I hope I'm actually posting this in the correct place. Sorry, so I have a chubby golden retriever(hes got a little waddle xD) who I have been taking on walks recently but it's starting to become a real problem since every time we pass another dog he tries to attack it! I don't know what to do I really want him to enjoy going on walks and not be so overprotective every time we go outside. Did any of you deal with this with your dog? How did you stop it? Should I use a dog trainer? Or are there methods that can be used? Any advice would be appreciated! I've never had this problem with any of my other dogs so I'm really confused :/
I have a big shaggy dog but all he wants to do is play, so I'm not sure if my advice will help. When he sees another dog, he starts doing this crazy dance where he shakes his booty and jumps into the air (he's 93 lbs.!) and it's hard for me to hold him back. What I do now is I tell him to sit and I have him do that and I tell him that he's a good boy and pet him. If I were you, I"d try that method and even take some treats along so as soon as he follows your directions, you can reward him nicely. I hope that helps. If nothing else, I do suggest getting a dog trainer.
Whenever he starts to do that, turn around and walk the other way, then when he is calm, treat him, and then turn back around. Just keep doing that. He'll realize he can't go forward unless he is being calm.
A vet I work with has the same issue with her dog, and she had a trainer take the dog to work with it. I don't know the specifics of what he is doing, but this is a difficult problem to deal with. We often recommend the walk backwards/treat method, but sometimes that doesn't work. I think it's worth a try, and then if not, seek the help of a behaviorist or qualified trainer that does more than obedience.
Some dogs get aggressive on leash because they feel they are the underdog. Use harness ....easier on dog and you...make your dog just sit when other pass by...carry treats and give those for good behavior.
You will probably never train it away. Sitting my dog down has been the best solution for mine.
For me, with a Labrador, I find that the harness doesn't offer any sort of negative sensation aside from resistance, since it's designed to sit where the dog can put all of its weight. You use harnesses for dogs to pull things, so to me, using it as a walking tool doesn't work, since there's no reinforcement if my 60 pound Lab decides to throw all her weight forward in a lunge.
You could try a slip collar but YOU MUST BE TAUGHT HOW TO USE IT PROPERLY! A properly fitted slip collar with a properly educated handler can give you good control of the situation since it sits where a dog cannot put all of its weight (its neck) to pull forward. Since the collar tightens (on it's own - you never, ever strangle the dog with it..EVER) the dog receives it's own correction. It can also be "popped" to deliver a quick, controlled, correction but that takes time and training to get the timing down correctly. You never want to associate it with something positive - such as seeing you or meeting someone new because in some dogs you could inadvertently create fear.
You could also try an e-collar (preferably one with a vibration or a tone setting) and with that you MUST ALWAYS BE TAUGHT HOW TO USE IT PROPERLY! and also learn how to time the corrections and which level is needed for what level the dog is at. If the dog is already barking and lunging forward, a beep from the collar isn't even going to register. So learning how to stop it from escalating to the lunging, barking, level takes time.
Before going to those tools, however, I'd try either making the dog sit and wait patiently for the other dog to pass, or turning around and going calmly in the other direction.
I had the same problem with Nilla and eventually I did utilize the e-collar I use when we go duck hunting and grouse hunting and set it on a low (1-2) static charge. She now gets a warning beep and a "leave it" command when I see another dog coming towards us and if she decides to break from heel, she gets a small correction along with reiteration of "leave it" - that has more or less stopped her from lunging toward the other dog, even without the collar on now.
I would first, though, maybe look at any medical reasons why the dog may be behaving this way AND also speak with a trainer or behaviourist to decide if the dog is truly aggressive or just excited. The two can often be misidentified.
Good luck.
Last edited by Rainbowgirl; 05-04-2012 at 12:19 AM.
Some dogs get aggressive on leash because they feel they are the underdog. Use harness ....easier on dog and you...make your dog just sit when other pass by...carry treats and give those for good behavior.
You will probably never train it away. Sitting my dog down has been the best solution for mine.
I disagree...a harness gives you no control over such a large dog and this situation is DANGEROUS which I'm surprised no one has mentioned.
What if one day you are going around a corner and you litterally bump into someone walking a very small dog? Your dog would be startled and could easily KILL or greatly injure that other dog.
Any aggression in dogs is something to be taken VERY seriously and you should definitely go to an experienced dog trainer.
Most of the time when dogs have dog on dog (or people!) aggression it is because they were not properly socialized as puppies. Many people think if they have more than one dog than they don't need to bother to socialize them but that is not the case...dogs don't generalize well and thus it is vital that they met as many dogs and people as possible when young (less than 6 months old ideally)
Also from the way the original post was worded...it sounds like your dog is not getting regular walks? A dog that size should be walked EVERYDAY! Or at the very least, every-other day. Lack of exercise can also cause pent-up energy (which could be funnelled into aggression.)
