Need To Get A Dog Used To People

[Guest Pandii]

Needing help getting an 11 month old rotti used to people

He loves children and teenages, some adults are great but he sees some as been wary of and they cant make sudden movements. other adults are growled at as soon as he sees them and others are lunged at( what he plans to do I am unsure)

How do I get him used to people and what do I do when he reacts to people?

He has been near people since he was little, nothing bad has happened to him, I take him everywhere. Even the vet requests I muzzle him, yet he loves one vet and hates the next.

Some strangers are great others are not, some people that he sees everyday are great others are not allowed near him.

Help me please

[jaybeece]

My dog became a little funny about people briefly, he used to bark at approaching people if he didn't like their body language or if they were staring. I started to take him to the local train station around peak hour and just heel him through the crowds opposite to the traffic.

My thinking was that firstly all of these people would be distracted and not paying attention to him or staring, secondly that if there were a lot of people to look at then he wouldn't fixate on one. Lots of praise and encouragement as well for good behaviour and I think it did get through to him pretty well.

I also used to take him up to the local shops and give him a treat that took a little while to get through (Dixie cups in Summer are great) and just sit with him while people passed as he lapped it up. It really changed his demeanour around the shops, before he was a bit nervy, afterwards he seemed a lot more relaxed about the whole deal and was less likely to get worked up over someone staring.

That's just my dog though, he was pretty mild and I knew that this wasn't going to upset him or put anyone in danger. You're probably best seeking the advice of a behaviouralist who can tell you why the dog's acting this way so he can be treated correctly.

[mawson]

Is it Keeto? I am having very similar problems with Migaloo atm but hers is mainly related to kids, oh and of course other dogs, she is downright bitchy with other dogs lately and I cannot trust her with any others right now!

I'm sorry that I can't offer much advice but maybe all he needs is to take him into Liebig on a busy day (shouldn't be too hard at this time of year!) and get him to sit quietly while all the action happens around him. He may just need a bit of desensitisation to a big variety of people. He doesn't sound too bad yet, but of course you don't want it to escalate into something more. Yours are all such friendly rotts, it would be a shame to have any of them muzzled.

I am away in Hobart atm awaiting a flight to Antarctica for the summer. I am due back in late January and I would love to have a catch up with you and your brood and see if 5 rotts are enough to put Miggy in her place! I would love to meet again down at Harris st and see how they go. She wasn't too bad last time and I remember all the rotts hung out together and she stuck with your koolie that you were fostering! I might need to muzzle her for the encounter as she is so bad with other dogs atm but we'll see how we go at the time. Are you up for it in late January sometime?

Have a great Chrissie and new year and good luck with the growling problem... I reckon some desensitisation is the go. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

[Guest Pandii]

Jaybeece, I go the the train station often, and most of the time he just hangs there with me, but someone will pass him and he gets really growley and puts his hackles up and just stares this person up and down

Then another person might get jumped up at. but most people are allowed to go past with just a nose stuck in their direction. will persevere and keep rewarding for just watching people

I can speak to a trainer, but forgot last night naughty me

Mawson, Have a great summer, so jealous, can meet anytime with Migaloo and bring the kids if you want. I only have 3 rotts atm thank god. Yeh its Keeto just been himself I think. I had him up the main street but he jumped at a little old lady, quick as lightning, I had him sitting and on a short leash watching me, but he swung and jump at her, he was short of getting near her, but I was not happy he did it.

Will start taking him everywhere again and bombard him with people in a good way

[jesomil]

Will start taking him everywhere again and bombard him with people in a good way

I would be a bit careful of doing this. Bombarding him with people could have the opposite effect. I would seriously consider getting a pro to work with you on this as it is a very serious problem.

Just remember that everytime he jumps at a little old lady or anyone else, it is cementing in peoples mind that Rottweilers are a bad breed.

The breed needs some major protection these days and i think putting your dog in situations where there is a chance he may act unsocially is not only bad for him but bad for the breed as a whole.

I think he needs controlled socialisation under the guidance of a professional to avoid any potential mistakes with the general public.

[Miranda]

I definitely think that you need a qualified behaviourist to work with you and this dog. The fact that the dog is actually growling and attempting to lunge at certain people is a big concern, in this shire even a dog that lunges can be labelled a dangerous dog and I hate to think what would happen if the dog actually connected. The dog appears to be unpredictable and I actually don't think that intense socialisation with people is going to cure this, I'm not a dog trainer, but this is a very serious problem and I don't think you're going to fix it on your own. Even though the dog may improve with professional help you may find that it will never be completely trustworthy in certain situations and with certain people.

Edited December 7, 2007 by Miranda

[cavNrott]

Will start taking him everywhere again and bombard him with people in a good way

I would be a bit careful of doing this. Bombarding him with people could have the opposite effect. I would seriously consider getting a pro to work with you on this as it is a very serious problem.

Just remember that everytime he jumps at a little old lady or anyone else, it is cementing in peoples mind that Rottweilers are a bad breed.

The breed needs some major protection these days and i think putting your dog in situations where there is a chance he may act unsocially is not only bad for him but bad for the breed as a whole.

I think he needs controlled socialisation under the guidance of a professional to avoid any potential mistakes with the general public.

