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Dealing With an Aggressive Dog

October 11, 2010

Aggressive dog in the snow.Our dog was very unfriendly towards other dogs and would growl as she passed them and one day actually chased one and nipped it on the rear end. I was shocked and horrified, but knew that this could not continue.

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My vet advised me that Saffy was protecting me and that I had to teach her that I was the boss and she did not need to protect me.

I did this by making Saffy walk behind me at all times. She could not pass through a gate or doorway before me and must stay behind me even if we were walking with other dogs and could never lead "the pack." We both found this hard going at first, but now I have a very happy, friendly dog, who wags her tail on meeting all dogs and never gives the slightest sign of aggression.

She was 10 years old when I started this training and although I am no longer quite so strict, I still let her know that I am in charge. You can teach an old dog new tricks!

Source: Advice from my vet and other dog owners

By Margaret from Fleet, England

 

June 6, 2015

My boyfriend has a 3 year old Pit Bull that barely listens, has no discipline, and jumps on everyone when entering a room. He bum rushes our cats and then attacks them when they defend themselves and on top of it he shows aggressive behavior when animals approach his food bowl. He eats out of everybody's food bowls, but if they go and eat out of his he shows aggressive behaviors.

I'm at my last straw especially when coming home one night to see he got out of his room and we found our cat near death. The cat actually died in my arms. I have not been able to look at his Pit Bull the same since the incident. I have now had to shuffle animals around to accommodate this dog and I feel at 3 years old and only having one owner since a puppy his training should be top notch. Please I need help any ideas?

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June 9, 20150 found this helpful
Best Answer

You are correct. Having had only one owner, the dog should be very well behaved by now.

Training for large breed dogs such as pit bulls, mastiffs and rottweilers should start in puppy hood and continue on through adulthood. The dog should be trained not to jump up on people and not to take things that aren't his. He should sit before receiving his food dish. He should walk on a leash next to the owner and not pull, lunge, or crisscross in front. the needs to be socialized to people, other dogs and smaller pets.

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Unfortunately, the dog is now an adult and has not been trained. It is certainly past your boyfriend's capabilities to rehabilitate a pit bull that needs all training and has already killed. It is also completely unfair to this energetic animal to have to keep it fenced in or behind closed doors, but you are having to do this because not only are your own cats in danger, but others' pets are as well. I guarantee your boyfriend can't control this animal on a walk and it will eventually get out of his control and kill somebody's little dog.

The only real hope for the dog is rehabilitation at a pit bull rescue with knowledgeable and dedicated staff.

 
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August 28, 2008

Closeup of dog.I have a 3yr old American Bulldog. Since my husband past away he's become worse then ever. He's very aggressive when on walks and chasing my neighbors. He barks and cries all the time inside, he even play bites. He went to Petsmart 3 different times when younger, it didn't really help. He is also fixed. It didn't calm him down. He listened to my husband but never me. Now I'm not sure what to do. Any advice would be helpful.



Arryn from St Louis, MO

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By (Guest Post)
August 29, 20080 found this helpful

The problem is the dog does not see you as being dominant over him. He may just look at you as being equal or even below him in rank meaning he doesn't really feel like he has to listen to you. Do some research on dealing with aggressive dogs try www.cesarmillaninc.com and WWW.leerburg.com.

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Put up a gate so he cant chase the neighbors and look into Cesar Milan's Illusion Dog Collar and Leash set.

Is it possible that the dog is still mourning the loss of his best friend?
Please, whatever you do don't give up on the dog, you two can be good together.

 
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February 3, 2005

I have a 10 month old poodle/cavilier spaniel cross. He is the greatest dog, but has a very annoying habit of humping peoples legs when they come to visit. I scold him and get visitors to talk crossly to him, but he continues to do it as soon as someone comes in. Any suggestions?



Donna Marie

Answers

By Kathy K. (Guest Post)
February 4, 20050 found this helpful

An easy way of training your dog _not_ to do something is to do something to them that they hate (like bathing them, picking them up and holding them like a baby) right after they do the offending behavior. For example, my dog used to claw my leg when she jumped up. So every time she did it, I picked her up and held her like a baby, which she hates. She no longer claws. In another example, I read something where they bathed the dog every time he ate from the coffee table. For a while there, they had the cleanest dog in the world, but now when they put food on the coffee table he leaves it alone.

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Another example is when a dog jumps up, hold its paws and do a little dance with it for 30 seconds or so (as they frantically try to pull their paws free). They'll get the message.

The key is not to be abusive to the dog, but just be consistent. In your case, I would invite over a couple of willing friends at different times and have him do the behavior and then follow that by something that will get him the message that this is not acceptable.

 
February 4, 20050 found this helpful

Get the little feller neutered asap!

 
By Shelly E (Guest Post)
February 5, 20050 found this helpful

I'd try using a clean squirt bottle filled with water. Every time your dog "offends" squirt him (preferably in the face) with the water. You can also say "Squirt" while you perform the action. They don't like being squirted and quickly associate the behaviour with the consequence.

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After several consequences just the sight of the squirt bottle or saying "squirt" should stop the unwanted behavior

 
By eeyann (Guest Post)
February 5, 20050 found this helpful

If you don't like the squirt bottle idea, you can use a loud noise correction. Fill a can partly full of pennies, seal the top, and throw it NEAR (not at!) the dog when he humps. This works best if it seems like the awful noise just "came from the sky" as a result of the bad behavior. You may want to warn your guest about this loud correction! Be ready to repeat this until the dog quits.

