My dog is aggressive..

Doggirl1995 · January 2011

I have a dog named Casper, he's a 7 year old American Eskimo. My parents bought him from a breeder in fall, 2003. I was old enough to care for him, groom him, feed him, and make sure that he always had fresh water. But I wasn't old enough to train or socialize him. I knew absolutely nothing about raising a puppy. This meant is was supposed to be up to my parents.. but not a lot of that got done. He's an outdoor dog. He's bred for it. At night he sleeps in his kennel and that's as far as his training went, with simple commands like lie down, sit and shake a paw. He had terrible manners with people, so we just never let him out around company.. or other dogs.. nothing. He hardly got walked, so his leash manners were no good either. A few years later I was old enough to start working with him more, but he was only manageable when he wanted to be. Still though.. I didn't know much about training or anything at the time, so not a whole lot of progress was made. Within the last two years though, I've handled him sooo much more. He's fairly good on leash now, he knows a good handful of tricks, and he's improved with his people manners and grooming goes much better (he used to *hate* it.) However.. about a year ago, we were working on some stuff, but for some reason he would just not do anything I asked him too. He didn't even care for the treat I had in my hand, he was just blatantly ignoring me. I gave up, not knowing how to work through this, and told him to go into his kennel. He wouldn't go, instead he ran(ish) away when I approached him. At the time, I didn't really expect this, but I was getting slightly upset that he wasn't listening, and I went after him until I had him cornered. I reached for his collar and he growled, and then bit me. I was so horrified. It didn't break the skin, but my hand was bruised and -swollen- the next day. He knew he had done something wrong, and went straight to his kennel. I closed the door and told him bad dog in a firm voice, I knew not to yell at least. But even that sent him snarling. I didn't know what to do.. I just left since he was in his kennel. The next day I went to school, didn't tell anyone. When I got home my Mom asked what happened to my hand, and because at the time I had a bottom locker, I told her the person above me dropped their textbook and that it hit my hand really hard. From then on, I've just avoided it. If he wasn't listening, I'd get something he loooved and would bribe him if he was having an off day like that. And I upped my positive reinforcement so that he'd be more willing to listen, so I wouldn't have to challenge him like that again. My parents still don't know I was bit. And if he bit me again and they knew, he'd be euthanized by the next day. I want to be able to deal with this. He still sometimes shows signs of aggression such has raising his lip, or even a low growl sometimes, and I need to get rid of this. However, I don't know if this is fear or dominance aggression. It happens when he knows he's in 'trouble', especially if he's in a place where he's trapped and can't just leave. I can't afford a professional trainer myself, and my parents won't put the money into it. Do any of you have experience with this, or know which type of aggression this would be labeled as? Thanks for anyone's help

WhisperingCecile · January 2011

It seems as if he doesn't respect your authority. Some times with dogs that have had little to no boundaries, as you said he wasn't in the early year(s), he may say, if he could argue with you, " hay, I don't want to, because your taking on a new role, I want to be in charge!" I find that Cesar Milan's techniques of standing your ground and being patient and not letting them get away with it helps. Also many dogs will let you know well before they bite you, usually with a silence. I worked at a dog groomer for a year, and the dogs that employees including myself were bitten by were dogs that would be cornered, either in tub or kennel, and would give, in human knowledge, no sign. i usually look for the silence, and direct eye contact- not just looking at you, but a i"m going to go through you stare, with a slow wagging tale and stiff body stance. What I would do is when he isn't listening, put a leash on him, that way you can remind him who is in charge, but not putting your hand at risk. Use a slip lead- also just a leash that you can slip over head- one without a clip. Also remember to be calm- not just physically. I find that breathing and being calm- knowing what you want an remembering that your anxiety and possible annoyance will not help you to get him to do something. Having said all that, I wish you luck, and go online and look up cesar milan's work, I don't think you have a bad case, but one that with the right techniques is going to be all right. You may find some helpful tips!

