fear-aggression

Sounds like everyone has nervous aggressive dogs, this is a real problem if you do not nip it in the bud at a young age, you are also looking at food aggression and bitting when strangers go to pet them when out.

I took over one that had bit twice before she was a year old and looking at being pts as she was really out of hand. I tryed every thing even had to put her out to clean or refill her food bowls/bed and had to muzzle her when out.

I spoke to a behaviourist and he said there wasn't much hope because she had bit but I gave her one last chance and used the dog whisper method and within two weeks I was already seeing big changes, to use this method you must study it properly, not just glance over it, it does work with properly educating your self with it.

For now until you's get hold of the book/DVD hears some tips, pick one person only to handle the dog this includes walking, feeding, training and cleaning up after them, the handler must be assertive and show no fear when the dogs are aggressive.

Always remain calm and assertive when the dog growls or nips and show them in your face and body language you are not happy with the behaver and with out shouting say no and walk away do this every five minutes until they calm down then show them by calming down they get rubs and treats and that the problem in the first place got them no were by growling and by stopping they got lots of love for behaving nice towards you.

Always remain calm and don't forget to interact with them in a playful but not hyper manner when there is no problems. As the handler they must see you as boss and make a connection with you as family like they know you understand they are frightened but there's nothing to be afraid off from there on in they will always look to you to tell them what the right thing to do is, this makes for a happier dog and helps you bond. Show them nothing but kindness and understanding but do not spoil them. Watch what makes them happy and try to join in and keep the fun going this shows them you want to be part of there life and bond with them it should never be all one sided IE.(what you want to play or do all the time, they will surprise you by allowing you to join in and will even find a way for you to join in IE. by rolling a ball to you so you can roll it back)

If a dog doesn't know what to expect it will do it's own thing, growl and try to stand it's own ground instead of trusting you or bite or nip in the hope this makes the people back of and be left alone, cower in a corner in the hope that whats going on will go away or hide in the hope if he can't see you, you can't see him and he'll be left alone.

You need to teach him straight forward words for every situation so he knows what to expect or he'll get nervous and react the only way he figures the situation will go away.

My girl knows bed is for her to go to it when the other dogs have to go out or she is not needed to guard me or want her out of the way till I say so. Bed to her means go and stay and don't leave till told or mammy/boss will not be happy about it and she doesn't get rubs or treats she's brilliant and does whats asked of her in return for rubs and play and is very happy. Sit means lead is going on or off or calm down, she is a quick learner I find most aggressive dogs are highly intelligent and try to be the boss but are much happier to learn you are the boss and make a connection with you. The connection is the most important thing of all the dog must feel he is not alone in this world but has mammy /boss to fall back on.

The vet that didn't like to see the pup bark should be sacked or reported, the pup was only reacting to some thing he's not familiar with, and was probably frightened to dead at the new people and surroundings, my vet was told when I brought my girl to him she was nervous aggressive and would remain muzzled while he cut her nails and the first thing he did was sit on the floor and call her over and she seemed to fall in love with him and always seems to remember him when we go back, does everything he asks of her and still has a wag in her tail for him when he is finish with her thats a good vet.

Show your dog were it stands and don't forget that a pup from around three months to, they say sometimes 9 months sometimes a year is teeting so keep in mind how much pain they are in and that it can cause nervous problems and ear ache so think baby making strange when in a new environments and meeting new people it is better to show them you don't want to frighten them by taking them out of the situation than forcing them to put up with it. It helps them see you as the protector and that they can look up to you when probloms arise.

Sorry for the long post.

peasant wrote: »

Not directed at you personally, just a general remark:

Why is it always the dog that gets the label ...aggressive, nervous, difficult, "problem dog", dominant, etc?


Dogs are dogs and as such not really that difficult to understand or train for that matter. Give them clear rules, consistency in your behaviour and their surroundings and a routine and they will fit in perfectly. If ever anything upsets this or something new and unfamiliar happens, it is up to the owner to provide leadership and all is well again ...don't just expect the dog to cope as expected all by itself.

In 99.9% of all cases of "problematic" dogs, it is never the dog that caused the problem, always the owner. The dog just displays the symptoms of ineffective leadership ...and gets the blame for it on top of it all.

Well said, I'm dreadful at explaining things.

I wasn't labelling, but I do feel the dogs have developed a nervous aggressive behaver due to lack of care and training and left untrained it does develop into far worse problems.

My girl was first nervous aggressive then food aggressive, she is still both but under complete control now.

I totally agree that it is peoples faults that dogs turn out this way and it is the dogs that pay the price for it in the long run. My girl is muzzled every time she leaves the house and people don't seem to see she is muzzled and still go to pet her before asking (she has a bright red muzzle can't miss it) I never say oh I'm so sorry she went for you, I say did you not see the muzzle and think it was there for the fun of it, it's as much about cop on as anything. The first time she went for some one was two drunk men who went to pet her she nearly eat them, I followed back her history and found the mother dog was owned by an alcaholc woman who did nothing but shout and scream at them, the mother dog is lovely and well taken care of but my girl is smart and must have picked up on this from the start and that's were the problems began then she went to a home were she peed every were when some one showed her attention and left to her own devises as a new baby came into the house again left with out training and had to handle being alone all the time so she tuck to protecting her food as well. I found when I tuck her over she went for people who went to rub her as they come at her she a beautiful dog and can attract a cowed in no time because of it and it scared her to death.

She hates men I'm not sure why as there are no man as such in her history, but she has a hell of a memory she remembers the vet and nearly drags me down the steps to go and see him and she only see's him may be three times a year, she also whinnies till I send my brother into her and she only might she him once or twice a year, as well as she still knows the drunk men she meet 7 years ago she meet about a year ago she was growling before I could even see them round the corner and when they appeared round the corner she went berserk.

I know alot of aggressive dogs and there all very intelligent maybe something that hasn't been picked up on yet by trainers or left untapped it turns to aggression. She would have made a great sniffer dog. But it's sad to see such dogs pts over people taking on what they are not prepared to handle.

It takes a lot to reassure a dog with this problem to see another side to how they handle things and better caught at a young age.

I also just turned a rough collie around have to say this one is not to bright but he went for me a few times and each time he was muzzled told no and put out he was about 11/2 when he came in but haven't had a problom with him since. I think he is just a nervouse dog in general and doesn't want to hurt anyone. But again he just needed guidients to turn him around, he was filty uneutered and under wieght when he came in and was most likely neglected given the mats in his coat takes a long time to get mats like that and is a nice dog now but will only go to some one who will handle him like I do or he'll just fall back to what he was.

Again this is down to people and you need to be able to tell the differents in the different probloms with aggression and something that is just developing and needs to be nipped in the bud.