barb
housebroken
Posts: 78
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Muzzle
May 29, 2005 21:34:29 GMT -5
Post by barb on May 29, 2005 21:34:29 GMT -5
Until we get the aggressive behavior under control someone recommended using a muzzle. What is your thoughts on this? I am torn.
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Muzzle
May 30, 2005 1:23:21 GMT -5
Post by Aussienot on May 30, 2005 1:23:21 GMT -5
A good basket muzzle is an excellent safety device, and it provides peace of mind for you. However, it will deter him from showing the real behavior so that you can train him away from it. And there's serious social sigma connected with a dog in a muzzle. I'd invest in a crate first, so you can avoid conflict while you give training a chance to work.
Then maybe think about a muzzle.
I'd advise you to find a good professional trainer who has dealt with human aggressive dogs before, and get your dog assessed for trainablility before going any further. It sounds like he just needs some rules and management, but it would be good to get a professional read on the situation. I think if you're thinking about a muzzle, it's time to call in a professional
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Muzzle
May 30, 2005 4:25:07 GMT -5
Post by sibemom on May 30, 2005 4:25:07 GMT -5
I agree with Aussie ;D It's way to soon to be thinking about a muzzle. You have not had the dog long enough to see the true behaviors that he is going to exhibit and what the triggers are. I muzzle train all my dogs for several reasons BUT only after I know everything about them. If you use one right now it would only be a bandaid and not a true fix for the problem. If it seems like you are getting no where then as Aussie said contact a professional and see what they have to say. I still think this behavior stems from lack of training and lack of structure. If you are worried about him bitting then when you are out for walks do not allow people to approach. Most people if you tell them that "MY DOG IS IN TRAINING" will back off and not try to pet them. Another thing is too stay relaxed do not tense up when you see other people. That too can send a message to the dog and put them in protection mode. Hold off on the muzzle for now untill he has been in training for awhile and you get some good hands on evaluation by a trainer ;D
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barb
housebroken
Posts: 78
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Muzzle
May 30, 2005 8:41:00 GMT -5
Post by barb on May 30, 2005 8:41:00 GMT -5
No muzzle and I will talk to my boyfriend about the crate. We were not sure what to do about the crate when we got him and he was well behaved when we got him but now I think we have to do it.
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Muzzle
Jun 9, 2005 14:45:14 GMT -5
Post by thewizard on Jun 9, 2005 14:45:14 GMT -5
I would think first what triggers the dog. ask yourself some questions, has he really been socialized? I have been dealing with aggression problems for 20yrs and i would say half of them if not more is fear aggression problems,not really socialized..... i also feel training a very low key training would work best . Never put dog away when people come over cuz all your showing the dog is this person is bad dont get near him. what should be done is utalize the ob and make it away of life when some one comes over,put your pet on a leash and keep him near you utalizing the ob,like a on leash down stay,always reassuring the pet its ok.but also keep in mind a fear agg dog takes time to heal and sometime cant be trusted 100%
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Muzzle
Jun 9, 2005 15:40:14 GMT -5
Post by Laura on Jun 9, 2005 15:40:14 GMT -5
Ok class, who would like to tell us why this is NOT the way to handle fear aggression ?
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Muzzle
Jun 9, 2005 16:14:44 GMT -5
Post by Nicole on Jun 9, 2005 16:14:44 GMT -5
*raises hand*...because it tells the dog that it has reason to be afraid and confirms that fear is the proper response. The best approach is to ignore the fear..act as if the object of fear is no big deal at all and nothing to be afraid of. Laughing and acting upbeat in the presence of the feared object can be helpful as well. The dog should be praised when it acts confidently never when it acts fearful. Did I pass. ;D
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Muzzle
Jun 9, 2005 16:56:38 GMT -5
Post by willow on Jun 9, 2005 16:56:38 GMT -5
I second what Nicole said, and would also say that I would much rather see an aggressive dog crated, in an outdoor kennel or otherwise contained when company comes, rather than take the chance that it could bite someone.
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Muzzle
Jun 9, 2005 17:00:36 GMT -5
Post by Laura on Jun 9, 2005 17:00:36 GMT -5
Yeeaa, gold star for Nicole ;D! Calm and confident is the attitude for the handler to have with a fear aggressive dog, reassurance will only feed into the anxiety of the dog. Also why NILIF works so well on fear aggression, demoting the dog to just being a dog again takes away much of the anxiety a fear aggressive dog has, giving it a higher pack status is akin to giving it a job it cannot handle, making the stress levels way higher than need be.
