dog aggression training
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- tasty
We just adopted a 1yr mix dog. Loves people, children, not protective over her food. But can't stand the sight of other dogs. Goes bonkers, or walks up gently then starts a fight at the other dogs first move.
Anyone ever have their dog aggression or fear trained? outcome?
- whereRI0
'fear trained' ? jesus.
in south africa, back in the bad apartheid days, i have heard that cops used to put the new puppies (police dogs) in a black bag with black people's clothes inside and beat the dog with a stick.
id like to think this is untrue
- orrinward0
Is she small with little dog syndrome?
My Jack Russell is normally lovely but occasionally she used to get aggressive during play. The simple solution was that we'd let her play with much bigger dogs and when she got aggressive they showed her who's boss. Not seen her get aggressive since we started that, with bigger or smaller dogs.
I'm not taking you for a fool, but are you sure she's fighting not just playing? I'm a relatively new dog owner and initially I took any form of play as if she were fighting and a bunch of owners had to point out that she was just playing.
- ifeltdave0
if you want to train your dog to be more aggressive and fearful, just beat it on a regular basis. also, wake it up in the middle of the night with beatings, just for good measure.
- tasty0
I mean trained to put their fears and aggressions aside and be playful or at least civil with other dogs.
- tasty0
@orrinward
Every dog we walk by she goes nuts we consulted a trainer and she said it doesn't seem like aggression because she doesn't growl or show teeth. We've been working with her methods for a few days but there has been no change at all.
Size is no matter, if it's a runt or a giant bull mastiff nothing stops her. So we're planning on a 2week boarding school for her starting this week. It sucks but we need a professional/dog whisperer.
She's a darling around people, sucks she's got issues with other dogs.
- moldero0
I have a Rott who used to be scared of everything because when she was given to me, she was used as a fighting dummy (Bait dog), a lot of 1 on 1 time, she was in top shape in 3 months, shes super smart, she swims out to me to the surf line-up (braving huge surf) to sit with me on my board. the only thing shes scared of now is walking over Manhole covers, weird, after years of me trying to get over that fear she still just walk over a manhole cover, lol. shes awesome though especially considering where she came from.
- Melanie0
I have an English Bull Terrier that is exactly the same. He's great with people (loves cats) but fights with 96% of dogs that come near him. He was attacked a couple of times by other dogs when he was a puppy and now he just doesn't give them the chance to get in there first. He's savage too. Won't stop until he's got his teeth sunk into them. Then he won't let go.
I just keep him on a leash all the time and warn other dog owners to keep their own dogs under control so they don't come near him. It's not much fun having a dog like that, but I haven't found a 100% technique to change it, so I treat it like there's always a possibility of a fight.
Probably one of the biggest problems is that I get anxious in anticipation of a problem, so he reacts to it.
- if this camp goes well i'll let you know. It's so sad i really don't want to part with her for that long :(tasty
- d_rek0
Firstly, your dog probably requires 'pack mentaility training' - you can refer to Cesar Milan/Dog Whisperer about what this entails.
Essentially it's placing your dog into an environment where it gets to find through interaction with other dogs how to act and behave.
Think of it as the new kid going out onto the playground for the first time. They're going to be a little shy, a little timid and then they might start to open up - either friendly or aggressively. What's important here is that the other dogs teach your dog how to act. There is not much you will be able to do discipline-wise until your dog starts to understand the 'pack mentality'.
There are lots of things to keep in mind about aggressive behavior in dogs. It could be pent-up energy - ie: you're not exercising it enough. It could have been traumatized - in that case it may require rehabilitation. Or it could just be a bad dog.
- d_rek0
oops... even things like your body language a dog will pick up on. If you don't establish yourself as the 'pack leader' then the dog will never respect you/listen to you. This means being firm with it, disciplining it when it is required, exercising it regularly and teacing it obedience. If you don't have the patience or time for these things you might as well give the dog up because it will never change.
It will forever be thinking it is the one in charge and will continue to act out of it's own will.
- megE0
I would consult a trainer in your area...it could be a lot of factors.
Cesar knows a lot of stuff, but he's a professional trainer. I wouldn't try his professional tactics myself, when dealing with aggression. I'd rely on him more when it comes to lesser issues (house training, exercise, etc)
- actually - look into prison boarding programs. They keep the dog for a month, 24 hr training, it's great.megE
- tasty0
@d_rek.
