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Amateur Dog Trainer Offers
Bad
Advice On Dog Aggression Problem!
By
Adam G. Katz
Dear Adam:
About a month ago, I
adopted a 41/2 year old male shepherd mix at the Hawthorne SPCA . He is
great except he barks (whines and cries) like he wants to play when he
sees other dogs. When the dogs get close in proximity, my dog lunges and
barks out of control in a very aggressive manner. At the shelter, he was
housed with two other dogs (no problem).
In addition, the shelter
employees confirmed that he showed no signs of dog aggression. The day I
brought the dog home, I hired a trainer anticipating minor problems. The
dog follows all the basic commands and is extremely well behaved until
another dog shows up -- at that point his excitement gets the best of him
and his interest is only in the other dog.
The trainer has
recommended a halti and the "leave-it" command but the problem appears to
be escalating. Recently we tried a pinch collar which seemed to be working
until my dog nipped me in response to a correction for lunging /barking at
another dog. Any suggestions???
Thanks,
Patty.
[ADAM
REPLIES:]
Thanks for the e-mail.
Here's what I
recommend:
#1: You may consider doing the following under the
supervision of an experienced trainer. Not the one you've been working
with, but one with experience when it comes to correcting
aggression.
#2: Please note that it may not be absolutely necessary
to hire a dog trainer for this specific behavior, but it depends a lot on
your confidence level. Here's what I recommend: Buy a snug fitting muzzle
for the dog and put it on him when you're taking him for a walk. Also make
sure you're using a properly sized and fitted pinch collar.
#3:
When he tries to correct you for correcting him, you're playing the
"broomstick game." He's correcting you, and you must end the game by
correcting him with so much motivation that he never thinks about trying
to bite you again. This is all a dominance behavior on his part.
It
should be quick and sweet. You should not let your dog suck you into a tit
for a tat game. The muzzle is so that you don't have to worry about him
biting you and so that you can still get your point across. Once he
understands this, your problem will be pretty much solved.
#4: Go
to a Starbucks Coffee or other area where people walk their dogs on leash
and put your dog on a down-stay and MAKE him stay down. He should get used
to other dogs walking by and staying calm. Praise him after they walk by
if he stays relaxed.
To read more of my dog
training ramblings, read about my book:
Secrets of a
Professional Dog Trainer!
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