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My fiance and I have a 5 year old dachshund. My fiance was concerned when I first met him that the dog would not "take" to me. Fortunately, he did. The dog has had a history of snapping, and he's bitten me twice and my fiance several times.

We had a dominance problem when he was allowed in bed, which we no longer allow. Last night he was on the couch and when I asked if he wanted to go out he didn't move. I went to pen him, and he bit. No warning growl, just a snarl and bite. We are going to keep him off the couch, but I have some concerns.

We keep him shup in another room when we have company and we never allow him out unless he's on a leash. I'm concerned that he may someday slip the leash and bite someone. I'm also worried that he may decide to bite me or my fiance again.

We're afraid that having him put down is our only alternative. Does anyone have any ideas to help us out?

Thanks.
CelticBlue

HI,

I'm sorry to hear about this problem. Are you sure there are no medical problems? Keeping him off the furniture might help, but I'm afraid I would contact a behavior specialist. You may find the only thing you can do is to put him down, but I'd work with a specialist before taking that action.

Good luck!
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Melody/PHFasDog
Email me at PHFasDog

My furkids:
Shadow, Jadzia and Lyta.
Kira waiting at the bridge.

Dogs come into our lives, and too quickly go leaving pawprints on our hearts, and we will never be quite the same again.

i own a 2 year old miniature dachshund and shes very vicious with people she doesnt kno..she'd bite them in a second. i find theyre very dominant and if u allow them to do certain things they try to overpower u..and by biting you they gain control by u withdrawing out of fear. now i kno my dog would never bite me because id put her in her place...i guess u have to find that control and keep a tight routine..like the other person said, keep the dog off furniture..beds..dont feed from the table..oh and maybe dont carry the dog..if u do that..dogs that get held a lot tend to be very dominant as well ( or spoiled lol) or maybe the dog really is a one person only type and is jelous?

Actually, biting among dachshunds is not uncommon. I was bitten in the fact by my first dachshund when I was 3 (food aggression). I'm now in my 20s and have a miniature dachshund of my own. He is a very sweet dog, but he has bitten me 2 or 3 times (usually when I am after him to punish him for something). I have found that the best way to handle his biting is to put him in his crate with a muzzle on IMMEDIATELY. He has not bitten in about 6 months or so. Instead of trying to get your dog off the couch to go potty if she doesn't respond to being asked-leave her alone. She'll probably get down when she's ready to go out. She was probably just trying to let you know that she was comfortable where she was. Also, I find it pretty strange that you keep her locked up in another room when you have company. Has she ever bitten a stranger? How can you expect her to not be aggressive around them if she's never seen anyone other than her family? I think she needs to be socialized. I would start out by crating her in the SAME room when you have company. Gradually let her out for longer periods of time and see how she reacts around strange people. If you don't get her used to strangers, she may very well bite one out of fear someday. I babysat one time for a family with a 10yr. old dachshund once and he was quite possibly the meanest dog I've ever come in contact with. He snapped at me anytime I went within 10ft. of him. They said he didn't like anyone but his family. I suspect this is probably because he'd never been given the chance to get used to anyone besides his family. I believe that if you don't get her socialized, she will be extremely aggressive should you decide to have a child. Your vet or local pet store should also be able to give you some helpful hints regarding biting.