Dog Community

agression towards other dogs

Posted : 8/24/2006 1:16:10 PM

i have a 3 year old rottweiler,and he cant stand other dogs,hell ignore them when they're behind a fence, but if they get close, hell pull on the chain and growl at them........he has never bit another dog, but i dont want him to hurt any dog. There has been loose dogs that i find when i walk him and they get close to him but he hasnt really bit them.....because the dogs backoff......im thinking of buying him a muzzle and taking him to a dog park thats a few blocks away....but i dont know if the muzzle will just make him angrier........another thing is he will not let any stranger touch him or near him.......surprisingly for his size people in my neighborhood love him....they always compliment him.......and they want to pet him.....but i have to say no because......he wont really let strangers near me or my sister(she walks him too)......so i guess you can say hes over protective especially when walking him.....whenever someone tries to talk to us and gives us eyecontact from a few feet hell stand in front and sometimes growl....however anytime someone comes with a person that lives in the house to the backyard all hell do is follow them and sniff them......he wont jump at them or anything he just wont let them touch him.....i'm not one of thise guys that has this kind of dog to scare people..........i want to show people that any dog can be nice........the previous owner of the house gave him to us.....because he was moving to another state.....he was 2 and half and he just had him in the backyard.....so we werent able to get him used to other dogs.......when he was a puppy.......he was never around dogs only a female german shepeard that the guy also had.......but he donated that one.....any suggestions would be appreciated

Firestorm

Posted : 8/24/2006 1:20:24 PM

Do you keep him chained out? Is he an outdoor dog?

Jonny Segura

Posted : 8/24/2006 1:27:23 PM

no hes never chained the backyard is huge he has more than enough room to run around but he spends most of his time laying down in the grass especially after walking but he doesnt seem sad he seems really relaxed.........he has a cage but i dont keep him there.......yeah hes an outdoor dog.......i let him in once in while......and now instead of putting him inside the cage when some guys come to cut the grass in the backyard i let him in my room....untill they leave...

Firestorm

Posted : 8/24/2006 1:41:13 PM

Well you said something about him pulling on a chain and growling. Anyways, Rotties tend to be protective of their owners and property. Have you enrolled the dog in obedience training? This would help with social skills as well as keeping him under control. Tying a dog out all the time will give them serious issues. How much time do you spend with this dog during the day?

Jonny Segura

Posted : 8/24/2006 1:55:12 PM

o sorry i meant to say leash like when i walk him hell try and pull towards any dog that gets close........but no i never tie him up.........im gona try the classes but he doesnt really have a problem with obidience..just the fact about not liking other dogs my friend has a 3 year old german sheaperd...and i would walk him everyday with him...the first 5 minutes or so my dog Jack would growl and bark at him and jump at him......but then over here there are like hills so i let him loose and then they start running around most of the time separate from eachother...theyll get close but as soon as my friend's dog tries to sniff his butt he will turn around and jump at him......they will growl at eachother but it looks like theyre playing around.......they only fought once but nothing serious after that they walked like normalid say i spend hummmmmmm i walk him for a bout an hour and im home most of the day......im not so sure but id say a few hours a day.......and im going to start school...so im not home untill late in the afternoon......but when im gone my sister walks him but he wont really listen to her.......as he likes me more and listens to me more

denise_m

Posted : 8/24/2006 2:07:23 PM

Hi Rottie and welcome to the forum! What exactly are you hoping to accomplish with your dog? Do you want to be able to have him socialize with other dog? Or do you want him to just calm down and be more relaxed when you walk him?

You own a big, powerful dog so I would strongly suggest that you find a professional to help you. You certainly don't want to accidently cause any harm to other dogs (or people) by not training him correctly. It does sound like you dog is very protective. You will have to start teaching him that he doesn't need to be "the protector" - you have to become the protector! There are ways to do this, but it has to be done correctly, so get help.

There are lots of people here that train dogs professionally. I'm sure one or more will give you more advice. How long have you had your dog?

