Dog Aggression from 10month old bitch. - Page 3

if problems are due to ''over breeding'' mr Panzer, then why would the pit bull mix not be a perfect dog? by  your defintion the mix breed is superior to the pure bred dog. Over simplification is the problem [ with the internet dear Abbys] Go get involved with a trainer in your area with the proper enviroment to teach this dog to behave. love ann landers

clearly you are mistaking me for someone else I have never used the term ''over breeding'' in My life I don't even know what that means,I said its a genetic predisposition please show me where I said this is caused by ''overbreeding''  selective breeding produces superior individuals anyone with any sense knows that   and this Pit is a rescue that I am training for a rescue group

anyone who has owned GSDs knows they can be dog aggressive they love to fence fight! and please read posts more carefully before you get on here trying to call me out  and start  bullshit GSDstudent

panzer , you are correct, you did not say ''overbred'' you said begit begit begit, isn't that a line from Sling blade? So i must ask, forgive, for give, forgive. all my love ann landers

If you're going to take it on yourself (with the help of a trainer, but yes, eventually you have to do it yourself), then I'd just start watching your dog's body language. The moment she tenses up, over focuses, lifts her tail, thrusts her head forward, etc..., correct her. Go after the indicators so that she doesn't get a chance to escalate. Don't let her carry her tail high or between her legs. You want it at the half-way point, relaxed. If its not, do something to get your dog to refocus, i.e. a quick correction with the prong collar, making her sit and focus on you, not the other dog, etc... By forcing her body into a different position, one that would indicate a calm dog, you can prevent her from ever getting to that point because your forcing her to go into a different state of mind. My Mal used to have issues with other dogs, but I've learned to catch her at her "warning signs" and so prevent anything from happening. To start, I wouldn't worry about trying to make her friends with other dogs, just do what a lot of others have suggested and work on getting her to ignore other dogs and focus on you (because you're the most important thing around, and she has no reason to be worried if you're not ;) ).

As you progress, you can start using some other tools, i.e. a ball. This was a bit of a challenge because my Mal was very ball aggressive initally, but I taught her that A) I'm the boss, so you don't need to fight for your ball, I will, and B) I'm your pack leader, and I will always get your ball back for you (I'm the boss/ you can trust me). Once she figured these 2 things out (which you can work on with your own pack at home), then the ball became a great tool because I could get her to focus on fetch while other dogs were near. It's hard to be scared or aggressive when you're having fun ;)  Eventually I let her start playing with other dogs while she held on to her ball. This was perfect, because it gave her something to do with her mouth. She absolutely will not drop that ball, but she wants to go greet other dogs, so she does so without having the ability to communicate with her teeth. It was also helpful because it naturally encouraged her to focus on a dog's rear (a much safer spot than the face), because she didn't want to put the ball close to the other dog's head. Now she can play at crazy, fun games of chase and I don't have to worry about her nipping or anything because her teeth aren't free.  Also, she's learned to wander away from the big group of dogs before she lays down and drops her ball to breathe a little (because she's possesive and doesn't want anyone near that ball if its not in her mouth), meaning she's learned to give herself breaks if she starts getting overwhelmed. So, she doesn't have to fight or cower, there's another option-- just walk away and relax somewhere by yourself. PERFECT.

It's kind of silly how simple it was, but just letting her hold on to her ball solved a huge plethora of problems for me. I was so proud of her the other day. We were at the park and a little lab pup kept trying to take the ball from her mouth by literally putting his mouth in hers. At first I wanted to jump in and stop it, because a year ago she would've snarled and been a butt, but she just kind of playfully rubbed on the puppy, then trotted off when she got tired of it. She's also learned that if she's starting to feel overwhelmed that she can go to her pack leader and Mommy will make the other dogs respect her space. I still watch her close (as all dog owners should), and observe other dogs before we enter their space (it can be pretty clear if one of them is going to be a problem-- no need to set your dog up for failure). Plus, I have her collar to help me keep my place as pack leader. But she no longer gets nervous or snarly at the park-- she trusts me to call her away from any situtations that don't look good, and has become a much better judge of when she needs to wander off and relax for a minute. And it is awesome to see that she can, even when there's a bunch of dogs nearby! The exercise and fun has become a part of our daily routine and she now starts spinning in happy circles if you ask her, "Wanna go to the park?!"

So yes, genetics and past experiences can make it more difficult to break a dog of aggression, but I wouldn't give up on socializing a 10 month old just yet. Just have some patience, keep asking for advice from good people, and monitor stuff at home/ use your pack to set the groundwork for future interactions. Best of luck, hope some of these ideas work for you!

Panzertoo, sorry, I also took your "beget, beget, beget" comment
as meaning people go on breeding and breeding from stock
with temperament problems, even after the first offspring are old
enough for those to have become apparent, thus perpetuating the
problems.  If that wasn't what you meant, apologies.  But I am not
sure what else you meant ?  Don't 'get'  the "Sling blade" reference ?

Excellent post, Kneville.  

in the movie "Sling Blade'' starring Billy Bob T, there is a scene where the charactor "Doyle'' says he does not read the Bible. He goes into a rant about this one begit this one and begit begit begit................ I think this scene from "Sling Blade'' shows the futility of a web site answer to any simple dog training issue. A good dog trainer can stop the issue of any dog pulling its owner towards another dog. It is dog training 101. If the person who posts this thread never looks past the answers on this thread, she will never get her cgc, cd, bh, or any blue ribbons. all my love, ann landers [ and best wishes from her twin Abby ] 

Thanks Hundmutter! :)