Agression training...any miracles?

Adrienne21 · 06-15-2006, 12:54 PM

My family has a weiner dog, Wills, and he has lived w/ us for about 2 years. In his first two years of his life he was in 6 different homes and finally found us. In the home he is super sweet and very easy going. No problems grooming him, brushing his teeth or cleaning his ears. He sits in your lap and lets you do whatever you want...as long as he knows you.

He is the problem- when someone he is unfamilar with comes to the house he is a mess. Barks non stop and on a few occasions has tried to bite. He will warm up to strangers, but it takes a few hours of them being there before he is comfy. The same goes for dogs. We baby-sit a westie and they get along well, but when larger dogs come over they have to be seperated at all times. Wills will try to bite. We are afraid the bigger dog will get mad (rightfully so) and really hurt Wills.

I would love to be able to take Wills to the park like our other dog, but it just so hard w/ him. My monther has taken him to obdience classes before, but I don't think they were really all that great. Our vet reccommeded a place that is suppose to be really great.

Has anyone had great results with agression training? I would love for him to be able to mellow out when people come over. I think he would be so much happier.

Thank you very much!

Killerdrgn · 06-15-2006, 01:43 PM

The problem is that your dog does not believe you to be the pack leader. You let him do his own thing way too much. You have to make it known to him that your the one in charge not him. When you walk him make sure you walk in front of him so your the one leading and not him. When you feed him make sure you eat first and your good and ready to feed him before he gets to eat. If he's playing with a toy make it known to him that if you want him to give it to you he has to. Your home has become his property and he is trying to defend his territory. Also you probably need to take him out to walk more, even though he's a small dog he needs more excersize than the big dogs. Oh and make him take a long walk before you guys start eating, make it known to him that he needs to obay you or he won't get to eat. You'll probably start seeing real results within a couple days or weeks if you follow the guidelines. Oh or if you already do this then he may be sensing that your uncomfortable around the new people. You have to present yourself in a calm assertive matter to him at all times.

ThxForNothing · 06-15-2006, 02:22 PM

I think it has to do with fear, honestly. Maybe he thinks that his home is going to be yet again taken away from him, so he is trying his hardest to keep that from happening? This is just something to think about, it might not actually be the issue so please keep that in mind. I cannot see your dog, so it's kinda hard to help.

When strangers enter the home, does he get a chance to "greet" them before they actually enter? If not, maybe you should try that out. Before the dog knows someone is here, give the person a treat. Something that your dog really really enjoys. When someone comes to your door, wether they have been here before or not, allow him to approach them. Have the guests give your dog a treat, of corse try and get him to do something for it... even if it's just a simple sit. Do not baby him, do not pick him up. If you must, to insure that the guests are not bitten keep him on a leash. Explain to the guests what the problem is and ask them if they are comfortable helping you in this way. You don't want nervous people doing this as they may make the dog feel uneasy.

I'm thinking that once he has had time to actually greet the person, instead of just randomly seeing someone appear in his home he wont be so tense about the situation. Once again, I could be wrong! Aggression issues are difficult to handle, specially when you are getting advice online from people whom cannot see the dog/problem first hand.

You said that he gets along alright with the Westie, which is another small dog. Maybe he is just scared of larger/newer dogs because he was never properly socialized? There could be a number of reasons, honestly. You said that you would like to be able to walk him in the park-- then do so. He's a weiner dog, if there really are any problems you can have him in your arms ASAP. If you see a huge dog approaching, try to avoid it for awhile. Work around other small dogs, and see how he does. When introducing your dog to other dogs, be sure that both are on a secure leash and make sure that the owner has a dog who is completely socialized. You don't want your dog interacting with other dogs who are aggressive, as it will encourage him to act that way. Do not let the dogs touch each other at first. Try to walk together, with the owners on the inside, and the dogs on the outside. If your dog starts to act out at all, correct it with a verbal command. I have tained my dog "Leave it" - she is dog aggressive, and it's due to lack of proper socialization. It's totally my fault, but hey, I was a kid.. Anyway, the "Leave it" command is awesome let me tell ya.

Anyways, DO NOT I repeat DO NOT hit, yell, yank the dog back, startle the dog while he's around another dog and in an already tense situation. Some dogs will take this in a very bad way and then want to attack or show aggression.

