6 mths ago, my wife & I adopted a 3yr+ neutered male yellow Labrador retriever/mix(75lbs) frm a shelter.According to the shelter,he had been abandoned by 3 different owners prior. We were warned tht the last owner decided to turn him in as he had accidents ard the house & was not toilet train.He showed signs of dominance,didnt co-exist well w their other dogs,had a bad separation anxiety problem.We felt a connection w him.He was alert but calm while in the kennel,didnt bark(other dogs were barking like crazy). He also was looking to us for instruction.We decided to take him in.
I guess you need to know the FULL picture to accurately help us!
The first day we brought him home,we accidentally let loose the leash & he went for a run ard the neighborhood.We had a hard chase to get him back.While I tried to grab hold of him (in a hurry, I think I accidentally hit on his genitals),he bit my hand which punctured my skin a little,but we managed to get him back & scolded him for the biting. He looked guilty. For tht first night which he spent in our home,we wanted him to sleep in a room on his own (we arent used to sleeping with a furry friend)& let him into a crate since he was not potty-trained.BUT he howled,barked,whimpered so badly & managed to break out of the crate. We guess it was anxiety.After a few days, he was more comfortable being alone & did NOT show signs of stress.However,he still refuse to go into the crate.Then,we built a doggie door for him so he cld access the yard frm his room.He did not have any accidents since & did all his businesses in the yard.We were pleased.
We bring him for half to an hour walk daily w a flat leash.At first,he tends to pull badly (80% of walk) to the point of choking, pee at every tree and pole & get agitated when we see other dog on the walk.Then, we bought backpack (with 4lbs weight) for him,it slowed him down & he stop pulling as much.NOW,he walks beside us & pull (only 20% of walk) usually when he sees other animal or insist on smelling a certain spot along the way.Though there's improvement w the walk,we're still working to perfect it.What bother us most is when we see another dog nearby,we'll have to avoid,in case he gets agitated/lunges/start barking.We usually see his ears coming forward & body stiffening.We tried allowing him to meet dogs afew times.Most of the time, after sniffing each other & the other dog is about to leave,he'll start lunging at the dog & growls/barks furiously,so much so we had to drag him away & he whimpers after.Once or twice,it worked out,though he was tense,he met other dogs,but it ended okay without a fight.Since,we enrolled him in a dog training class,his obedience is slightly better,but not fully compliant, 50% of e time requires bribe to listen.
We bring him to dog park once weekly to socialize(to our amaze,he's friendly most of the time,not as bad as when he is on a leash).We notice that his play is occ more dominant/competitive as he growls during play w other dogs, but we guess it's normal play behavior.He occ humps other dogs (20% of the time) which we also guess is normal dog behavior.He occ (15% of the time) gets into a fight but we were able to break him out & he is back to calm state after. Its NOT the kill-aggressive type of fight.
Then there were a few occasions at home, that REALLY SCARED me and my wife.
- Once, I was walking through the fence into my yard, he probably thought I was a intruder, he bark at me, jump,lunges, paw, and bit my pants. But he cant possibly not know it was me??? his owner??He stopped after a long wait.
- Another time,my wife was playing tug of war with him in the yard,he lost & then he started dashing ard the yard & lunge at my wife.My wife is pretty small in stature (100lbs) & with my dog lunging at her at full speed,she almost fell.She was shock because its all so sudden. He growled at her & bit/pull her pants to the point it broke a hole.She stood very still & he stopped.She scolded him "NO" & went back into the house. He whimpered.
- One time, we went out to the yard midnight to stargaze(we usually dont go to the yard at night).Our dog saw us,sat beside us.However,he went into the house first since it was cold. When my wife & I are done,we went in.To our surprise, he suddenly bark at us furiously, bow down, about to jump/lunge, growled. We were scared, but stood still until I grab hold of him & put him in a submissive position.He stopped.
- One time, we played fetch, he was good..but suddenly started to dash around the yard, attack and lunge at me at full speed, growl, bow, jump, nipped!
- Once at a beach,he swam&was happy,but suddenly dash around the park at full speed, charge at us,growl,nip,jump. Stop when we ignore.
**HELP
1)How do we stop him from getting tense upon seeing other dog on walk on-leash?
2)Is this aggression? He's unpredictable and sudden. What's the trigger? Play aggression OR what?? How to correct h
Dog Training Tips - How To Get The Most Out Of Your Dog
Recommended Answer:
First off it sounds like you have a fear biter, which is not good. Second he does not sounds very genetically sound, not a good thing.
It would be close to impossible for us to tell you everything that the dog need to maybe make the problems manageable. Consult a behaviorist, have them come to your house to evaluate the dog.
Honestly you have a very unstable dog and you need to make some decisions after he is evaluated, and I don't mean making him a problem for anyone else. Not all dogs can be fixed
Would Purchasing a Dog Book Or Dog Training Book Be Useful?
- Not reading all this. See your vet and get a referral to a local trainer/behaviorist. Have your dog evaluated and go from there.
- You've got to be joking - it's supposed to be a question, not an essay
- From here, even though there are a few behaviourists on this site, there is very little that we can do. You have provided alot of great descriptions, but we really need to see this dog in action to determine that cause of the problems.
At the moment, it is really unclear to me whether your dog is acting aggressively due to some dominance related behaviour, or simply because he is playing roughly.
When you mentioned the 'fetch' incident, the dog was bowing, which is a clear sign that he wants to play. Labradors can be very enthusiastic dogs, who need firm boundaries, so it is possible that he was just going overboard in his play.
Again, the incident at the beach could have also been play related- as the beach is a fun place for dogs to be, and they often get overly excited.
Even the tug of war.. this is not a game that you should play with a dog that is 'dominant' anyway, because it encourages competition, but it could have very well been over enthusiasm.
What I can tell you is that you have a very energetic, active dog that is not getting near the amount of exercise he requires each day. Labradors are bred to be out and about all day- they are very difficult to tire- and a half hour walk daily isn't enough.
You have an intelligent breed of dog that seems to be responding well to training, but needs some one-on-one help.
Obedience is a great place to go- because the other dogs and people are generally always under control. Have you discussed your dog's aggression problems with your trainer? They may be able to offer some support to try and help socialise your dog and make him less reactive towards other dogs.
Im sorry- I had more of an answer, but Y!A is being really touchy and wont allow me to publish it all. Basically- you need the help of a behaviourist for this one. You need to learn some leash handling skills, you need to stop taking your dog to off leash parks- that is just a lawsuit waiting to happen, and you need to determine the cause of the aggression in order to work at solving the problem- all of which require the help of a behaviourist. Good luck. - Fear biter as someone else pointed out
Under socialized
Mostly fearful though
Overly excited.
This dog needs a lot of work, OB training isn't going to help. You need to call around to trainers and tell them whats going on.
For now, muzzle when on walks (basket muzzle), no tug toys (sounds like it's too much stimi for him), and google NILF (nothing in life is free). - The fact that three other owners had given up on this dog should have been a huge RED FLAG.
This dog does not have issues, he has volumes!
There are so many nice, well adjusted dogs in the world to pick from. I suggest you return this dog to where you got him from and find a dog that is better suited to your and your level of experience.
The biting incidents indicate that this dog really is not suitable to be placed, return him and let them know of the problems you have had with him. This dog needs to be put to sleep.
No comments:
Post a Comment