I never thought I'd be one of those people with a small, yappy dog.

Something like this, I think, can have a lot of issues and a professional dog trainer would be the best solution--at least, to get things started and train you to train her. You can find out about trainers, classes and groups at pet shops and shelters.

I agree. I think you need some proper help with her.

Fear aggression is such a hard thing to deal with Echoing to sentiment to call a professional. If 1-on-1 isn't an option, try a low key, small dog oriented puppy class? Even if she's older, puppy class is great for basics and building up a solid relationship between new owner and rescue pet. And remember to stay positive, stay calm, stay patient!

Rat terriers are adorable, once they grow on you a little!

I just found this:

I do NOT recommend Rat Terriers if you have small children. Terriers can be great fun for older kids, but many individuals will not tolerate any nonsense from little life forms whom they consider to be below themselves in importance. Many terriers are quick to react to teasing, and even to the normal clumsiness that comes with small children (accidental squeezing of their ears or pulling of whiskers or stepping on their paw). Many terriers are possessive of their food and toys and will defend these from all comers, including children.

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on this site:

http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/reviews/ratterriers.html

It seems they can be possessive of food anyway, without the fear agression.

ViridianChick said:

I would love to, but those nearby are out of my price range. I'm one of those lives-off-ramen college types.

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If you can't get the dog properly trained yourself, you should have a hard think about passing her off to someone who can. Sorry, I know that would be hard, but it might be best in the end for all of you.

Yeah..... I have to agree with Marlys. It will be hard but it's not fair on her or you. Especially if she bites one of you through fear and ends up having to be put down.

I'd suggest trying to find a Control Unleashed class in your area. The intent is to create a "focused and confident" dog, and I know people (online, none of my dog friends are in person ) who have done and swear by Control Unleashed, especially if they have an "issues" dog (reactive, etc.) The book is also a good and educational read (it's by Leslie McDevitt), though its organization leaves room for improvement.

Ah. It might have helped if you hadn't made us think your OH had bought Cujo home......

LOL!

Distraction therapy sounds like what you need for the barking problem.

She does have a food aggression. Want my suggestion? Stop with the treats. I find most dogs with food aggression also have owners that shower them with treats. It just causes more food worry for them.
Do you have a food bowl out and always filled? Can they access it at all times? Dogs are made to not eat for weeks and eat as much as possible, and giving them food in increments or treats every-so-often can ignite this behavior.

The barking can be both territorial and from fear. I think this can be curved by allowing the dog to have more freedom (no closed doors), taking them on walks, and teaching them "Stop" to stop them from barking.

Though, still, I wasn't confused by your opening post. I still suggest a professional or a group that can help you.

All my years in rescue and vet med, I've never really recommended free feeding. Maybe that stems from growing up with 30+ dogs where no matter how great everyone was usually, if food was left out, someone was losing an ear.

Resource guarding and food aggression are two different things, though many who have one might have the other. If she's mostly just been weird when treats or toys are present, but is perfectly content to eat from her dish near Daisy, or allows you/Daisy/what-have-you poke at her or take from her dish, I'd just suggest minimizing when she gets those special treats. Maybe treats are a crate-time only thing, so no one will bother her when she's having them.

(We had to impose that rule with our Stewie with his bull winkies because he gets so worked up about the other dogs having the same as him that he nearly hyperventilates -- oh pugs!)

ETA: AND BARKING. Another very common issue in my house with this pug of mine. He's definitely more cost effective than our home alarm. Barks at any hint of movement outside, etc. What I've found really helping him, and this might make me sound like a loon but it's working, is tethering. He's with me when I'm home. He hangs out at the kitchen table with me, we snooze on the couch, we bop around in the kitchen to cook dinner.

I don't really get the behavioural science behind it, maybe because he's on the leash and he feels like he needs to be on better behaviour, or if it's just the proximity thing that chills him out, or if he's terrified of the awe-inspiring power of my opposable thumbs, but the tethering is really working for us since we started.

