Hey all, I hope I'm not being a hog for the threads. The last questions I had is how I get my dog to stop growling and barking at people? He is the sweetest little dog around me, never once growled at me and respects me at all times, but when other peole come into the picture like my dad, brother, g/f, cousin, he lunges at them and growls with anger. I think part of it is territorial b/c i notice he does it alot upon my family members return home. What kind of training can I give him to stop the aggressive behavior towards other people?
Dog Aggressive towards almost everyone but me.
- Thread starter Freddie
- Start date
wow, i just found out today Freddie is a very jelous dog, while we were in the car, everytime my g/f tried to kiss me or hold me, freddie went crazy and barked at her! I mean every single time! Anyone know how to correct this? I knew dogs could get jelous of each other but I didn't know about people. My g/f loves this dog and wants to play with it but everytime she gets near, he growls with so much anger b/c of her relation with me.
i have a friend that has a dog that is quite agressive towards other people, ive tried to pat him a couple of times, but gave up after he tried to take my hand off (hes only a pomeranian) yesterday i went over, we were eating burger rings (my friedn and i) she told me to feed him one and then try patting him. I fed him, and patted him while he was eating,
not sure if its a permanent thing but he doesnt hate me so much now. Plus, i think todd is a fear bitter. you can walk around him and he's fine, you go to pat him and he snarls and carrys on.
So not sure if that will help. just givin u an idea,
not sure if its a permanent thing but he doesnt hate me so much now. Plus, i think todd is a fear bitter. you can walk around him and he's fine, you go to pat him and he snarls and carrys on.
So not sure if that will help. just givin u an idea,
This isn't an aggression issue, believe it or not. It's an ownership issue. Freddie doesn't want anyone else fiddling with his belongings, i.e. you! This is a social misunderstanding. Since I'm recommending this to everyone else today, here's my article on resource control. Stick to it and Freddy should calm down in a week or two.
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Resource Control
Introduction
In the wild, wolves and dogs form social packs of individuals who live, hunt, sleep, and eat together. Every individual’s success is dependant on the success of the pack as a whole. Social instincts dictate how an individual will behave within the pack, and make it possible for a pack to maintain a structure in which each animal has its place. The most fit canines - the strongest, fastest, and most intelligent - may become leaders in the pack, affording them the opportunity to eat first and mate first and so pass on superior genes to another generation. In return for the special social privileges enjoyed by an alpha male, female, or mated pair, the alpha must demonstrate her/his fitness as a leader. She/he must act for the good of the pack as a whole, because the success of the pack rests on her/his decisions and abilities. An unfit alpha - one who is weak, selfish, or incompetent - will be removed from her/his status to ensure survival of the pack.
Contrary to what we’ve been brought up to believe, our dogs are not ceaselessly seeking to overthrow our leadership. An individual canine in a well organized pack doesn’t attempt to usurp the alpha just for fun; even lower status individuals get enough to eat (and the occasional chance to mate). Life is good in a healthy pack. Periods of social change in a pack can be dangerous until each individual again understands his place, and so dogs have an innate desire to live in a stable pack and will seldom make waves if they understand the way their pack is organized and believe in the leadership they’re given.
Traditional trainers, either through ignorance or apathy, will frequently misdiagnose a dog as “dominant” when in fact that dog is only confused about his place in the family pack. These trainers will go on to explain how you should go about establishing your rightful alpha position over your dog by performing any number of cruel and unnecessary attacks on the dog. An unfortunately large number of dog owners are familiar with techniques such as the “alpha roll” in which the dog is thrown to the ground and forcefully held there by the neck. Traditional trainers point to the behavior of wild dogs to justify this cruelty, and you can witness a similar move performed by one dog on another. What these trainers don’t understand, and what any behaviorist worth his salt can tell you, is that the “alpha roll” seen between two animals of a pack is not the wrestling maneuver they’re asking you to inflict upon your dog, but is actually a ritualistic behavior aimed at solidifying an already established hierarchy between two individuals in which both are willing participants. Humans perform many ritualistic social behaviors such as slapping one another on the back and shaking hands. These are social gestures between individual humans, not forced abuses.
