Dealing With Aggression

Adopted a shelter dog, really want to keep him but . . .

RascalJRT — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 05:54:51 GMT

We adopted a Jack Russell Terrrier two weeks ago from a local pet shelter. He had been a breeding dog who ws surrendered when the owners no longer wanted to breed him. :(

Start with this: This dog is clearly well trained. He doesn't chew, dig, bark, snap at people, have accidents in the house, get into things, or freak out when left alone. He follows basic commands and has adequate but not perfect leash manners for the most part. -- Such a great dog!

However (BIG however) we literally live on a dog park (our front yard) and this dog hates other dogs, and cats, and basically any other animal he sees, he even attacked a rocking horse! He gets into a low belly crawl, growling and panting, turning on his most basic hunter instincts and goes at other animals with the full force of his muscles. He's attacked (bitten and jumped on) a Golden Retriever, a Boxer, our cat and a few others. I have a huge bruise on one leg when he bit me accidentally through jeans and didn't draw blood, and scabs on the other leg where he did as, per the trainer, I was trying to physically block his approach. We've tried keeping him away from other animals but that is pretty hard in that his bathroom spot is communal and he stares out the front window and freaks out just as badly. The shelter says this is a behavior that developed during his three months in "lock up" and that he did not have an agression problem when he was surrendered.

I have a seven year old and a four year old and worry that even with some serious training (professional help coming Monday) this situation, this dog, and my young children may just not mix. Any hope?? The boys really love him, and if we could overcome this he would be a fabulous animal for us, his energy level is great for two young boys and he loves them.

Reintroducing dogs that have fought

Fenris — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 04:14:56 GMT

We're faced with a choice: Place one of our dogs for adoption or somehow reintroduce them and reintegrate the pack. Problem is, two of our dogs got in several bad fights over the course of a few days. At the end, they could not stand being in the same house.

The dogs: All are fixed. One, a rescued mix, four years old and 65 lbs. Possibly GSD mix. She's reactive, especially on the leash, and has had some resource guarding issues. I've worked with her for three years. She's no longer a concern. Two, a two-year-old boxer we raised from puppy. Dubious breeder, temperament problems are quite possible. He's just recently showed some bad resource guarding, ownership of couch, my wife, some other things. We've realized he's been badly spoiled. He's on strict NILIF and responding slowly. Three, a now ten-month old bullmastiff. She's already 70lbs and has clearly realized she can push the other dogs out of the way. Also spoiled. The boxer and bullmastiff are both well socialized and coming along well with obedience. They're all smart but stubborn and demand motivation (read: treats).

A few weeks ago, the boxer jumped the puppy when she got too close to his food bowl. Manageable fight. Same day, he jumped her when she got too close to the couch. Bad fight, they had to be separated for a while. Next few days, three or four more fights, each one worse. Punctures and lacerations on both -- face, nect, and front legs. After the last one, they had to be physically separated with closed doors. The boxer was so worked up he was rigid. My brother in law fostered the boxer for a few days, and then we switched so he now has the bullmastiff puppy. He wants a dog and has experience handling working dogs, and both the boxer and bullmastiff have been great citizens with his kids. However, his family is unprepared for the work and leadership required to raise strong breeds like a boxer or a bullmastiff -- let alone the energy of a 70-lb puppy running laps through the house.

They need to give our dog back, so we have to make choices. Pros, we're above-average dog savvy. I've been training and walking these guys, and I can pick up right away on any signs of trouble. Both the boxer and the bullmastiff are neutered. They're opposite sex. The puppy is growing, so there's every reason to assume the problems that suddenly cropped up were a result of changing -- therefore temporary -- dynamics. The boxer's possessiveness and the body-blocking bullying stuff, where the bullmastiff throws her weight around to monopolize access to petting, is fixable with NILIF. Cons, they may have made enemies for life. We have kids in the house, and it's difficult enough, when fights do break out, to separate these two very strong dogs without having to worry about redirected bites to the kids. It's also difficult for me to keep hawkeyes on the dogs at all times while giving the kids the attention they need as well.