The best advice I can give you, however, is to contact a Canine Behaviorist or a well known trainer who has experience in this area. Really look around for a good one of this is an important thing to you. It's not always a good idea to take advice from people online for issues such as this, while we all may have an idea on how to help you, we can't see the problem!

Good luck.

OwnedBySix · 06-15-2006, 03:21 PM

The best thing to do with strangers entering your home is...absolutely nothing.

That's right...have them ignore Willis completely. You do the same. When he calms down a bit and stops barking, praise him lavishly. As he calms down more, have the stranger toss him treats from a distance, never looking directly at him, and never approaching him. Let HIM decide when he's ready to be friendly. Ask a couple of friends and family that Willis doesn't know very well to try this. The idea is to get him to realize that when strangers come it is a GOOD THING! He gets praised when he DOESN'T bark (as opposed to the attention - albeit negative attention - he gets when he is scolded), AND these new people seem to like GIVING him TREATS! YUM! YAY STRANGE PEOPLE!

It is not something that is going to happen overnight, but with time and patience, and continuity - he will get it.

You could do something similar with other dogs as well, with a leash and treats when he stops responding to the other dog...however some dogs just prefer to not be around other dogs. I personally would respect that...preventing a dog fight is easier than stopping one.

Curbside Prophet · 06-15-2006, 03:35 PM

All great advice above. If I could emphasize one thing more, it would be to gather some friends to rehearse coming and going in and out of your home. The more exposure your pup has to guests coming in, the quicker he will be able to adjust, and the more opportunities you will have to offer praise for good behavior. Good luck!

OwnedBySix · 06-15-2006, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThxForNothing

Have the guests give your dog a treat, of corse try and get him to do something for it... even if it's just a simple sit.
Good luck.

This is the only thing I disagree with in your post. The fact that he is NOT barking and snapping should be enough to warrant a reward. After all, that is the goal of the entire exercise! As time moves on and he is obviously doing better and is more at ease with strangers, then work on letting the guests give a command. This type of thing has to be done slowly and carefully...babysteps

Mach1girl · 06-15-2006, 04:15 PM

At that age, from years of experience, nothing will ever be achieved. Sorry to sound like a complete downer, but my 2 pekes are mean as sin, aggressive as hell, and all the $$$ and training and everything else in the world, did not help. We just put them up.

OwnedBySix · 06-15-2006, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mach1girl

At that age, from years of experience, nothing will ever be achieved. Sorry to sound like a complete downer, but my 2 pekes are mean as sin, aggressive as hell, and all the $$$ and training and everything else in the world, did not help. We just put them up.

Doing rescue, fostering lots of dogs and coming into contact with even more on a regular basis (many with 'issues')...I whole-heartedly disagree. If your dogs are mean and aggressive (outside of strangers as the OP is having trouble with) you should consider NILIF training. This applies to every single aspect of your dog's life. It is a LIFESTYLE and takes TIME, but it WILL work. Read more here http://k9deb.com/nilif.htm . Also consider this book http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/189...lance&n=283155 Which goes great with this one http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/034...lance&n=283155.

You only get out what you yourself put into it.

Dave|Xoxide · 06-15-2006, 05:12 PM

We have a new member that is advertising in his footer (which isn't exactly legit) but he has an ebook that covers this subject matter

look for DogDeputy and tell him i sent you LOL

Curbside Prophet · 06-15-2006, 05:15 PM

I certainly agree with you OwnedBySix, but I don't think we can assume Mach1girl didn't live by NILIF...it's quite possible, although it's very rare, that her pekes have some sort of untrainable genetic problem. And in the same breath, I don't think we can say that at a certain age no dog can be rehabilitated...I've seen many who have. Just a point of clarification.

opokki · 06-15-2006, 05:56 PM

The best advice you have received so far is to find a qualified trainer/behaviorist who can guide you through modifying the dogs behaivor.

Here is a video clip by Dr.Sophia Yin titled "Bandit Bites" demonstrating the counterconditioning technique that one of the other posters have mentioned.

http://nerdbook.com/sophia/Movies/mo...4hi.mov&num=24