agressive dog when i try leave my house

linzi29 · 11-24-2006, 05:36 PM

Hi everyone id be gratefull of any help and advice that you have to offer!

I have a 2 year old west highland terrier, and over the last few months he has started getting very aggressive when ever me or my partner go to leave the house. As soon as my coat is on and i head to the door, he runs up to the door pushing up against it whilest barking and growling at me! My partner says if it carries on then the dog will have to go which i dont want, so im desperate to nip this in the bud!

A month ago we had him castrated which we thought would help calm down his aggression and dominance but he is still the same. sometimes my partner is too scared to leave the room for fear our dog will fly for them.

Any advice would be grately appreciated!

Linzi

Buddy · 11-24-2006, 05:42 PM

umm u should try to make roon in ur skegual (wrong spelling) for just u and ur dog ur dog probly just wants to play with u if u dont have time for the dog orthe dog might just be overprtective so if its bein overprotectie u might want to try keepin whoeer ur dog growls at away from ur house for a while so there may be any prblem like those two

linzi29 · 11-24-2006, 05:47 PM

Thanks for your reply. He doestnt growl or bark at guests to our house when they leave, its just me and my partner. He senses we are leaving and obviously doesnt want us to go. He never use to be like this its just crept up and gotten worse over the last few months. We have tried the pebbles in a plastic bottle technique where you shake the bottle near them and it works as a kind of sound diversion, but it doesnt seem to do the trick.

Buddy · 11-24-2006, 05:50 PM

well maybe u and ur partner should play with ur dog sometimes maybe he wants to play with u to. oh and do u and ur partner ever play with ur dog?

ilovemychihuahua · 11-24-2006, 05:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buddy

well maybe u and ur partner should play with ur dog sometimes maybe he wants to play with u to. oh and do u and ur partner ever play with ur dog?

yeah, play w/ your dog so he won't be agressive anymore.

Hi Buddy!!

linzi29 · 11-24-2006, 05:52 PM

Yes we play with him all the time and he is a very happy dog, but turning into an aggressive one. Maybe its just a terrier thing, as terriers are known for being very dominant.

Buddy · 11-24-2006, 05:54 PM

i know the answer he needs company does anyone stay with ur dog when u and ur partner leave?

linzi29 · 11-24-2006, 05:56 PM

No, if we leave together he will be on his own, like when we are working for example. But he isnt left on his own for a great deal of time. Maybe i should just take him to the vet and see what they can advise?

Buddy · 11-24-2006, 05:58 PM

no u shouldnt u should first try to figure this out urself or u should take ur dog with u most of the time u go somewhere

linzi29 · 11-24-2006, 06:03 PM

Well i would love to take my dog to work with me but i dont think they would allow it

We have tried most things so i think we will just have to go to the vet or a dog behavioural therapist, as if he carries on much longer my partner will have him in a dog home

Thanks for your replies its much appreciated.

Buddy · 11-24-2006, 06:04 PM

ok but u should try payin more attention to ur dog if it doesnt get enough attention

linzi29 · 11-24-2006, 06:06 PM

he gets plenty of that

Buddy · 11-24-2006, 06:10 PM

well i guess ur dog just doesnt want anyone to leave the house he might like ur partner and u together and wants to play with both of u at the same time thats everything else i can say if hope my hlp works if not sorry

opokki · 11-24-2006, 06:45 PM

To manage the problem and prevent him from rehursing this behavior -
Can you gate him off in a separate room before you leave the house? If he is gated he will not be able to practice this behavior. You'll need to find a way to prevent the behavior before you begin trying to modify it.

blackgavotte · 11-24-2006, 08:30 PM

Opokki is right on, the only other way to stop this behaviour is having a "come to Jesus meeting" with him, doing some proper training of this guy, he is showing a HUGE amount of disrespect. Have you done his basic obedience training? Does he know you mean business when you say NO ! ?

If you were not working all day I would say, pop him in a crate but I personally don't think that's a good thing, I would prefer you to get an exercise pen, or a gated area, like Opokki recommended, and then put him in before he starts acting up. And take him to obedience class. You need to be the boss here and you need to be shown how to be that.

