Dog aggression - Page 1

Okay so i am going to assume this is the issue. If not please correct me.

My newest pup who is 6 months today was imported 3 weeks ago. Bonded quickly and became my buddy in no time at all. The sweetest little thing and is really exceptionally well behaved for a 6 month old. Very well mannered in the house. Can walk her off leash if need be and is focused on me at all times.

Downfall. She lives with 3 other gsd's and i know she was well socialized at the breeders. She never did this at the breeders either.
She can be 20 feet away from me and if another dog gets to close to me she books it full speed and growls and barks etc.  She does the same with ppl with me if she doesnt know them but i can tell her enough and then she is fine. But dogs it doesnt matter if i say enough she just keeps going.She isnt biting YET but is getting very very aggressive.
This is also only me that she does this with. My kids she doesnt do it with our my husband.
The only dog she tries this with in the house is her sister and i am assuming that is because they are the same age..The adults i have put her in her place when she tried it with them.

I was going to do agility with her but at this rate thats not going to happen.I am seriously considering protection training or Shutzhund with her now.Her sister is my SAR dog so i am not knowledgeable in this aspect of training and have never had a dog to dog aggressive dog at this extreme before. My male doesnt like other dogs per say but he just avoids them and is fine if i am around them.

So i guess what i am asking is how do i curb this without killing her drive?

Thanks



 

Without seeing what is happening here are my thoughts; Do you have a friend that has a dog that your dog has not met yet? Having control of both get them somewhat together. Or if you need put muzzles on both and see.

My girl Arabella will be 1 yr. old at the end of the month. I would say @ 3 - 4 mos. she was attempting to take on all the dogs. Reiker, 9, won't tolerate ANY! ANYTIME! Anastacia, 2, will take some but when she has had enough she puts Bella in the ground.

But Bella could be 50', 100' (any), away from Ana, give her the stare, crouch and run full speed like a line backer and wham! Do a little rough housing, (and I mean ROUGH) so here's this little tiny pup tearing up the yard on the others. What was funny was Bella at 6 mos. was as tall as Ana, head a little smaller. But now, pretty much the same size and full of it. I took all into Petsmart one day, Ana and Bella together and Bella showed nothing towards another small dog in the store.     

Sounds like your dog is noisy and uncertain but not terribly dangerous to other dogs. When you're dealing with dog-dog aggression you have to look at what's called the fight-bite ratio: the number of fights the dog has been in versus the number of times the other dogs has been seriously injured (stitches, e-vet, that sort of thing.) Sounds like she's just a somewhat snotty youth who just needs a little work. If she were seriously, dangerously dog aggressive she would've fought the older dogs instead of getting bitten and being put in her place. 

What I might do with a client's dog with similar behavior is one of two things: first, building her stimulus threshold and conditioning a positive response to other dogs and then possibly using abandonment training to discourage her from "guarding" you. 

If you can get someone with a rock solid dog to help you practice, what I suggest is walking on-leash toward your friend and their on-leash dog. Every few steps ask for a sit or a down. When she gets to the point that she starts reacting, start working her in the other direction. Don't punish the barky behavior; that can condition a negative reaction to other dogs. When she gives you two good sits or downs after having started reacting and heading the other direction, end the session and feed her. 

Since you describe her running over to chase away other dogs who visit you,  you might also consider putting her on a secure tie-down and having someone bring another dog toward you. If she barks/ growls, you get up and leave until she's quiet. It may only be a split second. You could wait with some treats and if she quits barking/growling even for a second, treat her (peanut butter or marshmallows work great because they take a bit to get chewed down) and then have the dog leave. 

Try to discover what is reinforcing the behavior. Any behavior that continues to be repeated is being reinforced in some way. My guess is that she's being reinforced by the other dogs leaving and not interacting with you. Lots and lots of socialization are definitely needed, too. Don't isolate her, whatever you do! 

I don't usually worry too much as long as dogs are being noisy and haven't inflicted serious injury on another dog. That means a) they're still trying to communicate and b) they're self-inhibiting. Good luck with your girl, and try to get in-person help because sometimes things look/are a lot different than they come across in print, no matter how accurate one strives to be in the description. 

