Growling at dogs on lead.

[orimallei]

Hi all.
Kind of hesitant to post here because last time I got shot down, so.. be nice, I'm asking for help because I want to fix my problem. I'd be a worse person if I just let it continue.

So. I have an Australian Shepherd. He's two and a half, was neutered at about 1, and was socialised with other dogs since he was about 14 weeks old (that is, puppy pre-school, continuing to a dog obedience club which we were at for at least until he was 18 months or more (though this problem began to arise back then it was only with dogs that were really in his face. Rude, over-exuberant dogs), and then going to an agility club every thursday night and socialising there.). He's fine off lead at dog parks, unless it's a huge dog like a great dane or Newfoundland or sometimes German shepherds, as the former two tend to stand over him, and he was attacked pretty badly by a shepherd when he was probably 17 months old.
Basically the problem is, if I'm on lead with him, and he meets a dog, it used to just be the dogs that were excitable, but he'll growl (not show any teeth) then 'have a go at them'. It's not that he's trying to kill them or anything, I think it's more of a get out of my space thing. And I've tried to be really calming and quiet every time he meets a dog, keep a loose lead and such, but it's getting worse and worse. He's grumbling at a dog that used to be one of his best buddies now. This dog is so gentle and subdued that I don't understand why.
I don't know if it's something I'm doing, or what because I don't know the best way to react, or how to treat and fix the situation. He's clicker trained, and he's very obedient, so any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated. I don't want to 'not go to training for a few weeks and slowly introduce him back to dogs'. We're so hugely involved in agility at the moment and I don't think slowly introducing him back will help. He's fine off-lead, so I don't think this is a dog socialisation problem. Maybe a protection thing of me? That he's suddenly attatched to me through the lead he becomes defensive? Or something I'm doing every time he does the snappy thing without realising what I'm doing...

I don't know. That's why I'm asking for help. I'm only 20, he's my first dog, and I'm doing the best I can. I /did/ socialise him, I just don't know what I'm doing wrong right now to be making this get worse and worse. Please be gentle!

Thanks

 

[Babyblue5290]

Well I've heard about a lot of dogs who are normally very friendly off-leash becoming aggressive on leash. I believe it has to do with the lead making them feel secure enough to challenge other dogs, but I'm sure others will give you a better understanding of it.

Personally if it where my dog and he was fine off leash I would just make sure NOT to meet other dogs on leash. Teach him how to ignore other dogs with either a "leave it" command or if he get's aggressive or antsy when they are far away and not just close up desensatize him to the dogs so he will just ignore them.

 

[ihartgonzo]

Don't worry! It sounds like you are doing a lot for your dog, no one has a reason to be rude to you. =0)

Gonzo, my Border Collie, is sooo similar to your Aussie. He is also fearful of very big dogs after being attacked twice by large dogs. And, he will occasionally get the growly thing going on-leash, even after a ton of training. My best advice would be to get him into predictable situations on-leash, with dogs & owners that you know. Start by simply desensitizing him, in a way. Have him at a sit on-leash while other dogs walk by with their owners (be sure the other dog is under control and not lunging toward Mallei), and teach him the "watch" command so he is focused on you. He needs to first learn that he is not in danger while on-leash, and other dogs will not go after him.

You can start progressing to walking by other on-leash dogs with him in a heel position, still giving him the "watch" command so his attention is focused on you. Lunging towards another dog should warrant a slight correction (just one single jerk of the leash and your vocal correct, which can be "leave it", "ah-ah", etc) and re-focusing his attention on you. If he has this down completely, slowly start allowing him to approach other dogs on-leash. Make sure you have a loose leash and relaxed posture. Ask the other handler that their dog is sitting or relaxed and YOUR dog approaches first, the other dog is not getting in his face. Growling should warrant a verbal correction, and calling him to heel and sit again. Teach him that greeting other dogs is fine, as long as he is not being snarky about it.

