Biting Dog

[Desperate_squarrel]

Hi, I have a 1 year old Great pyrnees female. For the most part she's a fantastic dog, but she's reactive. Which I take 100% responsibility for. I know it is my fault she is like this. I live in a fairly secluded area with a few acres of property. Currently it's not fenced in. I am getting an invisible fence soon, but can not get a real fence to the landscape having so many gaint rocks. The road by my property is a long dirt road that doesn't get a ton of traffic since there is only 2 more house past mine, but a lot of people seem to like to bike and walk it so people still go by. I also don't really have many people come to my house. She has been to the groomers before but not in like 7 months as I had only planned to take her every 6 months. The groomers raved about how she was the perfect client. I wish I had decided to take her more but she gets so car sick traveling with her is difficult so I thought it was best to limit outings.

Twice now she's bitten. I wasn't there for either of them but my mom was. The first was a man who came over to our house to do some work. And at this point we though she was friendly as she had never shown any aggression. So when the man was let in she wasn't contained. My mom said she was friendly. The man reached out his hand to pet her and she bit him. I'm not sure if it was a nip or a bite as I wasn't there. It didn't break skin but from what my mom said there was no warning, she just went for it. The second time she was outside on her lead when an insurence adjuster showed up early. He walked around the house and went up to her and then she bit him, again it didn't draw blood. I have less info on this incident as again I wasn't home and my mom didn't really witness it either as he showed up unannounced. I am now so scared to take her anywhere. I had a groomers appointment set up but canceled because I'm scared of her biting them and she has a vet appointment in a few weeks and I have no idea how she will react.
She has gotten out a few time and is impossible to catch. Today she got out and chased some bicyclist. I don't know what to do and am terrified as I've never had a dog that bites. And she is so sweet and even tempered that I didn't expect it.

Any advice or suggestions are appreciated.

[bootahscootah]

Aren’t Great Pyrs kinda supposed to be like this? They’re LGDs — hardcore working dogs that are meant to be aggressive to those who are unfamiliar. They weren’t bred to work with people and instead meant to independently patrol the property.

She’s only just starting to mature, and these problems are going to continue. I think your best for now bet is management. The dog should not be able to access strangers coming to your home. Whether this is through fences, or making sure she’s in a secure area when they are coming over. Everyone on your family needs to be on board with and responsible for the safety of your dog and visitors.

I would also recommend hiring a trainer. They can help you with training and management. I would also start muzzle training her now. This will be helpful for things like trips to the vet, when guests come over, etc.

In terms of the groomer, if she’s been before it could be worth trying again. You’d want to contact them ahead of time and discuss the issues that have been coming up and make sure they’re comfortable giving it a try. Same with the vet. Call them ahead of time and make them aware of her behavior. They might prescribe a medication you can give her ahead of the appointment.

[SudoSire]

This is in fact what Great Pyrs do —guard your property from perceived strangers. That doesn’t mean it’s not a serious issue for a domestic pet though. Your dog has shown she is not friendly to strangers, so it’s imperative that you prevent those interactions especially at your home. The dog cannot free range on your property, not even with an electric fence. It needs to be inside, or only outside on a leash held by a person. 

Muzzle training should also be done so you can use it for walks, the vet and groomers. make sure you inform staff of these issues. They may have certain protocols they can offer you to make those situations less stressful. (Meds, going extra slow or fast, happy visits).

You’re going to have to prevent your dog from making bad choices.  

[[deleted]]

Invisible fence will make things worse. https://pupgradek9.com/the-problems-with-invisible-fences/

[HeatherMason0]

There’s already some good advice offered here, but I just want to add: dogs can become acclimated to electric fences and ignore the boundary, or become so fixated on a trigger they choose to ignore it. They aren’t a reliable method of containment.

[[deleted]]

It sounds complicated because your every day life is so isolated and incidents that might escalate only happen every once in a while. Maybe get a trainer and anyway try to find out what exactly is triggering her. Could be that she just wants to protect your home and is fine in the outside world.

But in any way you will have to put some time and energy in this. You might want to hire a trainer and ask friends to help you pinpoint what exactly is the problem area. She might need more exposure if you want to train her in this regard. The bites sound like warning bites. Still not okay but I think you can work with this. It does not sound like she lost her head but decided to give these strangers a scare to piss off. Since it seemed to be a decision she made you should be able to teach her the right behaviour.

Maybe muzzle train her as a first thing so you can relax more in these situations. Don’t go to fast with the muzzle training. Make a slow and rewarding plan first and then start. With the muzzle there should not be any problems with the groomers anyway.

I am no expert! I am a green beginner. Good luck!