Imagine a stranger strolling up to you and seizing your hand out of your pocket, then pumping it violently up and down in his own. You might pull back and yell at the stranger, or you may run away from him. The stranger may later explain (hopefully to the police) that in his understanding, shaking someone’s hand was a demonstration of camaraderie and trust. But because of the manner in which this behavior was performed, I would guess you would not be this stranger’s new best buddy. This is an allegory that may help us understand how our dogs experience our clumsy attempts at approximating their natural interspecies behavior. Humans can’t replicate with their dogs the social “conversations” that dogs with one another. We come across as complete maniacs in our dogs’ eyes. As the more mentally flexible species in the human/dog relationship, it is our responsibility to learn to communicate socially with our dogs and to cultivate an environment in which they feel secure. To establish successful communication, we have to find a common language. And until I discover my pooch reading Moby Dick, we’ll have to learn to negotiate a social order in Dogese.
The Misunderstanding
A social problem arises in a dog’s family pack when he fails to understand his place in the “pecking order”. This misunderstanding develops from the dog’s innate comprehension of canine social behavior. A gesture that we as humans may perceive as “nice” or “generous” may come across to the dog as a gesture of reverence and servitude. A normal, healthy dog will not make waves in his family pack unless he either perceives devastating weakness in the members above him or receives signals that those members wish him to climb the social ladder. A large number of dog owners send their dogs the latter without ever meaning to. The dog nudges a hand when he wants petting, and he gets petting. The dog barks to be let out in the yard, and he is let out. The dog jumps for his dinner, and he is given dinner. It’s easy to see a trend.
There’s an old joke about the difference between dogs and cats. The dog says, “These people feed me, house me, and play with me. They must be gods!” And the cat says, “These people feed me, house me, and play with me. I must be a god!” Even the best behaved dog can’t help but lean toward the cat’s idea when he’s given clear evidence, over and over, that his family will get him what he wants when he wants it. In his mind, his pack is demonstrating their willingness to submit to his leadership. And any dog who loves his family would lead them when asked to do so.
Our dogs rely on us to keep them safe in a human world. If we let them be in charge, they would probably gleefully tear down our society in about a week. Dogs have to live in our world - not the other way around - so it is necessary and desirable to have them look to us for leadership. For their safety and our own, and for everyone’s happiness, we need to show our dogs that we are competent, confident leaders worthy of their respect.
Resource Control
I am constantly amazed at how demanding some folks’ dogs are when it comes to getting what they want. They can be like a petulant two-year-old, except with a mouth full of knives. Watch your dog for a day, and see how often he demands and how often you comply. Sometimes you have to wonder who is the pet and who the owner.
A dog demands for the same reason as children: because sometimes it works! (Except most people think to teach their child to say “please” when they want something. I would venture to say there is an epidemic of impolite dogs in the world; dogs who have no idea how to say “please”.) When a child gets what he wants all the time, he can get spoiled rotten. The same principle applies to dogs. If your dog has come to expect compliance from you, you’ve got a problem. You will have much more and bigger problems if you don’t teach him some manners.
One way to establish a desirable social order in your family pack is to demonstrate to your dog that all good things come to him through you. Until Rex gets a job and starts paying the grocery bill, he owes his happy lifestyle to you and the rest of the family pack. All of the privileges he enjoys, like walks, affection, treats, and play time are resources that you control. As of this moment, they are no longer his for the taking. Demonstrating your control of these resources will solidify your leadership in the family pack and allow your dog to find his place in the social order.
Resource control is a simple exercise. It doesn’t take a lot of time out of your day, but it does require the participation of the whole family. Make sure everyone understands what they’re doing and why before you start the exercise. Otherwise you will only confuse your dog and make the problem worse.
