Kingdom of Pets

Posted by Katiew
Apr 20, 2009

Hi, I am really interested in this weeks story, as I have an aggressive dog.

His name is Tip, he is a farm heading dog.

He can be aggressive to strangers, he has bitten 4 people.

Three out of the four times was when he was tied up and the person went up to him. He never barks and doesnt really growl at them and doesnt seem to mind being patted once but then just snaps, He is very unpredictable.

He is generally fine if people leave him alone and pay no attention to him, but when people make a fuss that he becomes defensive and aggressive.

I have two other dogs, one whom is the eldest and the boss and is very effectionate towards adults and children, the other is just a year old, she will sometimes bark at people but is generally very friendly.

With the story I was wondering once you have introduced the dog to the stranger do you go through the process just once (introducing the hand) or many times and also after to you leave the dog of to mingle with both of you?.

Also I was wondering what effect you think it would have if he was castrated, may this help?.

Would love to hear back from you with any suggestions.

Thanks you very much Katie

Posted by KOPsarah
May 1, 2009

Hi katie and thanks for your post.

First of all castration probably will help as it will decrease testosterone levels. Also castration drastically reduces your dogs chance of getting prostate or cancer, a common form of cancer in dogs which is related to testosterone acting on the prostate gland. It also prevents testicular cancer.

When practising the exercise in the story you need to go through this procedure several times in a session with many short sessions over a period of several weeks until your dogs good bevaior is reliable. it is also important to do this with as many different people aas possible so your dog becomes used to a wide variety of people. Also continue your alpha dog training and have other people do small alpha dog things with him to so that he knows all humans are above him in the pack.

Remember also that dogs with a tendency towards aggression often exhibit this behavior primarily when restrained on a leash or chain because this restraint limits the "flight" response leaving them only with the "fight" option. Because of this dogs that are slightly fearful or unsure about being apporached by someone will feel much more trapped when tied up. Using the head collar (Halti or gentle leader) helps your dog get used to being approached while restrained without giving it the fight option. While this may initially be scarey for the dog it will soon release that nothing bad will happen to it and that calm behavior is expected of it. Also remember that treats and praise immmediately following signs of good behavior is the key because if you praise or treat to late the dog will not make the link between the behavior and your positive reaction.

If you have any more concerns as your training progresses don't hesitate to ask.

Posted by Abigale
May 7, 2009

Hi. I must've missed the story that had the excersise explained to it. Can someone thread me back to it so that I can read the excercise? I'd like to try it. Thanks

Problems with aggression