Is my dog not the right one for me?

nymaureen

I would really like to see a source that tells that Dr Ian Dunbar belongs to the IACP. What I read on the IACP site is quite the opposite to Dr. Ian Dunbar's training and philosophy. I've also heard him speak and that also was very contrary to what I've read on the IACP site.

 

I don't know if he's still a member but he used to be.  He's spoken at several of their annual conferences.  I've seen him at the IACP conference in Texas a few years ago and at an APDT in San Jose. 

ETA for clarification

I think the point everyone here is trying to make, is that not any ONE specific training method is going to work for every dog. Bull terriers are very HARD dog, they are also very stubborn. They also have strong DA tendencies. I dog sit for one who cannot be around another dog (not even walking on a leash), without careful management. Positive training works for some, while it doesn't for others. I know a german shepherd that is trained with an ecollar, as well as a pit bull. But again - IT IS NOT FOR EVERYONE. My own dog wears one when we are gone at night because he likes to bark. I'm not saying this is the best method, but it's one that works. To the OP - I strongly advise you to find a trainer who is going to WORK with you. Not through email or phone, but to actually work WITH you at least once a week, if not more. If you are going to be committed to this dog - you're going to need to put a lot of work in to him. Bull terriers needs a strong owner, one who is willing to set guidelines and enforce them. Chances are, he is a very insecure dog and needs to have his confidence boosted big time. I think you are more than capable of working with him, and you seem willing. I live in a studio (it looks smaller than yours from the video!) and I know it's not easy to manage things. I have two small terriers, and two cats. We do the best we can! I wish you all the best. If you have questions, feel free to message me - I'm not on here too often anymore!

Slightly offensive espencer, i didn't say that i was against e-collars, just that i don't understand how it would help an aggressive dog.  I'm sure if it was explained to me in the correct manner, my brain would be able to grasp it....

Tashmoo5454

Slightly offensive espencer, i didn't say that i was against e-collars, just that i don't understand how it would help an aggressive dog.  I'm sure if it was explained to me in the correct manner, my brain would be able to grasp it....

 

I'm going to put this in a different thread, as not to high jack this one any further

 

 I have no problem saying I am against the use of shock collars, for may reasons, including those enumerated in this article: http://www.k9kindness.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/The-Problem-With-Shock1.pdf. 

I also want to clarify for our original poster that the term "behaviorist" is properly used ONLY to describe those individuals who have an advanced degree.  The reason I gave you the links above is that those are sources for individuals who have advanced training in behavior.  It sounds very much like our OP was taken in by some shock jock type who charges lots of money and physically intimidates the dog.  The dog may not get aggressive with his "abuser" but may still feel that he can do so with the owner.  Very dangerous.  Please call your local veterinary college or use one of the links I gave you before you end up with a dead dog.

I have no intentions in adding fuel to a fire that I don't care to take part in, as I know where I stand on how wrong ecollars are for behaviour modification, however I just wanted to put it out there that the ecollar companies themselves highely advocate against using them for aggression.  Every website (for example, the DogTra site) makes clear that using ecollars with aggression has a high probability of making it worse.

My only other comment is regarding using it `under direct supervision of a trainer`.  If that is the case, then that means you can only use it 1-3 hours per week, when with the trainer, which means you cannot use it the other 165 hours in the week.  If you can only use it under `direct` supervision of the trainer, and not when he or she is not around - don`t use it. You need advice and techniques that you CAN use when the trainer is absent, as they are not with you 24 hours of each day. You need skills you CAN use safely each and every day. If you can only do it under the close eye of a trainer - it`s probably not your best bet anyway.

Also, looking at that video. All I can say is - that poor Pointer (one of the dogs used to instigate aggression). What a fearful dog. Also, if you compare the subject dog's behaviour at the first of the video with its owner (pause right at 27 seconds for a photo look), and at the end (pause at 2:29 for a photo look) - WOW. Stress signals abound in the dog afterwards.  Lip flicking, ears pinned, leaning tightly into the owner, half-moon eye, quick panting - you name it, that dog could write the book on stress signals! Much different than the interested, calm, happy dog that started out! 

Just remember - suppressing a behaviour is not the same as changing how the dog feels. 

Hi Everyone, Thanks for all the replies and tips. I just wanted to give an update. My girlfriend and I have been so insecure around Oliver that we realized we were just keeping him in his crate way too much, especially since he can see our other dog Spot, running around the house free. We've been keeping Oliver out as much as we can.. sometimes on elash and sometimes off. He's been doing great and the issues we were having in the video that I had uploaded awhile back, have decreased significantly. It has happened maybe once or twice, where as before it was happening almost daily. Today, I really tried to wear Oliver out playing in the house, and eventually I did. I threw his bed on the floor and he was sleeping beside the couch next to me as I was doing homework. I'm not sure if this was incredibly stupid of me, but I remember reading about this online somewhere. I decided to smack my hand on a table near by and see how Oliver reacts. As soon as I made the noise, Oliver immediately looked up and began growling. I then got up to say, "it's okay" and was going to pat his head. He then lunged towards me, but luckily I still had his leash on and kind of kept him away if he wanted to attack me. While he DID get aggressive, I think if he really wanted to, he could've lunged at me and easily bit me. But, he just went back to his bed to try to sleep. I then went back to sit down beside him and he gave me another growl. At that point, I then put him into his crate because I was just about to leave the house. He then went to sleep immediately where as he'd usually cry for a bit knowing that I'm in the next room. I read online somewhere that dogs often get startled when awoken from sleeping and to train them out of it, slowly make noise and let them know that it's okay. I'm pretty sure that I may have made too much noise and startled him a bit too much? Perhaps I'm better off building up the noise and giving him positive feedback when he does not react aggressively to it? Do you think I'm taking the correct steps to hopefully try to solve this? Or am I just making the situation worse?

 I probably wouldn't try to take that much further on my own. You can train him out of it, and you can train him not to react aggressively. I think it would be advisable to have some guidance in doing this, as you are probably taking a risk in doing this. 

I have no idea what the cost would be, but I just typed in a zip code in Davis, CA and got these results

http://apdt.com/petowners/ts/us/results/default.aspx?zip=95616&dist=25&cert=0

UC Davis is definitely going to be a reputable program, but I honestly have no idea what that would cost.