Neither dog will be difficult to rehome. The problem is that we don't want to contribute to the population of dogs that need homes, and, more important, we love both. It's gut-wrenching to have to choose one or the other. The other option is to try reuniting them. That's where I turn to you folks. I'm willing to try bringing them together in a neutral place, with the parallel walk getting closer and closer, watching, etc. I'm even willing to crate and rotate temporarily and muzzle the two in the house for a while if that's going to enable us to create a pack again.

Have any of you had good experiences in similar situations? Help me make an informed decision.

Looking into a dog's eyes...

Bruister — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 23:59:31 GMT

My experience with dogs is only over the last twenty years and, while I temporarily provided a home for a few large dogs, I have only personally owned four. Two as my breed of choice, a Husky and a Bullmastiff; and two choice rescues, a Rottie and a Pitbull. With all four dogs I found that we look into each others eyes a lot...serious eye contact many times a day...lot said without words. There is nothing greater than when during this process, I talk to my dogs and they tilt their heads trying to figure out what I am saying and I am able to move to the next step and teach them the language.

I am one of those people that tends looks straight into the eyes of a dog, like I do people. At the same time, my experience is that most dogs look straight into my eyes. If I am asked to help out with an aggressive dog, I am careful, but eventually eye contact has to happen and I guess we slowly negotiate; timing is everything.

On one occasion though I met a dog that came out of his crate for a meet and greet. He was one of three dogs that couldn't get along. The bottom line was that he jumped me in an aggressive manner. I am not sure as to whether or not I looked him in the eye; I don't actually think that I had time to make the decision. Big dog, but nothing bad happened. If I were afraid, it might have been different. I stood up, the owner settled him down and we started again. This time we did things differently and it was fine. Since then I have done some reading about eye contact with dogs and nothing has really satisfied me. Anyone have thoughts or experiences that might be applicable?

Backyard aggression

MalOwner — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 23:56:11 GMT

I have an 8 month old Alaskan Malamute. He is very smart, loves everyone and has never exhibited any aggression toward other dogs or people. However, for the past couple of months, he's been "aggressive" toward both me and my boyfriend in our back yard. This only occurs in our backyard when we are out there playing with him. He'll run at me and literally hurl himself at me, then jump on me and try to bite me. He's never really landed a bite, so I don't know how hard he's actually trying to bite me, but I don't really want to find out. I try to turn my back on him and ignore it, but he's getting so big (75 lbs) that it doesn't really work anymore -- he just jumps on my back and scratches me. Like I said, he's NEVER been aggressive toward anyone else at all, nor has he ever been aggressive toward any other dogs. It's only occassionally, in our own back yard. This isn't a new behavior and again, nothing seems to work -- turning my back, yelping, etc. He's been to the vet recently and checked out okay, and he's on a really high quality food. Should I be really worried about this? Has anyone else experienced this? Any suggestions? Help!

Common Aggression Scenarios

spiritdogs — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 21:45:25 GMT

I ran across this page and thought it might be useful for some of our members as a beginning reference point:

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=C&C=158&S=0

Can 11 year old be socialized?

bichon-lover — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 02:19:22 GMT

I have an 13 and 11 year old bichon frises. The 13 year old is fine with other dogs but the 11 year old only gets along with the 13 yr old, no other dogs. He barks like a maniac in every situation. We tried introducing him to my son's pup in a neutral area with no luck. We just moved from a private home to an apt complex and find ourselves having to run inside or away when any dogs are out. We tried giving treats, kneeling down next to him to comfprt him and even scolding him to no avail. He seems afraid.

I have to go into the hospital and no kennel will take this dog. I'm at my wits end.

Riley and I need your help

IrishSetterGrl — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 02:37:19 GMT

*sigh* Well, here goes...