This is just what works for my dog. You should definitely consult a behaviorist, and your Agility instructor, for advice that better suits your individual situation.

I hope your boy learns that he does not need to be on the defensive all the time I totally understand your situation! Gonzo is a lot like Mallei. It takes tons of time, patience, & leadership, but he sounds like just a friendly dog who has some fear-aggressive tendancies on the leash, not uncommon at all. And, about his growliness with dogs that bounce all over him, THAT is normal dog manners! I really do not expect my dog to happily greet a dog that is acting very rude... even though the owners of that rude dog are usually pvssed off that he won't play with their hyper and untrained dog, "he just wants to say Hi!"

 

[elegy]

i absolutely agree with ihartgonzo- i think a watch command is going to be invaluable to you here. if you can get a solid watch from him, he's going to have his attention on you, not on the other dog. i'd start that well away from any situation that's going to stress or challenge him and gradually build up to being able to use it around other dogs.

i'd do your very best to keep him from popping off at other dogs. the more he practices this behavior and backs other dogs off, the more ingrained it's going to be and the harder it's going to be to stop. for the time being, don't let him greet dogs while on leash, avoid them. avoid letting him get into situations where you know he's likely to aggress.

 

[tempura tantrum]

Hey there-

These two have given you some great suggestions. I too second a "watch" command, it has definitely worked wonders for me.

I'm in Shibas, and they're generally a dog-aggressive breed. What I noticed with my bitch was that she was a lot more confident when meeting new dogs off lead. I talked to a few of my mentors and they agreed that this was a common problem in Shibas- they feel more "in control" of a situation when they aren't tethered to someone, and have the ability to move at will.

Of course, considering that I keep my dogs on lead at all times (unless at home), this wasn't really a practical option. So I practiced remaining extraordinarily calm when we approached another dog. Any sort of tightening of the leash, any sort of nervous anticipation and your dog *will* think there is something to worry about. In a way, the nervousness just gives him positive feedback- he thinks to himself "oh, she's worried, I need to protect her!" And voila- growling! If I'm not mistaken, Aussies are a pretty intuitive breed, and he's probably picking up on your nerves. That's why Gonzo's suggestion of a "watch me" command is so great. Not only will your boy's attention be directed somewhere else, *your* attention will as well! You won't have time to feel nervous if you're practicing a command and trying catch your dog's interest.

Good luck! I have all the confidence in the world that you'll pull through this with flying colors.

 

[tinksmama]

how do you teach a watch command?

 

[DanL]

how do you teach a watch command?

If you've never worked it, get his attention (call his name, whatever), when he looks at you, say watch, and reward. Eventually when you say watch the dog will pay attention. You can gradually increase the amount of time the dog focuses on you by delaying the reward. It doesn't have to be a word, you don't have to actually say watch, just give a signal to pay attention. This is an easy one to work on while you are sitting around relaxing with your dog.

As far as the leash thing goes, I think most of the time when dogs are leash aggressive it's because they are insecure, not more confident. They know that the leash limits their mobility and ability to escape if a bad situation comes up (a fight) so they are more apt to be aggressive to show the other dog they don't want any interaction. Plus, if you are apprehensive yourself, that energy gets transferred right down the leash to the dog so it increases their anxiety, knowing that their master is uncomfortable too. Thats one of the couple things that I like about Cesar Milan, is the idea that the handler has to be calm, confident and assertive in order to be in charge of the situation and have control over the dog.

 

[orimallei]

Hi all
Thanks for all your replies. He certainly already knows 'watch' (being obedience trained), so I think I'll start trying that. An instructor trained in clicker and delta and stuff suggested pretty much the same thing, as well as a 3-second rule, where they greet, and only have 3 seconds to do so before being called away and rewarded for that. She also suggested it might just be a hormonal thing, which usually kicks in from about 2, despite him being desexed.


But I'll try watch a lot more from now on, and see if we can't make this happen less. Thanks!