Meet MacTavish, our very adorable 2 year male Skye Terrier...don’t let that face fool you HE WILL BITE!
Our family were no strangers to Skye Terriers when we welcomed MacTavish into our home, he is our third. Our other two Skye’s were rescues, so we had no background on them and they too could be a little “grumpy,” as we used to call them. The breed is known to be somewhat aloof and cautious with strangers, but fiercely loyal to their family
We brought MacTavish home at 10 weeks of age and right from day one he was showing signs of aggression, letting out little growls when we did something he didn’t like. I would quickly reprimand him (of course no hitting) but we would send him to his mat and ignore him for a bit.
When I brought him to see Dr. Korver at the Bowmanville Veterinary Clinic for a health check he growled at her and tried to bite. I was very concerned and wanted to get a handle on the situation quickly, so I booked an appointment with a canine behaviouralist. True to form, he tried to bite him as well. At least he was predictable? The behaviouralist agreed he was aggressive, but we just needed to show him who was boss; he gave us some handouts and advice and sent us on our way.
But to our dismay, he became even more aggressive towards strangers and we had to introduce the muzzle for his safety and of course the safety of others.
At five months of age, MacTavish was diagnosed with bi-lateral elbow dysplasia; Ahah! It was the pain causing his aggression, or so I thought. He had both elbows operated on one month apart and then the long road of rehabilitation, during this time he, I will admit, was SPOILED!!
Once we felt his pain was under control we thought he would be a new dog with a happy go lucky attitude…NOT! He hated strangers even more.
We took him to a canine trainer and began the long journey….
The first thing the trainer said was he will never be a tail wagging, happy to meet everyone kind of dog. The goal was to stop him from biting strangers. That is good enough for us since we are devoted to him and love him dearly.
Stay tuned for more on “Loving the Aggressive Dog”.
Sandra McBride, Practice Manager
Bowmanville Veterinary Clinic
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