 
Anonymous
February 16, 20060 found this helpful

your dog is exhibiting dominance behavior. Instead of shouting at your dog, try to redirect his attention to something else then reward him for being good. Your dog also needs exercise so walk him every day or every other day for at least 45 minutes. This may seem like a lot but a tired dog is a happy dog and a happy dog is a happy owner.

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Never miss a chance to praise your dog for being good like sitting, or just laying quietly. Most people only give the dog attention when he's bad.
Show your dog leadership. Humans are the leaders, not the dog. Develop a good leadership relationship with your dog and show him that YOU rule the house, not him. Never allow your dog to go through the door first, don't let him eat first, don't allow your dog on the furniture or bed. Don't allow your dog to pull you on the leash. Know your breed and what it needs and ALWAYS be consistent. If you let him get away with something once, it will set you and him back five steps. Koda is smiling and saying that it's a dog's life!!!

 
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September 13, 2006

I have two dogs, a Pit-bull-Chow-Rottweiler mix, Penny, who is 4 and her son Doobie, a Pit-bull-Chow-Rottweiler-German Shepard-Dingo mix. They have been separated due to Penny's mean temperament while there is food within 50 miles of her. She is gentle with children and people, but if Doobie comes within feet of her food bowl, she turns evil.

Doobie is very mild mannered, and seems completely confused by the change in Penny. What can I do to bring them together? At the moment Doobie is forced to live outside, and though he doesn't seem to mind being out there, we want him to be a part of the family.

That is another problem, when we do bring Doobie inside, he sits by the door and waits for us to let him out again. He is lovable, and a gentle giant at 130 lbs, but he just doesn't seem to want the hassle of being indoors. Is there anything I can do about this? Or are some dogs just prone to be outdoors.

Answers

By Rosa (Guest Post)
September 15, 20060 found this helpful

Can you feed them in seperate rooms with a closed door ? Was doobie an outside dog to begin with ? Do they get along good when there is no food involved ? I had a male and female , mother and son, and had to keep them seperated IF I was around them, and I do know that generally a male will" take orders" from a female. Maybe Penny is unsure of your feelings between them ? How do they get along together when they are both outside at the same time. there is a lot to consider here, like which one is the older - Pack leader- It will take time but I am sure that with TLC things will work out. You will need to understand the feelings of both, mostly Penny, and condition her to let her know that Doobie is part of the pack. Not sure if this answers your question, but if all else fails talk to your vet. and maybe he or she can come up with a solution for your furry babies. It seems like to me that maybe Penny is thinking that she has to compete with Doobie for your affection ? hope I did not confuse you here, but this is just off the top of my head, trying to think like a doggie . LOL Rose

 
September 16, 20060 found this helpful

This is just my 2cents worth, but with dogs as large, heavy and breeds like yours I would either reconcile myself to feeding them 2xper day in two different rooms (doors closed), then pick up all food, put away so the source of conflict is not there. The other idea I would try would be to enlist the aid of a really good dog professional. If they are really good, sometimes unwanted behaviors can be changed. I know food aggression is a hard one, dogs being part of a pack even though domesticated, they still have that mentality. It is a mother/ son so technically she is alpha. We have shepards, and my huge male son to the mother we have, will go down in submission to her with just one small low growl. That`s it. He knows, she is boss. They have never gotten into a fight, and always fed apart, I never even wanted to take the chance. Could be UGLY!! Maybe Doobie is fearful inside now because of the food attacks? good luck, I hope you find the best solution for you all.

 
September 16, 20060 found this helpful

I have 2 large dogs and allow both in the house. My lab loves it outside and the rotte likes to be inside. I think it is the same with people. My hubby works outside and feels cooped up when he is inside but I never seem to get outside. best of luck. Lady is everybit as much a part of our family though as Snoopy even though she is outside more often.

 
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March 10, 2017

Winston is a male 3 yr old short haired red Dachshund. He loves everyone. He's good with other animals and all people. His issue is that if we're in bed or on the couch and someone walks into the room or walks by the door (family or not) he freaks out. He will start barking and grab onto the blanket with his teeth and "kill it"! If there is no blanket, he will do this with whatever is close. A piece of furniture or a stack of folded clothes.

This behavior is getting worse. He jumps down and runs toward the moving person barking and acts like he's going to bite them. He is extremely affectionate. His best friend is our female Lab and we dubbed him the cleaner. He licks and cleans her face, ears, nose, and mouth daily. He is a sweet, loving dog except for this one issue. I fear that he is going to eventually bite someone and I do not want that to happen. I do believe it is a protection issue just not sure how to address it. Help!

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April 3, 2015

I have a male Boxer/Golden Retriever mix who is one year old. He is very loveable to our pets and children and to other people. However, he will attack and try to kill small dogs. I am unable to walk him anymore, because if he sees a small dog he will break free of his collar and start attacking. I know he needs exercise, but I can't have him killing other pets. He has also killed two of our cats. I would appreciate any help you can give us. Thank you.

By Tina S. from San Antonio, TX

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August 10, 2011

My dog is people and dog aggressive. What do I do to calm him down?

By Saida from Binghamton, NY

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May 5, 2009

I was just wondering, can Pomeranians be sometimes aggressive, if they were abused at onetime by their previous owners ?

By elayna from Norman, OK

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October 10, 2012

I have a Basenji and she is mixed with something else. She does bark and she is light brown, but she is now getting some white on her head and feet.

We would like to know how stop the fighting between our dogs. We have a Jack Russel and our Basenji always wants to fight with her and she is always growling at everything. We are also afraid she is going to bite us. She has tried so we are kind of her.

By Cindy

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