My dog aggressive Pom!

    • Bronze

    My dog aggressive Pom!

    I have a 5 yr old pomeranian who has been dog aggressive for about 1 1/2 years.  Help, what do I do?  My neighborhood is opening a dog park where I want to take him!!  Do I muzzle him until he gets better around other dogs?
    • Gold Top Dog

     Just my thoughts here, but if you know your dog is dog aggressive why would you take him to a dog park?

    • Gold Top Dog
    Agreed.  He doesn't belong in a dog park, and muzzling is not a great idea either.  Forcing him into a situation that triggers behavior you don't want isn't going to eliminate it, but rather make it worse.
    • Gold Top Dog
    I know it is hard to resist dog parks but they are no place for a dog aggressive dog. You like the idea of it but your poor dog will be extremely stressed and terrified and will lash out constantly. I am sure you would hate to see your baby so stressed out. Not only that, your dog will likely be hurt and could possible be killed if he lunges after a dog and the dog retaliates. Taking your dog on leash is a very bad idea as well. It will only make a bad situation worse.

    I can't stress enough that you should not attempt this. Please take our word on this as many of us here have first hand experience. Dog pakrs are high stress areas and only the most bomb proof, savvy and stable dogs should go to them
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    • Gold Top Dog

    glenmar
    Agreed.  He doesn't belong in a dog park, and muzzling is not a great idea either.  Forcing him into a situation that triggers behavior you don't want isn't going to eliminate it, but rather make it worse.

     I would amend this to say if you don't know how to help him deal with the situation, then you will only make it worse.  I'm dealing with a min-pin like this and we force her to deal with the situation of someone talking loudly or moving hands and she has to learn to trust her handler.  I coach a Pom who turned into a people & dog aggressive monster around 2yrs old.  Yesterday he walked out of the Rally ring with a perfect 100 score, a blue first place rosette, and was pat and scritched by strangers as dogs hovered around him.  His owner took him to a practical trainer who helped her build a relationship of trust btwn dog and owner, and she continued training and building trust.  Not an overnight thing.  You don't trust your dog (muzzle says you don't) and he doesn't trust you.  Find a good trainer/behaviorist who has a lot of success with aggressive dogs. 
    • Gold Top Dog

     Everything everyone else said, plus many dogs don't go to dog parks, and they have no idea what they are missing. It is you who will feel left out, or that your dog is missing something by not going. Your dog won't know the difference if never goes, even if he sees the other dogs going. I have a dog park membership, and we have not gone in months. My dogs aren't unhappy about this. I tend to only go in there when it is completely empty, and I may do this a bit in the near future because I need a fenced area to work some stuff off leash. I have a very friendly dog, and I still don't bother to take him there. Even if you resolve the aggression issues, the dog park is still probably the last place this dog needs to be. You don't know that other people aren't bringing in aggressive dogs, and you don't need that setback if another dog does something to yours.

    • Bronze

    He use to go to the dog park before he got aggressive, so I'm taking him ON the leash to hang out to try and see if he will calm down and be good.       He's not around other dogs ever so I think that makes it worse.  I don't know. We'll seel

    • Bronze

    That's what Im thinking about.   I just ordered a Cesar book to help teach me how to train him on his aggression.     I'm not letting him off the leash.      I just want him to be around them.  I won't let him run free.    He's great with people and kids...just not other dogs.       I  bot a training leash..long.  So I will have control the whole time.

    • Bronze

    Thanks.....I don't even have a muzzle yet.   I 'm thinking of just taking him to watch the other dogs .   I'll keep him with me on his leash.   I didn't think the muzzle idea would be a good one.  His groomer said that sometimes that makes things worse.   So OUT with that idea. 

    • Gold Top Dog

    Taking him to a dog park on leash can make the problem worse.  Many dogs are more aggressive when on leash because they no longer have the fight or flight option.  His level of frustration will be increased and what is the point of having him watch the other dogs at the dog park? 

    You might expand your reading list to include some dog behaviorists who understand classical conditioning and how it can be used to change your dog's emotional state when around other dogs.  Jean Donaldson, Dr. Sophia Yin and Patricia McConnell are a few who explain this concept and give owner's detailed information on how to help your dog.

    • Gold Top Dog
    UnUnfortunately you will have to learn through your own experience that taking a dog to a dog park and keeping it on leash will cause your dog to be more aggressive, not less. You could avoid it by reading some of the authors Jackie is suggesting. The fact that you used to take your dog and now you can't is very telling. Each time your dog is exposed to negative stimulants your dogs threashold for reacting gets smaller and smaller. When you first took him, he was prob stressed but you didn't notice it. Over time, the reaction time got shorter and more violant. Now you need to work to increase that threashold level by counter conditioning. If you take your dog to the park on leash, that is what is called flooding, a technique that cesar milan does quit a bit. If you want to work on counter conditioning and must go to the park, start by just going to the parking lot and not actually going in. Stand by your car or by a bench outside and treat your dog when it looks at another dog without reacting. If you dog reacts, you are too close for comfort so back away and get more distance.