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Muzzle
Jun 9, 2005 17:07:41 GMT -5
Post by Laura on Jun 9, 2005 17:07:41 GMT -5
Loey, I'd like to see an aggressive dog kenneled if the situation would overwhelmingly trigger the aggression response, too, but with fear aggressives, I like to keep them on a traffic leash right next to me so I have total control over the dog, and work on the comfort zone of the dog. I find that if I convey to the dog that I will take care of business, the dog relaxes and learns not to freak out at every opportunity. Am I making sense ;D?
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Muzzle
Jun 9, 2005 18:08:07 GMT -5
Post by thewizard on Jun 9, 2005 18:08:07 GMT -5
LOL
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Muzzle
Jun 9, 2005 18:36:52 GMT -5
Post by willow on Jun 9, 2005 18:36:52 GMT -5
Laura...I stand corrected, (with a pinch collar, of course).
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Muzzle
Jun 9, 2005 18:49:53 GMT -5
Post by Richard on Jun 9, 2005 18:49:53 GMT -5
I find that if I convey to the dog that I will take care of business, the dog relaxes and learns not to freak out at every opportunity. Am I making sense ;D? Yes you are and that is the training that we followed with Rocky...after a while, he knew to let me handle whatever happens and take his cues from me. Of course, it was me who learned more than him though!!. That doesn't stop him acting goofy when company (family mostly) comes over...then it's "oh, family is here...sweeeet!"...I swear he's happier to see them come over than we are!!
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Muzzle
Jun 9, 2005 19:10:41 GMT -5
Post by Kona on Jun 9, 2005 19:10:41 GMT -5
As I understand the situation, you have a one-year-old GSD mix that was adopted from a shelter three weeks ago, and since coming into your home he has exhibited resource guarding by growling, lunging, and barking at people that he had no reason to believe were members of his pack. This occurred when he had reason to believe that a stranger (who came up behind him) was about to take away his rawhide. Dogs are pack-oriented creatures, and your dog had no time to determine if the new people in the house were dominant or submissive relative to him, therefore he reacted by assuming a dominant role. This is a perfectly natural reaction in an untrained dog. As the wizard pointed out, you may have no idea how well (if at all) he has been socialized. Also, his suggestion to give the dog something to do when someone is visiting is right on the money. Waiting for a dog to do the wrong thing and then correcting him is self-defeating. My suggestions: - A nice long walk every day. For a GSD mix, at least an hour a day is not out of the question. Keep in mind that a walk should be appropriate not only in length but in technique. That means he's at your side, not in front of you, and focused on you.
- Formal obedience training every day, plus informal obedience training utilizing "Life Rewards " every day (this is a big part of the Nothing In Life Is Free philosophy that Laura mentioned). Formal training should be done after the walk, as the dog is now in a calm, submissive state.
- Keep the dog on leash or in a crate at all times until his behavior is acceptable.
- Make sure that he always knows what his job is, and of course reward him for doing it, even if the job is just sitting quietly.
- Teach your dog the commands Take It, Leave It, and Drop It.
- Make a game out of only allowing him to chew on his rawhide when you are holding the other end. Make it pleasant, and let him learn that the only time he gets to play with it is when you are in control of it.
- Do not allow the dog to free feed. Stick to a daily feeding schedule and allow him 15 minutes to eat each meal. Let him see you putting to bowl down and picking it up. Make him sit before you put the bowl down and don't let him eat until you release him.
- Practice having him sit nicely while greeting people.
- Teach him the two most important words that any dog needs: the Positive Word ("Good!") and the Negative Word ("No" or "Eh-eh" or whatever word you will be consistent with). Once he is fluent in these two words, your ability to communicate will be so much easier.
- For now, avoid situations that may set off a similar reaction from him.
I don't think a muzzle is called for at this time. And I hope that you will be very careful about having him off-leash around children again until you are convinced that his behavior is rock solid.
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Muzzle
Jun 9, 2005 19:17:57 GMT -5
Post by Laura on Jun 9, 2005 19:17:57 GMT -5
Ok, I'll bite, what's so funny?
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