Big Weimaraner problem
- Thread starter FatGuy
- Start date
It's not just the training in and of itself which has an affect on the dog. It is the ongoing, never ending relationship that you (not a trainer) has with your dog. It's not the fact that the dog knows how to sit or heal which makes him respect you. It is the fact that you are the teacher and he is the student. You are setting rules and he is following them. You are asking him to do something and he does it....no questions asked. You make training rewarding and fun and he likes it. So, he wants to "work" and cooperate. He wants to be a participant and your partner. Partners or....if you will, dogs in a group KNOW that they must have order and a system for survival. They know that they need a strong, clear leader. They want you to be that leader. If you're not, they will be. This is to be avoided at all costs.
Your dog may be acting defensively, yes. But if he's growling at your Mom or anyone for taking something from him, that is not acceptable. These training concepts will help for that. As far as being spooked if sleeping...well, be careful not to startle him. He can't help that. And just in case, I would have him checked by a vet.
Your dog can't be taught in a direct way to not attack strangers if he is showing this kind of temperament. (not reliably, anyhow) This comes from early socialization and the dog being taught that all people are to be respected. (unless otherwise noted) If the dog has not had enough socializing, there could be a real problem. It's possible that desensatization training and conditioning would help. First you need to get your dog to work with you and your family and go from there. A good reputable trainer should be able to help you. But you're the one who will be trained and then you will train your dog. If you send your dog away to a trainer, that won't help the situation. This is a relationship issue, not a skills issue.
Obedience training and controlling resources with the NILIF is the way to show your dog who is his leader or head of household. You and everyone in the family must be consistant, never wavering in your choices with the dog. Show him a confident manner, walk tall, hold yourself up straight, give the dog attention when YOU choose, not when he does. Reward him for good behavior always. Don't give him anything good unless he performs first....that sort of thing.
This learning, on his part will make him a more confident dog which is what you want, not a defensive dog. But at the same time, he'll develop more respect for you as his guide and he'll take his place in the family.
I think in this case, it sure wouldn't hurt to get a reputable trainer to observe.
Best of luck.
Your dog may be acting defensively, yes. But if he's growling at your Mom or anyone for taking something from him, that is not acceptable. These training concepts will help for that. As far as being spooked if sleeping...well, be careful not to startle him. He can't help that. And just in case, I would have him checked by a vet.
Your dog can't be taught in a direct way to not attack strangers if he is showing this kind of temperament. (not reliably, anyhow) This comes from early socialization and the dog being taught that all people are to be respected. (unless otherwise noted) If the dog has not had enough socializing, there could be a real problem. It's possible that desensatization training and conditioning would help. First you need to get your dog to work with you and your family and go from there. A good reputable trainer should be able to help you. But you're the one who will be trained and then you will train your dog. If you send your dog away to a trainer, that won't help the situation. This is a relationship issue, not a skills issue.
Obedience training and controlling resources with the NILIF is the way to show your dog who is his leader or head of household. You and everyone in the family must be consistant, never wavering in your choices with the dog. Show him a confident manner, walk tall, hold yourself up straight, give the dog attention when YOU choose, not when he does. Reward him for good behavior always. Don't give him anything good unless he performs first....that sort of thing.
This learning, on his part will make him a more confident dog which is what you want, not a defensive dog. But at the same time, he'll develop more respect for you as his guide and he'll take his place in the family.
I think in this case, it sure wouldn't hurt to get a reputable trainer to observe.
Best of luck.
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But, I have to add, that I am worried. I don't think this is a completely fixable problem. Once a dog has bitten, it probably will again. And I would have a real problem ever trusting him again. He can do some big time devistation if he bites a kid or anyone. All that I was rambling about may help, but if he is lacking in ample socialization from puppyhood or if he has a rotten temperament bred into him, I lose optimism. But, see what CT thinks first. She knows more about this stuff.
We must remember here, biting is most often a learned behaviour. This doesn't mean you have purposly taught the dog to bite, but you may have unintentionally.
For example, you may want to take a toy away from him, he growls, you back off. You have just taught your dog that growling pays off. This is the same with biting and most aggressive behaviours (even fear induced ones). We are all capable of doing this. When i was training my kelpie puppy i unintentionally reinforced a fearful reaction to umbrellas. I opened the umbrella, she went balistic barking and whimpering, i quickly closed the umbrella and put it away in worry. She learned, barking drives umbrellas away.
These behaviours are very hard to curb. Unlike barking, you cannot ignore a dog if it is mauling you!
I would definetly recommend finding a good trainer in the area, plus a whole load of desensitization to teach your dog that visitors are great, kids running past the fence are friendly and have treats, and grandma is never to be growled at!
