Husky acting aggressively

Doberluv

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#21
Sisco....another book that might help you understand the concepts is Click to Calm, by Emma Parsons. She describes a desensatizing program, step by step, phase by phase. I have used these and like methods myself successfully. You can not start the dog way beyond his threshold, as Kayla and Dekka described. I recommend that you stay out of dog parks or other highy populated-by-dogs areas for now and find one or two friend's dogs, preferrably a couple that your dog likes all right to practice with if that's available ...if they'll help you. But when you go to someplace where there are loads of dogs up close, that is over-whelming for him and you can't work with him effectively that way. Once he's alerted and beginning to tense up and react, it's too late. You can't reach him. He's tuned you out. He can't help it. So you must find the distance, whether it's 100 ft, 200 ft or more where he can see the other dog, but not alert. That is where you want to try your starting place. There are other tricks explained in that book.

If done systematically, from well calculated distances and gradually, your dog can actually....instead of having that awful feeling that other dogs are going to take his treat (if that's what you mean is happening) your dog can come to learn that other dogs are good news because on account of their presence, he GETS treats.

It's true, everytime he reacts and manages to keep other dogs away, that reinforces his belief that the behavior works well to keep them away. He needs to have his mind changed that dogs are actually not a threat and in fact, "cause" good things to happen. I put cause in quotes because he "thinks" they cause good things to happen.

I agree that neutering sometimes makes a big difference in some dogs. It did in one of my GSDs and he was neutered a little on the late side. But it doesn't always in every individual. Sometimes those behaviors get so engrained in their brain, that even removing the hormones doesn't help because those neural pathways are so well formed. I don't know why it is effective in some dogs, but not others. But that's what I've noticed. It sure would be worth a try.

A poor early socialization history is indeed extremely difficult to work past, sometimes you never can if the pup missed out on ample socialization with other dogs between birth and 4-5 months.... and I agree that if he experienced other things which were initially alarming to him, but was able to bounce back right away, got use to things that initially alarmed him, then found out that they were okay after all, this process is probably doable, at least to some degree.
 

sisco16

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#23
What do you mean private classes Im not really sure where there are classes around here The only obedience type classes I know of are at the petstore and I would not take my dog to petsmart I know more than some of there employees about animals.Both of my sibes have been socialized since they were 8 weeks old with other dogs he has only become reactive lately But your right he is fine with my 3 year old sibe and dogs he knows well. I dont think he knows how to read dogs well he charges into a situation of a new dog with his tail straight up and the other dog takes it as a threat.
 

Doberluv

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#24
Ask around...your vet's, other people whose dogs appear to be well mannered/trained. Maybe boarding kennels...just to ask if they know of a good, positive method (even a clicker) trainer. Then go from there. Ask questions...what would their method be like? Their philosophy? Go view a class if they do group classes and see how the trainer interacts with dogs and people alike. See if a trainer you like does private lessons. I, for instance only do private sessions/house calls. Most do both. I just don't have enough population of people who are interested to do group classes in this isolated little mountain community and nobody seems to have any money. The only people who call on me are those who usually have some behavior problem where they're at their wit's end and they're usually people I know or someone who knows me knows...a friend of a friend of a friend. LOL. (a very small community) I have had a few calls from a neighboring town where they got my name from my vet's office. So, that is often a good resource. It doesn't mean the trainer they have in mind will necessarily be any good. You have to check them out. But it's one start-off point. Another place you can talk to lots of dog people is dog shows. Ask around.

Anyhow...in your situation, I think reading some of the books mentioned would help a lot, then see if you can find a trainer to help you get started on a one on one basis for a while.

Sometimes we think our dogs got enough socialization but they didn't or it didn't continue on amply as it should have. Some dogs, due to their breed are more difficult to socialize...need more than others. If your dog is charging up to dogs like you describe, it sounds like he is quite naive about how to meet and greet other dogs. That's where these books come in handy as well as a trainer experienced in these things. They show you how to show your dog new ways of acting around other dogs. It can help a lot but it's not a magic cure IMO. It takes diligence and persistent, effective practice.
 

