Please I Need Some Help

[chazey]

I have been a member on here for a while but usually i just read all the helpful advice, i've never posted on here.

I have an English Mastiff, he's just over a year old.

Bit of background info: he's a family dog, although he sleeps outside (his preference) He has full run of the yard (he's not contained in a run or anything) and goes for several walks each day.

He has been sterilised. He attended puppy school and is generally obedient.

He has however started showing signs of aggression. I can't say when i first noticed it, maybe it was always there and now its just worse. I'm not sure.

He barks aggressively when people come to the house, or walk past the front of the house at night, if someone comes into his yard, even if they are with a family member he will lunge and bark at them. He lunges at joggers and bikes, and is startled by sudden movement and young children running. He snapped at a young child once through a glass door.

He also blocks the doorway (however that could just be he can't be bothered getting up!!).

I have racked my brain and just can't seem to find a cause, he's been checked by the Vet for a medical reason. he's never been struck or physically punished. He seems fine with all the family (i have 3 young children and he will happily play with them ) and he's not food aggressive. He also seems to like other dogs

.

He doesn't usually display any of the behaviours (except the barking at people who come to the house) when my husband takes him out, its only when he's with me. Now I can't let him off the leash in case he attacks someone.

What could be causing this? and what do I need to do to stop it. Can i stop it? Where can I go for help before it gets any worse. I live in WA.

(He is NEVER left alone with our children, for his protection as much as theirs.)

[Kirty]

I would seek the advice of a good behaviouralist. Aggression is a serious matter and without meeting the dog, nobody can diagnose or treat the problem. If you let us know what area you live in, someone might be able to recommend a behaviouralist. In the mean time, limit his exposure to situations where he would normally act aggressive.

[Jaxx'sBuddy]

i would get a bahaviouralist in to assess the situation as soon as you can. they are better able to let you know why the dog os doing this and what you can do to manage the situation whilst they help you change the dogs behaviour.

[Jaxx'sBuddy]

I would seek the advice of a good behaviouralist. Aggression is a serious matter and without meeting the dog, nobody can diagnose or treat the problem. If you let us know what area you live in, someone might be able to recommend a behaviouralist. In the mean time, limit his exposure to situations where he would normally act aggressive.

snap

[Sharna3]

Are you still in contact with the breeder?? Maybe get some feedback from them if any other pups of theirs have shown the same behaviour?? Or if its from either parent??

[TsarsMum]

im going to put my flame proof suit on here. if that was my dog who snaped at a kid regardless if the child was (luckly on the other side of the glass). is a deal breaker and would be out of my house and down the vets so fast its not funny. might be a stranger child but that child did not pervoke it (im assuming if it did different story) I think the safety of children is the most important thing in the world and no dog it worth my child or another persons child.

that dog can never ever ever be trusted regardless of a behavoiursit assessing and working with you.

this dog is yours and your responibilty but that is a deal breaker in my opinion.

[Lady Flying Furball]

I think it is best to get a behaviouralist and maybe your vet can recommend one.

You see the problem is in trying to describe it on here you may not be presenting it accurately. My dog also will lunge at fast moving kids, bikes, joggers and to certain eyes that might look "aggressive" however it is part of a bigger picture. Do get someone to assess your dog soon...it is really worth it and can shift things in a positive direction.

[Oliversmum]

Hi Chazey,

I understand how frightening and confusing this can be but please, you must take this very seriously. You have a large breed, male dog (I know he is desexed) who is starting to show guarding aggression toward not just other people but children. Trust me, you will never forgive yourself if something were to happen. I agree that a behaviourist needs to be consulted asap and you must manage this situation extremely carefully. It only takes one snap from a large breed dog to do catastrophic damage to a child.

I own large breed, dominant dogs and when we chose to own this breed we drew a line in the sand and if any dog crossed that line, for whatever reason, for the sake of all involved (including the reputation of the breed etc) that we wouldn't hesitate to do what we had to do. I'm sorry to sound so harsh, believe me, it is heartbreaking and soul destroying, but, how often have we heard a dog has bitten someone and done damage and the owner says that the dog has never shown any aggresive behaviour in the past. When we have these types of warnings or forsight, we must take them seriously.

Get professional help straight away and micro manage his contact with people & children until you can get to the bottom of this. Even with professional help, you will always need to watch him. Please be careful.

Best of luck & take care.

Shells

[dancinbcs]

He barks aggressively when people come to the house, or walk past the front of the house at night, if someone comes into his yard, even if they are with a family member he will lunge and bark at them. He lunges at joggers and bikes, and is startled by sudden movement and young children running. He snapped at a young child once through a glass door.

He also blocks the doorway (however that could just be he can't be bothered getting up!!).

I have racked my brain and just can't seem to find a cause, he's been checked by the Vet for a medical reason. he's never been struck or physically punished. He seems fine with all the family (i have 3 young children and he will happily play with them ) and he's not food aggressive. He also seems to like other dogs

.

