My dog has become a jerk

In My Humble Opinion
1

My three year old boxer (male, fixed) used to be the friendliest dog in the world. Loved people, loved meeting new dogs on the street. Went to the dog park at least once a day for the first two years of his life; he’d gotten in a few fights, but considering the amount of time we spent at the dog park, he was pretty angelic.

About a year ago, he got into a pretty bad fight at the park. It was both dogs fault. They both disliked each other on sight, postured and lunged. I got ahold of my dog within seconds, while the other owner was reluctant to get into the fray. As a result, the other dog got about thirty seconds of free shots at my dog, and my dog ended up with a few nasty gashes, and my career as an underwear model ended before it got a chance to begin, as I got a nice three inch scar on my butt. (ok, my odds were low before this, but I digress…)

Total change. We can’t go near a dog park as he WILL start a fight. If there is another dog coming, nomatter how tiny, the hair on his back stands up and he gets nervous. If they get any closer, he starts to growl. If they get within a few feet, I can feel him start to lunge. He’s still mostly all right with people, but seems a bit tentative and fearful of new people sometimes. I thought things would change if we just avoided the park for awhile, but it seems to be getting steadily worse.

I don’t think that it’s a dominance issue, as he seems to have no trouble accepting me as the leader. I think he just goes into fight or flight, and since he’s on the leash and can’t run, that leaves him one option.

It’s a real issue because I sometimes work long hours, and used to put him in a doggie daycare facility on those days, but they (understandably) won’t take him anymore. Finding places to board him is a nightmare.

Anyone successfully used a trainer or trained such a dog themselves? I seem to remember a few dog trainers on here.

2

Dog trainer here.

I highly recommend the book “Click to Calm”, if you’re into positive reinforcement training.

Truth is, right now, there is no way you can trust your dog in a dog-park situation. Many big-name dog trainers are totally against the idea of dog parks for the exact reasons you were mentioning in your post. Some will even tell you to stay away. Dogs, while it’s nice to have them socialized and not being jerks when they meet another dog as you take it for a walk down the street, do not really need each others’ companionship and “playtime”, as it were. Opinions on this vary.

Your dog was aggressed at the park. Now, it’s not going to trust other dogs. It would rather fight (and instigate a fight) than get picked on. Fights are, to a dog, relatively addictive - it’s hard to break a dog out of the habit, once it has decided to become dog aggressive (be it self-protective aggression, or full-out dominant aggression)

Can you break your dog of this? Maybe, but chances are that you will ALWAYS have to be very careful. Why did it suddenly happen after many times of “angelic behavior” at the park? Partly age, party the other dog, partly the weather and the gods :wink: No one will ever know.

The thing about dog parks is that it’s like a totally fluid pack. Everyone likes to play, sure, but once you (as a dog) reach a certain age, you want to know what your place is. You’ll pick on the smaller dog. You’ll chase the dog that wants to be chased. You’ll alpha roll others. Sometimes it’s in play. Other times, it’s not. And the line is VERY fine. So with a fluid hierarchy, there are bound to be fights. It’s just the way the dog biscuit crumbles.

I have four dogs - two get to go to the dog park: one only cares about her frisbee, and the other, the old man, is super tolerant. My aussie puppy does NOT get to go - he is not dog aggressive, but he is extremely resource protective (and his resources all members of his pack). He doesn’t ask questions, he takes charge. The other one is a rescue, who doesn’t know how to play (badly socialized early on) and so gets into trouble by sending the wrong signals to others and reading others wrong.

One thing that can improve your situation would be to go back to obedience classes. Re-affirm total control over your dog. Try the Nothing In Life Is Free training method a while - back to square one, umbilical training, the works. Teach your dog that you’re the boss, and that it doesn’t have to posture when other dogs are loose around it, you have the situation under control.

It’s a hard thing to break, once it’s happened. I wish you the best of luck. I know how hard it is. Truthfully, though, you can find other activities you can do with your pooch to poop him out and not put him (or your butt) in danger :wink:

Just my 2 cents.

3

Guess I should note - teaching your pooch you’re the boss isn’t about dominance. It’s partially about protection. He has to learn that no matter what happens, YOU will take care of things. He doesn’t have to posture, or be nervous. You’re in total control over EVERYTHING in his life (that’s where NILIF is WONDERFUL as a training concept), so he has nothing to worry about.

