Rescued a dog- AWFUL- Please Help

 Thank you for taking in the doggie and being willing to work with him. 

It will take time, training and patience, but I think you can work with him.  You didn't mention his age?  How long have you had him? Water bottle clicker, pennies, stop that, all in a short space of time may have just overwhelmed him.  Remember, he has to adjust to a new setting with new sights, sounds, smells and routines.  Introduce just one method and stick with it for a week or so.

Have you had him in to the vet?  The first thing will be to address any health issues, and to get him neutered.

After that I suggest group classes.  He may need to have a barrier initially in class; I've seen this done a few time with a reactive dog.  Often by the 3rd class the dog has caught on that, at least in this setting, he must stay calm.  You may be able to find a place near you using this link:

 http://www.apdt.com/petowners/ts/

 

 Hi:

 Yes, he's been to the vet quite a few times.  The other family never got him neutered or any of his shots.  He's 5 years old.   The trainers want to put him in one-one classes for 8-12 weeks, before they even put him with socializing.   I can't afford that.  This family that had him abused him.  He was kicked and hit it's so upsetting to me.  He bites us sometimes and growls a lot at Dusty and Gabby.  I know he's just trying to fit in, but when he's outside the yard on a walk or even in the family he gets aggressive, then other times he's as sweet a pie.  I think he's confused, one one hand he's beginning to trust us, but on the other hand he's scared.  I think I have to walk him separately from Dusty.  Dusty knows every dog in the neighborhood and wants to play with them and say "hi", with this little guy Dusty feels the need to protect his "friends" and gets upset with the new one for growling and carrying on.

Others will be along soon that can help you -- we have some really good trainers on here.  But I'm going to suggest you try positive methods rather than such aversive stuff (essentially all those things try to startle or scare him into stopping and this little guy has already learned "the best defense is a good offense" so it likely worsens him rather than helping).  You will likely have to separate him at home -- to give the others time to play but also give you time to train him.  The basic premise is -- **prevent** the bad behavior before it happens.  Until you can control him and his behavior, just don't put him in a situation where he will react badly. 

Jackie has a list of books, some by Karen Pryor ("Don't Shoot the Dog" is one of my favorites) and others she has found particularly good.

You might try exercise at home rather than on a walk -- do you have your own property??  Wearing a dog out by throwing a Kong for them can be better exercise than a walk.  Even if you have to put him on a long line (like a 30 - 50 foot leash/rope if you have no fence) while you throw a ball or Kong for him will keep him contained while you exercise him ALONE.

You'll also have less problem if you get him neutered.  At his age, it will take several weeks for the testosterone to get out of his system even after you have him neutered, but the sooner you do it the sooner he'll benefit from it. 

These are my own personal suggestions, feel free to take or leave them :)

 

first thing I would do is muzzle the dog, basket muzzle openwork so he can drink and pant while wearing it. This will remove your fear or any other family members fear of him actually biting. The confidence you get from this will translate to the dog...

I would also immediately stop forcing interaction with your other pets and rotate them separately. The addition of other dogs unfamiliar to this dog is making him very boundary conscious most likely. Once you have ONE ON ONE time with the dog use a leash to keep him close to you for the entire time. Have him nearby or even tied to your belt loop as you do your thing. Buy small bits of treats you can offer thru the muzzle to get to where a hand coming towards him is a good thing. Speak softly and confidently.

 

Stop walking the dog until he can control himself and you can control yourself. Use your yard for training. Lose the harness and buy a Gentle Leader or regular leash or if you MUST use a harness buy one that is intended to hinder the pulling of a dog...one that snaps the lead on in the front across the chest.

 

Buy a crate if you do not have one or set up and exercise pen JUST for this dog...a safe place where it can be and feel completely secure from any other pets in the home. Do not take the dog out in places until it is READY...this isn't a race, you have years ahead of you. Work on the confidence and routine of your own home FIRST and branch out from there.

 

This dog must feel SECURE and at home before any real progress can be made. IMO you do that by removing YOUR fear and anxiety first, having the proper tools to manage the dog in the home, one on one time with JUST this dog, and lots and lots of gentle handling and treats.

Despite the expense, your best bet is going to be to contact a veterinary behaviorist for an in home consultation.  This dog will not improve without you learning the most effective methods. The aversive methods you've used have a very low rate of success with this type of behavior and in fact often make the behavior worse.  The money you spend on a behaviorist may save this dog's life.  He has a low chance of being rehabilitated and adopted out of a shelter unless you can help him overcome his behavioral problems.  It won't be easy and it won't be quick but it can be done if you're willing to commit the time and effort and expense. 

I would not enroll this dog in a training class at this time as he doesn't sound ready and you may end up feeling like you and he have failed and his reactivity could become even worse.