He doesn't usually display any of the behaviours (except the barking at people who come to the house) when my husband takes him out, its only when he's with me. Now I can't let him off the leash in case he attacks someone.

Mastiffs are guarding breeds and it is normal for them to display guarding behaviour on maturity but it is up to the owners to control who and what needs to be guarded, and to be able to switch off the guarding. From what you have said above, it is possible this dog thinks that your husband is pack leader but that he (the dog) comes next in the pack, ahead of you and the children. This causes him to believe he needs to protect you from everyone outside the family.

I have seen this happen with many dogs and it is easily fixed with a small breed but this is a very large breed with the potential to do a lot of damage if not handled correctly. I agree that you need the help of a good behaviouralist immediately to assess this dog and work out if a shift in family pack structure would correct the behaviour or not.

[Chocolate]

He barks aggressively when people come to the house, or walk past the front of the house at night, if someone comes into his yard, even if they are with a family member he will lunge and bark at them. He lunges at joggers and bikes, and is startled by sudden movement and young children running. He snapped at a young child once through a glass door.

He also blocks the doorway (however that could just be he can't be bothered getting up!!).

I have racked my brain and just can't seem to find a cause, he's been checked by the Vet for a medical reason. he's never been struck or physically punished. He seems fine with all the family (i have 3 young children and he will happily play with them ) and he's not food aggressive. He also seems to like other dogs

.

He doesn't usually display any of the behaviours (except the barking at people who come to the house) when my husband takes him out, its only when he's with me. Now I can't let him off the leash in case he attacks someone.

Mastiffs are guarding breeds and it is normal for them to display guarding behaviour on maturity but it is up to the owners to control who and what needs to be guarded, and to be able to switch off the guarding. From what you have said above, it is possible this dog thinks that your husband is pack leader but that he (the dog) comes next in the pack, ahead of you and the children. This causes him to believe he needs to protect you from everyone outside the family.

I have seen this happen with many dogs and it is easily fixed with a small breed but this is a very large breed with the potential to do a lot of damage if not handled correctly. I agree that you need the help of a good behaviouralist immediately to assess this dog and work out if a shift in family pack structure would correct the behaviour or not.

Dancinbcs has hit the nail on the head. Very sound advice.

[persephone]

yep - you will benefit from a professional at your side .

Some folks here have previously recommendedTHIS person

Good for you coming on and asking , and I hope that you and your family get the help you need

[Joel]

He barks aggressively when people come to the house, or walk past the front of the house at night, if someone comes into his yard, even if they are with a family member he will lunge and bark at them. He lunges at joggers and bikes, and is startled by sudden movement and young children running. He snapped at a young child once through a glass door.

He also blocks the doorway (however that could just be he can't be bothered getting up!!).

I have racked my brain and just can't seem to find a cause, he's been checked by the Vet for a medical reason. he's never been struck or physically punished. He seems fine with all the family (i have 3 young children and he will happily play with them ) and he's not food aggressive. He also seems to like other dogs

.

He doesn't usually display any of the behaviours (except the barking at people who come to the house) when my husband takes him out, its only when he's with me. Now I can't let him off the leash in case he attacks someone.

Mastiffs are guarding breeds and it is normal for them to display guarding behaviour on maturity but it is up to the owners to control who and what needs to be guarded, and to be able to switch off the guarding. From what you have said above, it is possible this dog thinks that your husband is pack leader but that he (the dog) comes next in the pack, ahead of you and the children. This causes him to believe he needs to protect you from everyone outside the family.

I have seen this happen with many dogs and it is easily fixed with a small breed but this is a very large breed with the potential to do a lot of damage if not handled correctly. I agree that you need the help of a good behaviouralist immediately to assess this dog and work out if a shift in family pack structure would correct the behaviour or not.

+1

I can't believe the people saying that they would take their dog to the vet (I'm assuming to be destroyed) because of a behavioral issue like this. Sounds to me like this is a problem with the OWNER, not the dog (which I believe is the problem in most cases - especially when the dog has been in the care of the same owner since it was a puppy). A dogs behavior is determined by its environment, just like anybody elses. If you create an environment where your dog will be aggressive, then the problem is yours, not the dogs

Anyway, sound advice IMO from dancinbcs. You've already made a couple of steps forward which is good to see (those being coming on here and seeking advice).

