching her senior years and new problems can crop up. Things like arthritis, UTI's and low thyroid. She could be painful or not feeling well but not showing you in the obvious ways. Bring urine and a fecal sample to the appointment. Ask your Vet to do senior blood work and evaluate her for arthritis. If her physical and blood work is normal then I recommend training and anti-anxiety medications. Sadly she never may be trustworthy with children. I wish you and Lily the best of luck!