Fixing Fear Aggression: Thoughts, Techniques, and Resources Please - Page 2

a dog whisperer told once said that if you have a fearful dog, take it everywhere with you and ignor it. ask every one else to ignor it also. go to starbucks and get your coffee and put the dog in a down and ignor it.....eventually the dog will decide that its all ok. then the work starts.

Mudwick, are you a dog trainer?  What experience do you have with training pets, just curious.

I own a basket case right now. 5 year old male, neutered. Has been nervous and a spooke since puppy hood. Giving him back to the breeder was not an option. Worked my ass off to make him comfortable in the environment and around people, especially men. His nervousness became agression as he came more into himself at arround 7 months old. Went with him through many obedience classes, more because of the exposure then learning obedience. Agility did him really well, even though it took a long time before he went over the teeter or through the tunnel. He has his Canine Good Citizen, his Rally Excellent title, and I even managed to get a BH on him.

I used alot what mobjack mentioned above. Firm but fair when correction was needed; recognize when he is overstimulated and cant handle the situation; obedience, obedience and more obedience. Smart dog, learns exercises fast. However, he wants to please sooo bad, that he cant keep it together, if this makes any sense. Over the years he has gotten better and more controlled. His nervousness makes him an excellent watchdog, but I have to be warry when I am out and about with him as he has proven that he will bite and therefore cannot be trusted fully. A dog like this can be mentally exausting to the handler as you have to canstantly read the bodylanguage and think at least 10 steps ahead.

With that said, I think that you can mask the flaws and work through them, but at the end they are still there.

Dober,
That's sort of an open-ended [and I sense, loaded] question.  If you're asking whether I get paid to train dogs, the answer is no.

It's not really loaded to ask someone if they're a dog trainer or what experience they have had.  From your posts you seem to be really into dogs.

Elkoorr

That's a lot of work and dedication to bring him around so far. I've seen some that were so bad they could not handle even a routine visitor in the home or a walk around the block. Agility is a great confidence builder if you can get them to do it. So is Rally. Congratulations on your boy and his titles. Very well deserved and much earned. You're 100% right. You can mask it and work through it. A basket case can learn to handle his fear, but the fear is always there.

However, he wants to please sooo bad, that he cant keep it together, if this makes any sense.

Makes a lot of sense to me. Basket cases are some of the most velcro, willing to please and affectionate dogs I've ever seen. Trust, routine, safety and mental comfort zone. I think once they get past a frantic I think I can I think I can and get to a comfortable level of I can do it I can do it I can do it something clicks in their head but not quite all the way. The confidence is there for the situation or the task but the frantic stays. They're just so wound up to not feel afraid at that moment, or they are afraid but did it anyway so they just can't contain how good it feels and want more. A good test of confidence and an easy way to improve it is to just rearrange the agility course or add junk to it. Flags or fluttery things around the jumps or on the weave poles, throw out some random soda bottles, etc. If he'll still go out with I can do it I can do it I can do it that is huge progress and speaks volumes for the work you've done. If he walks out and has the I can't or I think I can I think I can mentality, or spooks at the junk, well, you just found another way to help him manage his fear.

 

Dober,
Dogs are one of the few things in life that have ever truly made sense to me.
I'd love to train professionally, but that's just not economically practical for me right now, so I'm left with training my own dog, and volunteering training time with foster dogs to increase the likelihood that they could actually be adopted.

I think I've gotten in the habit of bringing a defensive attitude to the PDB.
I should probably let that go.

         
            Having stopped asking questions and posting comments etc, I have been re-reading the new and old threads...It is coming together, and there is a wealth of information here...Just sayin..thanks all....

                                                                                  Deanna.... :)

Hi,

Here are some articles that may offer some insight, or at very least, a different take on the situation. IMO, physical corrections are to be avoided when working with fearful, or aggressive dogs. I have had great luck with counter-conditioning and responding to the dogs body language. What works for some may not work for others, but I do hope some of you will consider non-aversive methods when working with aggressive dogs. Especially you Ruger1, it seems conventional training has not worked well for you....

www.deesdogs.com/documents/LoweringArousal.pdf

vip.vetsci.usyd.edu.au/contentUpload/content_3139/PatrickByrne.pdf


Brenda Aloff and Patricia McConnell have some GREAT books out on this subject. They are well worth the read for anyone serious about rehabilitating dogs.
 

A wealth of information, or a gaggle of geese. There are a few here who really understand dogs, in my opinion it gets lost in the shuffle. Lets not confuse a GSD with any other breed, if fluffy the pipe cleaner is fearful and aggressive, what did you expect. When a GSD is fearful or aggressive the first thing you want to do is spay or neuter. Maybe even put down depending on the severity. Or you could always just whisper.......... Again the two are separate problems, and the aggression is a dangerous liability. I see big words and lofty ideas but little common sense. I also see redundant posts resurrected from the ashes for lack of better things to do. The real problem lays with the people who own and breed these faults in the first place, at least with the GSD. And people who write books. Moons.