Nah! No such risk...well, at least from my angle.
I think you're right. We (my two brothers, and parents included) all carry him in the house, sometimes, as he loves being cuddled for some seconds (my sister pushes it, though, and I just gave her a serious warning not to lift him again).

I see a lot of people carry their small dogs on TV, and incidentally, he's so compact and cuddlable.
I guess I need to get opinions on that too.
Thanks.

I don't understand how can walking away from your puppy give you a sore throat ??

'cause walking away will cause some strain to my neck muscles, which could....just kidding

I was refering to the guttural sound

I posted a thread which led to someone reiterating that Max, my (almost) six months old puppy, was being treated as a toy because he was being carried by my sister, and that THIS is what caused his biting habit.
Despite soaking up a number of online materials, I'm still yet to know all I need to know, and so I intend asking a lot of questions, and would appreciate your kind answers.

Now, everyone in my family carries him whenever he comes jumping to be lifted (or so we assume), expecially when someone just arrives, or in the mornings.

I agree my younger sister carries him much more than I like (and I've reprimanded her sharply about this, yesterday), but could our carrying him have any negative effect?
Whenever he wants to be lifted should I just get on the floor, and pet him or something (though my parents can't do that...creaking knees and all)?
A lot of times whenever I (or my mom) carry him, he cuddles up, and doesn't want to be put down for some seconds...sometimes a minute or 2. Does this also count?
About 3 weeks ago, he went out with my brother, Paul, around the neighbourhood, unleashed. He was taking his time, to smell the grass, so my brother got chatting with someone. Next thing was he heard Max make a noise of some sorts, and he glanced at him, only to see him being chased by 2 big dogs. My brother immediately chased after the dogs, and drove them away in anger.
When I got back from work, and I was told, I became extra vigilant when taking him out. For areas where there are lots of cars parked, or at night when I can't really see what animal could be hiding, I pick him up instead of walking him with the leash, as a precaution.

He's not been among other dogs, as I do not know anyone who had dogs I could introduce him to, but I once took him to the house of the guy I got him from (which is far from my house), and i saw his mom and grand mum, but Max was scared!!!
They wanted to play with him, but he got frightened, and kept running away, despite my playing with the grandmom.
If he sees any rat in the house, he runs away, and then stops at a 'good' distance and barks furiously.

On a particular day, we went to a school to see someone. In the school's massive field, three large cocks started coming towards him, when I brought him down from the car. Max stepped back a bit, and they felt emboldened. As they moved towards him, I realised Max was going to get more scared, and bolt farther away, so I moved towards them, and shooed them away. They jumped back, and then he got bold started chasing them for fun.
Apparently, he's more comfortable with humans than dogs.
What can I do about this, asides getting another dog?

Also, he's an extremely picky eater. He doesn't eat wet dog food- jojo and shoprite's (similar to asda)- I gave him dry dog food (faro from Brazil) bought he eats it only when he's almost starving. He smells EVERYTHING he eats, and this could be annoying, as he rejects a lot of things like rice, sometimes chicken, beans etc. But likes egg yolks and turkey which can't fill him.
A lot of times I coax and hand feed before he eats. I've had to forcefully put food in his mouth and shut it till the taste fills his mouth, and then he would start eating.
I have a filling this could also be one of the reasons he bites.
What do you suggest I do (he takes his shots, he's been given vitamins and anti-biotics, and dewormed also)? This is what worries me the most, as i don't mind his biting me as much as he likes, so long as he eats (not that I'll encourage his biting, of course).
Once again I'll appreciate your responses.
thanks.

Hi

You will have to excuse my ignorance here because I'm not too familiar with Nigeria, but do you have training classes you could attend? anything -- socialization classes, obedience, etc.? meeting other dogs in a controlled environment is probably the best way forward, if possible. If not, it makes it a little more difficult especially as you don't know anyone with dogs. Do you have any local 'hot spots' where friendly dog owners tend to take their dogs for walks/exercise? again, you'll have to excuse my ignorance about dog ownership in Nigeria here if this isn't the case!

