When he sees a large or medium sized dog, he barks like crazy, full hackles, lips curled, evil eyes, and wants to attack as though he wants to eat them! When I took him to the dog park the other day, I found that he was somewhat okay if he was 'taller' (in my arms) or equal eye level with these larger dogs.
Does anyone have any ideas on how to get him to be better around other dogs? Eventually I'd like to be able to take both dogs to the dog park and not have to worry.
Dog Training And Electronic Shock Collars
Recommended Answer:
No, not simple its actually a very good question. Usually this kind of aggresion is linked to some sort of fear (usually undersocialization like in your case) so you have to treat these behaviors as if he were fearful. Anxiolytics medication along with countercondition and desensitization works wonders!
First you have to make sure that you are under threshold, meaning that you aren't too close to cause this fear-aggressive response. You play/reward and get a little closer, you do this over and over again till you can be close enough that the two meet. He basically has to learn that the other dog's mean no harm, so of course these kinds of exercises you will want to do with dogs that you know won't attack your pup.
Here's an article & site about fearful dogs and one about having two dog's meet by Virginia Wind, hope they help!
http://k9domain.org/fearful.aspx
http://fearfuldog.com/index.html
Having two dogs meet:
http://k9academy.dogboard.net/dog-traini…
Happy reading & Best of wishes!
ETA: In regards to "punishing" your dog like some of the answers below have stated, I suggest you don't. Like I said before this is a fear-aggression case and hitting the dog or yanking on a leash to show him who is boss won't teach him anything except to be scared of the other dog and perhaps even you! Please avoid aversive techniques if at all possible, fearfuldogs.com is an excellent source and frequently suggested to owners with dogs that are fearful and in there it tells you that aversive/dominating training techniques are more harmful than good.
7 Most Believed Myths About Dogs And Dog Training Dispelled
- First thing, don't pick him up and cuddle him when he is misbehaving. It sounds llike he is not yet read for the dog park! You need to fix this behavior before you take him there again so he does not get hurt. There are many tactics you can use, but first you must become his pack leader. Take him on long walks (dont let him pull, if he does yank the leash 3 times and then give it back, repeat each time he pulls), feed him last to show him you are the boss, never let him get away with not coming to you when called (go get him if you have to!). I would contact a professional trainer if I were you, they can teach you the techniques and can bring in wellbehaved dogs to help your dog with the process.
- I currently have a foster dog who is very dog reactive (sounds a lot like yours).
He used to charge my big dogs and bark at them, and when I took the foster dogs to Petco, he had a fit every time a dog came through the door.
I have been consistently correcting him for that behavior, and after about a month he is doing much better.....he no longer charges my dogs.
At Petco I keep him on my lap (with a hand on him), so I can easily correct him. Usually after a couple of hours he has calmed down enough that I can let him down to greet people without him attacking passing dogs. And there are goodies...he gets rewarded for calm behavior, while my other foster gets rewarded for being brave and going up to people. :o)
Maybe you can do something similar at the dog park.... have him sit beside you and watch from a safe distance, and correct him whenever he barks. - He's protecting you from the other dogs. It also sounds like he has a socialization problem. He needs to be taught to settle down and not freak out when he's around other dogs. And, as a pack animal, he needs to get this mentality from you, his pack leader.
You shouldn't let the dog off the leash at the dog park, especially since he has shown that aggressive behavior. In fact, some behavior experts discourage taking dogs to dog parks, where there are a lot of dogs roaming around free off-leash. This is because there may be a number of dogs there that lack discipline and their behavior is not a good example for borderline dogs. Dogs thrive on discipline from the pack leader and that comes at the end of a leash, not running free.
I have a toy fox terrier (12 pounds) who doesn't socialize with other dogs very well. When the other dogs - even on leash - try to come over and do the dog sniff greeting, my dog whips around and tries to snap at him. I have found that the best way to handle him in this situation is to have him sit down and calm down before the other dog approaches. If he growls or his hair starts to raise, I snap him out of this state by nipping at his neck with a thumb/forefinger pinch and hissing at him (a la Cesar Milan). This is what pack leaders basically do to juvenile pack dogs who misbehave to bring them back in line.
I also warn people who come up to my dog that he's not very sociable before there can even be a chance for him to get close to the other dog. When he's in a calm state, I can then let the other dog approach and be ready to pull my dog away by the leash if he becomes aggressive. It takes time. But, I can usually get him to accept being around other dogs eventually. If he won't settle down, I make him sit there and calm down until the other dog goes away before resuming the walk. He's still a work in progress. - hit him lightly on his nose when he barks,( u must punish him when he barks )
if he dosnt bark, reward him with a treat
No comments:
Post a Comment