Any suggestions on agressive behavior?

Julie H

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#1
I have a Chessie and a Minpin and they are both anti-social. I took the chessie everywhere with me when she was little and we even went to puppy classes at pet smart just for the socialization. They both bark at everyone and the chessie will bite if someone surprises her. I think the chessie learned from our minpin. They both are out with us all the time. The chessie just turned a year old. Any chance she will grow out of it?
:(
 
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#2
These are serious socialization problems that it is unlikely they will grow out of. When you say Chessie, are you talking about a Manchester Terrier? Let me know and I'll get back to you when I'm not supposed to be working on a report. (lol)
 

rosalee

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#3
aggressive behaviour

Sorry to hear about your problems. I too have a similar problem with my pit cross. He is about two and a half now and won,t let anyone near me. I was talking to another owner the other day who had an extremely aggressive little terrier anyway the approach she is taking is to throw a hand full of disc,s at the floor by his feet whenever he starts to get naughty. I don,t know if you,ve heard of them they,re plastic round little disc all joined together and when you throw them at the floor they startle the dog sufficiently enough to stop him in his tracks, the trick is to not let the dog know that they are coming from you so that his actions are responsible for the subsequent reaction. Anyway it sounds good in theory so i will certainly be giving it a go because an aggressive dog can be a liablity can,t it. By the way is a chessie a chesapeake?
 

Julie H

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#4
Hi Renee, My Chessie is a Chesapeake Bay Retriever. I have heard that they are of an aggressive nature, but I have also seen so many nice ones. She is friendly once she gets to know you, but still very cautious. She's never been mis-treated, we have never left her with anyone but us. I can't take her to any more training classes because she would start trouble I think.
 
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#5
First off, Rosalee, I'd be very wary of using those discs or anything else to startle a large dog. Large dogs, especially breeds like the Pits (or our Filas for that matter) are supposed to go toward danger. It is considered a serious fault if they shy away from any kind of stimulus like that, so please, please, don't try the discs with large dogs! They probably are great for small dogs, but I can't stress enough that they could create a terrible, tragic situation for a large dog - and although the dog wouldn't be at fault, it would be the dog that would be punished.

Okay, Julie, I'd suggest you start working with your Chessie by himself - without the MiniPin. You'll need to work with the MiniPin separately as well, but you will want to concentrate on the Chessie, since he's the big dog and will be the one that gets himself in hot water.

I think it was Brattina who told us about a halter that has the ring on the chest so that when the dog acts inappropriately you can quickly pull him around to face you and firmly give him whatever command he's accustomed to you using. The Halti halter is also supposed to be very good for the same thing.

I'd also recommend checking out the training programs from the Monks of New Skete, either by video or book. I can't remember the exact address of their website, but if you run a search on Monks of New Skete dogs you should come up with it. It may be www.newsketemonks.com, but I'm not sure.
 

Julie H

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#6
Thanks Renee. We do have the halti and it does help. She is more controlable and walks with good sense while she is wearing it. She also has a harness, but not the kind you mentioned. I will look into the Monks of New Skete. Once I get a dog, or any pet for that matter, they are mine for life. So I hope we can work this out so everyone is happy.
 

mom2two

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#7
Agressive behavior

Hi Julie H,

I have a 4 year old bichon frise who is anti social to strangers. If it is a routine that she sees you she will be a friend for life, but if she doesn't know you she is very snippy. We have had her since 8 weeks, she has a collapsing trachea, and has had it from early on, plus I had just found out I was unable to have kids and I have to admit that I did not socialize her as great as she should have been. There are many people she knows and loves and has no issues with at all. (she was also hit with a toy truck from a little kid when she was 2-4 months of age, and there was never any other kids around, so she is definately not a kid person.) She said try a socialization class, at the time we signed up my husband was let go from his job, so it really was unable to be done. The vet has mentioned it is a behavior the dog might always have, but no dog is too young or too old for those classes. It might help, but not take it away. I am looking into this. Since then we have added to our family, and we over socialized him. He is super friendly to all, but he still barks at people. The vet mentioned that might go away and it might not, but no one will be able to sneak up on me. Gidget is also a runt, she is actually the size of a maltese and not a bichon, and I think I over nurtured her as a puppy. Sometimes we have found her not being friendly as a good protective measure such as when the man who just walked into the yard and tried to hold her, he was very close to the house and I had no idea who this man was. I felt very proud of her protecting me!


Gidget, my 4 year old, is a great dog...very loving and nuturing and intuitive. She is a sweetheart, it just takes her time to get to know you. We have one friend who ignored her when she came in and Gidget made up to her immediately. She does warm up to people, and it seems to be a little quicker since Dexter entered the picture. She watches him go and get petted and then she will slowly go over and then she warms up to you by bringing her ball or a toy for you to play with.