My hubby's grandma's dog was killed by another dog that was off-leash and the owner of the off-leash dog was SHOCKED. People tend to glaze over bad behaviour in their pets (and children!) but an untrained dog is a real safety issue.
Anyway, sorry for going all preachy but I just feel strongly on the subject as you can probably tell.
Last edited by Pepino; 05-04-2012 at 12:23 AM.
Reason: typos from typing too fast
@Pepino The thing is, I do take my dogs on walks during the spring, summer, and fall but during the winter its a lot harder with the ice. So maybe it is pent up energy? He never use to be like this so I don't know why he's suddenly so aggressive towards other dogs... I'll definitely look into getting an experienced dog trainer. Thank you everyone for your advice
There are many reasons that a dog becomes leash aggressive. There is no cookie cutter answer or way of dealing with it. I am a positive trainer. That means I reward good or desired behaviors, and try to ignore bad or undesirable.
I would not use a correction collar; they can damage a dogs esophagus. I would not use an e-collar; it can cause more aggression issues. For example: a dog does something undesirable, and gets a shock. At the instant he receives the shock, he sees a bicyclist. Coincidentally, at a future shock he also sees a bicyclist, and he begins to associate that shock with the bicyclist and begins to become aggressive to all bicyclists. I would not use Caesar Millan's methods; we do not see what happens off screen, and I have seen too many times where the dog he is working with is paralyzed with fear.
I would consult a good positive trainer or behaviorist. If you don't know of one in your area, or wouldn't know how to choose a good positive one, a couple of places to look are Karen Pryor's Clicker Training Academy http://www.clickertraining.com/ or The Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) http://apdt.com/ .
I disagree...a harness gives you no control over such a large dog and this situation is DANGEROUS which I'm surprised no one has mentioned.
What if one day you are going around a corner and you litterally bump into someone walking a very small dog? Your dog would be startled and could easily KILL or greatly injure that other dog.
Any aggression in dogs is something to be taken VERY seriously and you should definitely go to an experienced dog trainer.
Most of the time when dogs have dog on dog (or people!) aggression it is because they were not properly socialized as puppies. Many people think if they have more than one dog than they don't need to bother to socialize them but that is not the case...dogs don't generalize well and thus it is vital that they met as many dogs and people as possible when young (less than 6 months old ideally)
Also from the way the original post was worded...it sounds like your dog is not getting regular walks? A dog that size should be walked EVERYDAY! Or at the very least, every-other day. Lack of exercise can also cause pent-up energy (which could be funnelled into aggression.)
My hubby's grandma's dog was killed by another dog that was off-leash and the owner of the off-leash dog was SHOCKED. People tend to glaze over bad behaviour in their pets (and children!) but an untrained dog is a real safety issue.
Anyway, sorry for going all preachy but I just feel strongly on the subject as you can probably tell.
It all comes to how responsible a dog owner is.
Mine will always pull on leash but will heel next to me like an angel, off leash. -- She has done all sorts of training. It is just who she is. There are many tools to train a dog, as some above posters mentioned...but sometime even with a massive amount of training, some habits can not be out trained. -- Mine KNOWS she can not pull, or try to "eat" small dogs (humor intended), and after 1000's of dollars later ....and she is no dumb one..... she still wants to pull on leash when other dogs approach us...BUT walks perfectly well off leash next to me and shows NO INTEREST on dogs that pass by us on leash (or w/o leash).
Maybe I just happen to have a dog that is super smart and does not follow the leash rules -- She is saying...what do you think I am...a dog??
Each dog is an individual and should get treated as such. Mine happens to be a big baby that is scared of her own shadow. She came to us at 18 months, she was considered un-adoptable because she had people mistreating her, starving her and she had lived outdoor since birth (in Midwest). She has turned out to be the best and smartest dog, except what comes to leash (maybe it stems from the horrid outdoor kennel she was kept in )... So what works for us, I just sit her down when other dogs approach her.
Our motto; There are no bad dogs, just bad dog owners.
If a dog gets a daily walk (1 hour), that dog will spend the next 23 hours sleeping. -- If people don't have "the time" to walk their dogs...then they should not have a dog
Aggressive dog
I really want him to enjoy going on walks and not be so overprotective every time we go outside. Did any of you deal with this with your dog? How did you stop it? Should I use a dog trainer? Or are there methods that can be used? Any advice would be appreciated! I've never had this problem with any of my other dogs so I'm really confused :/
I'll try the sit and treat method and if that doesn't work I'll look into a trainer. I appreciate it!
-- She is saying...what do you think I am...a dog??
)... So what works for us, I just sit her down when other dogs approach her.