Cheetah · 11-24-2006, 10:37 PM

Agree with both opokki and blackgavotte. This isn't an issue of the dog not being played with. The dog doesn't need access to the door when you're leaving, until he gains a little respect.

skelaki · 11-25-2006, 02:21 AM

Well, you've learned one thing. Neutering does not always solve dominance and aggression problems, especially if the dog has reached maturity.

Reading your post, it seems that your Westie thinks he is the pack Alpha. Ths is very easy to do because puppies are so cute that we tend to let them get away with things they shouldn't (especially small breeds). If you had chosen to live with a very soft-tempered dog, this wouldn't matter as much. But, you've chosen to live with a terrier and terrier people are only half-kidding when they call their dogs terrorists.

The first thing I'd do is put him on a strict NILIF program and make him earn everything he gets. Keep him off all beds and furniture for now. Those places belong to the Alphas. Later, maybe he can earn his way back on, but with permission only. If you aren't familiar with NILIF, Google "Alpha dog boot camp" (without the quotes). The item you want should be the first one on the page. Click on it and print out the instructions. Discuss them with your husband and agree to follow them. You must both insist the dog follow the same rules otherwise he'll get confused.

Along with NILIF, start a twice daily basic obedience training program. It only takes about 10 minutes, so one of you could do it in the morning before going to work, and the other in the evening. Obedience training along with NILIF, will help teach your Westie, that his reign is over and the humans are taking the Alpha position. Now, don't be surprised if things get worse before they get better. He's probably going to test you. This is normal, after all he needs to know that you'll be a firm, fair leader that he can depend on.

Finally, don't be afraid to correct him for bad behavior. If a firm, low, growly sounding voice correction is enough, great. But, if he needs more, then go to a leash correction or, if he's not wearing a collar and lead (such as when you're leaving for work), you can either use a scruff shake (if you won't get bit) or just turn your back and leave. I would have him drag a lead whenever you are there to supervise. This way you can correct him when necessary. Start out with a plain buckle collar, but if you cannot issue a correction that is motivational enough for him to choose to stop the unwanted behavior, then go to a small prong collar. And, please do not be put off by the way they look. Any collar can be used abusively and the prong (aka pinch) collar, properly used is very humane. It does not close off the dog's air or cause trachea damage the way a choke can. Also, since it mimics the correction bite the mother dog or pack superiors give, you dog understands a properly timed correction from a pinch collar. Your dog needs to know both when he's doing right (praise and rewards) and when he's doing something wrong (corrections).

Finally, a nice long walk every day in addition to the training will help put him in a calm submissive frame of mind.

Keno's Mom · 11-25-2006, 08:05 AM

Is your dog crate trained? If not, you might start crating him while you are gone. You should be the leaders of the pack, not the dog. How well is his basic obedience commands? He should sit and stay when you leave. Start working more on obedience.

Terriers are more "stubborn" and mind of their own, but you should not be afraid to leave the house.

Snowshoe · 11-25-2006, 08:20 AM

Good answers!

You may want to try leashing him in the house if you do not want to seperate him. That way, even if he does TRY to go after someone, you have a way to control him.

You may want to conact your vet about the problem, and see if your vet can prescribe any medication (I know, last resort!) or perhaps a good behaviorist.

The NILIF program has really helped at our house. We have a VERY pushy puppy who was starting to run the house as she saw fit. When we started making her earn her food, treats, affection, etc. her behavior changed for the better.

Good luck!

linzi29 · 11-25-2006, 08:35 AM

Thanks for all your help and advice

In responce to what someone mentioned about having a room gatened off, yes we have a child stair gate attatched to our lounge meets the kitchen. We put him in there sometimes when we have guests round and he gets too over excitable so we put him there to calm down. I'll have a go at locking him in the kitchen so he is away from the door.

I agree with what somebody else mentioned on here, at the moment he is the "leader of the pack", and i need to regain controll of him and show him whos boss! But because he is a cute little westie, its sometimes hard to be firm, and strict with him.

My partner says i spoil him too much which is why he is becoming more and more in charge of the household. He does lay on the furniture and sleep on our bed, which maybe we should try put a stop to.

When we bought him, he was 8 months old, and i dont think the previous owner had trained him very well, if at all. He is trained so as he doesnt go to the toilet indoors, and he sits when told, and leaves when you tell him to leave, but thats pretty much about it!