Please Help!! Our dog is aggressive towards us.

[Heather1031]

Well, first off, is your dog spayed? If not, get her spayed.

Yes, she is spayed. About an hour ago I slowly went over to her speaking softly to her and touched her back. She started yelping like I had just hurt her and she peed on the couch. I am so sad about this.

[anichka5]

I would most definitely give your vet a call. It is quite possible that she is ill, and the agressiveness is her way of "acting out" in order to get your attention. I often wish my dogs could talk and tell me what's wrong when they aren't well. This just seems so very sudden, that I am concerned that she really is ill, and I don't think I would wait much longer.

Hope it all works out. Rat terriers are so adorable, and it was good of you to adopt her. I'm a four-chihuahua mom myself, so I love all of the little ones.

Anne

[KittyGurl]

Take her to the vet! Her back may be in pain.

[ILoveMyGato]

Take her to the vet! Her back may be in pain.

I agree. Talk to the vet. Maybe her back is hurting her, maybe she has an infection somewhere.
But terriers can be incredibly barky and they can get a little snappish, too. Just in case, I think you should keep her away from your kids, especially the three-year-old. She can't really defend herself against a raging dog, and she might even think it's just playing.

good luck!

[Karen]

Yes, take her to the vet - when you were touching her gently and she yelped, that's a definite sign something is up, that something hurts. I know I get cranky when I'm in pain ...

Besides that, what kind of training have you done with her? I'd work on basic obedience training, like she was a new puppy - part of the point of training is increasing the bond and the relationship between you and the dog. She may be thinking she is in charge, and you need to remind her that YOU, in fact, are the big dog here, she doesn't need to run everything.

Anyway, to the vet!

[Giselle]

Hmm, something doesn't seem right with her physically. I agree with the others. Take her to the vet and check to see if everything is physically all right with her. Because she was found starving and neglected, she could very well have some health problems you haven't found out yet.

If it is not a health problem, it sounds like your pup is being territorial. Rat terriers are, quite frankly, terriers. For that, they are feisty little creatures and require a bit of firm, loving authority. Have you heard of Nothing in Life is Free? It's basically a method that you use on a day-to-day basis. The underlying message is that everything the dog wants, the dog must earn. If the dog wants to eat dinner, he must sit. The same goes for toys, treats, etc. I would also agree with enrolling in obedience classes. These two combined will often nip most, if not all, your problems in the bud.

Good Luck!

[pitc9]

I agree 100% with what the others here have said. If she did that when you touched her back, there is most likely something wrong with her and it's painful.
She needs to be seen by a vet asap.
If you can't afford to take her to see a vet today, I suggest taking her back to the rescue where she can get the medical attention that she so Desperately needs.
It would be horrible to see her attack someone more severely than previous episodes because her pain had gotten worse.