Aggressive Dog. Suggestions / Advice Please.

In My Humble Opinion
1

Hi,

I have a dog. He has issues. I need advice.

If you’d rather not read the history, and would just like to answer my questions, feel free to scroll down to the last few paras.

He was abandoned at about 6 months by his previous owner. We took him up from these 2 kids that approached us on the road saying that their dad had chucked them out of the house and asked them to return without the dog or not at all. They weren’t happy about leaving the dog on the street, so they kept asking passers by to please take up their dog. We were on the look out for a dog sometime then, so we accepted the dog. Kids were happy, we were happy.

The dog is a mix between a doberman and a stray. He’s about 2 years old now. He’s black. He’s small. He’s untrained. And very aggressive. All shots etc. have been administered, so that’s not an issue.

About the only command he understands to some extent is “Sit”.

We have this bungalow with a large compound in my hometown, where he’s put up. It’s not in my primary city. My younger brother lives there. I visit occasionally. The only person he (the dog) really listens to is me. The only other persons who can somewhat handle him are my younger brother and the gardener. There are a handful more people that he allows to pet him. He has bitten (minor bites, more like snaps) my bro and the gardener a couple of times. They’re both scared of him when he gets moody, but they love him dearly. As do I. He’s nice and playful when he’s happy. But he’s extremely moody, and if you don’t read his moods properly and approach him when he’s aggressive, you’re probably gonna be bit.

The practical problem is that, this being the hometown and the family house, there are a lot of people that visit regularly. There have been some incidents, and now I need to find some solutions to keep the extended family pacified and shielded from the dog’s aggression. They’d be more than happy to call the dog squad in. I resent such a solution, and come to you for advice.

Problems: Untrained, aggressive, jumpy, hates people with a passion (other than the few mentioned already). Once he’s let loose in the garden it’s difficult to catch him and tie a leash so we can put him in a corner where he won’t be trouble for visitors.

I’m thinking of building a cage or an enclosure in the garden to house him. Entering his enclosure to feed him won’t be an issue. I’ll also need to get my bro and the gardener some protective gloves, the kind that he can’t bite through, so they can handle him with more confidence. I’m not sure if a muzzle would be of any help. Would it ? There’d be the added issue of getting him to wear the muzzle. At nights he would be let out of the enclosure so he can roam through all that is his. The problem again is catching him in the morning and getting him to enter the enclosure. He reminds me of Forrest Gump sometimes. He just runs like mad when you try to catch him. He runs all over the place till he’s tired. Then he looks at you with the tilted head and the glaring eyes. It’s only then that you have a chance. Are there any catching methods that would be effective ?

Should I get him neutered ? Would that help reduce his aggression ? To what extent ? Getting him mated looks tuff, 'coz he’s not pure bred.

I did some reading online and came across the clicker method of training. Has anyone used this effectively on a 2 year old aggressive, untrained dog ? Is it likely to work ? Should I try it ?

What are your suggestions ? Any ideas that I can use ?

Thank you for your responses.

2

Neuter him. It will do much to ease him. Also a big stick and a squirt gun filled with ammonia will help too.

Or, just put him down and get a cat.

3

geee… have social behavioral problems? cut of his balls!

ick i wonder if that works on humans.

I’d try some formal obedience school first. If that dont work, then cut off the balls, but Im sure he’ll appreciate the extra gesture of leniency on his jewels.

If I may be allowed to pose my problem in this thread aslo, I have a neighbor with an agressive and jumpy dog. If ever that beast gets free in my neighborhood unleashed I may have to shoot the thing. All he does is bark and snarl at any human that doesnt live in my neighbors house. Thers is a 5 foot fence separating him from my yard and whenever anyone in my family is outside, this wacko dingo jumps high enuf to pop his head completely clear of the cement fence. I dare not place a hand on the fence of heaven forbid poke my head near it for fear of of getting biten. I will go on the record that if that thing “accidentally” bites any of my family, I will accidently shoot it dead and take the legal consequence.

So, is there anyone with advice as to how to keep me out of jail? I tried talking to the neighbor and he just shrugs it off as normal frisky dog behavior. What, if anything, can I legally do to prevent an accidental biting?

4

It worked on a dog I used to have. He become almost a people person. It’d probably work on people, too.