Thanks! Part of this camp is that she is with other dogs 24/7, and they move them between 5 locations so thye don't just get comfortable in 1 environment.
We also would have a mandated dog park visit with the camp every 3rd saturday. I'm feeling confident.
- hiatus0
I'm curious how much this training is costing you(if you dont mind me asking).
I'd rather tackle the problem myself. Might take a lot of discipline but I think its part of dog owning.
Sounds like a difficult situation. picture of your dog would be cool! Got my first dog after our honeymoon(i know kinda weird gift to our self). Weimaraner/beagle mix.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mag…- pic above...Cost is a 1 time fee, if she ever reverts back they offer free re-training/consults... If it fixes her it's $ well spent.tasty
- d_rek0
hiatus / tasty,
One thing to keep in mind with dog training... Most people think it's the DOG that needs the training when in fact it is the MASTER that requires the training. It's all about psychology, body language, exercise and discipline.
Psychology
If you can put yourself in the mindset of a dog and realize that dogs have a 'pack mentality' then you will realize that every pack has a leader. The master MUST be the pack leader.Body Language
If you treat your dog all foo-foo, itty-bitty baby coddling it day and night and walking up to it and making cutesy guestures your dog is going to pick up on that. The pack leader would never coddle another one of it's pack. It would be firm and dish out disciplinary measures when they're needed. Dogs ABSOLUTELY require a firm, yet compassionate master to keep them in check.Exercise
Most domesticated dogs get far less exercise then they should often resulting in lots of pent-up energy that can be transferred in negative ways. As their master it is your task to make sure your dog stays exercised and healthy. If they don't have an outlet to release their energy they will find an outlet for it.Discpline
An exercised dog is a pliable one. The period after a dog has been exercised is when it is most willing to general obedience training as it's mental state will be one of acceptance rather than defiance.
- tasty0
PSYCHOLOGY
- she is not allowed on the couch
- she loses her privileges if she jumps on us or guests (mini time outs)
- She gets 1 lap in the AM to pee if she doesn't she must hold it till her afternoon walk (a lap is about 10 min).
- toys are put away late at night and she can lay on her bed out of the crate till we put her to sleep.BODY LANGUAGE
- The girlfriend does the cuddling most
- But like i said, no couch, she sleeps in her own space
- If she barks on the way out, so be it, she will relax (takes a minute tops)
- She does have the upper hand on the street though, because of the way she acts we are on high alert, and i'm sure she senses that.Exercise
- We both work 9 to 5, but her schedule is...
7:30AM - 10min walk
1PM - 30min
6PM - 10min
8:30 - 10 min
10PM - 30 min
She also gets play time in the house - we let he be fully active from 6PM till about 10:30PM.DISCIPLINE
- she understands no, sit, that's it!
- we don't raise a hand to her, but will escort her into the other room and fence her off for 5 minutes or so, to learn when bad is bad.I feel we're doing the best we can - and this training camp is for her to be the best she can be for us.
- d_rek0
psychology
you're treating it like it's a human being. Unfortunate for you it's a DOG. That doesn't mean you have to treat it like crap but understand dogs are not human beings. It doesn't mean you shouldn't be affectionate or compassionate but it sounds like you're probably being a bit soft overall with the beast.body language
Again, it's a dog. It's not a child, or a toddler or anything resembling a human being. Stop treating it like one.Exercise
Play time does not equal exercise to a dog. For a dog, play time equals play time and they would be happy to know only in 'play time' for the rest of their lives. Exercise, such as a brisk walk or a run, is exercise for a dog.Discipline
You don't need to hit your dog or physically abuse it but you need to dominate it when it gets out of line. If you pay attention to how the alpha dog treats other dogs in the pack you will see that when another dog steps out of line it doesn't typically submit another dog with the intention of hurting it or killing it - it is simply letting them know their place. You need to establish the social hierarchy in the relationship. You are the master here - when the dog gets out of line you need to firm up your body language, take on an assertive tone and act accordingly. If your dog is acting in a way it shouldn't be it is OK to make physical contact - sometimes all you need is to touch the dog or to poke it lightly in the mid-section. An extreme case may require a choke chain. Simply swatting at it and yelling in a fretful tone is going to do nothing for you or the dog.Again, the training camp will be good for the dog to be with other dog. I have to insist though that truly what needs to happen is for you and the GF to alter your mentality from being the dogs friend to being it's MASTER. Once you do this the relationship you have with your dog will be much more rewarding on both ends.
