Aggression getting worse...

[Dreeza]

Sorry this is obscenely long, but I need help...

I'm not sure if its been b/c of all the excitement going on lately (lots of new people around plus my sister's new baby...who of course is stealing lots of attn from Oakley), or maybe b/c his ear infection is bothering him, but today Oakley' aggression took a turn for the worse, and I just don't know what to do anymore.

I've tried reading through all the recommended posts, but I just haven't really found a method that seems realistic yet.

First, we went to the vet, who Oakley has always hated...he has to get muzzled b/c he growls & snaps at him, which he did today...

Then, the siding thing on my kitchen counter is broken (hard to explain)...anyways, there is this piece that is bendy & if you lift it up & then let it go, it makes a really loud snapping noise...this happened accidently as my aunt was walking by, and Oakley went NUTS. At first, it seemed playful, so my sister decided it would be funny to do it again. He once again seemed to react "playfully"..barking & tail wagging, but a little scared definitely. Anyways, hours went by, and my cousin was leaning on the counter around that area & Oakley FLIPPED out for NO reason...he snarled & snapped at her (something I have NEVER seen him do to someone he knows without any warning or any reason). SHe got really scared & we couldn't figure out what his issue is.

We then discovered that anytime we as much as touch the counter in that area he has this same aggressive reaction.

I got treats, and he took them perfectly...even when I put them right on that spot...no problem. 2 seconds later though, without the treats, he flipped out again, barking like crazy. Since my sister's baby was sleeping, she said we aren't allowed to "train" him right now...but I just don't know what to do tomorrow. I have Never seen such a reaction.


The problem with all the articles I've been trying to read before posting this is the following...

Oakley seems to have a "switch" that snaps on...and once its on, I have almost never been able to turn it off unless he is removed from the stimulus or vice versa. Now, this is great when this is possible, but this can't always be done. This applies to other dogs, "scary" objects & unknown people. This problem is escalated 100000x when he is on a leash or there is a barrier btwn him & the object/being held back.

Ex: Exterminator comes over...Oakley starts running to see him, but I stop him so he doesn't run up to him (since not everyone likes that...). He stops listening to his "stay" command, so I grab his collar...and the sh*t hits the fan...Oakley starts lunging/snarling/barking like a mad dog...scaring the crap outta the exterminator. Luckily, I happen to know that both the exterminator & Oakley have in fact met & have gotten along just fine...so the exterminator agrees to trust me & allow me to let him go...

Oakley happily runs up, sniffs him, wags his tail & licks him. Course I am aware I just rewarded his aggressive behavior, but I just don't know what else to do. The only other option (which we do a majority of the time), is locking him in another room. BUt the whole time he is barking & scratching at the door (which my parents are REALLY mad at). If i'm in the room with him, I can calm him down, so whenever this is possible, this is what we do.

Anyways, the point is, Oakley can turn on a dime when I tell him to "come" mid-squirrel chase (his favorite thing), but he cannot as much as sit once he freaks out at whatever the "scary" stimulus is.

The situation always turns into an incredibly nerve-racking scenario cause both me & the other person are scared he is going to bite...its loud & noisy, cause I am trying to command him over his barking (prob not good, but I don;t want to just stand there & make the other person think i'm not gonna do anything).

I've been giving Oakley massages to help calm him down...it works really well (did this after the counter-snapping incident)...until he comes across something excitable again. The second he walked back into the kitchen & saw someone touching the counter, he freaked back out. I also squat down next to him and stroke him while saying "calm" as soothing as I can (works great after the stimulus is removed).

I just think he is insanely tense, but have no clue how to calm him once his switch is on. And this behavior occurs whether or not he has just been on an hour long walk.

And yes, the counter has now been duct taped, so no one will accidentally snap it again!!!

help? please? Thanks!!

 

[lizzybeth727]

I don't understand what his triggers are; is it people, noises, strange situations, etc.?

May sound like a weird question, but what food is he on?

 

[altos1]

How old is your dog? What breeding lines is he?

 

[Dreeza]

I don't understand what his triggers are; is it people, noises, strange situations, etc.?

May sound like a weird question, but what food is he on?

yeah, but I mean, not all things...its more random & hard to predict. For instance, he barks at only one radiator in the house when it clicks & completely ignores the other. THis seems like it has turned more into a game now, cause after like 2 years of this happeneing (only in winter ), its easy to get him to stop (he tries to bark though).

Some people in the house are fine...others...not so much. Anything he can go check out though & sniff, he is usually fine with after.

Loud noises usually scare him, but not thunderstorms. And he usually wont bark at them...just startles & jumps a little & then avoids them. Now he seems to be choosing to attack the counter.


Anyways, he is on kirkland's lamb & rice (or maybe chicken & rice...i'm not positive).




And altos...he is about 4.5 years old. And ha, he is a total mutt...no breeding lines other than left in the snow to fend for himself as a puppy

Most likely has shepherd in him, but we have also been told....terrier, lab, basenji, husky...etc.

 

[bubbatd]

I wish I could help . I'm so sorry !

 

[Dreeza]

I wish I could help . I'm so sorry !

thanks grammy! I do too...its just so frustrating. Its like he is schizo, and once that other personality comes out, he is just uncontrollable.