Lately, Riley has been acting aggressively with other dogs he sees on walks. He wasn't always like this, it's just picked up in the past couple of months or so. Honestly, I should have given more attention to it, that's my own fault. The thing is, we go to the dog park at least once a week and he's fine with the dogs there (except he'll growl if another dog tries to take his ball). Then, at the Irish Festival a few weeks ago, he totally FREAKED out on this other Irish Setter. The dog walked over and was just sniffing Riley, and Riley growled and began baring teeth. I don't know what's brought these changes on, but I'm thinking his age has something to do with it (he's 2 1/2).

Lately I've really been cracking down on this and taking him on more walks versus off-leash play sessions (he's fine off leash, seems to be more aggressive when on leash). When a person with a dog comes in our view, I ask him to sit and give him lots of treats and try to keep his attention on me. This usually keeps him from freaking out, but he's still constantly looking past me and staring at the other dog. I bought a spray bottle and set it on mist and just today began giving him one spray when his body goes rigid at the sight of another dog. Is this the right idea?

The thing is, I'm confident that were he to meet any of these dogs at the dog park, he wouldn't freak out so much. He hates it when other dogs invade his personal space, such as jumping on him, but he doesn't bark/whine at them then. Does this classify as leash aggression?

I've also considered the possibility that he's developed a thyroid condition. Irish Setters are prone to it, and his stomach has a large section that has very sparse fur and dry skin (it's always been that way), and his coat has little feathering on his stomach and abdomen (though that could just be his coat genetics). One of the symptoms of hypothyroidism, however, is weight gain and obesity, and Riley is a thin and very fit dog. He had the T4 test run once before at the vet, but the results showed that his levels were only very slightly low.

I guess I just need some advice. Do you think this could be related to a thyroid condition? Or is it exclusively a behavioral issue? Also, am I taking the right steps to curb this behavior?

Sorry this ended up to be so long....thanks for any help!

Will they ever be friends?

goatman68 — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 12:09:45 GMT

We have two dogs, Abby who has terrier in her and she is not a afraid of anything. You let her outside and she runs out and lets the world know she is there, everytime. And Pella who is like any lab, is just there, caring, laid back, but will check it out right away if she senses danger.

We have some friends that have a golden and she is very hyper, but timit in a way(neverous). When they come to visit, Pella does not get along with her, always watching her, and hates it when the goldern comes near me, goes to protect me. And Abby, poor Abby, if she is in the yard, the golden circles her and Abby will not move, she will just stands there. (so unlike her normal terrier attitude)

What is the best way for me to treat this. I try to ignore and I don't say come on it's ok. But I sense something could happen, so I have to keep an eye out. The owners of the golden don't really don't care. But I guess I feel bad, because this is our dogs terriorty and I want to help them act the way they should.

We want to have these people up for a camp out weekend, but I don't want to worry about this, it wouldn't be worth it.

Thanks

How to correct growling?

Foxy09 — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 18:59:40 GMT

Just adopted a 6 yrs old fox terrier. He is obidient, understands sit, stay, catch. Plays well with kids, does not bark or growls at strangers. However, around mid-day he will start growling at the kids or me if we just pass him by. For no apparent reason. Lets say he is laying in the middle of the hall and I'm trying to get from point A to point B which means I have to pass by the middle of the hall. He will then growl at me. I'm not sure what he is trying to tell me. He is on my way, I need to pass by him, I have no intention of petting or moving him; but he is reacting with the growl. any suggestions?

Very dominant!

rkrizan — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:54:08 GMT

Hi there. I have 5 dogs total. 3 purebreed Boston Terriers, 1 Boston/mix, and 1 purebreed Boxer. Our youngest purebreed Boston, she's very, very aggressive towards the other dogs. The Boston/mix and the Boxer, she even picks fights with them on a daily basis. The Boxer doesn't fight back, even though he's much larger than she is, and he's an intact male. He moves on and gets away from her. The other 3 dogs all fight back with her. But she's a constant aggressor. She will attack them for no apparent reason at all.