I would stop putting him in any situation that causes him to become out of control, as much as possible.  If that means no walks, that's what I would do until you have a better handle on his reactivity. You can find other ways to exercise him if you use your imagination.

 Remember that almost all behavior that is labeled as aggression is fear based.  You can't change his emotional response to the things he fears if he's put so close to those things that he feels his only option is to take the offensive.  You have to work below his threshold of reaction or you are only increasing his reactivity and reinforcing the behavior you don't want.  You can't expect him to be redirected with a treat when he is already into a full blown reaction to another dog or person.  It's not about controlling the dog as much as it's about changing how he feels emotionally. 

 Work with him, by himself, on general obedience.  Use his kibble as training treats and don't miss any opportunity to reward good behavior.  We often miss opportunities because we aren't in training mode.  With new dogs, I keep treats on me at all times and any time the dog does anything remotely like what I want, I praise and treat. Crate train him using positive reinforcement.  He needs a safe place to be when he can't be with you or loose with the other dogs. 

It's very possible that this dog was never properly socialized and if that's the case, you will never have a perfectly balanced dog but no dog is perfect, just like no human is perfect.  Much of what we consider terrible behavior by dogs is really not all that awful in the dog world. 

If you absolutely can't afford to consult with a vet behaviorist, or even if you can, get some books on dog behavior to help you to help him.  I'm re reading a book called Dogs Are From Neptune by Jean Donaldson.  Lots of good info in this book.  Feisty Fido by Patricia McConnell is another good one.  The Cautious Canine is another and these are all under $15.00 each, from dogwise.  Don't Shoot the Dog by Karen Pryor will give you a good understanding of how dogs learn and how to implement positive reinforcement effectively.  Good luck.   

Find a behaviorist near you.  http://avsabonline.org/resources/find-consult

ETA  Callie and Gina and I all seem to be on the same page.  Good idea about the basket muzzle, Gina.

JackieG

ETA  Callie and Gina and I all seem to be on the same page. 

 

If you have never experienced the more positive style of training -- it can be bewildering because you can't conceive HOW you can "prevent" this dog reacting badly.    this is where the word "management" comes in -- and it's a new word to most people in a dog sense. 

Completely opposite problem but VERY SIMILAR problem -- my newbie, Charlie, was never socialized and came from a really traumatic background.  He startles overly easy, he's terrified of men, he's terrified of loud noises -- he doesn't get agressive, but he will just shiver and shake and flinch.

We have made a TON of progress in the past year.  do I have him doing pet therapy yet?  no.  do I take him tons and tons of places, trying to 'get him used to' men?  No. 

But we have made sure that each and every single thing we've done with him has been **positive**.  When I take him somewhere I make **sure** that he doesn't have any negative experiences with men.  I have gone to great lengths to give him **GOOD** experiences.

He has come so far it is incredible.  He will never be the bounce up and greet everyone enthusiastically kinda dog.  But he's happy.  No longer is something "new" terrifying because he knows now he can trust David and I. 

This dog was found in a badly flooded house (like up beyond the 2d story) all infected and sore.  As far as he was concerned ANY water that falls from the sky is EVIL.  It's gonna getcha, it's gonna take over your world so FEAR IT.

Not any more.  He doesn't love it -- but he will go outside now without terror.  (He will, however, hold it SO long that he pees so long he will alternate from the left leg to the right leg because he gets tired standing on 3 legs while he creates "Lake Charlie" in the yard.)  He's no longer terrifed when he hears rain on the roof -- he feels safe.

People sometimes think walks are such a must do -- if you have to walk them on leash to potty you can keep it close to home -- if you see someone coming go around the building.  AVOID the confrontation.  Devise ways to exercise him in the house or in your yard.  It **can** be done.  And when you aren't totally frustrated with him because of his bad behavior on walks, that will transfer to him as you learn to help him be his best.

"management" is time consuming -- but everyone is happier and healthier and safer.  You WILL ultimately get to where you want to go and you, your family and the dogs won't be traumatized as a result.  just keep at it and keep getting better at it.

 

	Thank You all so very very much. He had a vet appointment today and I poke with vet and his assistant who works with a trainer/behaviorist. I have a call into them now. They also suggested that I get him out of our room at night because Duty and Gabby have always been there, and he's showing dominance by being in there. I did end up by taking him on the walk, praising every good step he took, gave a treat for every good thing and then we saw one of our neighbors and dog, who Dusty plays with a lot. Calmly and tightly continued walking he was good, then he slid a bit out of my grip (little stinker is strong) licked the dog (big golden retriever) then bit her in the face within a split second!!! Oh I'm so mortified. Thank God he didn't hurt her. An hour before our next door neighbor' dog was in the yard, he saw her through the fence was trying to get to her, I was hoping to just play, but saw his tail go up like "fight" and he was growling like crazy. I got him to come in the house thankfully. I can't bear the thought of giving him up, because yes, they will get rid of him, and I have a huge heart full of love to give, so I pray this trainer will help. Until then, no more walks. I will get the books in the meantime and I thank everyone for your help. I"ll keep you posted.