 

[Renee750il]

I wish there were some way Oakley could live with you, Dreeza. It really sounds like he needs the stability that comes from one person taking charge

 

[Criosphynx]

what have you done to build his confidence when he's not in a situation where he can be triggered?
You know, the rest of the time? I would be working on the dogs overall confidence and then try to counter condition once he trusts me.

 

[adojrts]

Do you think or know, in the past when he started barking at the radiator, if he was encouraged by people? (because they thought it was funny)

That could have been the start of making him reactive to clicking sounds, which could have been rewarded.

Personally I would clicker train him to not respond to noises, giving him huge rewards for a non response. Even the clicker itself could be a tool becauseof the sound. Then progress to larger more reactive triggers.

Just a thought, good luck.

 

[altos1]

yeah, but I mean, not all things...its more random & hard to predict. For instance, he barks at only one radiator in the house when it clicks & completely ignores the other. THis seems like it has turned more into a game now, cause after like 2 years of this happeneing (only in winter ), its easy to get him to stop (he tries to bark though).

Some people in the house are fine...others...not so much. Anything he can go check out though & sniff, he is usually fine with after.

Loud noises usually scare him, but not thunderstorms. And he usually wont bark at them...just startles & jumps a little & then avoids them. Now he seems to be choosing to attack the counter.


Anyways, he is on kirkland's lamb & rice (or maybe chicken & rice...i'm not positive).




And altos...he is about 4.5 years old. And ha, he is a total mutt...no breeding lines other than left in the snow to fend for himself as a puppy

Most likely has shepherd in him, but we have also been told....terrier, lab, basenji, husky...etc.

There's nothing wrong with owning a mutt and it sounds as though his issues steem from being abandoned as a pup.. Have discussed prozac for dogs with your veterinarian? Or locating a therapist for your dog?

 

[Izzy's Valkyrie]

Could it just be a fear stage late in life?

 

[pacopoe]

Does he have any space that is just his? Like a crate or anything? It seems like he's getting stressed out and doesn't have a safe place to decompress.

 

[Zoom]

i'm sorry Dreeza. I know you've been working on Oakley's issues for years now...I'm really glad his recall has improved though!

 

[Doberluv]

Did you get Oakley as brand new puppy...like 8-10 weeks old? If not, do you know who had him before you and what conditions he lived in? Outside in a kennel? Or inside in a house?

 

[Dreeza]

Did you get Oakley as brand new puppy...like 8-10 weeks old? If not, do you know who had him before you and what conditions he lived in? Outside in a kennel? Or inside in a house?

No, we got him when he was about 6 months old from a foster home that had rescued him from a very bad dog pound. We actually called the number on his license since it was the person who had dropped him off at the pound. All she knew was that she had found him as a wee puppy wandering alone in the snow. So unfortunately we don't know any details about how he was living.

He doesn;t really have a place to decompress I guess...we put away his crate, cause he didn't seem to like it that much...he never would go in there voluntarily really. He does have spots in the house though where we can always find him when he seems to have disappeared for awhile, hehe (mainly a sofa chair in my dad's study)

 

[Doberluv]

See, if he spent a good deal of his early puppy stage outside with little contact with normal things that go on inside a house, with little socialization to these things that worry him, that can be your answer. It's extremely difficult to get a dog comfortable with novel things if they haven't been exposed to them during the critical period. (birth to 4-5 months old) Even if they aren't exposed to particular things, puppies that are exposed to all kinds of stuff, from outdoor stuff to indoor stuff, to kids of all ages, adults, on and on and on....develop what is called bounce back. That is that if something alarms them initially, they get right over it quickly. Puppies that are isolated or kept from an ample amount of socialization to objects, things that go bump in the night like the edge of your counter getting snapped, they don't develop that bounce back and are fearful of novel things.

You can try to associate high value treats with mildly fear inducing things and see if he won't change his mind about stuff. But it's very, very difficult to make a lot of head way if that impovershed socialization is the cause of this. Some people do manage to help their dogs get over some of these things with practice...counter conditioning in a gradual way where the scary thing is at a distance at first or somehow made to be more mild and tying it together with all the good stuff.

You might want to consider bringing in a certified behaviorist for this to give you some ideas and who could really watch what is going on up close.

It is good though, how you have made some progress. Super!

 

[Dizzy]

How much exercise is he getting daily/weekly?

 

[AgilityPup]

If it has come on so fast, and gotten much worse, is there a chance it's a health issue? Maybe he should be taken to the vet?

I know how hard it is. Bella was like that (just not as bad) for a long time. I never knew what was going to trigger her into a fit, or when the fit would stop. But with time, and training, she has gotten to the point where I know she's okay with new people around, children, people in the house, and certain dogs in passing.

Good luck!

 

[Doberluv]

Good point Agilitypup. Sometimes personality changes happen with things like, (I hate to even suggest it, but brain tumors) or sometimes thyroid imbalances. I had the idea that he was always sort of sketchy, but if it's more of a sudden onset, yeah...that would be a possibility.

 

[AgilityPup]

Well, what set me off that it might be a health issue is how sudden she says it's getting wrose. I assumed he's always been a bit jumpy, but the barking, and agressing at things he usualy doesn't seems like a health issue to me... My first move would be to visit a vet...