I have tried everything I can think of. From squirting her with water bottles, to swatting her on the behind, to even letting the other dogs whip her butt in a fight. She loses every time, yet comes back for more 20 minutes later. This is a CONSTANT thing.

She has been this way since she was a 6 week old puppy. She used to attack her mother, and her father and any other dogs she could. It's now almost 3 years later, and we still haven't broken her of this.

Please, can anyone help? Suggestions?

Preditory Drift

BourbonSt — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:14:13 GMT

Defensive Pyr

Meridian — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 00:19:39 GMT

Meridian

Georgia

New Member

I have a 7 year old male Great Pyrenees (neutered) whom we adopted at the age of 4 from a shelter. He has repeatedly displayed defensive--not aggressive--behaviors. Specifically, he will snap at us if we try to groom him (but only when he seems to feel threatened), and will do so sometimes when we are behind him or above him, or holding him (giving a brief hug). He has never bitten down, but he will close his mouth and leave bruises. He has also on several occasions acted out towards other people; it has been random, and he is generally very friendly, but occasionally he'll snarl at someone (who isn't even touching him or paying attention to him). His reactions when he is actually in pain are especially bad, and he is unapproachable then. A vet has checked him thoroughly and found no medical problems, and says this is very unlike the breed, and not something he's seen in dogs generally.

We have had difficulty grooming him properly, and can't clip his nails or clean his ears at all. We plan to have children soon, and know he can't be trusted around them. What can we do? When is it time to let him go?

Dog growling and snapping when approached by dogs in "her space."

moonandtheriver — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 18:05:54 GMT

I've been having issues with my 50lb lab/dal mix, Alex, who is protective of her space with other dogs. I used to do dog rescue/adoptions and we had lots of smaller dogs in the house which she would play with and live with and be fine with unless she was under a chair or in a corner or in what she perceives as "her space." If approached by another dog there she will growl or show teeth. If they continue to approach or get close enough, she will snap at them. This has happened with cats too. Since we have moved into a house with a see through fenced yard she has now taken to trying to attack our neighbors dog thru the fence when it comes into our yard near the fence. She also has some fear issues (adopted from a shelter and likely previously abused.)

When we are out on walks she could care less about other dogs and even when we've been run at full speed by multiple loose dogs she stays calm and uninterested which diffuses the situation. She lives with a small dog and has several "cousins" who visit who are big dogs, and while it took her time to adjust to them she gets along fine with them now- BUT they know her quirks and her signals and don't get close when shes laying down somewhere. I understand her need to have her own space, but Im not comfortable with her growling and snapping for any reason. Even with as much as I know about dog behaviour and working with dogs, shes stumped me. I've tried every trick I know to work with her on this and have gotten nowhere. I could use some suggestions as I would like to have a zero tolerance policy for aggression with her.

Dog aggression (Shailer)

Sowilu — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 17:02:11 GMT

Yes you read right I don't know if Shailer is dog aggressive (not bitches though) or if he is just dominant. Since I have been fostering almost all the dogs I have had have either been females, puppies or small dogs, which he has showned no aggression towards them. Now I have an unaltered male dog and he jumped at him once. I have the two kennels side by side and Shailer does not pay him any mind but last week when I tried to bring them together (I muzzeled Rex) and Shailer just jumped on him. My sister was able to pull him back and I told him "NO" and after that he ignored Rex. This was the second insident the first one was after my sister was walking him because I had Pudding and he got lose from her and went after Tracy's dog (Pilot~ Tracy is having issues with Pilot he is becoming very dog aggressive with all dogs from puppies to senior dogs) ofcourse I ran after him and I apologized to her (this is how we meet). Now the third insident just happend last week, we were outside getting ready to go in the house when my neighbor's dog who lives in front was lose and just came up to Shailer and sniffed his butt. I mean we where two steps from the dooer when this dog just walked up to Shailer sniffed his butt, Shailer turned around and faced him, this dog showed his teeth Shailer showed his too, and I pulled Shailer by the scruff of the neck and pushed him into the house! This happend in seconds I got inside the house and was terribly shaken, Shailer was like nothing had happend.

