Ankle Biting problems (blind dog)

Hi all, I am new to the site and have been reading the solutions to the ankle biting problem. I have a wonderful Pug who is just over a year old but the problem is, he is blind. His original owners bought him from a breeder at 6 weeks and they already had a 2 year old Boxer. Unfortunately, they weren't careful enough with the new puppy and the Boxer knocked one of his eyes out so he had to have it removed. This traumatised the other eye so that he couldn't see out of that one either. They then decided that they couldn't keep him so I volunteered to take him on and was advised by the vet to have his other eye removed which I did. He is brilliant and so clever and if you didn't know, then you wouldn't know that he is blind. I only have one small problem with him which is his biting of my feet in the mornings before breakfast. I appreciate that he is hungry but I am at a loss as to how to stop him. I have tried the water treatment which just makes him back off briefly and he seems to remember the biting behaviour as a kind of ritual he has to do and won't stop. This means he is under my feet as well which is difficult. Any help would be appreciated. Jane

Jane
Welcome to Dogsey! You may get more replies if you report the issue with your pug in the training section ...
Mary

Hi Jane and Welcome to Dogsey
I really wouldn't use aversion techniques (like water) on your blind dog, instead when he attacks your feet divert him to doing something he is allowed to do How about a puzzle toy? Blind or not he can work it by smell, then give him lots of praise when he plays with it. If you do this and ignore the feet biting he will soon learn not to do it because it doesn't bring the reward of attention.

Here are some toy suggestions for you. I have the everlasting treat ball and the molecule, they are excellent .
http://www.dog-games.co.uk/newshop/Playing+Alone/

maybe you could give A denta chew while you need to do what you do so he is happy chewing on that till you are ready. My Mums St Bernard had his eye's removed and he uses his feet and nose to find things. If you feed a complete food what about find a safe place and scatter his breakfast so he can find with his nose. hope you sort it hun.

sam

One of my dogs gets really agitated in the mornings till he`s had his breakfast. I give him a chicken wing first thing and he`s content then. Maybe he`s just excited to see you? Maybe taking time for a bit of a fuss and stroke to calm him down would work.

Thanks for the helpful tips. I will definitely give him a dog chew. I don't want to give him anything that will add to his breakfast as Pugs can get quite chunky. He has a small amount of tinned dog food, dry biscuits and freshly cooked veg ie cauli, broccoli and carrots twice a day and he looks wonderful. I have to say I wasn't a fan of Pugs before but I took him on because I believed they would have had him put down and I thought that was wrong. As it turns out, he is the most delightful, fun, clever, affectionate, demanding and loving little dog. Despite his early bad start, he loves everybody he meets and is not afraid of other dogs although I do supervise him with them as he gets very excitable. I also have 3 cats, 2 females and a tom. The tom and one of the females are rescue cats and the tom is as big as Eddie (my Pug). The cat deliberatly gets in Eddie's way and they then have a pretend scrap with Eddie tearing round in circles until he makes contact when he then turns sideways and barges the cat. I don't need a TV in my house!!

Kongs are a great idea. I thoroughly understand why you want to eat before your dog, but really you can be stimulating him as well as feeding. However, this may not actually resolve the situation of the ankle biting.

Consider the use of citronella or bitter orange sprays over your feet/ankles. The smell is repulsive to most dogs. Done in conjunction with the kong could be an effective resolution.

Hi Hugsy if you look at the link I posted above you will see the everlasting treat ball. One of these should keep your little dog occupied for ages without it eating hardly anything
The little chicken flavoured disks that fit into the sides of the ball last for ages, you can also put small treats under the 'little fingers' on one side and they take ages to get out
Dried fish is another good thing, I buy the little cubes and push them into the end of an empty 'pet shop bone'. These smell quite strong and so are attractive to dogs,they take ages to shake out.

Is there any reason why you feel you need to feed your dog after you eat ?

I've never done this, my dogs get their breakfast first & then I have mine, this isn't showing them that they are dominant over me, simply that they are hungry & they are fed QED. It does mean I don't get pestered whilst I'm having my breakfast.

There are theories that feeding a dog before yourself is a submissive gesture, but it isn't.

Actually my cats get fed before the dogs & then my dogs in order of age & then me. This is something I have done for a long long time.

I wouldn't spray any deterrant on your feet, dogs have a heightened sense of smell & being a small dog could deter him from being near you.

I'm not a great clicker fan, but with a blind dog it is a very useful tool in training.