- jfletcher0
d_rek has summed up most of what I would say. I actually think watching a few episodes of the Dog Whisperer could help a lot. Our dog used to be agressive towards everything (my wifes dog, hers before we were married). It bit me twice hard enough to draw decent bleeding. It would attack other dogs. Possesive over things... pretty much everything bad that could happen. I was worried he wouldn't change, but so much of the issues were caused from my wifes behavior. It's been almost 3 years. He hasn't bitten anyone and only snaps at dogs if they get too playfully agressive with him.
We recently left him with a friend when we went on a vacation and for the first time he actually played with her dog. He wasn't properly socialized, so learning to play never happened. It's been a long time to doo all of it, but it's very possible, and your dog seems easier than ours.
Like d_rek mentioned, usuing "people" style psychology doesn't work and usually causes more issues (like petting him when he's nervous to try and calm him... gives him positive reinforcement to be nervous, so happens more often, cycle repeats).
Also agree if you don't train yourselves, training the dog won't help at all.
- dibec0
tasty ...
i am going to break your heart ... but you have a handful of issues that need to be addressed and trained. no worries, it can be done.
first off you don't exercise your dog enough. Play time in the house does not count. really zero. One of you need to wake up 30 minutes earlier and go for a quick run in the morning. Crate/Kennel your dog in the morning as you get ready. Take her out, place your leash and walk out the door. Dogs have a strange thing happen when they go from a small space to a large space, for some reason they go pee. 10:30 PM - 1:00 PM is really a long time for a dog to hold it's pee (over 12 hours!) actually it is a little unfair for your new buddy.
ps. if your dog does not go pee, put her in the crate/kennel and try again in 10 minutes. i also have a command "go to the loo".
commands. your dog needs to know 3 commands in life. sit, stay, and down. that's it. if you don't know how to train your dog, hire a professional and please do not board your dog. you are the dog owner, you need to train the dog. it will build on your relationship and your girly needs to do it as well. not just you. it's an awesome feeling when you got your new friend to listen and respect you. it really is. the problem with boarding is that the dog will be trained by someone else, you get the dog home and thing is not listening. dogs are very sensitive to us. our energy, our posture, our tone, our scent, our feelings, etc. You need to acknowledge this when dealing with your furry friend. You are the boss, that's it, do not let this animal control you or anyone else. It's really that simple. You just need to project this. In a wolf pack, the pack leader can give a look and that look will make another wolf go straight down to the ground and become submissive. it's crazy. you don't need to yell, raise your voice, hit, or anything at all. You don't have that power right now but you need to get it.
Bottom line: Your dog does not respect you or anyone else. Dogs don't care if they are the pack leader or if they are 4th in command. They just need to know and have consistency. I don't mean to come off harsh, but I have watched these situations arise where the dog ends up getting hurt, another dog getting hurt, human getting hurt, or worst of all losing your dog. It's no joke. get a professional. should run you about $500.00-$1000.00. make sure it is one on one, and weekly. you will also need to make a commit of spending about 20 minutes twice daily training your dog and so does your girly. will take any where from 2-4 months. you will have an awesome best friend. probably the best friend you will ever have. ;)
- dibec0
ps. I have a Boxer & German Shepherd.
- georgesIII0
please REPORT to the first world problem thread!!!
http://www.qbn.com/topics/427805…- if this was named hyena instead of dog, would that qualify for 3rd world?jfletcher
- +1dibec
- I paid $500 for my hyena's psy class but now he's afreud of me,
YEAAAAAAAAAAAHHHgeorgesIII
- jfletcher0
one small thing to add about walking. Make the dog stays to the side or behind you, don't allow him in front and don't let him pull on the leash. This took probably 3-6 months of traiing with my dog, but now even without the leash he doesn't walk in front of me without permission. It helps set up that you are the master and controling the situation.
And as dibec mentioned, consistency! maintain it at all times. Once you get used to it, it becomes second nature, but for the first few months it takes a while. As he also mentioned, raising your voice, yelling... won't really work, and may cause more issues. You need to be firm and in control, but not agressive with the dog. Right now I usually just have to give a certain tone to my voice or snap my fingers and my dog responds.
Also, boxers are nuts. Way to high energy for me :D I got a mini (on the big side) schnauzer right now.