Dog Community

Other dogs make my dog crazy!

Posted : 6/8/2006 9:48:55 PM

I currently have a 1.5 year old dog in obedience classes and since she has been in the class she has only become more agressive towards other dogs. She was injured as a puppy and also had a major surgery so for most of her puppy years she was confined to a kennel and did not get much interaction with other dogs. She does great in the class as far as following the comands but when anouther dog comes too close to her she lashes out at it scaring both the dog and owner. I make shure she wears a muzzle for the class but I'm still worried that her agression is only getting worse. The trainer tells me it's a fear based agression but is not very helpful instruction me what to do to help her face this fear.

Right now she is my only dog as my other dog was attaced in my own yard by neighbor dogs and does not live with me anymore. I only take Gizmo outside on a leash so the only dogs she sees outside of the class are the ones that bark at her as we walk by or my neighbors chained up dogs who scare me to even get close to that fence. Her experience with other dogs have not been very good and although I try what I can she is still very agressive towards all dogs. She is fine and very friendly with people and even with cats and other animals.

I will be moving in a month or so, mostly because I want to have my other dog with me agean. I would also like to know what I can do so Gizmo can feel more confortable around oher dogs. I have done all I can on my own and with help from the vets but now my only hope is to move, however, the fear is still there. What can I do right now?

s abbott

Posted : 6/10/2006 9:20:22 PM

Is Gizmo is a pitbull?
I'm having a hard time accepting that a pit bull/relative has fear based agression. Sorry to stereotype, but...well, I just have.

If your in school with the dog, can't you ask the trainers?
I'd think, they know your dog pretty well, see it interact with other dogs and have a personal experience and approach for your dog & you as a team.

I'd ask them too. Good luck.

Xebby

Posted : 6/10/2006 11:34:42 PM

No she is not a pit and she has little signs that she could even have any pit in her. Her behavor and marking suggest she is mostly a border collie and has much of the attitue of one. Her fur is also soft to the touch and about an inch thick but slicked back, unlike a pit that has thick rough short fur. Not that I'm defending my dog but I serously dought she has any pit in her.

I hate to repeat myself but like I said "The trainer tells me it's a fear based agression but is not very helpful instruction me what to do to help her face this fear." The class has about 30 dog in it so working induviduly with each dog is not possible. I want to know what I can do on my own, outside of the class to help her. Thats why I asked the question here and not the trainer.

She has lived most of her life in pain. After her surgery she started to lash out at my other dog (she never did this before the surgery). I know this is fear based because she only does it towards other dogs when they come a little to close to her space. She was also attacked, but not injured by the same dogs that hurt Georga. This was her first experience with other dogs not in my family. She is fine around other animal such as horses, cats and is very friendly to people and children. She only has this problem with other dogs.

sierra2002

Posted : 6/10/2006 11:47:07 PM

Hi there,
sorry I can't be much help on the fear-aggression issue, I just thought i'd mention that I also don't think there is any pit in Gizmo. Looks way more border collie-ish to me.
But both the dogs in your signature are beautiful [

]

huskymom

Posted : 6/11/2006 9:20:06 AM

What is that all about? This dog has a fear based agression issue and the first thing said is "Is your dog a pit?" WTH!!!

You have to make other dogs seem like a good thing. Get happy when you see another dog, before she sees the other dog. Get her attention on you. Give her a command and praise her when she listens. Work on sit or down until it becomes second nature and get her to do that when another dogs approaches. Have her look at you and focus her energies on you. Have treats on hand to give her when she behaves as you want her to. Be patient with her and try not to get worked up when you see other dogs. That will only make her more nervous as she will sense your discomfort. Good luck. She is a cutie! Both of them actually.

Julitza

Posted : 6/11/2006 7:16:47 PM

ORIGINAL: sym100000

Is Gizmo is a pitbull?
I'm having a hard time accepting that a pit bull/relative has fear based agression. Sorry to stereotype, but...well, I just have.

Am I the only one who smells a TROLL?? I mean molst of these persons posts have been about how pit bulls are so agressive and what not. Im sorry but if this person is not a troll they need some serious education because this is ignorance.

Sorry Xebby I cant help you with this one, its just that I needed to comment on this person because anytime I read an agression post they are posting on how pit bulls are these terrible man eating monsters

Xebby

Posted : 6/11/2006 11:04:20 PM

Thanks, I really didn't understand that pit bull comment. I don't think this has anything to do with a breed specifc problem.

I took Gizmo for a walk today in a neighborhood with plently of fenced in dogs. I also took a pocket of treat with me. As we walked by a house with a dog I held up the treat and once we passed the house and she didn't growl I gave her the treat and told her "good girl!" She only looked interested in the treat and not the dog barking at her. There were a few times she growled a little but I quicky got her attention off the other dog by telling her "don't" then got her attention with smell of the treat once she listened to me. I hope I'm going about that the right way?

