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Poor Genetics & Weak
Nerves
By Adam G. Katz
Dear Mr. Katz:
I recently purchased your book, "Secrets
of a Professional Dog Trainer!" [
http://www.thats-a-good-dog.com/dogproblem ] and have tried very hard to
curb my dog Honey's aggressions, which I have now recognized as both fear
and food aggression... after reading your book.
But instead of
better, I fear it is getting worse.
We adopted her from the age of
2-3 months, and she was fine in the beginning. Very loving and extremely
hyperactive. The hyperactivity continues, and she still jumps up at anyone
coming near the house. She seems to fear tall men, especially if they have
anything in their hands, like a garden rake or spade, and she backs away
from strangers, even small children. She is afraid. She gets aggressive
with anyone she senses is afraid of dogs, and she has gone for them,
making it worse for them, of course! She becomes aggressive with anyone
who passes her by when any food is around, and she will growl and snarl at
them, telling them in effect that the food is hers, so hands
off!
To crown it all off, she snarled and growled at me today when
I went up to stroke her, which she has not done before. I have always
tried to correct her, either by the leash, or we have a muzzle which we
correct her with, and failing that, I will put her in her crate as a
punishment. I am not a novice with a dog. Before Honey, we had the most
wonderful shepherd/husky dog, who was similarly abandoned, and I never had
one problem with him - He was wonderful. I have taken honey to obedience
classes - She does sit and stay, also goes down when she is instructed
to.
I feel that I have done everything possible to alleviate her
aggression, but it doesn't seem to work. I have two daughters who both
pour love on her too, and quite frankly, I am afraid one day that she will
become vicious - Can you please give me some advice, because I do not want
to have to have her put down.
I have tried everything you recommend
in your book, including spitting in her food, and making her wait to eat
last. But I must be doing something wrong! I know mixed breeds aren't your
favorite, but please make an exception in my case. I love dogs, and hate
to be beaten. I am also English, and you must know that we are softies
when it comes to animals!
I await your reply in
haste!
Sincerely,
Diana
Dear Diana,
First, let me
point out that I share my home with a mixed breed.
And yes... I
like him. A whole lot! His name is Forbes and he is one of the most
compatible dogs I've ever had the pleasure of sharing my life
with.
To be honest, I have a feeling that your dog's issues are
very much a result of poor genetics and weak nerves.
But before
jumping to any conclusions, you must first recognize that all of the
information you've droned on about provides me with NONE of the
information I need in order to help you.
So... what do I need? I
need to know what happens when you correct the dog? Does she continue to
act aggressive? Does she stop immediately? Does she try to bite you? Does
she go submissive? And once you get her to pay attention to you, what's
happened once you've started to create new/positive associations with the
stimulus, as described in the book?
These are all of the questions
you need to be asking yourself. As well as:
- Is my timing on the
money? Is the dog associating my corrections with the behavior (the
aggression).
- Am I being consistent? (Be honest... if the dog
isn't getting a firm correction EVERY TIME she exhibits the behavior, then
it's no wonder that you're not getting the results you seek.)
- Are
my corrections motivational? If the distraction/stimulus is more
motivational than your correction, then you'll never get any results.
You'll know that your correction is motivational when the dog stops
looking at the stimulus and starts looking at you.
Please let me
know. However, judging on what you've described I would not be surprised
if this is mostly the results of poor genetics and weak nerves. And in
which case, you will never be able to overcome the dog's genetics, so the
dog should either be put to sleep or confined to such a lifestyle that she
only comes in contact with you and people that she does not show the
aggression towards. But before you make any snap decisions I would
recommend consulting with a professional who can evaluate the dog for you.
It's impossible to give an accurate assessment without seeing the mutt.
Err... dog. ;-)
To read more of my dog
training ramblings, read about my book:
Secrets of a
Professional Dog Trainer!
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