Jonny Segura

Posted : 8/24/2006 2:30:59 PM

i just want him to be calm and relaxed like he is at home........whenever a stranger goes outside with me or anyone else living in the house he wont show agression at all......its only going to be a year since we had him.....part of it is that the previous owner had him fenced..........in a small area.......he used to be worse he would be way more agressive and over excited........there was a time when this homeless guy had a small dog and he had him loose.......and he ran towards jack but jack didnt bite him he would growl and jump even thought the dog was right under his mouth.....but i dont want to take any chances........as for strangers he has steadily become better......he wont growl at everysingle person he sees........people have passed right next to us when i walk him and he wont do anything.......i mean hes very obidient.......he comes whenever we call him.......hell sit when we telll him too...........he knows to be polite when recieving a snack........he has to wait till the person outs it in his mouth not jump and take it from their hand......whenever someone sweeps the patio he has to leave and sit in the grass.......and hes not allowed to come back untill he is told......and the list goes on and on...........its just that problem of agression towards other dogs and ocasionally people

labcrab

Posted : 8/24/2006 3:17:12 PM

Hi, I'm afraid that I'm not qualified to give any advice regarding true aggression (which is what you're dealing with). I think you do need to take some serious action though and work with a professional. I can tell you absolutely that this is NOT a good idea:

im thinking of buying him a muzzle and taking him to a dog park thats a few blocks away

The last thing you want to do is throw this dog into a dog park situation. He is simply not a candidate for a dog park. Work with a trainer and maybe think about letting him be an actual member of the family? Let him live with you as a bonafide pack member in the house?

Firestorm

Posted : 8/24/2006 3:32:38 PM

You need to get this dog into obedience training and maybe with only private classes at first. After that maybe you can do obedience classes with dogs. He needs more training and socialization. If he is not very good with other dogs why would you want to take him to a dog park where he could be loose and do as he pleases? Could you call him off another dog? Your talking about one big dog I know I used to own one. I worked with him from pup to 2 years before I felt he was very trustworthy. I did obedience and socializing with dogs and people. You need to have this dog under control and have control through training of him all the time. You could have lawsuits like crazy if this dog is not under control. This is one of the breeds targeted under breed specific legislation. They are trying to outlaw ownership of Pits, Rotts and other "AGressive" breed dogs. To own a Rottie is to be an Extremely Responsible dog owner. You need to go above and beyond in your training and do not take this dog out and about unless you can keep him under control. Another thing I don't know if you have Homeowner's insurance or whoever you live with does...but look into it...you may be cancelled because you own a Rottie.
My Rott was an awesome dog because I spent the time training and socializing him . He was a great dog. I had him for 8 years.
Here is a Picture of my old Rott Kane who I lost in January due to old age.

denise_m

Posted : 8/24/2006 6:40:00 PM

You have told us somethings about your dog (what is his name?) that are very encouraging. Number 1 is that he has never bitten even though he's had the opportunity with at least one dog. That is a REALLY good thing! He is also obedient and seems to listen and obey your commands well. This too is good. And the the fact that he is becoming more comfortable around strangers. So I think you have a dog that has a good temperament that you can work with. Unfortunately it sounds like his previous owner did not do a good job with him. So you are very lucky that he is not even more aggressive. He sounds like a dog with a lot of potential to me. Do the work. I think you will see positive changes!

Jonny Segura

Posted : 8/24/2006 7:46:58 PM

ORIGINAL: denise_m

You have told us somethings about your dog (what is his name?)

his name is Jack, and everyone else thanks for the advice i will look into the classes you guys mentioned.......yeah i think he has potential too thats why i dont keep him in the cage like his previous owner.......im well aware of the stereotyping for a rottweiler is and i just want to be able to show people that any dog can be nice if trained properly......i know if i had him since he was a pup he would not have any problems with agression.......I still walk him and im aware that he can cause problems......but thats why im very carefull when i walk him........i keep him away from other dogs if i see one especially loose.....my main concern isnt agression towards people but rather dogs........because i have taken him to the vet and he cooperates with the nurses.......he will let them hold the leash without jumping at them.......i have heard that when people get nervous dogs tend to bark at them.....i dont know if its true..i think thats what happens when he growls at only some people.....but yeah i will find out about these classes you guys told me about......theres a program like that at the local petsmart so i will look into it

fuzzy_dogs_mom

Posted : 8/24/2006 8:38:19 PM

You've gotten some good advice here. For sure, if your dog is not friendly with strange people or other dogs, a dog park would be the worst place in the world to take him. And being in a dog park and muzzled would be pure torture for him.

Joyce