Aggressive Behaviour

[yogibear]

have been shown how to get his attention and keep it i would and this is of the cuff without seeing the dog set up a situation where you can work on keeping his attention whilet the other sddog is a long way away maybe well to the side of the trianing field i cant see how you cann progress in a class as if he is lunging you will be too busy worrying about him and not able to concentrate on the lesson if it were my dog id be working in his comfort zone the distance that he is ahappy to be and build his level of obedience then slowly close the distance till he is able to focus in class i would be using a lot of reward for attention

Be careful if you are using correction if he is feeling defensive or worried and is easily stressed this will just add fuel to the fire making other dogs a popel something stressful rather than pleasant

You say you other dog drags you to people to say hello that shouldnt bethe case she should be able to walk past other dogs without showing interest in them have you been taught how to keep you dogs attention on walks i let mine walk to the end of the lead no pulling but they can sniff but when i say close i expect them to come cose to me until released

yb

yb

[haven]

Zero, as an ADT member you get access to the behaviourist (who is also a qualified and experienced trainer) at the centers and if you require more in depth assisstance you get a discount on private lessons.

I appologise for the fact that you have not yet received one on one assistance. Heidleburg gets such a big turn out that a trainee may not have been available. I'm not rostered on at Heildleburg this Sunday but I have called the office to make sure that you get help at training this weekend.

As I have seen Tank (I spoke to your husband) I can give you my opinion of what you can do to to combat this behaviour:

To be honest I believe the problem to be based in leadership and socialisation. Tank doesn't seem to be 100% about the 'code of conduct' when meeting other dogs. From memory your husband couldn't pinpoint any specific type of dog that triggered his aggression, so I recommended that you keep a diary of every event that occurs. Note the circumstances, the body language of both dogs involved and the characteristics of the other dog (ie size, colour, sex etc). This could provide invaluable information in determining why the aggression occurs and which dogs he will have an issue with.

I also suggested familiarising yourselves with his body language and the circumstances under which he reacts, so that you may predict (where possible) when the aggression is about to occur. Some dogs can be very subtle but it all starts with orientation IE the dog looks at the other dog. He may then stare and focus his body posture toward the other dog. His may become very still and tense. This is the point at which you should be identifying that there is an issue and managing the situation. After this you may get lifting of the lip, barking and or growling the lunging, snapping and biting. Not all dogs show all of these things.

As a management strategy I advised your husband to have Tank sit and look at you while other dogs are present at a distance and rewarding him with food, toys etc (whatever Tank likes). Keep that reward special to use only when in the presence of other dogs, so that he comes to view being in the vicinity of other dogs to be a good thing, something that he wants to occur because it is his only opportunity to get the reward. Using this technique you can gradually reduce the distance between Tank and the other dogs one step at a time, always ensuring that Tank is the one to approach, not be approached by the other dog.

I think in this case he reacts and is not given any information to show him that the behaviour is unacceptable. Possibly his behaviour has been reinforced in the past, so now he think this is acceptable and possibly even good behaviour. Definately don't attept to 'calm' him with your voice or by patting when he is reacting or showing signs of reacting. If he is showing signs of reacting, I would give the sit and look command, or if you need to get outta there quick, a recall. Once he has reacted i think it is important to give him a verbal or physical correction to show him that the behaviour is inappropriate.

As I mentioned I think leadership is part of the issue here, which is not uncommon in dogs that are new to the household and are unsure of their place. I'm not saying that Tank is trying to be dominant, I'd consider it more that there is a lack of appropriate leadership which causes him confusion and anxiety. By adopting a leadership lifestyle you will go a long way toward fixing the problem and make Tank a much happier dog. There is heaps of information on leadership here at DOL, on the internet and in your red book. Definately when you have Tank out on lead, adopt an assertive attitude. If you are concerned about him reacting, he will read your uncertainty which will only cause him to feel more uncertain about the cituation himself, which i believe is the root of the issue.

Once you and your husband assert yourselves as the definitive leaders, Tank will no longer feel that it is his place to handle the situation.

As I mentioned, I have spoken with the ADT general manager and ensured that there is a note on the paperwork for that center that you be assigned someone to work with you on Sunday. When you sign in at reception, tell the Admin person who you are and that you are to be assigned as a project dog.

Edited August 25, 2005 by haven

[zero]

Thanks Haven

I think because I haven't been handling Tank at training I have missed out on learning how to manage him. Sean was away on the weekend so I took Tank to training & it was really good experience. Unfortunately there wasn't anyone available for one-on-one (I did ask), there never seems to be enough staff which is a bit frustrating! However they had a guy (sorry I'm bad at remembering names) & he took a separate socialisation class for 'excitable & aggressive' dogs. This was excellent as it really focussed on dogs reacting to other dogs. Tank was a perfect student the whole time & remained quiet focussed. He seems to get a bit desensitised at classes, i.e. he is worse away from the class environment, but I was still really encouraged by his behaviour & I feel more confident about controlling him. The instructor told me not to avoid other dogs on our walks (which I have been doing) but to keep a distance where I can maintain Tank's focus (which I also wasn't doing). I tried this yesterday by crossing the road & getting both Tank & Mallee to sit & 'look' and Tank remained really calm.

Tank does respect our leadership most of the time, I think my lack of confidence dealing with his aggression has been a big part of the problem. I also think I have just been wishing it would go away rather than wanting to learn how to deal with it. I don't know if you have much say at ADT Heidelberg but the instructor said there should be socialisation classes for aggressive & excitable dogs every week, however we have been taking Mallee since January & I have never been aware of this type of class. Could you have a word to management about including this class regularly? I will ask about it too. It was tjust he best for Tank & it would also be really good for Mallee as she is excitable & I notice that is a problem for a lot of young dogs.

But thanks to everyone who replied -I actually enjoyed taking them both for a walk on Sunday & I think I will swap with Sean so we take in turns with both dogs at classes from now on.

Bye for now

Kylie

[haven]

No problem at all Zero, a special class for aggressive dogs is something I and others have been pushing for quite some time. Unfortuanately as not every trainer highly specialises in aggressive dogs, we often don't have the appropriate person to take the class. The trainer who would ahve run that class is one of the resident gurus on dog aggression, so you can rest assured that by following his advice, Tank will respond in no time!

I intend to personally keep an eye on what is happening with you and Tank and make sure things are running smoothly, even if it means working at heidleburg myself!

Managing dog aggression is big task, definately not one you can avoid. Personally I think Tank is going to be a quick study. I know it seems like you're standing in front of a mountain right now, but it will soon be a mole hill with a little work. Have you seen the ADT website? In the FAQ section there is a story on a member and her dog entitled "Carolyn and Skully," which would be of interest to you. That was the 'scariest' case of dog aggression I had ever seen, not that you would know it to see them today. Carolyn and Skully now form an integral part of our display team, having passed advanced obedience and trained with Team Extreme.

Keep me updated! ;)