It also sounds like your dog has lousy bite inhibition. This is probably not your fault, dogs learn alot of this when they are with their litter mates. What age did you get him at?
Do you playfight with your dog? This isn't too bad if you do, in fact it can help strenghten bite inhibition if you do it correctly. If not, don't start now. Although it can help teach a "soft mouth" it should never be done unless your dog reliably downs on command even when highly excited.
If you do playfight, have you been accidentally reinforcing biting?
And, last of all, have you ever really hit your dog? p.s not accusing you
I've seen so many cases where dogs learn aggression from their owners, so i always ask this before i recommend anything.
For example, you may want to take a toy away from him, he growls, you back off. You have just taught your dog that growling pays off. This is the same with biting and most aggressive behaviours (even fear induced ones). We are all capable of doing this. When i was training my kelpie puppy i unintentionally reinforced a fearful reaction to umbrellas. I opened the umbrella, she went balistic barking and whimpering, i quickly closed the umbrella and put it away in worry. She learned, barking drives umbrellas away.
These behaviours are very hard to curb. Unlike barking, you cannot ignore a dog if it is mauling you!
I would definetly recommend finding a good trainer in the area, plus a whole load of desensitization to teach your dog that visitors are great, kids running past the fence are friendly and have treats, and grandma is never to be growled at!
It also sounds like your dog has lousy bite inhibition. This is probably not your fault, dogs learn alot of this when they are with their litter mates. What age did you get him at?
Do you playfight with your dog? This isn't too bad if you do, in fact it can help strenghten bite inhibition if you do it correctly. If not, don't start now. Although it can help teach a "soft mouth" it should never be done unless your dog reliably downs on command even when highly excited.
If you do playfight, have you been accidentally reinforcing biting?
And, last of all, have you ever really hit your dog? p.s not accusing you
I've seen so many cases where dogs learn aggression from their owners, so i always ask this before i recommend anything.
Thats the thing about it. I took him everywhere as a puppy (petsmart and a local mom and pops store). I would take him for walks and take him to friends homes. He was very socialized as a puppy. Like I said around age 2 he started getting aggressive. I will admit that once he started showing those signs I stopped taking him out as much (hes a really good looking dog so people would want to pet him and he would snap which is a risk). As far as him growling and me backing off teaching him that growling will get his way I know he never got that from me but I can't be sure that other familiy members have not done that. Well friday is the vet visit , lets hope everything goes well.
He's very beautiful. I would definetely neuter him though. If he's just a family pet there is no reason to keep him intact. He just neutered our pit mix because I could tell he was starting to get a little territorial with his stuff and the other dogs. We were planning on neutering him anyway just we did it a few weeks sooner than we really could afford. Ask your vet if he thinks neutering would help any.
Not good. The vet said that Pancho seems pretty well trained. He is a very VERY! aggresive dog. He said that he doubts nuetering will help much but still recommends it. He said the putting him down is an option as he is dangerous. He took about half an hour with the dog , making him sit and stay. Walking him around and out of no where he snapped at him. He said he would never tell someone to kill a dog but does like to give all the options to an owner. He said that after nuetering and training there is a good chance that the dog will be the same. Tough choice.
I'm so sorry. It DOES sound like you socialized him amply and gave him some training. He may be just of poor temperament or maybe he has some obscure health issue that the vet can't see. At any rate, I am sorry. I know I'd be hard pressed to have such a liability, unless there was a very, very good chance of rehabilitation. Once a dog bites, the liklihood of repeat behavior is quite high. What ever you decide must be done, more medical evalutation, a behaviorist or putting him down, do know that we're behind you and your decision.
Well the good part is that we have a huge backyard that is very secure. They have a kennel(of sorts) We used to have an attached garage but turned it into the dogs room (heated and air conditioned). My sister really wants to keep him and will foot the bill to nueter and train him. Hope it works. They said they can also put him on medication as a last resort too.
Sometimes, there are just dogs with poor temperaments. Everyone blames it on the owner, surely the owner did something wrong, surely they're at fault.. But sometimes it is just the way the dog is. I have a little dog who, despite a lot of training, socializing and NILIF, is still aggressive. I think I've got it down now, how to control him, but I don't think I can ever change him, as I've been trying to for nearly a year with no difference being made.
I recently had my aggressive dog neutered and while it did not make a huge difference, I noticed it helped him calm down a little, and he is a bit more manageable. I think, without all those hormones running through his body, he is able to just relax once in a while.
Best of luck to you!
I recently had my aggressive dog neutered and while it did not make a huge difference, I noticed it helped him calm down a little, and he is a bit more manageable. I think, without all those hormones running through his body, he is able to just relax once in a while.
Best of luck to you!