So what do I call this?

Golden Acting like she will bite

yvonnegirl — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 20:14:48 GMT

My 1.5 year golden has a great dislike for my mother-inlaw. Yesterday when she was over she tried to move my female golden out of her way. The dog put her mouth around my MIL ankle but did not bite down. Molly (the dog) has never done anything like this before. My MIL has a habit of yelling and chasing the dog with a broom so I am wondering if this could be were the aggresion is coming from. Also the dog has an injured paw from running and has been favoring it a few days. Otherwise Molly is a picture perfect golden. She is so gentle and loving, I am shocked this even happened. She is well trained, but I am worried that perhaps now I should be seeking behavioral therapy for her. Any sugestions?

Aggressive towards new puppy

bdbull — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:48:20 GMT

Our 5 year old Boykin Spaniel has some health issues (high blood pressure and hypertension). She acts very skittish at times because of this and how it impacted her when we first found out. She's somewhat aggressive towards new people (barking, growling, etc.), but has never done anything beyond that. We recently got another Boykin puppy in the hopes that it would give her someone to play with and distract her from the things that bother her (wood floors).

She has no problem with the puppy as long as he's not bothering her. The problem is he enjoys bothering her. He nips her, jumps at her, bites her, all the things puppies love to do. But, she wants nothing of it. She shows her teeth and growls at him as if she's in a stand off with another aggressive dog. Now, we've only had the puppy for 2 weeks, but it's beginning to worry my wife that she shows her teeth at him.

Should we worry about this and what can we do to make it easier on them? I am hesitant to put any blame on the older dog because it's a big change for her that she's just not used to. She's been the only dog for 5 years and all of sudden there's a mini-me running around that she doesn't even know yet.

Any comments are appreciated...thanks

Roscoe has lost it.

Beejou — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 01:32:39 GMT

My 2 year old GSD mix has been acting out for the about 5 months, and it's gotten to the point it's dangerous. I recently seperated from my fiance (who kept the beagles and the ridgeback) and I took Roscoe and the Corgi. I've been trying to blame his behavior on the move, but he's not anxious or fearful, and honestly it's been going on before the split. He is no longer able to go to the dog park, which he used to love. Today I was walking him and he grabbed a perfectly polite lab on the face and would not let go. He would not respond to commands and it took all of my strength to pry him off. As soon as we were about 10 feet away, he was back to his happy self and wanting to play fetch. He charges the fence and slams his head against it at people, dogs, cars, anything that comes by. I am 100% sure if he could get through it he would attack. I can no longer call him away either. He used to "hush" if I told him but now I have to drag him away. He also misplaces the aggression and attacks one of the other dogs when he can't bite his intended target. I took his collar when he was trying to grab my neighbor's dog and he spun around on me, showing his teeth and growling, but stopped when he saw it was me. He sunk his teeth into my friends lab instead. He lept onto my Corgi and attacked her while she was sleeping (I've read bad things about this...) a few months ago and has badly bitten the three dogs staying with us 4 or 5 times (leaving deep fang marks). He also attacked and bit the yard man. He came from behind him and latched onto his leg. Luckily the man didn't sue me (honestly I wouldn't have blamed him). He allowed an elderly man to pat him, then stared at him vacanty, and tried to bite. He has days when he's pretty normal, and some days that are awful. The awful days are becoming more frequent. He stares at people in a very predatory way now. I know he isn't sick, he's been to the vet recently and shows no signs of illness. Unfortunately because of my seperation I do not have the money for a behaviorist. He gets lots of exercise, more than he used to. My landlord is my friend but ... you get the idea.