Now thoes are fenced in dog that do not approce her, what do I do when anouther dog comes a little to close to her space?

cakana

Posted : 6/12/2006 9:30:52 AM

You can use the same method for when dogs come too close to him (use the treats to keep the focus on you). Be careful that you stay relaxed during this time too though. If you are tense, he will sense it and react. I know that's easy to say, but hard to do, but it's real important that they not sense that there's danger in other dogs getting too close. Having been attacked and seeing his packmate attacked has no doubt left a strong impression on him and it's going to take lots of time and patience for him to be confident again. You may have to monitor him for his entire life and just know that some dogs are never going to be social butterflies, but can still have a great life. My one lab has some fear aggression and I do whatever I need to to make sure she and other dogs are kept at a safe distance.

Xebby

Posted : 6/12/2006 10:08:12 PM

On to round 2 of her training...

So today I went to the college in my town for our daily walk. In the past I have avoided the college because of the high number of dog walkers there and I've never been able to walk Gizmo around other dogs without her going crazy. I picked the soccer field, lots of room and easy to get away if anouther dog passes by (just incase).

So I get there take her out of the car and do one lap around the field, no dogs, no problems. Ok so I get her 20ft. control line out and go to the middle of the field. I practice the usual comands, sit, down, stay, come. Off in the distance anouther lady is walking with a little Jack Russle, Gizmo starts to mone but still listens to my comands. The lady comes a little closer, Gizmo is growling now. I hold the treat, nothing, the lady and dog are closer gizmo is growling even more, the JR is starting to bark at her. I hold Gizmo and let her smell the treat, I try talking to her, I even face her away from the little dog but nothing stops her growling. The dog passes and is now out of site. I stayed calm throught the whole deal but she would not listen to me at all. The dog is gone, I go back to her training and she is now listening to me agean. What did I do wrong? Should I stick to walk along fenced neighborhoods till I know she's ready to deal with non-fenced in dogs?

Xebby

Posted : 6/14/2006 1:27:40 AM

Today in class...

Today was her class and she seemed to be better around the dogs in the class. There was anouther trainer there today who spoted me as I worked with my dog. She gave me a few tips on what to do about the agression and how to spot it before Gizmo lunges out so I can stop it. I'm glad she seems to only be getting better but theres still lots of training to be done.

Janey

Posted : 6/14/2006 3:39:12 PM

Sounds like Gizmo gets overwhelmed as dogs get closer. Try staying at a distance from the dog that causes the aggressive behavior and offer treats if he is calm. Keep working slowly in decreasing that distance between him and other dogs, so he doesn't get locked in to aggressive mode. Highly reactive dogs and aggressive dogs won't take treats when they are highly aroused (I know, I have a dog aggressive dog).

A great book out there is called Click to Calm by Emma Parsons. It talks about clicker training for aggressive dogs, but you can use positive reinforcement (treats, praise, etc.) without the clicker if you don't use clickers in your training sessions.

Xebby

Posted : 6/14/2006 3:56:52 PM

Ha ha, I just recived that book today! I ordered it online and just got it.

The only problem is in the class I'm in the training does not belive in using treats as a meathoud of training. Prase is great but you don't want your dog not to listen to you if you don't have a treat to give it. I still need to open the book before I start talking about it but I'll do about anything to help my dog with this.

I have a private lession with the trainer next week, I'm hopeing we can work on Gizmo's dog agreassion then. She seems to do all the comands she has learned up to this point perfect so I think for now I mostly need to concentrate on her agression issue.

Janey

Posted : 6/14/2006 4:58:40 PM

I think treats work really well for food motivated dogs, and I also think that when you use treats to train, you vary the rate of treats after the behavior you want is ingrained, so that they eventually don't have to have treats around to perform well. Also, some people use a favorite toy, especially if the dog is highly motivated to fetch or play.

I say go with what works.

FYI - the aggressiveness may never go away. This comes from my experience with Gandolf, my dog aggressive pooch - and with him I essentially have, after lots of time and $$$ spent on training and behavior consultations, a very well-trained bully! You can teach your dog to behave calmly in a lot of circumstances, but don't assume you can train the aggressiveness out of Gizmo completely. You will have to manage him, and monitor him with other dogs in the future.

Xebby

Posted : 6/14/2006 8:35:47 PM

It seems like everything I've heard or read about this type of agression says the same thing about just controling it but it will never go away. She is fine once she gets to know the dog, like my parents 3 dogs and her get along great and have never gotten into a fight, she stayed with my parents for a few months last summer when she was still a tiny pup. Also she does great with my other dog when they are together, it was just right after her surgery that she had problems with Georgia. A friend of mine came to visit with her dog and once the whole meeting eachoher was over they played nicely together. The agreassion didn't seem to come out untill I started her in group sessions with a trainer about 6 weeks ago, no contact between dogs is allowed during the class. I often think that maybe she just wants to play with the others but the growling is what worries me. She has really seemed to change from the time I started the class.

Xerxes

Posted : 6/15/2006 3:13:57 PM

Xebby,

Hang in there. It takes alot of time so be patient. It sounds like you're doing the right things both in educating yourself and in applying what you're learning! Good Job!