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Currently I'm not dealing with any attacking dogs, but increasingly people in my circle have been asking for help with their dogs. The latest request is to handle resource guarding. Thinking it would help, the owner would take toys and bones away from her puppy, and then give them back. Now the puppy has grown into a 100+ lb dog and is growling and biting over bones.
The rescue I'm working with also had 'aggression issues' which really weren't aggression at all. He's simply afraid of women. His growl can seriously intimidate people, because he weighs in at 150 lbs, but after less than 1 week of socialization and love, he isn't growling at my wife anymore and seeks her out for attention. Last night my daughter and her friend were both able to pet him without any growling.
Both of these instances are highly likely to resolve well, but when you deal with dogs on a regular basis, and sometimes go help others with their dogs, you run the risk of getting bitten. I study expressions and body language to get a feel for when problems occur, and so far have done quite well at detecting a problem approaching. However, let's say I miss something important and now I have a dog biting me. Besides not freaking out, I'd like to hear advice on how to handle this. Expand the scenario to an off-leash dog that attacks out of nowhere. Once engaged, I'd like to have an idea of how to diffuse the situation and get the dog calmed down, or at the least to get the dog to stop aggressing.
The rescue I'm working with also had 'aggression issues' which really weren't aggression at all. He's simply afraid of women. His growl can seriously intimidate people, because he weighs in at 150 lbs, but after less than 1 week of socialization and love, he isn't growling at my wife anymore and seeks her out for attention. Last night my daughter and her friend were both able to pet him without any growling.
Both of these instances are highly likely to resolve well, but when you deal with dogs on a regular basis, and sometimes go help others with their dogs, you run the risk of getting bitten. I study expressions and body language to get a feel for when problems occur, and so far have done quite well at detecting a problem approaching. However, let's say I miss something important and now I have a dog biting me. Besides not freaking out, I'd like to hear advice on how to handle this. Expand the scenario to an off-leash dog that attacks out of nowhere. Once engaged, I'd like to have an idea of how to diffuse the situation and get the dog calmed down, or at the least to get the dog to stop aggressing.