Alabama · January 2011

If your dog is aggressive/threatening you and you feel fear, do NOT use Cesar's techniques, you will get bit. Especially in this case where he's already learned that if he threatens he gets something he likes. First thing you need to do is tell your parents. I would never advocate giving any kind of advice to a minor through the internet about an aggressive dog that may end with them in the hospital and the dog put down by animal control because I cannot see the dog to tell what kind of threat it is making and under what circumstance. If you can't afford a trainer and your parents aren't willing, then for the dog's sake as well as yours, perhaps he needs a home that can afford a trainer. Perhaps approach your parents with the idea of training for agility or obedience shows.

WhisperingCecile · January 2011

I wasn't suggesting that she try Cesar's techniques of training, but of being calm in the situation to not have the dog become any more aggressive. I also did not mean to suggest that she should try to correct the dog with cedars techniques, but to put a leash on it to lead the dog to the kennel- instead of grabbing it. I had put in about the body language so she could avoid being bitten by her dog. Sorry for giving the wrong impression. I will refrain from giving advice on posts on this sort of thing. Also I agree that you should talk to your parents about it, so that maybe as a family you can decide what is best for you,the family and the dog.

NickelbackLuver · January 2011

While you may not be able to afford a trainer, you can still try giving one a call. Let them know what's going on, and tell them you don't have money for training, but would like to know if they'd possibly give you some pointers. I've had both very nice, and..slightly mean, trainers I've worked with in the past. You could get one on the phone that is willing to help without pay. If I were a trainer, I'd probably help people out in this situation xD Also, never yell at a dog. If he does something wrong, do not raise your voice. If he's afraid, this will only worsen it. If he's dominant, this will still only worsen it. Dogs don't like to be yelled at, and very well shouldn't. I have never had one of my dogs bite me. Tucker used to growl at me when he was going through his "dominance stage" in life, and I would continue doing what it was that he didn't like me doing (hugging. Hugging is a dominant position and he hated it, so I'd just hug him till he stopped and it worked well for us.). DO NOT do this, as I do not know your dog's personality or exactly what is going on here. But, I never raised my voice at him. It intensifies a situation and makes their aggression escalate. Try to remain calm. Dogs can read your mood. It's hard to tell a situation over the internet. If I was personally there and with the dog, I could give you better advice. For now, I would suggest telling your parents about him being aggressive. When Tucker growled at me I told them right away, because that way they could ask my trainer at our next meeting how to fix it

If he bites you and draws blood someday, it's going to be much worse than a bruise. At least let them know about his growling if you're afraid they might get rid of him if they knew he bit you. This might make them concerned enough to try calling a trainer and to get him some obedience work done. Good luck Horse

I know it's gotta be hard on you trying to figure out what to do with this.

Alabama · January 2011

Rubien, I wasn't saying you shouldn't give advice, only that I personally wouldn't advocate it. The problem with standing your ground is that if the dog decides it wants you to leave and you don't, it don't may feel the need to escalate their warning to get its space and be left alone. Even reaching for a dog that is raising a lip or growling, to put on a leash or collar, may be considered an attack by the dog, leading the dog to get more aggressive. Case in point, just last night, my older dog Buddy was given a special treat by me, an entire rare roast of beef. Normally, my dog is very well mannered, even on previous occasions when he's been given raw meat. Only once has he ever growled at me and that was the very first time I fed him as a 6 week old puppy and he displayed food aggression. That was 8 or 9 years ago. He snatched the roast from me last night instead of taking it or letting me give it to him and that didn't sit well with me, so I wanted it back. He didn't want to give it and went into a protective posture growling and snarling at me. He's a big dog, over 100 lbs, not a size you mess with if they are showing aggression. Normally, if one of my dogs responded to me like this, I would step right on in and take it back because they are bluffing. Buddy wasn't bluffing and the longer I stood there waiting for him to calm down, the more he growled. So I stepped away, got the garden hose and once again commanded he leave it, more growls so he got hosed, literally. However, I know how he reacts to water and knew that he would rather get away from the water than attack me or keep the roast. I would never advise someone else who wasn't sure of themselves or their dog and I wasn't there to actually see what the dog is doing, whether they are bluffing or not, to keep themselves in a dangerous situation or risk escalating the situation. Some dogs might attack if sprayed with water or even at a command or action they previously never had a problem with. Without knowing the dog, seeing how it's reacting or how the person is handling the situation, especially with a medium to large breed dog like an American Eskimo, any advice could lead to disastrous consequences.