[TsarsMum]

im assuming you dont have kids then??

this dog has gone for a child and THAT in this house hold is a deal breaker, if it was a toy dog or a giant breed regardless. my children and the saftey of other peoples children are THE most important thing.

the other stuff to me can be sorted but is still getting extreamly close to crossing the line. i have had large breeds (my first was a rotti) and he never ever ever did this stuff and as much as i loved him if he did that to a child he would have been gone.

as a mum you have to choose where a line in the sand is and that is the line. that dog could have riped that childs face off before anyone could have moved)

ill stand by my comment as i know i as a mum i would never ever forgive myself if that was my dog and it hurt someone

Edited August 13, 2010 by dogluva101

[Jaxx'sBuddy]

im assuming you dont have kids then??

this dog has gone for a child and THAT in this house hold is a deal breaker, if it was a toy dog or a giant breed regardless. my children and the saftey of other peoples children are THE most important thing.

the other stuff to me can be sorted but is still getting extreamly close to crossing the line. i have had large breeds (my first was a rotti) and he never ever ever did this stuff and as much as i loved him if he did that to a child he would have been gone.

as a mum you have to choose where a line in the sand is and that is the line. that dog could have riped that childs face off before anyone could have moved)

ill stand by my comment as i know i as a mum i would never ever forgive myself if that was my dog and it hurt someone

DL101 you have said this twice and people have continued to give measured advice about having this dog assessed. we cannot assess over the internet so you really do not know the level or extent of the behaviour any more than the rest of us. that is why people are recommending a professional is brought in.

the OP needs to have someone come in and assess the dogs behaviour and until this happens needs to manage the situation very carefully

[TsarsMum]

i was commenting on joels i cant beleieve it statement.

not the rest,

[Sandra777]

He is a Mastiff. They are a guardian breed which means he is hardwired to protect his people and his space. If you didn't want a dog with these tendencies your should not have bought one.

What information did the breeder give you about training your dog to accept things which are against his basic nature (ie strangers in "his" space).

What steps have you taken in the past year to train your dog to accept these things?

How is the dog apart from this - is he obedient (yes I know Mastiffs don't believe in speedy obedience responses ), ignores you, rebels openly against doing what he's told?

I would fifth sixth and seventh the suggestion to get a behaviouralist to assess the situation in your own home.

However I also agree, a dog which has shown aggression to a child which had not threatened the dog in any way (if this was the case) would not be drawing breath in my back yard either. ETA: I don't have children and my dogs don't have day-to-day contact with children either

Edited August 13, 2010 by Sandra777

[Jaxx'sBuddy]

i was commenting on joels i cant beleieve it statement.

not the rest,

oh sorry i have joel on ignore as he has been rude to me in the past so i dont see his posts

Edited August 13, 2010 by Jaxx'sBuddy

[Jaxx'sBuddy]

He is a Mastiff. They are a guardian breed which means he is hardwired to protect his people and his space. If you didn't want a dog with these tendencies your should not have bought one.

What information did the breeder give you about training your dog to accept things which are against his basic nature (ie strangers in "his" space).

What steps have you taken in the past year to train your dog to accept these things?

How is the dog apart from this - is he obedient (yes I know Mastiffs don't believe in speedy obedience responses ), ignores you, rebels openly against doing what he's told?

I would fifth sixth and seventh the suggestion to get a behaviouralist to assess the situation in your own home.

However I also agree, a dog which has shown aggression to a child which had not threatening the dog in any way (if this was the case) would not be drawing breath in my back yard either.

i agree with this and what DL101 has said. i have had to unfortunately pts a dog that snapped at my child when the child walked past the dog. the child was not walking too close to the dog and was not doing anything to the dog in fact i was following the child and saw the whole thing and i was shocked at what happened.

so i do agree that any dog that snaps/behaves aggresively towards any child in my place doesnt get a second chance as long as i am sure the attack was unprovoked.

[Joel]

(we were both rude to eachother - i can take it, jaxx couldn't (which is fine - totally up to him/her on what their limit is for what they will take)).

anyway, dogluva, my point is that this type of behavior (if the dog has been owned since it was a pup) has been allowed to accumulate by the OWNER over time. I dont see why its the dogs fault for the owner neglecting to properly control it. The same goes for people who have cats and greyhounds (or similar prey-driven breeds). If their dog chases and catches their cat, then its the owners fault, not the dogs. I just dont see why a dog should have to surrender its life because of the inabilities of the owner to handle the characteristics of a certain breed.

I just dont get it. It seems like I'm the only one that sees my dog as PART OF MY FAMILY. Would you kill one of your children for fighting with their sibling (after all, children are still capable of killing each other). Of course not. You would try and resolve the problem. You would do EVERYTHING in your power to make sure that everyone in the family lived happily and peacefully with each other. You wouldn't just condemn one member because they screwed up once (especially considering what I have previously said about dogs being products of their environment, which therefore means that their problem = your problem).

Edited August 13, 2010 by Joel

[aussielover]

Why is it unacceptable for a dog to snap at a child and not at an adult?

I would say the dog may have more serious problems if it is snapping at an adult.

Snapping at children could be due a rank or hierarchy issue, dogs are more likely to see themselves as being above kids in the pecking order.

Or it could be due to children annoying (accidently or not) the dog at some point, then the dog feels the need to defend itself or give the child a warning.

These issues could be resolved by rehoming to a family with no young kids and/or with the help of a professional.

Obviously I think snapping is unacceptable whether to adult or child and if it were my dog i would have him assessed ASAP.

Of course, every case is different and any aggressive behaviour should only be assessed in person, by a professional behaviourist or expereinced dog trainer.