I am terrified euthanasia is my only option. My entire life is upside down and I just can't afford to be sued right now. I constantly worry about what he is doing. I know I can't rehome a dog with bite history.

What do I do?

Is he trying to dominate me?

xodellabellaox — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 22:19:49 GMT

I have three dogs, a 3year old female toy poodle, a 3year old male mini, and a 4 month old male mini. All my dogs are normally very, very tame, the worst being the puppy who still play bites, but lately my 3yr old male has been growling at me- which is not like him at all. In the past, he will rarely growl at me if I hurt him while grooming, (like if I accidentally pull too hard on a knot) but lately he has been growling at me much too often. Just today, I was joking around with my parents about a guy on t.v. who bottle feeds fish, and said he doesn't eat fish because it's like eating his own children. My dad thought that was strange, until I asked him if he would eat our dog. I jokingly picked him up and asked him if he was tasty, lol, but for some reason his body got really tense, like he was nervous, and when I went to spin him around and put him down, he growled at me, So I looked him straight in the eye (a challenge) and he looked away (which I understand to mean that he accepted me as being dominate) so I went to put him down, but he growled again at me, and woudn't stop, so I flipped him and over and put him on the table, belly up in a submissive position. He started growling really badly, and my parents told me to put him down before he bit me. I didn't until he dropped his eyes from my stare and stopped growling. Anyway, he's done this a few times lately, which is extremely unusual. my dogs are normally VERY submissive toward me. My girl used to be dominate over my boy, but lately I've noticed that she actually allows him to eat first now- apparently he has dominated her. Is he trying to dominate me too? I already have plans to neuter him, but this behavior is too sudden, and too long after doggy puberty for me to think it has to do with hormones. There are no in heat girls around, so how to I put a stop to this behavior, before it gets out of hand?

Dealing with aggressive/mouthy puppy

Sowilu — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 11:45:10 GMT

So I have Luna a 12-13 week old pup (possibly older) as a foster. She is a well behaved puppy except for that aggression issue she has. I don't know if this is aggression or not all I know is that when she plays with a toy or a ball she will try to "kill" whatever is in her mouth and when I go to stop her she redirects that aggression towards me and she bites. Also if she is doing something she is not suppose to and I go to her and tell her to stop she will growl and lunge at my hand to bite. I think this could also be a mouthing issue but sometimes when we are petting her and our hands are close to her mouth she will start chewing and biting. Well lets not say biting as she has puppy teeth and they are pointy but she grabs on hard and it fills like she is biting. I don't have any experience with mouthy puppies so I have been putting her with Shailer and he seems to be helping. He will tolerate some stuff but when he has had enough he lets her know and she will stop. I know pups learn from older dogs so I am hoping that Luna will learn from Shailer but I know she will also need some corrections from me so how do I do this?

Taking an aggressive dog to the vet

are_wild — Thu, 14 May 2009 22:17:44 GMT

The short version of the background is that Maya has a lump. The point of this post, however, is her behavior. She loves "the pack." My husband or myself could cut her toes off without fear. Outside the pack is a whole other ballgame. We've been working on her issues but to be honest she came with quite a few and this hasn't been the highest priority.

We're obviously not making it to her letting a vet examine her voluntarily in a reasonable amount of time, so I've ordered a few muzzles to be overnighted and I'll try to acclimate her to the best fitting one as quickly as possible. I plan to let the vet's office know when I call and see if I can schedule the first or last appointment of the day, and my husband will be going with me so one of us can give her our full attention (or take her outside) while the other is checking in/out. I've never been on the owner side of the aggressive dog before though. What else can I do to make this go as smoothly as possible? What can I do to help keep her calm without encouraging tantrums? I plan to use a wire basket type muzzle because I want her to be able to drink and pant (it's already hot here). Should I give her treats between the wires? Assuming of course that she has a calm moment and isn't confused and likely to bite me by mistake. Are there disadvantages to the basket muzzles I should watch out for?

