Dog Aggression

[Drew Good]

Hey Gang,

I thought I would make a post on this subject and see if we can get some idea's down to help out on of our member's. You see one of our member's PM'ed me saying that he was sorry to hear about Diesel and asking for advice. He has a 1 yo male retriever that has the same problem as Diesel did. This dog is aggressive twards his wife but not him.

I am not in the possition right now to give out this type of advice as deep down inside I feel that I failed. I did however tell him that he needs to make this a top priority to avoid going thru the nightmare I did last week.

So let's hear some idea's guys ( and gal's). What would you do in a situation like this?

Drew

[Huntmaster]

Get the dog neutered if it is not, I have read stories on labs turning due to heat. Take him to the vet for advise. Have the wife with you beside her, walk him threw obedience to see if he will obey her commands, have her throw some fun bumpers to see how he reacts. If all that fails, do what drew did, Have the dog put down before you blame yourself for the dog taking a chunk out of your wife or a child. Drew you did the right thing man, SO shake it OFF, before it ruins you. Solid advice with no jokes. Move on my friend!!!

[Huntmaster]

I forgot to add, You say the dog is only a year old" something is very wrong here. Could be the trainer or the dog has a very strong dominance problem. If it cant be fixed, Shoot it. Your family is far more important!!

[AD18]

I'd seriously look into getting Cesar Milan's (The Dog Whisperer) "Cesar's Way" book. I know a lot of people think he's a phoney, but I've read his book and it has some great advise about "red zone" dogs, which of the multiple causes it may be, and how to fix. Peel off his life story and you'll get lots of great info. Won't hurt.

[Drew Good]

I was Pm'ed a link to a forum dealing with agression issues, here it is.....

http://www.uplandjournal.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard312a/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=2;t=31810;st=0

There is some interesting idea's there.....

Drew

[be2man]

Definately a problem to be adressed sooner rather than later. Most Vets don't have alot of training in difficult behaviour issues, unless it's an area in which they have a special interest and have done some self learning or CE courses. There are a few Vets in the province who are "Board Certified" in behavior, as well as some very knowledgeable Professional Trainers. For a Veterinary behaviourist you will need a referal from your own Vet, which you can request after talking to them. Dr. Gary Landsberg is in private practice in Thornhill.

http://www.doncasteranimalclinic.com/index.php

I believe that the OVC usually has a Veterinary Behaviourist on staff for referrals as well.

The old take charge and physically dominating the dog to show him "Who's the Boss" is old school and generally counterproductive with dogs who are dominant to other family members. Getting a professional opinion should help you to make an informed decision as to whether the dog is salvagable or not.

[rocko]

"The old take charge and physically dominating the dog to show him "Who's the Boss" is old school and generally counterproductive with dogs who are dominant to other family members. Getting a professional opinion should help you to make an informed decision as to whether the dog is salvagable or not."


I am curious to hear what you're suggestions are? I wrote a similar post about this back in March and 95% of the replies from people were along the line of "You better show him who is boss".

[be2man]

I guess it depends on your definition of "Show him who's boss". Physically dominating a dog that's already aggressive may worsen his aggression and make him fearful or distrustful. And it's just not possible to for some women and kids to do. You can show him whose in charge without physical confrontation. Take away all his priveledges and attention and make him earn food, freedom, attention. Crate him unless your supervising or working him. Keep him off the furniture. Keep him on a leash in the house for control. Get the whole family invovled with his training and obedience. Make interactions with kids or spouse positive and reward the behaviour you want. Unfortunately it's easy to ignore or dismiss the warning signs of aggression/dominance until a crisis/bite.

This just scratches the surface and specific recommendations would be based on the specific history and behaviours. Hence the reccommendation to consult someone with some expertise in the area.

[Huntmaster]

I guess it depends on your definition of "Show him who's boss". Physically dominating a dog that's already aggressive may worsen his aggression and make him fearful or distrustful. And it's just not possible to for some women and kids to do. You can show him whose in charge without physical confrontation. Take away all his priveledges and attention and make him earn food, freedom, attention. Crate him unless your supervising or working him. Keep him off the furniture. Keep him on a leash in the house for control. Get the whole family invovled with his training and obedience. Make interactions with kids or spouse positive and reward the behaviour you want. Unfortunately it's easy to ignore or dismiss the warning signs of aggression/dominance until a crisis/bite.

This just scratches the surface and specific recommendations would be based on the specific history and behaviours. Hence the reccommendation to consult someone with some expertise in the area.

be2man, you are good, and your advise is solid for all dog owner's, if they practice what you have said above in both post's, I think it would be almost imposable for a dog to gain dominance! :nice work:

[rocko]

Ok....I'll give you a scenario and you tell me how you would deal with this. Then I'll tell you what my Vet told me to do.

If I was sitting on the couch and my dog (7 months old at the time) came downstairs and wanted me to pet/play with him and I ignore him......... he would then continue on over to the other couch and start scratching/biting it or start grabbing things off the shelves and running around the house. If I point my finger at him and say "NO"......he would snap his teeth at me and bark. If I gave him a wack, he get even more fired up and sometimes even hackle up.

Is this warning signs of aggression/dominance? And how would you deal with that?

Let I said, I made a post about this back in march and had a lot of great advice from people. The best result I got was to......tire the dog out as much as possible before bringing him in.

[be2man]

Hey Rocko, From what you describe he is trying to get you to play with him. The grabbing things and running around are trying to get your attention. Even if it's negative attention, for a dog that's bored or in a playful mood that can still be a reward for that unwanted behaviour. A dog is motivated to please himself first and the challenge of training is redirecting away from unwanted behaviour towards the behaviour that you do want.

Instead of telling him no and taking a whack at him, give him something else to do. Telling him "no" doesn't give him direction as to what it is you do want him to do. A "sit", "down", "stay", on leash if necessary for 30-60 sec 'til the mood passes. Then praise and reward his compliance, and take him for a walk or throw some bumpers for him. I've found my pup can be a sh*t disturber if he's overtired or hungry as well. If he's had adequate excercise I'd crate him 'til he settles down. You can teach a dog to settle himself down with a command like "settle". Pups can be like hyperactive kids at times and need a short time out to get their brains workng again.

I wouldn't say what you describe sounds necessarily like dominance/aggression. It sounds like he's trying to get you to play and acting like he would if you were another puppy. Maybe to him your "no" and taking a whack at him is a response in kind to his bark and taking a nip at you. He's thinking "Okay, game on". Be the leader and show him what you want with things he already knows. If he hasn't done any obedience start there.

Goodluck, Tom