5

Seriously, enroll the dog and yourself in an obedience class. Obedience classes train the humans as much as the dogs. This dog needs to be dominated and dominated hard. You have to lovingly show this dog that you are the boss. That aggressive behavior is absolutely not tolerated. Dogs are social pack animals and they need to know their place in the pack heirarchy. Your dog will be perfectly happy to be the omega dog, but he has to know that you are the alpha dog. Talk to the trainer at your obedience class and let him know that your dog has these behavior problems. I’m sure she’ll help you. These sound like they are well within the range of normal behavior for a dog, he just needs help to understand what acceptable behavior is.

6

The dog is not going to miss his balls. One of ours, neutered at the age of one or so, greatly enjoys what the vet left behind. (Eeeew.)

You should have had him fixed a long time ago if you weren’t planning on breeding him, actually.

Beyond that I have no idea. But fixing him will probably calm him down some. It will also make him less prone to roaming, if he ever gets out.

7

IANA Animal Behaviorist, but neuter the dog. It should help with the aggression and it’s the right thing to do since you’re not breeding him. Obedience class should help, too. The dog may be acting out of lack of discipline and may have abandonment/abuse problems. If possible, have everyone go to the obedience class so the dog knows that all the 2-leggers are alpha.

As for X~Slayer(ALE), have you talked to your neighbor? They probably don’t care. Sounds like the dog is hyper-territorial probably because s/he isn’t well socialized. Anyway, I’ll quit conjecturing. If talking to your neighbor doesn’t help the situation, tell them you’re considering calling your local Animal Control. Not to take the dog away, but because in some cities, excessive barking = code violation. Don’t deal with it yourself. The hassle is not worth it.

8

First, neuter the dog . You’re not doing him any favors by NOT neutering him. Don’t take it personally. Un-neutered male dogs are subject to developing testicular cancer, as well as a host of other health issues. It will help with the aggressive behavior, but since he is already a biter you will need to do some serious work with a trainer for YOU to learn how to be the Alpha. Please do not gloss over the fact that your dog bites - he BITES, and is setting you up for a nice lawsuit sometime, especially since it is already known that he has this behavior.

His running from you simply tells me that he doesn’t view you as the Alpha, and quite likely had quite a bit of abuse. In general, your heart is in the right place, but you should brace yourself for the possibility that he may not respond to the training. Dogs are pack animals, so confining him to an out-building may exacerbate the problem. Talk to your vet at length about his behavior to rule out neurological problems.

Neuter him , train him, then if all else fails, do the kind thing (believe it or not) and put him down. I’ve taken in strays, and have had good luck with them, but if one of my dogs ever bit someone, he’d take a quick trip to be euthanized. I’ve been bitten by a German Shepherd, and would not wish that on anyone.

Good luck, kiddo. You have your work cut out for you.

9

:eek:

Christ on a crutch! Do ** * NOT * ** do this. It’s probably the worst advice I have ever heard.

Squirt guns can be used very effectively when filled with plain * water. * They can be a great teaching tool because the dog doesn’t know where the punishment is coming from. He just knows if he does [this] he gets shot with water.

Ammonia has the potential to blind the dog. He can also be poisoned if he licks it off of his fur.

10

As said before, get him neutered. There’s no reason why he shouldn’t be anyway…
Next step, training. You can call around your town to check out obedience classes and trainers. Talk to the trainers and explain exactly what is going on and they will probably offer you specific advice/classes. Your dog probably needs a bit of socialization with people too, which means that caging him off is not going to help things.
My dog, Cowboy, was a little aggressive when I brought him home. He was abused and neglected by his former owner to a point where his leg had to be amputated and therefore was a very nervous/easily threatened animal. He never bit anyone (well, he bit my little doxie twice), but he would growl and snarl at any large/tall man who entered my house. We found that obedience class/socialization calmed him down quite a bit. Also, we would get the men who Cowboy was threatened by to gently feed him little treats and, eventually, pet him (carefully!), showing him that they were not out to get him. He’s calmed down a lot now and my dad (one of them men he was scared of) is now the only person who my dog actually take commands from without being bribed with food! The trainer at Cowboy’s class also made us do things to teach Cowboy that he was not the alpha male. Simple things like grooming him with a little brush (even though his hair is quite short) and making him sit and wait for us to give him his food went a long way.

11

I definitely agree with SouthernSky.

