Dog Aggression in General

[jude09]

Hey guys!

Here's something that Sharda has to say about this topic;

Such bad behaviors include chewing, digging, barking, jumping up, chasing, begging, and biting. Your dog doesn’t perform these bad behaviors to make you mad—he just doesn’t know that they are bad unless you teach him!

Many dog owners do not take the initiative to correct such behavioral problems. So, they give up hope on their dog and send them to a shelter. This can be avoided with proper training.

Aggression

Aggressive behavior is normal for dogs in their own environment—after all they are descendants of the wolf. Dogs communicate by biting, growling, showing teeth, and snarling and this is perfectly normal for them. But, this behavior is not acceptable among humans—especially in the home.

Ironically, most dogs become aggressive because their human owners have not properly trained or socialized the dogs.

You can read more about this topic by clicking here guys.

[Sarah]

I disagree about dogs being aggressive in their natural environment. That is only one way of looking at it. The only way an Alpha communicates and teaches others in the commune is by their mouth. They also use intimidation with one another. This is not aggression. Aggression is when a dog has no job, or has been taught to be mean such as for dog fighting, or attacking and these types of dogs are deemed viscous and are regularly put down. Other reasons for aggression is "fear". If you purchase or adopt a puppy and that puppy shows signs of aggression towards you, other people or other dogs, is because he/she is afraid. You have not been the Alpha for this dog. If it's an adult dog, it's because he/she doesn't know how to do whatever you are asking them to do, and needs you to teach them.

My old trainer would rescue these dogs and turn them around, making them service protected dogs. They are good dogs, who have gone bad, not of their own choice, but because they had an owner who didn't know how to handle them properly, or people who got a dog for the sole purpose of attacking others.

My Buddy was abused when he was at a young age, we figured because his owner wanted him to be an attack dog, and abused him to make him aggressive. He turned out to be the best dog ever, who loved everyone, and had respect.

Love , Patience, Determination teaches a dog how to be a good dog, no matter what their background is.

[Nunziatta]

This dog forum is fantastic! Thank you, Sharda, for starting it.

My 9 month old Scottish Terrier, Molly, has started biting at my legs and feet after I play outside with her. She is on a dog run in our big, rural backyard. I think she is doing this for attention because she doesn't want me to leave and go back into the house. We had a Scottie for 14 years and did not have a problem with biting, but recently I've heard that Scotties are biters! I have been using a clicker and placing treats on the ground when she approaches me aggressively so that she will learn to come to me (and others), placing her feet on the ground instead of jumping and biting. It is beginning to work. We have also done 6 weeks of obedience training. For the most part, Molly is a sweet, smart, feisty dog.
I would appreciate any feedback or tips about the biting or other behaviors in Scotties.

[Sarah]

Hi Nanziatta. If you are feeding your dog when she is behaving bad, you are saying to her "that's how you want her to be" So I suggest you quit giving her treats when she behaves badly.

I know you said you live in a rural area, but your dog still needs to walk with you. Walking is a bonding experience. It's also what comes naturally for all dogs. Wolves in the wild will walk for miles. So you if can begin to walk with her around you area that will provide her with the exercise she needs on a daily basis. The playing with her, is an added bonus.

You can place your dog on a long leash, place him or her a distance the length of that leash, tell her to "stay", then back away from the dog until the leash is taught, say" come" and tug a bit on her collar. Then give her a treat for coming to you.

I also suggest that you find an obedience class for your dog, and enroll him/her immediately. The class will help you with all the basic commands, like sit, stay, come, leave it, etc.

Let us know how it goes.

[MaryAnn]

Play needs to end on your terms. When your dog nips/bites at you ....let out a high pitched 'ouch', in other words, yelp. Get up and walk off, turning your back toward the dog. That is how puppies learn to play and interact when still with their mother and littermates. If one was getting too rough, they would yelp to tell the others to back off.

You may want to teach your dog "easy" when you DO TREAT...if he attempts to bite or nip you...he simply doesn't get a treat. Walk away. It's important that you try and have your dog figure things out for himself.

Remember to only reward the good, calm behaviors. Reward the behaviors you want.

[Nunziatta]

Thanks for your feedback! We do walk Molly twice a day which makes her calmer when she is inside the house. She attended group obedience classes and one individual class where she has learned the basic commands. She is very smart, but also an independent, stubborn little terrier. We will enroll her in further classes as she is only 9 months old and still has much to learn. We are careful to not reward her for bad behaviors. The tip about putting a a treat on the ground as she runs towards us was from a trainer. The treat is supposed to make Molly look down and put both feet on the ground, rather than jumping on us. So the treat comes before the jumping. We are also using the suggestion by which we raise one knee when she starts coming at us and say "off". We really want to discourage Molly's jumping on people. She's very friendly and excitable with new people.
We do need to keep reinforcing the "come" command. Leash walking is still a challenge. We are considering buying the "Easy Walk Premier" harness which attaches the leash to the chest area. Any other suggestions for collars or harnesses for terriers would be appreciated.

[Sarah]

Saying off is an excellent idea. How is she doing with putting the treat on the ground. Is she taking it and then jumping on you, or is the treat deterring her from jumping? If it's deterring her, then you have the solution. IF not, try this. When she jumps on you, walk into her, making her move while you are saying off. Have everyone say this if she jumps on them. Eventually she'll understand what you want.

Regarding leashes and harnesses, I always say use what works. It's really what you prefer to use. I've always had big dogs, so a harness would never work for them, but If I had a small dog, I would try a harness oppose to a collar and leash. At least until I was able to teach the dog what I wanted from her.

[Debelvis]

My yorkie is very territorial and protective of me. When my grandchildren come over I have to put her in her crate. If they get near me she will go after them. Also she goes after people's feet. If I give her a bone she will take it and put it in her crate and not come out. We had to get the fireplace tongs the other day to get the bone out so she could go outside and go potty. It is terrible. She is very hyper. My sister says she is depressed. I just don't understand. I bought her some new treats today, now she wants to go potty every 10 minutes to get one. She is just playing me. I'm afraid she is going to bite someone. She actually went after my 2 year old granddaughter this pass weekend because she was trying to get in the chair with me. I need help. She is driving me crazy. She's 5-1/2 and was spayed in June, 2010.