I am no expert and many people may say I'm wrong, but this sounds more like a fear reaction than aggression. She went from her pack to your pack and that whole structure was disrupted for her. She doesn't know where she stands. She is looking to you for protection. If I were you I would never have her off leash and never have her out of my reach (even in the house) unless she was in her kennel. She has to have a safe place. If she doesn't establish a sense of security (you protecting her and becoming her pack leader) then her fear might turn into aggression. I have a 7 month old GSD/Mal mix that came into a house with two adult dogs and she is always by my side and never off leash outside. She jumps and runs when I say come, but it's way too soon to test it off leash or a long line. It's simply too dangerous. She knows I will stop anything from harming her and I will stop her from acting stupid. Plus it builds a tight bond with your dog. I hope this helps. Good luck. Another thought that totally goes against most opinions is there is absolutely no reason to stress your puppy out and make it "socialize" with other dogs. Keep other dogs and people away from your dog until you have established a bond with your dog and worked through basic obedience. Your asking for trouble if you push your puppy. There is no reason to. Time is your friend.

Are you correcting the behavior or are you letting her do it?  Sounds like fear to me as well .  Place her in a down stay and correct her if she goes to fly at another pooch.  You are correcting her for breaking the down not for flying at the other dogs.  Without seeing it , sounds more like a baby being a baby than actual dog aggression.  Either way you are the boss and the behavior is not to be tolerated.  Keep her on a leash when she is laying beside you so you can grab her and put her back in the down.  No muss , no fuss . Uh Uh when she gets up and physically lay her back down with a command. Leave it that simple.  Now the problem could be with the other dogs at that moment... If they see you put the pup down they may want to help you.....tell them to buzz as well. Babies from 4-9 months often act like dorks, barking at everything, flying at other dogs, hackles up, your job as the boss is to not allow this. Keep it cool and the pup will learn the cool from you. 

Sounds like your dog owns you. To me, the pup is getting possessive of you. What's the reaction of the other dogs, when she comes at them full speed? I'm thinking there may come a time, when one decides to put her in her place. Though she's still young, I'd get with a trainer...or someone who can assist you in nipping this early on. You need to get your power back.

HA HA I used to get this all the time when I did pet training. She was small potatoes in her pack at the breeders. That was not socializing in the true aspect of the word. They were there when she arrived all cold and wet. : )

Dogs have to know their place in the world. If you do not do it, then the other dogs will, and that might not be that bad. However, it relegates you to a different level.

I tend to go with the ONE SHOT GOODBYE correction. I will say no, then grab the pup and shake it till snot bubbles come out yelling NO NO NO NO NO the whole time. Then I put the pup down, and go about my business. If the pup got the point, then they stop going after the other dogs and follow you around. If they didn't and still go after the dogs, then it goes back to the breeder, and that is not the type of dog I want to own. That is an insecurity that I detest.

Your dog is being possesive of you and it may result in fights with your other dogs or aggression towards people.

When you dog growls, correct it.  When it walks and stands in front of you, move her out of the way.  Don't allow her to get between you and other people or other dogs.  You determine who gets next to you, not your dog.

Nip (no pun intended) this in the bud.

Your dog is being possesive of you and it may result in fights with your other dogs or aggression towards people.

When you dog growls, correct it.  When it walks and stands in front of you, move her out of the way.  Don't allow her to get between you and other people or other dogs.  You determine who gets next to you, not your dog.

Nip (no pun intended) this in the bud.

This.  Convey to the dog YOU are taking care of this other dog and it is NOT her job to do this.  Keep her on leash now until you have this under control.

"I tend to go with the ONE SHOT GOODBYE correction. I will say no, then grab the pup and shake it till snot bubbles come out yelling NO NO NO NO NO the whole time. Then I put the pup down, and go about my business. If the pup got the point, then they stop going after the other dogs and follow you around. If they didn't and still go after the dogs, then it goes back to the breeder, and that is not the type of dog I want to own. That is an insecurity that I detest."

Very interesting method of training one must carry a box of kleenex or a handkerchief to get  proper job done. I don't think I would use that approach too messy.

OP has pup imported 3 weeks ago that in all probability is a tad confused about life in general. Before I threw the pup in a toilet I think I would work much longer on some bonding and adjusting pup to a new life in a new home. Forget about outside interests now keep pup leashed when out side and some light distraction free starter obedience is good. There have been imported GSD adult dogs for police depts that sometimes took a long time to bond and do proper work.