First of all, definitely neuter him. You should not consider breeding a dog that is aggressive to people. And yes, it will probably help with the aggression, and it definitely won’t hurt. There is absolutely no downside to neutering him. None at all.

Try to fine a reputable trainer in the area and get some advice in person. A dog that repeatedly bites people and that scares everyone in the neighborhood is really not something that you can get good advice about on-line. If you can’t train the aggression out, do the right thing and euthanize the dog before the problem escalates and someone is seriously hurt.

Good Luck.

12

Put him down. There’s no place in a human society for a biting dog. Perhaps it’s because I am a biologist, but I don’t get too sentimental about animals. This one is a liability in too many ways. Send him gently into that good night.

13

First, get him neutered. Second, find a professional trainer/animal behaviorist who uses positive reinforcement to help you: Association of Pet Dog Trainers
Your normal community sponsored or PetsMart training classes will not help you much with this kind of dog. You need someone who will be able to give you more individual attention. I would not go the choke chain/punishment route since that is liable to cause you even more problems. Finally, ditto what Lissa said. Ammonia can blind them. Lemon juice and water is ok, but aim it at his mouth. I would still not do this as it is punishment for bad behaviors. You want to reward and reinforce good behavior.

14

Neuter! Neuter! Neuter! Unless there are no unwanted starving dogs roaming the streets of Bombay – unless dogs in your area don’t harbor diseases and parasites – unless every animal there has a loving home – neuter the fellow!

Trainingwise, you definitely need to establish dominance. One of the best ways to do this, from what I’ve heard, is to require your dog to do a trick before you’ll do anything for him. Does he want to go outside? Make him sit first. Does he want dinner? Make him sit first. Does he want to play? Make him sit first. Does he want to get a head-scratch? Make him sit first.

Don’t do anything for him until he’s told you that you’re the boss. He’ll tell you that by obeying your commands.

This training technique is nonconfrontational. You don’t put yourself at a higher risk of being bitten by doing it. Your dog doesn’t get hurt. BUt the message comes across loud and clear to his doggy-brain: you’re the alpha.

If you can afford a professional obedience class, by all means attend one with him. If not, there’s a lot of good resources on the Web. The Denver Dumb Friends League is a fine place to start for information.

Daniel

PS Neuter!

15

You’re talking about NILIF - Nothing-In-Life-Is-Free
I think that’s something this dog needs to establish some boundaries. I’d like to point out to the OP that old school methods that are slow to die would have you rolling this dog to get back your alpha position. Never do this with this dog or you could be bitten.
Here are some other links that might help:

Aggression in Dogs

Another one

16

Scumpup, on one level I agree with you, but it seems a shame to give up on this dog without trying. If nothing works, THEN that would definitely be a consideration, but please keep in mind this is essentially a family member we’re talking about.

17

The clicker training method can be very effective. Whatever you do, your brother and anyone else who lives with the dog will also have to do. Consistency is key. It is possible to train older dogs!

I would try to get the advice of a professional. If it is not possible to get him in a class because of his aggressiveness, ask if you can get one or two sessions on your own, to get you started. Many trainers are willing to do this for reasonable prices. Ask your vet to refer you to someone.

Also, I would neuter the dog. It could help with the aggressiveness, and it is good for the dog anyway.

Good luck.

18

Neuter. No question. Then training, for your family and the dog.

If those options don’t work, you have no choice but to destroy an untrainable, vicious dog. I’m sorry.

19

Ditto on the neuter and training.

Concerning the Squirt Gun: You fill a squirt gun with a little ammonia (just a drop or two) and a lot of water. You can also use perfume or scented bath oil. When the dog (or cat) misbehaves, you squirt them. It doesn’t hurt them, but it does annoy them. But don’t push it too long, some are just too stubborn for it to work.

My dog chewed - incessantly. She pulled the gutters off the house (she climbed on the air conditioner to reach them) then she chewed the back of the air conditioner. etc etc etc We tried everything. Nothing worked until she had 12 puppies, then we had her fixed. No more chewing.

20

No, it has nothing to do with being a biologist. I’ve known many biologists over the years who were absolutley ga-ga over their pets. It has everything to do with not being an animal person.

I think, having taken this dog on, you owe it to him to give him a fair chance. Neuter him, and do intensive training with him. If that doesn’t help, and he still bites, then I’d seriously consider putting him down.