Honestly though - Click To Calm - wonderful, awesome book, and it came highly recommended by a behaviorist I know at Tufts. :slight_smile:

4

Thanks. I really appreciate the feedback. I had kind of accepted that dog parks are now out of the question for us. I guess I’m hoping that I can get him to the point where I feel all right asking friends (with dogs) to have reciprocal dog sitting relationships without having the jerk dog!

As a dog trainer, what do you think of these doggie bootcamps? The wife and I are going away for two weeks and found a place nearby that runs two week programs with a trainer. The trainer works with him during those two weeks and then has several followups with us and the dog to get us trained as well. It would basically only cost us 200 bucks more than the boarding alone, so we’re considering it.

It seems to be on the up and up, though it’s difficult to tell.

5

I sympathize with your situation. My eldest dog (a black lab who is going on 14 years old) had a fracas with another dog and its owner about seven years ago. The other dog was a young adult who wouldn’t play his “role” in the dog park pack and roll over for my dog. My dog did the usual alpha dog thing (growl and make a big fuss, but nothing scary) but the other owner freaked out and started beating my dog with her lawnchair. Long story short, my dog freaked out and I couldn’t take him to the dog park anymore because he became dog-aggressive after this incident.

He lives with two little sisters and is very good to them, but interaction with other dogs has been iffy for years. The poster above offers really good advice, I wish I had pursued some of the suggestions about re-training my poor old boy.

6

Based on my experience as a dog owner and a professional pet sitter, I have never liked or recommended dog parks. They are risky places because a: you can never completely predict what a dog will do, no matter how well you think it may be trained, and b: you can never predict what an owner will do (refuse or be unable to control their dog, intervene overzealously with a lawn chair, etc.)

Boxers are generally a friendly breed, and I have high hopes that you will be able to retrain your dog if you can dedicate the time to it. Sessions with a professional trainer couldn’t hurt, but I think they will be more effective if you are present for them all, especially if the issue seems related to the dog being nervous about you as Pack leader. One thing you might look into is how you behave whenever there are strange dogs around. Dogs are acutely tuned to our body language, and if you are tensing up, anticipating a possible fight, you may be triggering even more nervousness in him. Get yourself a water gun and fill it with white vinegar and if an off leash dog comes close, spritz it at the strange dog. This works great for me; off leash dogs are a big pet peeve of mine. The sharp odor is usually sufficient to run a dog off without hurting him in the least.

7

You need Cesar Millan, The Dog Whisperer.
(It’s a great show the National Geographic channel)

8

Training may be of help.

Why not go to a (dog?) psychiatrist? :wink:

9

I have to disagree with the vinegar idea-- it could burn the dog’s eyes and nothing’s more dangerous than a dog in pain. Usually, plain water will do the trick. The shot of water startles them, giving you enough time to get away.

10

I’ve just finished reading ‘Animals in Translation’ by Temple Grandin and I highly recommend for anyon that works or lives with animals-dogs,cats,cow, horses etc.
While not a raining manual per se, it offeres the best explanations I’ve ever read for different animal behaviors and most improtantly, how train animals in a context that they understand.

She outlines the sort of behavior that you describe as** Fear Aggression**.
From what you’ve said about your dog prior to the attack, he sounds like a well adjusted animal that ws submissive to you but dominant with other dogs.
Not in a nasty way, mind you but comfortable with his role.
Your dog still sees itself as dominant but it’s also scared
Although she primarily describes the dangers of a fearful dominant dog to humans (and this in no way implies that your dog is dangerous to you), it sounds very like what you are experiencing.

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11

Sorry-chagrined smile-hit ‘reply’ too soon.

Because your dog was injured and you, his alpha pack leader was unable to protect him, the dog can no longer rely on you at the park.
Every dog he sees is a threat and he’s terrified.
In his little doggie brain, the best defense is a continuous offense.

It’s very difficult to erase fear motivated behavior and you may never be able to trust your dog with other dogs again.
Temple Grandin:

In other words, every time you return to the park, you trigger that first fight memory.
She does offer some basic suggestions on how to desensitize a fear dominant animal but honestly, as your dog is not getting better, your best bet maybe just avoiding dog parks from now on.