Establish some rules. The dog gets dinner only when he’s sitting politely until the bowl is on the floor. He only gets to go for walks when he sits to have his leash hooked and again when you open the door. He only gets to play fetch if he drops the ball nicely in front of you then goes into a down. If he’s allowed on the bed, he only gets to come up after a nice “roll over”. This is like insisting he says “please” before you give him what he wants. You will need to vary your definition of a doggy “please” depending on your dog’s abilities and current understanding of basic obedience. But from now on, he gets nothing fun without asking politely first. Everything is going to be on your terms.
Remember that your attention is a powerful reward. If your dog is doing something you don’t like, withdraw your attention. Don’t talk to him, yell at him, touch him, or look at him. If he does something you like, reward him with a brief pet or “good dog!” and then walk away. Leave him wanting more! He’ll start thinking of ways to be really good and get that pat on the head.
-----------------
Resource Control
Introduction
In the wild, wolves and dogs form social packs of individuals who live, hunt, sleep, and eat together. Every individual’s success is dependant on the success of the pack as a whole. Social instincts dictate how an individual will behave within the pack, and make it possible for a pack to maintain a structure in which each animal has its place. The most fit canines - the strongest, fastest, and most intelligent - may become leaders in the pack, affording them the opportunity to eat first and mate first and so pass on superior genes to another generation. In return for the special social privileges enjoyed by an alpha male, female, or mated pair, the alpha must demonstrate her/his fitness as a leader. She/he must act for the good of the pack as a whole, because the success of the pack rests on her/his decisions and abilities. An unfit alpha - one who is weak, selfish, or incompetent - will be removed from her/his status to ensure survival of the pack.
Contrary to what we’ve been brought up to believe, our dogs are not ceaselessly seeking to overthrow our leadership. An individual canine in a well organized pack doesn’t attempt to usurp the alpha just for fun; even lower status individuals get enough to eat (and the occasional chance to mate). Life is good in a healthy pack. Periods of social change in a pack can be dangerous until each individual again understands his place, and so dogs have an innate desire to live in a stable pack and will seldom make waves if they understand the way their pack is organized and believe in the leadership they’re given.
Traditional trainers, either through ignorance or apathy, will frequently misdiagnose a dog as “dominant” when in fact that dog is only confused about his place in the family pack. These trainers will go on to explain how you should go about establishing your rightful alpha position over your dog by performing any number of cruel and unnecessary attacks on the dog. An unfortunately large number of dog owners are familiar with techniques such as the “alpha roll” in which the dog is thrown to the ground and forcefully held there by the neck. Traditional trainers point to the behavior of wild dogs to justify this cruelty, and you can witness a similar move performed by one dog on another. What these trainers don’t understand, and what any behaviorist worth his salt can tell you, is that the “alpha roll” seen between two animals of a pack is not the wrestling maneuver they’re asking you to inflict upon your dog, but is actually a ritualistic behavior aimed at solidifying an already established hierarchy between two individuals in which both are willing participants. Humans perform many ritualistic social behaviors such as slapping one another on the back and shaking hands. These are social gestures between individual humans, not forced abuses.
Imagine a stranger strolling up to you and seizing your hand out of your pocket, then pumping it violently up and down in his own. You might pull back and yell at the stranger, or you may run away from him. The stranger may later explain (hopefully to the police) that in his understanding, shaking someone’s hand was a demonstration of camaraderie and trust. But because of the manner in which this behavior was performed, I would guess you would not be this stranger’s new best buddy. This is an allegory that may help us understand how our dogs experience our clumsy attempts at approximating their natural interspecies behavior. Humans can’t replicate with their dogs the social “conversations” that dogs with one another. We come across as complete maniacs in our dogs’ eyes. As the more mentally flexible species in the human/dog relationship, it is our responsibility to learn to communicate socially with our dogs and to cultivate an environment in which they feel secure. To establish successful communication, we have to find a common language. And until I discover my pooch reading Moby Dick, we’ll have to learn to negotiate a social order in Dogese.