Doberluv

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#26
Oh good Lizzybeth. The idea of posting that completely escaped me even though I'm so aware of it. I just woke up from a little nap and I'm woozy in the head. LOL. That's a great idea....glad you posted it. I do hope a good trainer is found.
 

Kayla

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#27
What do you mean private classes Im not really sure where there are classes around here The only obedience type classes I know of are at the petstore and I would not take my dog to petsmart I know more than some of there employees about animals.Both of my sibes have been socialized since they were 8 weeks old with other dogs he has only become reactive lately But your right he is fine with my 3 year old sibe and dogs he knows well. I dont think he knows how to read dogs well he charges into a situation of a new dog with his tail straight up and the other dog takes it as a threat.
That's too bad about no quality training schools in your area, the link Lizzy posted is worth checking out to see if anyone is within trave distance. I too probably would not go to petsmart. Many of their trainers are exceptional, but it is unlikely they have the experince needed to work with you through this. Also, maybe it's just me but their training rooms look awfully small- the last thing your boy needs is to be stuffed into a small, over crowded room full of loud dogs.

Unfortunantly some dogs need more socialization then meeting people on walks, the occasional dog here and there, disposition and breed are certainly contributing factors but some individuals simply are born with "brittle elastics" as Jean puts it.

When Duke was a puppy he met people constantly, we joined a locally run puppy club that was run well, he took the bus with me, I bred reptiles back then and when I went to one show he came with me. In four hours he met over 200 people, wagging his tail and giving kisses the whole time I should say or happily chewing on his kong. Seemingly out of nowhere he became very skittish on walks. (but I realize looking back I probably didn't pick up on any calming signals or signs that he was stressed out). The first time I remember actually noticing his uneasiness was when I saw his tail drop and observed him tense up as a women walked by on the same side of the street as us. He was maybe four months old at the time. By six months old he had gone from skiitish- to growling, to snarling and lunging and barking if anyone got in his comfort zone. I can assure you I told myself over and over that I had socialized my puppy, but the reality is looking back and knowing him now I realize his disposition would have required a much more attack style socialization (constant positive exposure) vs passive socialization (whoever the dog runs into over the first few months of his life- be it on a walk, on a trip or at home).

Either way the important thing is you are recognizing the problem and seeking to actively fix it. The reason I recommend finding an experinced trainer is that, they deal with these issues on a weekly basis, they travel across the country, and some even across the world to ensure they stay up to date with the latest studies and works of trainers across the world who also deal with these problems for a living. This is why in recent years there has been a shift away from older style training methods, because in recent years there have been many findings that simply dispute the effectiveness of said methods.

Private classes are pretty much mandatory for a reactive dog, the trainer needs to get a feel for the severity of the problem before having you join in main stream. Lastly if you have yahoo there are two groups that are fantastic, the first is Pros-4-reactive dogs and the second is shyK9's.

I wish you all of the best with working with your pup, it is a road I have travelled with my guy and I have tried many methods along the way. I will be the first to admit I have "alpha rolled" Duke when he was much younger- it didn't affect the problem either way but it certainly did not help our relationship. I tried choke and pinch collars because the first trainer I ever talked to swore it was my fault for not being dominant over him. I can gaurentee you that got me no further towards my goal. Today Duke is safe to bring in public, but it took a lot of work, 20 months to be exact, alot of it was me I was pretty sloppy at applying counter conditioning the first time I tried it, but I was done with yanking the crap out of my dogs neck.

I taught him a strong watch me and sit stay to start and it certainly helped, but it was only management. It took a revised and much more clean application of counter conditioning (many excellent posts about the process have been made about this already in this thread) and CU concepts to really get us over the biggest hurdle. I couldn't have stuck through the twenty months of work If I hadnt found the very talented trainer I did who first helpd me get Duke under control and on track with a counter conditioning program. This is why I recommend you find someone experinced who can guide you through the process, not just the easy parts, but the set backs which are bound to occur as well.

Kayla
 
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