agressive or what...!?

rhyno_xena · 09-20-2008, 12:48 PM

hi everyone,

i've two gsd pair... named Rhyno and Xena...! Rhyno is 7 months and Xena 6 months older...! Rhyno is very polite dog but Xena seems to be very aggressive... like she is very loud and very much impatient...! when i came infront of them with food... Rhyno(male dog) never shouts or yells, he just sits politely and he knows that food is for him or them...! whereas, Xena starts yelling shouting jumping all the aggressive stuffs as i m not going to give her the food...lol ...! well... can u guys tell me .. what should i do with her? like.. any tips or training technique...!

GreatDaneMom · 09-20-2008, 03:21 PM

first you need to understand what aggression is, as this is not. she is a vocal dog, who i would say is disrespectful. i use this term loosely, as i dont mean she is intending to disrespect you and thats what shes thinking, i mean it as that is how she is acting. you need to practice NILIF with her.

munchycrunchy · 09-20-2008, 03:31 PM

From the sound of things, this dog is not aggressive. Simply jumping up, barking, whining, etc. is showing excitement. Sure, it needs to be taken care of, but this comes along with basic training, making sure your dog is well behaved. I agree with GreatDaneMom. NILIF (Nothing in life is free) training.

klip · 09-21-2008, 06:02 AM

Agree with previous answers about it not being aggresive. At least,what you describe does not sound aggresive.

It also sounds like you are doing the right thing, if you mean that you wait until she sits quietly before giving food - or whatever she is demanding.
Dogs are different, but its likely that if you shout at her or give loud commands this will excite her even more.

Good idea to teach her what you DO want - lots of praise for sitting quietly, pay attention to her when she is calm and not just when she is noisy.

My female white shepherd can get like this. I have to ignore her in an obvious way - actually turn away from her or look up at the ceiling otherwise its like she does not "get" that I am ignoring her.

rosemaryninja · 09-21-2008, 06:58 AM

The rule is this. The dog gets his food the second he does what you want.

In this case, what you want is for them to sit quietly.

Rhyno should be getting his food once he sits quietly. He shouldn't have to wait because his sister is fooling around. This might mean you have to feed them separately.

As for Xena, I highly doubt you have an aggression problem on your hands. It just sounds like she's excitable. Jumping and barking aren't signs of aggression; they are signs of excitement. Basically, she's going like "FOOD! FOOD! FINALLY! GIVE IT TO ME!" She's just impatient, but you need her to learn that she's not going to get any food till she sits. Does she know the command "sit"? Does she know what she's supposed to do? If she does, you need to wait it out until she calms down and sits. The minute she sits, the bowl goes down.

rhyno_xena · 09-21-2008, 07:22 AM

thank u all very much...!

Yes she knows the sit command... but she's really impatient... and i've tried like half an hour standing with the bowl and not giving it too her till she calms down.. but she never calms down.. lol... but if u see ... Rhyno...in the mean time he finishes his food and watches us (me and xena) having stressed lol... i do this regular... like u said no calming down no food bowl is going down thing...! but nothing happens.. she just screams and screams... anyways... lets see... what happens.. !

again... thanks all!

GreatDaneMom · 09-21-2008, 10:35 AM

when she barks, turn your back. no eye contact no talking no nothing. dont say anything just turn. when shes quiet turn back around, give the sit command. if she does sit, give the food. if she begins to bark again, turn your back again. repeat over and over. she will get the point.

my Lexi is a VERY food driven dog. when she even hears the word food she starts to drool and shake. we have their food in a large toat. when i go to take the lid off, sometimes she will begin to bark... lid goes back on. when she stops barking, lid comes off... and so on and so forth with the rest of mealtime. no matter how far i am, if she barks, she doesnt get what she wants. she learns I control EVERYTHING.

rhyno_xena · 09-21-2008, 11:59 AM

i hate to say this but its true... i have less control on Xena...! she doesnt listen anything i say...! and i've very busy schedules... so i really get short time to spent time with them... but Rhyno is a goody one... he is gentle.. and listens every word i say...!... anyways... thanks for the reply greatdanemom..! i'll follow the instructions...!

GreatDaneMom · 09-21-2008, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rhyno_xena

i hate to say this but its true... i have less control on Xena...! she doesnt listen anything i say...! and i've very busy schedules... so i really get short time to spent time with them... but Rhyno is a goody one... he is gentle.. and listens every word i say...!... anyways... thanks for the reply greatdanemom..! i'll follow the instructions...!

well on that note, most people do say (and i agree) that males are more willing to do what you want when told because they are more willing to please you. they get more satisfaction out of pleasing you than females. now having 2 females, i know how tough this is. i think females take a little more training in the respect that they need to know that you control things, than males.

klip · 09-21-2008, 01:07 PM

What GreatDaneMom says. Very good advice. My dog sounds very like yours. Just standing there is not going to do it - you need to send clear signals that nothing will happen until she is calm.

What I used to do - first train her to sit - then down - then sit- then stand - then down and so on very fast. Trained her with lots of treats, so she loved doing this. Then EVERY meal I make her sit-stand-sit-down-sit-down-stand-sit and so on very fast. When I feel her concentration is good - sit - a little wait - then BANG down goes the bowl.

I used to step this up to a longer wait - and then she also had to wait while the bowl was on the floor until I released her.

I would really take advantage of this - its acutally great she has such a strong food drive, and especially if you have little time to work with her. Make every meal time a training opertunity.

rhyno_xena · 09-21-2008, 03:02 PM

great... thank u guys... for sharing ur views and knowledge...! i really dont get that help here as my neighbours dont have any dogs other than me...! anyways..... its really helped me a lot knowing that owners also do mistakes!

Lonewolfblue · 09-21-2008, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreatDaneMom

well on that note, most people do say (and i agree) that males are more willing to do what you want when told because they are more willing to please you. they get more satisfaction out of pleasing you than females. now having 2 females, i know how tough this is. i think females take a little more training in the respect that they need to know that you control things, than males.

And to think that I have 3 females, LOL. I definitely would have to agree that females are more of the "Take Charge" kind. Males tend to be more mellow. But this isn't always the case, I've seen where the female is mellow. As for my 3, Betty is in charge. But she also shares everything, and doesn't guard. Chloe is more of the Mellow type. And she has to always be around her person. When I let the 3 outside, if I'm not out there, she'll do her duty, then go to the corner of the yard and start howling. Drives me nuts, lol. But as soon as I open the door, it's like "There you are", and runs to me. And I do agree, most females need more training in the respect area.

For the feeding, they gave some excellent info for you to work with. I really don't have much else to add other than not to give in to her. You start giving in, even if it's just a little, she'll take a mile, and you will be 3 steps back. Just set a goal, and go for it.