The Misunderstanding
A social problem arises in a dog’s family pack when he fails to understand his place in the “pecking order”. This misunderstanding develops from the dog’s innate comprehension of canine social behavior. A gesture that we as humans may perceive as “nice” or “generous” may come across to the dog as a gesture of reverence and servitude. A normal, healthy dog will not make waves in his family pack unless he either perceives devastating weakness in the members above him or receives signals that those members wish him to climb the social ladder. A large number of dog owners send their dogs the latter without ever meaning to. The dog nudges a hand when he wants petting, and he gets petting. The dog barks to be let out in the yard, and he is let out. The dog jumps for his dinner, and he is given dinner. It’s easy to see a trend.
There’s an old joke about the difference between dogs and cats. The dog says, “These people feed me, house me, and play with me. They must be gods!” And the cat says, “These people feed me, house me, and play with me. I must be a god!” Even the best behaved dog can’t help but lean toward the cat’s idea when he’s given clear evidence, over and over, that his family will get him what he wants when he wants it. In his mind, his pack is demonstrating their willingness to submit to his leadership. And any dog who loves his family would lead them when asked to do so.
Our dogs rely on us to keep them safe in a human world. If we let them be in charge, they would probably gleefully tear down our society in about a week. Dogs have to live in our world - not the other way around - so it is necessary and desirable to have them look to us for leadership. For their safety and our own, and for everyone’s happiness, we need to show our dogs that we are competent, confident leaders worthy of their respect.
Resource Control
I am constantly amazed at how demanding some folks’ dogs are when it comes to getting what they want. They can be like a petulant two-year-old, except with a mouth full of knives. Watch your dog for a day, and see how often he demands and how often you comply. Sometimes you have to wonder who is the pet and who the owner.
A dog demands for the same reason as children: because sometimes it works! (Except most people think to teach their child to say “please” when they want something. I would venture to say there is an epidemic of impolite dogs in the world; dogs who have no idea how to say “please”.) When a child gets what he wants all the time, he can get spoiled rotten. The same principle applies to dogs. If your dog has come to expect compliance from you, you’ve got a problem. You will have much more and bigger problems if you don’t teach him some manners.
One way to establish a desirable social order in your family pack is to demonstrate to your dog that all good things come to him through you. Until Rex gets a job and starts paying the grocery bill, he owes his happy lifestyle to you and the rest of the family pack. All of the privileges he enjoys, like walks, affection, treats, and play time are resources that you control. As of this moment, they are no longer his for the taking. Demonstrating your control of these resources will solidify your leadership in the family pack and allow your dog to find his place in the social order.
Resource control is a simple exercise. It doesn’t take a lot of time out of your day, but it does require the participation of the whole family. Make sure everyone understands what they’re doing and why before you start the exercise. Otherwise you will only confuse your dog and make the problem worse.
Establish some rules. The dog gets dinner only when he’s sitting politely until the bowl is on the floor. He only gets to go for walks when he sits to have his leash hooked and again when you open the door. He only gets to play fetch if he drops the ball nicely in front of you then goes into a down. If he’s allowed on the bed, he only gets to come up after a nice “roll over”. This is like insisting he says “please” before you give him what he wants. You will need to vary your definition of a doggy “please” depending on your dog’s abilities and current understanding of basic obedience. But from now on, he gets nothing fun without asking politely first. Everything is going to be on your terms.
Remember that your attention is a powerful reward. If your dog is doing something you don’t like, withdraw your attention. Don’t talk to him, yell at him, touch him, or look at him. If he does something you like, reward him with a brief pet or “good dog!” and then walk away. Leave him wanting more! He’ll start thinking of ways to be really good and get that pat on the head.