With regards to the fussy eating, DON'T pander to him by hand feeding, putting it into his mouth, etc., because you will be making it worse. Also, never leave food down for him to pick at. Put the food down twice a day, leave it for 5 minutes and then take it away if he doesn't eat it.

As for WHAT to feed, I have no idea what your options are for quality dog foods. If you want to persist with the dried food, one thing you could try is soaking it in warm water before feeding. This brings out the smell and flavour more, which usually sparks a bit more interest from fussy eaters. Alternatively you could try mixing it with things he DOES like -- tinned fish are good, eggs, appropriate leftovers, etc. You could even looking into feeding home cooked or a raw diet full time.

Hmm sounds like you have alot going on and you would possibly benifit from some face to face help from a decent trainer

I understand the temptation to pick up a small dog - and I can see some times when it might be useful to stop them getting squished
but he has to deal with some things by himself - if needed you could teach him to get behind you if something comes charging up
but letting him deal with things on his own 4 paws lets him learn communication skills and lets him choose when to approach and when not to will help him become more confident

If possible some training classes (with a positive understanding trainer who lets you work at your own pace and hide away if needed) would be a great thing for you both I think

as for the food
I cant really give that much advice - Ben was a rubbish eater, he went up to a week without eating sometimes
In desperation I turned to raw and we havent looked back - and then with the addition of a 2nd dog the compatition means the bowls are always empty

I'm afraid I only got as far as the part about your dog being unleashed.

This is a pup that bites.

This dog should NOT be unleashed. Especially not in a neighbourhood area where there are children and cars etc.

You've asked for opinions so presumably you want honest ones? PLEASE PUT YOUR DOG ON A LEASH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


edited to add:

You should not be picking your dog up all the time. He is a dog - not a baby. Sorry if you don't like my blunt response but there's no point in beating around the bush, as you've asked for help in previous posts.

Your dog needs to learn:

1 - to never bite

2 - to mix with other dogs

3 - to WALK on his own four legs!


These are basics - you MUST get them sorted for the sake of your dog. I'm sure you love him, so do these things so he can have a happy life AS a dog

Hi,

How old is your pup?

and what breed/mix/cross?

I wonder if he is actually asking to be picked up, or whether he is simply doing what a lot of dogs do,and jumping up to greet?

I'd tend to avoid picking dogs up whatever their size as few dogs really like it and it can cause dogs to bite esp. if they have been accidentally dropped or held awkwardly or if they feel unsafe

Dogs can be in conflict about such things - they may want to please, but feel uncomfortable even with individual people.

My advice - do not pick up and get some fab books by authors such as Gwen Bailey, The Culture Clash by Donaldson, free download "before and after you get your puppy" by Ian Dunbar, Dr. Look at DogStarDaily

Read, read and read more, it will give you so much - but seek out best authors and sensible advice.

Wys
x

Sounds to me like your dog would benefit enormously from being with other dogs - that is if you do actually want him to stop biting. Every time you pick him up you empower an already spoilt dog.

I was co-incidentally talking to a friend about this last night. A lady had asked my advice on a small dog who was biting when people tried to leave the house. It turned out the dog had never been trained and to move the dog out of the way, she picked it up and put it in a closed room.
I tried to explain how the dog was stressed and how she should train the dog rather than grab it and said I found it odd how people couldn`t see that this way of handling a dog would cause problems.
My friend pointed out that wheareas I started by getting to know horses (I was a riding instructress), most people`s experience was only with humans, and you tend to draw on your own experience. So while you would (perfectly reasonably) pick up and cuddle a distressed child and expect that to pacify them - you wouldn`t dream of doing it to a horse.
Dogs don`t cuddle. Dogs don`t pick each other up (except when tiny pups or in the course of a nasty fight). Dogs don`t grab except in agression. The only time a dog will push his face up against anothers` and stare into his eyes is when he is challenging him. The very last thing he is about to do is kiss the other dog.
I think we need to remember that dogs `speak` differently to us, and to respect their ways.