Why does my Shih Tzu dog viciously bite us?
While he may not feel dominant with strange dogs, he’s definitely feeling dominant with you and your son. When nervous and dominant dogs are startled (sleeping or relaxed and you touch him), they immediately go into attack mode — not a safe thing to have as you’ve discovered. Also, he’s trying to assert his dominance at the door when you’re keeping him from what he wants (first attention of the people entering the house). He could also be extremely nervous and is reacting accordingly. Yelling doesn’t help — it only aggravates the situation. Yelling to a dog shows excitement and it encourages and inflames their behavior. If it were me, I’d schedule an appointment with a trainer immediately — the dog needs work and you need to figure out how to alter his behavior immediately. He’s already hurt you and your son and it won’t be long before he hurts someone else. Perhaps your vet would know of a local trainer you can contact for help.