I find he's even better outside in the yard when we're not tethered, or at night when he's in his bed and I'm in mine. He'd normally have us up 3+ times a night, and we haven't had a Get Up And Bark Fest that wasn't warranted in months.

As for the barking, when my family adopted a Papillion mix, she was barker-at-everything. My mother decided that 'the poor thing doesn't know any better, she thinks she's a guard dog'. So everytime that mutt barked, we checked it out. Bark at critters or people in the yard: "Good girl, thanks for warning us!", bark at postman: "Why, look, it's Mr. Postman, you know him because he comes every day! Stop barking!" Bark at random bicycles a block away: "Stupid dog, that's nothing! Stop barking!" After a while, the dog seemed to get the idea, and only barked at unfamiliar people at the door, and anything entering the yard.
I have since heard a theory that dogs bark to warn the pack of danger. If the 'pack' checks out the danger - the dog's job is done and it knocks off the barking.

Also, yeah, if your dog is getting upset by the treats, cancel the treats.

ViridianChick said:

Can you expound on the "stop" thing? If I knew how to do that, the problem would be gone.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vtn8NhofOw

List down all the involantary "cues" which make the dog react, and practice them out like this video shows you how to. Yes, it's boring, but it'll save you headaches.

To the free feeding: I and most of the people I know free freed dogs, and I've never had a problem with it. I only give treats (I've found half-dried hot dog pieces to work the best) for early training--then moved to just attention, off the treats. And then I exercised the dog--this is one of those points that I'll say, if you don't have the time or energy to get your dog exercise daily, it might be better not having them.



I'll tell you something as well: There's two major categories of dogs I've been around. Inside yappers, and outside dogs. The majority of the yappers/aggressive dogs I've been around are either always cooped up indoors, only around limited people, and pampered like crazy. Almost all of the other types of dogs I've been around get a lot of exposure to people, other pets, and anything else and they are fine with just about anything. I worked at a auto shop for a while, and the owner (old family friend) had three chiwawas that followed him around all day--throughout the shop, junk yard out back, and even hunting. They would only bark if there was a loud sound in the wrong area--like out back, when no one should be out back--or if someone knocked at the door and so on. But, they didn't yap up a storm, just once. Then, they were quiet. They never bit or were rough with anyone, or any other thing. And, he never trained them; just had them constantly exposed to things freely.

ViridianChick said:

None of my usual tactics are working. I love this dog, but she needs to calm down. How do I fix this?

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Been there, done that with a sheltie who not only was a puppy mill puppy but was abused by the foster kids in her home to only end up in a kill shelter and end up with shelter shock...

The Diary of Lucy Blue. Get it, read it, and go accordingly!

Mind you were were days from putting Angel down simply because we did not know how to communicate with her and didn't understand the trauma she had endured, that was 9 years ago (she was sevenish when we adopted her) and now she's a happy lazy 15 year old geratric sheltie.

A good trick with the mailman is to introduce the dog to him or her.

I had a Jack Russell that used to go mental when the postman arrived and rip up whatever came through the door. So I sat at the bottom of the stairs one morning and waited for the post. When he arrived, I held the dog back by his collar, put myself between him and the door and then opened it.

I said ' excuse me, can I introduce you to my dog?'

Postman (after taking two steps back) - 'Ermmmm.... yeah, I suppose so'.

Me - 'Give me your hand'.

I then put both our hands near the dog's nose for him to sniff, saying in a calm voice 'This is a friend. See, he smells like a friend. No need to scare him away, he's a friend'. (The postman was looking at me like I'm a loon but never mind....) Then as the dog sniffed his fingers I gently drew the postman into the house. Then the dog wagged his tail and I knew it was fine.

The next time the postman turned up, the dog knew who it was and there was no problem.

If you think about it from the dog's POV, it makes perfect sense to go for the postman.
Who is the one person who comes to the door nearly every day but is never allowed in? The postman.
So the postman is bad and must be kept away from the pack. And that is the dog's job. Protect the pack.

That's a good idea. It will also make your other dog less stressed as there is now a definite boundary.

I believe there are dog schools and training classes out there that have helped a lot of my friends!