(continued)
Demands and Extinction Bursts
Food and affection are usually excellent resources for you to control. If your dog is spinning and pawing you as you fill his bowl, turn around and ask him just once to “sit” (or your equivalent “please”). If he doesn’t do it, put the bowl in a cabinet and leave the kitchen. Come back and try again in five minutes. Most dogs will have that rear on the floor faster than you can ask for it if they honestly believe their dinner is at stake. If he is bumping your hand to get a pet on the head, get a “please”, give a brief pat, and go back to what you were doing. If he gets pushy, ignore him completely or walk away. Pretend there’s no dog there at all. You can feel free to demand attention from him any time you like. Just make certain it’s on your terms. Make sure he knows that although he is a loved and valued member of the family pack, he does not get to dictate the house rules.
If a mother buys her child a candy bar every time he throws a fit at the store, he will throw a lot of fits. If mom suddenly wised up and didn’t buy the candy bar, the child might scream louder and louder to get his treat. If she continued to ignore him, he would eventually stop. But if, as he got louder, mom decided to get him the treat just to get him out of the store, he would learn that if he screams loud enough and long enough, he will eventually get what he wants.
A dog who is used to having his demands met will be confused when they are not. He may make a real pill of himself pawing, barking, whining, or otherwise insisting on your compliance. This last attempt at getting what he wants is an extinction burst. After that, if it still doesn’t work, the dog will realize he’s wasting his energy and stop. If you or a family member gives in to your dog’s demands during an extinction burst, you’ve just made your job ten times harder. Your dog will continue to demand because it just might work. So stick to your guns.
In general, you should notice a positive difference in your dog’s behavior in one to two weeks. You can start slowly returning your dog’s privileges after four or five weeks, but keep asking for that puppy “please”.
Your Responsibilities
As mentioned before, everyone in the house needs to understand and practice resource control or it won’t work. It’s your job to make sure someone in the house is not tossing the dog popcorn while you’re at work. You also need to be sure that your dog receives all the things he needs while you’re practicing resource control, including food, fresh water, shelter, health care, and companionship. These are things your dog has a right to receive.
If you have more than one dog, it’s important to start resource control with all of them at the same time. If you don’t you could cause some major social strife within their group.
Conclusion
Yes, resource control can be difficult for the humans involved. I’ll be the first person to admit that I could spoil and snuggle a dog all day long. But it’s important to remember that it won’t hurt your dog’s feelings. This entire practice operates under rules that are innate to your dog. He will be much calmer and happier once he understands his place in the family, and you will be proud to have a polite dog that has better manners than most people’s children.
Demands and Extinction Bursts
Food and affection are usually excellent resources for you to control. If your dog is spinning and pawing you as you fill his bowl, turn around and ask him just once to “sit” (or your equivalent “please”). If he doesn’t do it, put the bowl in a cabinet and leave the kitchen. Come back and try again in five minutes. Most dogs will have that rear on the floor faster than you can ask for it if they honestly believe their dinner is at stake. If he is bumping your hand to get a pet on the head, get a “please”, give a brief pat, and go back to what you were doing. If he gets pushy, ignore him completely or walk away. Pretend there’s no dog there at all. You can feel free to demand attention from him any time you like. Just make certain it’s on your terms. Make sure he knows that although he is a loved and valued member of the family pack, he does not get to dictate the house rules.
If a mother buys her child a candy bar every time he throws a fit at the store, he will throw a lot of fits. If mom suddenly wised up and didn’t buy the candy bar, the child might scream louder and louder to get his treat. If she continued to ignore him, he would eventually stop. But if, as he got louder, mom decided to get him the treat just to get him out of the store, he would learn that if he screams loud enough and long enough, he will eventually get what he wants.