Has your vet any ideas to at least help a little more than just a socialization class? Keep me posted.

Beth :)
 

RD

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#9
The first thing I would do, training or not, for the Chesapeake is get her a muzzle and USE IT whenever you take her out. That's not as much for training reasons as it is for safety. If that dog were to do more than a nip at someone and actually hurt them, chances are she would be euthanized and you would have a lawsuit on your hands.

Plus, Chessies are getting a bit of a bad rap. No need to add to it, right? :)
 

flyndog

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#10
Julie H said:
I have a Chessie and a Minpin and they are both anti-social.
What surprises me here is that both are "anti-social", even after being "socialized". :confused:

I'm not sure being surprised should be classified as anti-social. When is he surprised, that is to say, what does it take to "surprise" him? How's his hearing?

If you can't attend an obedience course, I would recommend visiting Dr. P's website http://www.uwsp.edu/psych/dog/dog.htm for very helpful indexed behavior and training links (including Flying Dog Press).
Good luck!
Kit
 
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#11
I sort of have that problem with my Golden Retriever. I socialized him ever since he was young but he is still cautious around strangers...sometimes. Other times he's very out going and loves being around strangers. Is my dog a skitzo?

My dog is also very scared around other dogs. The only dogs around here seem to be aggressive so he's never been REALLY socialized around other dogs. He gets along with my miniature dachshund well but I also want to be able to take him to a dog park and have him not shy away from the other dogs.

He is about 1 year old now.I just found a dog park around here and I want to take him there. Is it too late to socialize him around other dogs?

-John
 

RD

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#12
Uh, Shredhead, you haven't seen Schizophrenia until you've met my dog.

But it's never too late to socialize him around other dogs... As long as he's just wary and not aggressive, just get him used to strange dogs walking by him.. You don't have to let him meet them, he just has to be calm and confident when they aren't near him.

Be careful in dog parks, keep your dog ON LEASH.. That'll assure that you'll have fewer negative experiences, and you can control him if another dog approaches him. I see some dogs in dog parks that are terrified and being followed by a crowd of dogs, unti lthey get backed into a corner and turn defensive... not too fun..
 
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Sadarra

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#13
Seek a Behaviorist

It's a nice idea, come here and get your questions answered but for serious behavior issues like this you need the professional, face-to-face guidance of a behaviorist in your area. Contact your vet to find the best behaviorist for your dogs. If you have limited resources then tell this to the behaviorist, they will give you a quick lesson on skills to work with and try to work around your budget.

It is very difficult to give advice over the web as we have no idea how your dogs are behaving, the triggers, or their health. Look up those web sites another poster provided to see what you can do.

That said, the problems you've listed seem like a dog just hitting the teenage years. Work on socializing more.

Chessies are more aloof than other breeds. They are not happy go-lucky labs! If your dog is simply not greeting people with tail wagging then you may not have much of a problem. They also tend towards dog aggression and have a lower pain tolerance. Perhaps their is a medical condition causing these reactions? If their are dog shows or Chessie breeders in your area then consider visiting without your dog to ask for more info on the breed.

Dog Parks... These are scary places for most dogs especially in crowded areas. Instead of throwing your dog in with a large crowd you should always make this a gradual process. For the first few weeks you should have the dog leashed and make the visits short and fun for your dog. Try going during less crowded times and planning play times with a group of dogs your dog is particularly fond of. Never throw a nervous dog in with a group, dogs have two reflexes: fight and flight. Most want to get away but if they can't then they will fight back. You may find someone with a similar minded dog who would be happy to arrange play dates with you.
 
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#14
Sadarra, nice observation about the teenage phase. My Kharma is officially a teenager right now. I went through it with Buffy and with Shiva. I never had a problem with my male dogs. They're just like human males - much more linear and easy to figure out. (rofl) Sorry guys, but it's true! You aren't nearly as much trouble as we are!

Kharma wants to be an independent little Brat Princess at times, even to the point of open defiance. I'll call her and she'll stop, look at me and then continue on her merry way. Shiva or Bimmer will go get her and give her what-for. She comes in, head held high and full of herself, though . . . until she gets banished to the laundry room for awhile to think about her transgressions, and maybe miss doing something she really likes to do. Just like a human teenager, Kharma hates being grounded. It also worked on Buffy and Shiva, although Shiva was a walk in the park compared to the other two.

Hope that gives a little encouragement and maybe some constructive ideas on coping with that stage of development. Isn't it great that it only lasts for a few weeks, as opposed to a few years with kids? ;)
 

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