Question:
: I own a 4 year old female JRT. While rough housing last night she nipped at my hand a broke the skin. My wife is terrified and I need to know how to curb this biting behavior... She is a baby most of the time but acts aggressivley when she doesnt get her own way, IE sleeping in our bed, Please let me know the best way to deal with this.
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Hi Rob,
I hate to say this, but if you are rough housing AND letting her pull "I want my way" tactics with you, you asked for that bite! NO MORE ROUGH HOUSING! Aggression breeds aggression; if her packmates act aggressively toward her, that's how she will react. You created the situation and set her up to fail.
As for the dominance, I would suggest working with a trainer on reestablishing your roles as alphas in the pack. For now, no sleeping on the bed or being on furniture. She hasn't earned those rights. She needs to sleep in her crate, and when she acts aggressively, she can be crated. She hasn't earned the right to interact with the family. If you feel like you are "giving in" to her on things, then you will never resolve this problem. Being alpha is about having mutual respect for each other; respect isn't aggression and respect isn't giving in to her every whim. Please seek the help of a professional in balancing your relationship.
Heather
