confused

Posted by Emily
Oct 4, 2008
So i have a reservation dog which was given to us when he was 5 months old "we think". We socalized him with many different dogs and people. He is a perfect angel when it comes to people but resently we have been having issues with dogs he is not use too. We think he is now 9 months old. So the problem is i am not sure if it is aggression or dominence he is portraying. He will go up to the other dog and sniff for about a minuete then out of no where he bares his teeth and will fight the dog. He has never drawn blood and from the books i have read he is showing normal adolescent male dog behavoir. My fear is that it is not getting any better and i and my family do not like the way he is reacting since he is friendly with all of his old dog friends. We have tried not allowing him to see other dogs and training him which he sits, lays down and lets us go through the door before he does. We have even done the treats while passing other dogs. We are unsure of what to because he is a loving dog besides when after a couple minuetes with a strange dog.
Help
Posted by Blue
Oct 9, 2008
[QUOTE=Emily;2300]So i have a reservation dog which was given to us when he was 5 months old "we think". We socalized him with many different dogs and people. He is a perfect angel when it comes to people but resently we have been having issues with dogs he is not use too. We think he is now 9 months old. So the problem is i am not sure if it is aggression or dominence he is portraying. He will go up to the other dog and sniff for about a minuete then out of no where he bares his teeth and will fight the dog. He has never drawn blood and from the books i have read he is showing normal adolescent male dog behavoir. My fear is that it is not getting any better and i and my family do not like the way he is reacting since he is friendly with all of his old dog friends. We have tried not allowing him to see other dogs and training him which he sits, lays down and lets us go through the door before he does. We have even done the treats while passing other dogs. We are unsure of what to because he is a loving dog besides when after a couple minuetes with a strange dog.
Help[/QUOTE]

Hi Emily,
He is still young so there is plenty of time for you to teach him to behave appropriately around other dogs.
First question, is he neutered? This can play a major role in how dogs react to each other, and how strong the hormonal territorial reaction is.

Next, do you use alpha training techniques at home?
Here's a few just in case you don't: (I copied and pasted this because it is advice commonly shared on the forum)

Here are some ways to reinforce your position-

1) If you come across your dogs while they are sleeping or lying on the floor then you can reinforce your position as alpha dog by making them move so that you can pass by.

2) Make sure that you always go through doorways first. A good method to reinforce your position as alpha dog is to walk your dogs around the house on the leash, making your dogs wait while you walk through doorways first.

3) At mealtimes make sure that your dogs eat after all of the humans have.

4) Do not feed your dogs tidbits or let it pester you at the table. Save the morsels and tidbits for training sessions instead.

5) Do not greet your dogs straightaway when you arrive home. Make it wait until you are ready and then call it to you.

6) Whenever your dogs want attention or anything wait till they are sitting and being well behaved.

7) When you give a command make sure that you are in a position to enforce the action that you require from your dog, especially in the initial stages of Alpha Dog training. Also, use the Alarm-No-Command technique as described in the Alpha Dog bonus book to reprimand your dog if it does not obey your command.

I also suggest disallowing her on the couch/bed/laZboy any human resting areas as this can also aid in giving you a higher alpha position in her eyes.

In addition to alpha training I recommend 10 minutes of obedience training, twice a day (down/sit/stay/come in particular) to get her as obedient and responsive as possible. This is also good for stimulating her mind and make her more 'tired' mentally and physically. Obedience training will also help reinforce your position as alpha as you reprimand poor responses to your commands and reward good responses with praise.

Do the alpha training for a few weeks before moving on to curing him aggression. Try to avoid situations that cause the confrontations by taking him down quiet unpopulated streets/parks.

When on walks, you should have him at heel or 'loose leash' where he is not ahead of you but comfortably walking beside of you or behind you. NOT pulling and NOT leading. If you have trouble with this, I would seek the help of a professional trainer.

As you come across another dog, be confidant - exude confidence, dogs can read into your fears - even if your fears are a fear of what may come of meeting another dog!

When you see another dog approaching, make your dog sit and wait for the other dog to come over (if the other owner chooses to do so) then, rather than have the dogs great face to face (which in dog language is aggressive) ask the other owner to continue walking and offer to walk along side. It is best if you ignore the other dog - show your 'pack' that the other dog is not a big deal and you are confident with your leadership. Ignoring another dog is the best way to demonstrate your confidence to your dog - in a wolf pack, subordinate dogs come to the alpha for attention, not the other way around.

Walking two dogs together (people in the middle, dogs on the outsides) that don't get along, is the best way to avoid conflict and establish pack hierarchy. The dogs will naturally want to fall into a pack mentality. After walking a ways, allow the dogs to take interest in each other - slowing to a stop, to allow them to sniff and get to know each other. Do your best to ignore and [I]stay relaxed[/I] them while watching for body language out of the corner of your eye! If you seem at all tense, your dog [B][I]will[/I][/B] pick up on it and react!

[B]WATCH YOUR DOGS BODY LANGUAGE CAREFULLY.[/B]
A tail raised high up over the back and ears fully forward is a dominant aggressive posture - reprimand this posture [I]immediately[/I]. If your dog approaches the other dog in this posture with a lot of energy, reprimand and make him sit. [I]Being trained in properly using a choke chain is excellent for this situation - a choke chain is intended to mimic the reprimand 'bite' a wolf would give a subordinate pack member who steps out of line.[/I]

Allow the other dog to approach first, but do not allow a meeting until your dog is calm and relaxed, even if this means continuously postponing a 'contact meeting' (sniffing of bums etc.) with reprimands and 'sits'

Cut out the treats - rewarding your dog for not behaving properly will only make matters worse. Your dogs "treat" will be your permission to greet the other dog and then continuing with your walk.

If you have trouble with this, call a trainer and ask them to bring a dog for you to practice with - they will also help you hands on with visual cues of your dogs aggression as well as the reasons for it.

Always maintain calm, assertive leadership. Breath in calm, steady, slow breaths when in a situation you're worried about, this will help you remain confidant and calm to your dog. Relax your muscles, but maintain alertness.

Best of luck!
I always recommend looking up a certified dog trainer to help you out - even for 2-3 one on one sessions, as being in a forum doesn't necessarily give the full story to those of us giving advice. So you need to know why your dog reacts the way it does. Being a strong leader will however help your dog become more calm and stable - whether it's fear aggression or dominant aggression.
Posted by Emily
Oct 15, 2008
Hi Blue
Thanks so much for the advice. Eli my dog is nuetered. He has been for now 6 months. I work with him on sit, stay, down and come about 10 minuetes everyother day. I have tried to be the Alpha dog but i share Eli with my parents so sometimes it is hard to know what they are doing as well. I make Eli sit as i enter into the room, I leave the house and he then follows. He never sits on the furniture and he eats only twice a day. So i am working with the Human Society since we do not have an available trainer near my town. Eli is really good with commands when inside the house but when we get outside he has a hard time coming. We live near the woods so we do not have a fenced yard so teaching him to come outside has proven to be a challenge since if Eli knows i have him on a leash then he will follow me around so it is hard to give the command of come if he is already by my side. Do you have any other suggestions on how to do this command?