A dog who is used to having his demands met will be confused when they are not. He may make a real pill of himself pawing, barking, whining, or otherwise insisting on your compliance. This last attempt at getting what he wants is an extinction burst. After that, if it still doesn’t work, the dog will realize he’s wasting his energy and stop. If you or a family member gives in to your dog’s demands during an extinction burst, you’ve just made your job ten times harder. Your dog will continue to demand because it just might work. So stick to your guns.
In general, you should notice a positive difference in your dog’s behavior in one to two weeks. You can start slowly returning your dog’s privileges after four or five weeks, but keep asking for that puppy “please”.
Your Responsibilities
As mentioned before, everyone in the house needs to understand and practice resource control or it won’t work. It’s your job to make sure someone in the house is not tossing the dog popcorn while you’re at work. You also need to be sure that your dog receives all the things he needs while you’re practicing resource control, including food, fresh water, shelter, health care, and companionship. These are things your dog has a right to receive.
If you have more than one dog, it’s important to start resource control with all of them at the same time. If you don’t you could cause some major social strife within their group.
Conclusion
Yes, resource control can be difficult for the humans involved. I’ll be the first person to admit that I could spoil and snuggle a dog all day long. But it’s important to remember that it won’t hurt your dog’s feelings. This entire practice operates under rules that are innate to your dog. He will be much calmer and happier once he understands his place in the family, and you will be proud to have a polite dog that has better manners than most people’s children.
thanks for the informative article. From what I read though, I still don't know how to control him from snapping and growling at people, and especialy my girlfriend. The article explained getting him disciplined about getting food or attention, what can i do to get him to like other people though? I was thinking of doing a session with me and my g/f where we would kiss in front of him or be affectionate and everytime he barked or growled, i would shake a can of coins to startle him hoping he can learn not to bark. That's what the pet smart trainer suggested.
PetSmart trainers tend to be nice people, but they also don't get much for continuing education. If it's not in the PetSmart dog trainer's handbook, they don't know what it is or how it works. 
The "loud can" technique doesn't fix the problem, and it may make it worse. It's like giving a single baby aspirin to someone with a broken leg! It might help a little with the immediate pain, but not much and it won't fix the actual problem.
This isn't just a training technique, it's an attitude adjustment. The reason Freddie's being snippy is because he thinks he has the right to be. If you show him that no, he doesn't have that right, he will stop.
If you and your girlfriend are smooching and he gets nasty, calmly pick him up, take him outside the room, close the door, and go back to enjoying yourself! Even shaking a can of coins will reinforce his behavior, because you're giving him what he wants: instead of paying attention to your girlfriend, you're paying attention to him. Positive or negative, attention is always a reward. If he has to chose between sitting quietly without your attention in the same room, or sitting alone in another room, he'll pick the first choice. But you have to make it clear that those are his only choices, and let him make the wrong choice as many times as he wants. Just be consistent and he'll come around. JRTs tend to be pretty clever, and they catch on fast. If you set clear rules, he'll understand them in no time!
The "loud can" technique doesn't fix the problem, and it may make it worse. It's like giving a single baby aspirin to someone with a broken leg! It might help a little with the immediate pain, but not much and it won't fix the actual problem.This isn't just a training technique, it's an attitude adjustment. The reason Freddie's being snippy is because he thinks he has the right to be. If you show him that no, he doesn't have that right, he will stop.
If you and your girlfriend are smooching and he gets nasty, calmly pick him up, take him outside the room, close the door, and go back to enjoying yourself! Even shaking a can of coins will reinforce his behavior, because you're giving him what he wants: instead of paying attention to your girlfriend, you're paying attention to him. Positive or negative, attention is always a reward. If he has to chose between sitting quietly without your attention in the same room, or sitting alone in another room, he'll pick the first choice. But you have to make it clear that those are his only choices, and let him make the wrong choice as many times as he wants. Just be consistent and he'll come around. JRTs tend to be pretty clever, and they catch on fast. If you set clear rules, he'll understand them in no time!