And for those of you with experience owning or working around aggressive dogs is it easier to handle the dog with the owner in the room or to take them into the back? My other dog has a severe needle phobia and truly does better if he can see someone he knows, so I may be bias, but if it's probably going to be easier on Maya the other way then I'll start preparing myself to *not* reflexively argue. Also, how does it work if she has to actually stay for a surgery?

This is a whole extra area to stress over in addition to the actual implications of a lump, so any advice, even hypothetical advice would be greatly appreciated.

-Rebecca W.

Fearful most of the time (long)

PurplePets22 — Sun, 31 May 2009 03:51:22 GMT

Folks, I need some help. My mother wrote me tonight asking that I ask for advice on their behalf. My parents have 2 female Great Danes. Greta arrived first as a 12 week old pup and is now about 4 years old. Annie came to them about 1 year later as a pup and is about 3 years old. The concerns are with Annie. Here is what my mother wrote me........

"would you please ask your friends in the forum for any thoughts about annie being fearful since we got her? I am worried about her…she seems to be getting worse. There was a time when I thought she was better, but not now. I think the sounds of summer have her nervous. The windows are open and she hears everything. Today I was sitting on the couch and she was on hers when the mailman approached. She barked through the window then got off the couch and sort of cowered by the white wall and watched the mail slot. I realized that she has figured out that the mail is going to drop through and make a noise hitting the floor. All of the wind we have been having seems to have her spooked too. I think in the winter when everything is closed and more quiet she is better. I don’t know how we can help her. She just seems scared and sad almost all the time."

She has had several instances of aggression towards other dogs, I think acting more in a self defense kind of mode..."I'm gonna get you before you get me" rather than true aggression. My parents admit to not socializing her as much as they did with Greta at a young age. She's very wary of kids and most adults. She adores my partner and I as well as my brother ans his wife. We all are "dog people"...maybe that makes her more comfortable. She's great with my dog and my brother's dogs...but all others make her very nervous.

I've been to a couple individual consultation sessions with Mom and Annie. We got the usual advice but this is one of those things that's very difficult to describe and help with without actually experiencing her behavior over a period of time.

I'm going to suggest rubbing Rescue Remedy on her ears and desensitizing her to the mail slot. Maybe they can leave a container of treats on the porch that the mail carrier can drop through the slot !

She's such a sweet girl.......I'm hoping your combined wisdom and experience can help.

Thanks!

Mindy

Have you ever been attacked by a dog?

Chuffy — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 18:11:36 GMT

I intend this topic to be fairly broad, so please bear with me!

1. What happened? What did you do? What happened next? With hindsight, do you think that your actions caused, exacerbated or resolved the problem, and how? Or did they have no bearing on the dog's actions at all?

2. Do you think that the person being bitten/attacked can be "blamed" for the attack in all (or nearly all) circumstances, in that it is always something they do that triggers the dog's reaction?

3. Can the DOG ever be "blamed", in that s/he made a poor choice? Or do we place the dog on a pedastal - a place where he has no right, nor any wish to be, IMO - and claim that the canine species is perfect? (Something we know we humans can never be, so why do we expect/demand more of our canine companions)?

I would be very interested to hear your thoughts

[Poll]

Aggressive Dog - Advice please

Jeanniej — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 13:16:20 GMT

Hi, I'm new to this board and desperately need some advice about my sisters dog who has recently become extremely agressive towards me. My sister got the dog - approx. 1 year old staffordshire bull terrier - about 3 months ago from a local shelter. He was picked up as a stray and other than that the shelter didn't know anything else about him. His behaviour was fine to start with although there were a few incidents when he snapped at my face but we put this down to him being over-excited rather than aggressive. The agressive behaviour seems to have started about 3 weeks ago when he became extremely possessive over a large bone that he was given and would growl at anyone who went near it including my sister and her boyfriend. My sister threw the bone away.