This is not going to be a popular opinion but it is my 2 cents none the less. If you can not or are not willing to dedicate the money to rehabbing this dog you need to rehome it. working with a reactive and/or aggressive dog takes years. It is always a work in progress and management never ends. It also takes money. Money so that you can learn how to handle the dog and situations that occur in normal every day life. These issues do not get solved in 3I weeks or 4a weeks or even 8 weeks. It takes years. I know you love and care for this dog, but are you willing to deal with the stress you have now for months and months to come? Think about that seriously. It is an admirable thing that you are trying to do but seriosuly think about it. Aside from that, you should not let this dog greet other dogs out on the street no matter if you think the dog is acting friendly. You need time to learn about dog body language, reactive threasholds and managment techniques. For walks, get a no pull harness so that the dog can't drag you around. Btw, the whole idea about the dominance and the bedroom is off base and . Yes you need to manage space and the dogs need to be kept separate but this has nothing to do with dominance. It has more to do with resource guarding, excitement levels, space needs, dogs learning proper calming techniques etc.

dustydo

so I pray this trainer will help.
Until then, no more walks.

No, hon -- no walks for the foreseeable future!!  You must **not** put yourself and this dog in a position like this.  Just plain ... **NO**.  No walks.  And after you begin training, even being out in public will start painfully slow and you will sometimes feel you'll never get there. 

I'm saying a hearty "Amen" to what Jewilee said.  You MUST be honest with yourself -- this will NOT be resolved in a few weeks.  It will be a lifetime effort.  You can **NOT** do a little bit of training and then decide "he's learned this" and take off on another walk. 

It will ALWAYS happen like this -- it's easy to get lulled into thinking "this went well".  In an instant he "licked the dog (big golden retriever) then bit her in the face within a split second!!"

-- I've been working with problem dogs for 35 years and all I know is I KNOW NOTHING.  I can do certain types of difficult training but reactivity like this?  whew -- out of *my* league I assure you.

You "were mortified".  Honestly?  That's minor.  The big deal?  In that ONE instant, not only did you "un-do" all you tried to accomplish, but once slip up like that will undo months and months of work. 

Also you have to consider what **else** could have happened in that split second.

What if .... what IF, instead of a golden with the adult neighbor, you meet a big rottweiller being "walked" by an 8 year old who can't control *that* dog.  And this dog gets away from you.  But the 8 year old walking the rottweiller steps in the middle to "protect" his dog?  And in that flash of a secong your dog lunges and gets the child's face instead of the other dog's?

It could so easily have ended far worse than you being embarassed.  The liability is huge.

If you honestly want to tackle this the folks on here are great to help you.  But you must make that judgement on your own first -- can you handle this?  Can your ***family*** handle this? 

If you have kids are they responsible enough to **MAKE SURE** that this dog is never left out when you aren't watching.  That this dog can't "escape" just because the friend they had over "forgot" to latch a door?  Will everyone else in the family completely be on board with all the management that THIS dog will require?

Is it fair to the other resident humans and the other resident dogs to change ALL their lives so radically because this one dog *you* feel compelled to help needs it?  Maybe everyone will agree to this -- if so great.  But if you don't live alone everyone needs to make the decision.

"crate and rotate" -- it's a necessity sometimes.  But it can't just be you.  Everyone in the home has to be completely in harmony about this. 

My first thought is that in my house this new dog would be treated like all others (I don't treat them different because I suspect abuse or neglect, though with those dogs I try to be soft and gentle).  All new dogs have to EARN freedom and privilege.  They do not get to come right into my house and start terrorizing my current dogs that have lived there for years and already earned their freedom through training and good behavior.  Also it is stressful for the new dog to come in and try to jockey for his position in the pack.  He needs to be confined to a space that is his where he can feel safe and not threatened, and also not allowed to try to boss the others around.

You have gotten some fantastic advice on here so far. First of all I want to praise you - seriously, bless you - for taking in this abused little doggie. Yes, it is going to be difficult to train him, especially with his difficult past, but you can do it with the help of professionals. Listen to the advice here, but most importantly listen to the advice of professionals! You seem to be trying to do everything right, taking him to the vet behaviorist, etc. Just - don't take any risks. Like Callie said, taking him out for a walk could be a huge liability. For now, keep him at home under close supervision and try to keep him somewhat isolated. I do also recommend a muzzle. Again, thank you so much for taking in this doggie.