NickelbackLuver · January 2011

Alabama wrote:

any advice could lead to disastrous consequences.

Exactly. When I first was dealing with Tucker's aggression I tried google, but I didn't do anything those people were saying because it was all over the place. I went straight to a trainer. I still to this day don't believe Tucker would have ever bit me. He's just not the type of dog that would do that, but being safe is always the best way to go about it. Had he bit me,I would have lost him, and I certainly wasn't risking that no matter how much I trusted him. I will say I never backed down from him, though. I'd always make sure his head/jaws were secured away from me or under me where he couldn't use them. One of the worst things you can do is back down because it gives them "points" as my trainer called it. However, if you're in a dangerous position, it'd be better to let them have some points, and take them back later when you have a better way of controlling the dog.

Zagari Wolf · January 2011

First I want to say that it sounds quite a bit like fear aggression. I don't talk much about it, but I had a dog who was raised in a similar situation with similar aggression. I to DJ when I was 8 years old. I knew how to care for a dog but I didn't know a thing about socializing him. He lived outside and like your dog, he knew basic commands. He was raised in a family of woman and had a slight fear of men. The more I grew and learned the more I tried to train him. He never bit me and he never would have. He loved his mama more than anything. Over the years, we learned about his fear of men. One bite led to another and another. They weren't bad and never left a mark or a bruise. This, I believe was my family and I being irresponsible dog owners. It was our fault for letting him do it. At least that's how I feel now. By the time he was 9 years old, we knew better than to let people in the backyard without one of us being there. He was good about not doing anything if we were RIGHT there. Well, he went after the meter reader man and bit his bag. The next month he bit his pants. Then he went after my friend's leg and nipped her pants. After that he didn't have free reign of the backyard anymore. He was put on a chain when people were around. Then the fateful day where my idiot cousin walked up to him.... DJ snapped at his hand. A few hours later, he walked up to DJ again. The guy got what he deserved... DJ bit his leg pretty badly. It was the only time he ever broked the skin. After all the time trying to get him over his problem then giving up because it didn't work. I made the decision to have my boy euthanized. He was a danger to the public and to himself. Luckily no one ever reported us in the past. DJ was a great dog, don't get me wrong. He loved me and I loved him that's all that mattered. I failed him on more than one occasion. I very much regret it now. All his issued stimmed back to me. But then again, I was only a kid and relied on my family to teach him and me things. I regret my decision daily. I miss him daily. I'm glad you're trying to do something. Take DJ's story and learn from it. Never give up, try not to be irresponsible. Please tell your parents. Maybe they can help you. Take your dog to a behaviorist. Fear aggression can be a dangerous thing. Other than that, I really can't say much.

Doggirl1995 · January 2011

Thanks everyone for the advice! I've emailed a few trainers in my area and hopefully I receive a few replies back! I'm still struggling with diagnosing the type of aggression by myself though. At the time it almost seemed like an "No, I don't want to" kind of a thing, which would make it dominance aggression. But there's also the possibility that he saw me as a threat, and was afraid. Which I don't entirely understand, as I've never given him a reason to be afraid of me. But. Lately, I've been practicing a lot of dominance activities with him. All of which he's been fairly quick to submit to me. So I'm not sure if it's just a thing where sure, he'll submit, but only on his terms? Not sure. One of the parents of two girls in my 4h club do obedience training, so tomorrow I will be talking with them to see if they can give any input, and I will also be inquiring about possibly taking classes with Casper. Zag, I'm so sorry about DJ

I'm willing to put in the time and effort with Casper, I just need to learn how to go about things first. Thanks to everyone for all of your advice.

Howdy, Stranger!

My dog is aggressive..

Comments