About a week later I went round to the house to let him out and feed him as my sister was a work (this is something that I have done regularly since she first got him) and he attacked me when I opened the door. I found this particularly disturbing as I reguarly go to the house by myself to feed him. Then last night he attacked me for no reason while my sister was in the room. This effectively means that I can't go to my sisters house anymore even when she's there. There have been other incidents where he has snapped at people (exclusively women for some reason) but nothing to compare to what happened last night. Can a dog like this be rehabilitated? Would castration help? Is there any significance to the fact that his behaviour has deteriorated so rapidly? We assume that he's had a bad experience in the past with a woman as he doesn't seem to display any of this aggression towards men but short of keeping him away from all women is there any other solution? Interestingly he's never displayed any agression towards my sister. Any help would be appreciated as my sister is at her wits end and is now considering taking him back to the shelter.

Thanks Jeannie

Aggression Statistics (Environment Vs. Genetics)

ShelterDogs — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 00:10:37 GMT

Does anyone have a number, a percentage, of how many cases in dog aggression is related to the dog's environment (how dog was raised) Vs. his/her Genetics? I'm guessing 80% Environment Vs. 20% Genetics?

Fear aggression with new puppy- (thedoc617)

thedoc617 — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:53:15 GMT

Okay, here's a little background on what's up. Lucky is a 2-3 year old Shih Tzu (maybe mix?) I rescued last April after losing 2 dogs that year. I got him from an animal shelter that found him abandoned, tied to a tree in the middle of a median. Obviously he had some issues when we first got him, but when I first got him it was an only dog household- I was living with my parents at the time, and he was the only one. He has always been fearful of men, cars/bikes and dogs larger than him, but he has never showed aggressive tendancies until now.I do not coddle him when he is fearful, I let him work it out on his own. (for example, I would have men give him treats so he realized that these scary guys with deep voices bring goodies!)

Before this weekend, I was living in a household of 3 other pets besides Lucky. Oscar, a basset mix, Levi a golden retriever and Merlin, the cat. Lucky was very nervous around them at first, but he grew to settle in, and while before he was terrified of the cat, they are the best of friends now.

My roommate (not the one that has those 3 pets) brought home a 7-8 week old Basset Hound puppy last weekend. We did normal ok introductions, where I first had her put Sadie in a crate and let Lucky sniff the cage, then we did on-leash introductions, (I had Lucky sit and watch me for a bit), and then we progressed to off leash. Everything was fine, until we got off leash and into the house. Sadie follows Lucky everywhere, and when Lucky gets backed into a corner he bears his teeth and snaps. It is as if he has an invisible barrier that he locks around himself, and if she "intrudes" that space, he gets pissed. I have never had a puppy in the house before, I have only had adult dogs (Louie was the exception, but he was so sick for most of the time he didn't have the temperment of a regular puppy.)
When Lucky snaps at Sadie, he gets yelled at (by one of my roommates if I'm not here). I am at a loss for what to do.Do I reprimand Lucky for being snappy, or do I pick Sadie up and put her in another room ?

On one hand, I want Lucky to have his own private space - (his crate) to go to that he feels safe, and yet I am not sure if I should just let them find the way in the pack (like a mama dog would with her pups). I dont know if Lucky could hurt her, but I really dont want to see, because not only would he be in trouble, but I would too. How do I teach the puppy to give him space, and how do I desensitize Lucky to her?

He is very food motivated. I saw once to bring out a treat that is WOW awesome amazing! only when the puppy is out. I tried giving him peanut butter in the room, he wouldn't come near it or me because Sadie was 5 feet away. Do you think it'll work out? I dont want my roommates mad, and yet I dont want my dog living in fear either!

Help!!