Excellent post Jesomil This little old lady that was jumped at will tell everyone she knows about those terrible, vicious Rottweilers and how one of them tried get her and that those dogs should be banned. The breed doesn't need any more bad publicity because we're already looking down the barrel of BSL.

Each and every person who gets growled at or jumped at on the Railway station will spread the word negatively about the savage Rottweiler and the whole breed gets a bad reputation by association.

Pandii, rather than just speak with a trainer, have a trainer come in and help you to train this dog hands on. The more often this dog gets to growl and jump at people, the more often he will do it. . Why was he not socialised when he was a puppy. It's a far more difficult task to socialise an older dog who has already made its own decisions about how to behave around strangers. It may be that he doesn't have the temperament required for the job you want him to do.

If my dogs growled or lunged at anyone the sky would fall on them and I imagine they would think twice about repeating the performance.

[Guest Pandii]

Oops forgot about this thread

Cavnrott he was socialized as a puppy from the day I got him and it was safe with his immunizations.

How does the sky fall on them so to speak.

He does not jump/lunge at everyone, maybe 1 person out of 1 walk where he could see dozens of people, he only did it twice and now I dont let him in a situation where he can do it.

The day he lunged at the old lady was shicking and yes the lady was pissed off, but I had him sitting with me holding him on a tight leash with his attention on me, obviously I did something wrong as he managed to twist and quick as lighting jump in her direction, although he fell very short, the lady was worried. What I want to know is how should I corrected him.

The people he gets to growl at our people he needs to see, the vet, the groomer, gee he growls at my dad. I have a boarder 1 night a week and Keeto hates him. Why I dont know.

He does work with a trainer, but at the time I started this I had seen the trainer the night before and forgot to mention it, and I have been very flat out this last few days.

Am seeing trainer on Sunday just for this.

I dont want him to be looked at as a dangerous dog, I know the whole BSL thing.

Why does he growl at one person but the next person he loves, Why does he growl at people who he has seen since he was a baby, but a stanger can be licked?

[cavNrott]

Pandii my dogs are soft dogs so the way I correct them would probably not be an effective way to correct your boy.

You need to consult with a behaviourist/trainer who has a full understanding of the breed. I do know someone who would be perfect but unfortunately he is in suburban Melbourne.

[jaybeece]

Why does he growl at one person but the next person he loves, Why does he growl at people who he has seen since he was a baby, but a stanger can be licked?

It could be a combination of things or just one thing they all share in common that you as a human being don't/can't see. Body language is a big one so if you really start watching what people do as they approach him you might start to see a pattern of body language that gets him all riled up.

As Cavnrott said though, you really need to find out why he's behaving in this way. Prevention is the best way to go too, so work on preventing the behaviour rather than worry about what to do once it's happened.

[gsdog2]

Why does he growl at one person but the next person he loves, Why does he growl at people who he has seen since he was a baby, but a stanger can be licked?

It could be a combination of things or just one thing they all share in common that you as a human being don't/can't see. Body language is a big one so if you really start watching what people do as they approach him you might start to see a pattern of body language that gets him all riled up.

As Cavnrott said though, you really need to find out why he's behaving in this way. Prevention is the best way to go too, so work on preventing the behaviour rather than worry about what to do once it's happened.

Totally agree, especially body language - eye contact is another one.

A suggestion that worked for me is when at training I found confident handlers, and gave them some of his favourite treats. They made sure he was aware of the treats, and with me holding his lead, called him to them, made him sit and with the "gentle" command gave him his treat, and then walked away from him. (I have always used the "gentle" command when he has extra special treats to make sure he takes them slowly instead of grabbing) Making the whole experience positive, with no stress.

I personally have found that reprimmanding under these circumstances will only make the situation worse, as to him it shows you also feel there's a problem.

And last, but most importantly, follow your dogs body language, if you think he's going to lunge, or shows any sign that he's not comfortable with a situation WALK AWAY. I'm no trainer but I know from past experience this is the most important piece of advice you can receive. I am speaking from experience here when I say this as my dog gave me lots of signals and I ignored all of them - my fault and I will never forgive myself for that - not his.

Good luck and as has already been said "You need to consult with a behaviourist/trainer who has a full understanding of the breed".

Edited December 8, 2007 by gsdog2

[Rom]

A trigger can be made up of a smell or a sound as well and this is tricky cuz dogs can hear and smell much more than we can.

I remember reading or hearing a story about a dog that randomly aggressed at people. The people that the dog aggressed at seemed to have nothing visually in common....they were different sexes, ages, sizes, colours, engaging in different activities....

Investigation revealed that one of the triggers was the smell of pizza....they put it to the test and found that the dog was aggressing at people who had recently eaten pizza. After this was realised the owners remembered an incident where when the dog was a juvenile, they had ordered pizza delivery. Pizza guy come in the front gate in the dark, spooked the dog who run up barking, this in turn spooked the pizza guy who kicked the dog. At the time it although both parties had the bejeezus scared out of them, it seemed that no real harm was done.

I seriously can't remember the source of this story, so can't really verify if its true or not but it seems to be within the realms of possibility.

[Janba]

I seriously can't remember the source of this story, so can't really verify if its true or not but it seems to be within the realms of possibility.

I have also read this in one of my books, but also can't remember which - it may have been Patricia McConnell or Suzanne Clothier.

Goes of to look up books