My dog just went crazy, what should I do?

[texasgal]

Lot's of good advise here ..

I agree this isn't an isolated event.. this pup has had 3 years of establishing herself as dominant.. jumping, nipping, mouthing, etc.

I agree this is fixable, but remember that it took 3 years to get here .. it won't be fixed in a day.

I have to wonder if OP is anywhere NEAR being able to fix this alone. Excuses and dominance are not a good combo. I'm afraid this dog will object to a sudden questioning of her 3 year reign.. and I'm not convinced OP is the one to do it.

I wish OP the best .. but if you can't afford good help, and/or aren't willing to spend the same amount of time fixing the problem as caused the problem .. put the dog down.

I won't get into the "animal abuse thing" .. please ...

 

[Countrywife]

I have stayed out of this thread for fear that my opinion may not be welcome, but here goes.

Ok, I agree, she thinks she is alpha dog- and with a GP that is VERY bad indeed. I have a GP, 8 months old, HUGE, neutered male. I am very aware that I need to keep on top of him in the pecking chain, and so are my children. He is a loveable wonderful pup who fits in well, but even this morning was put up in his kennel for picking on the goats. Nothing malicious, he is young, gets bored, and messes with goats. Simply plays too hard. When he gets rambuctious he gets put up in the kennel. They are not a breed that worries overmuch about pleasing thier owners, as say a labrador, because they have been breed to think on thier own and act as needed.

Now, when I hear the original story, I don't neccesarily think the dog was acting out. I think the dog was being true to breed. The dog did not come after YOU, the dog came after the stick. The dog had the chicken, which was in distress by the dog's determination, and the dog's job is to protect what is rightfully in her herd. For my GP this means the goat, the sheep, the kids, the chickens. If that dog was doing what it was bred to do, it was protecting an injured member of the herd as it knew best how to do.

I am in no way implying to let her get away with unacceptable behavoir. But before there is talk of shooting her, giving her up or beating her, please take some time to understand the breed and what they do for a living.

 

[Brindlebtch]

Sorry if I was misunderstood, but I did not suggest the OP beat his dog. That was what I felt was my immediate option when I was presented with a surprise challenge one night from MY dog.

I used that example to show that a challenge by a dog shouldn't necessarily be viewed as a fatal event. It can be fixed.
I in no way suggested he fix it the way I did.

In previous posts I suggest he get professional help from a behaviorist or an obedience instructor.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
That is so true, and so well-said.



Pat

 

[dbolman]

When you described her behavior in the beginning (play biting, jumping) It was obvious to me then that you are not her boss. She pretty much has the dominant factor in your home. I raise large breed dogs and like any breed you need to be the boss from day one. It is easier to establish this when they are puppies...rolling them over on their back, taking food out of their mouths, never letting them exit or enter your home in front of a person. All these small items establish dominance. Now you are faced with establishing dominance with a 100 pound dog. But you can do it! Start with baby step and work up to food. I do believe in trainers whole heartedly, but she has to respect you. In the wild another dog would have gave her butt a good whipping and essentially that is what you should do if she ever does this again. When my puppies are little I establish dominance with them immediately when they start eating real food. They may not eat until I say so...no scrambling and growling at eachother for food. That is how it begins...When she is with you she should wear a choke collar and a leash, whenever her behavior is unacceptable you give her a good yank and say, NO. If she goes after other livestock I would crate her immediately..if she is smart she will catch on. Otherwise call Great Pyrennes rescue and ask for help with people that are knowledgable about the breed. Hope this helps

..

 

[chickerdoodle]

Quote:
I knew you personally didn't recommend that. It was a long time ago and how many folks dealt with this (and some only perceived) problems but unfortunately it is what too many still think a person should do now. I just wanted to emphasize it is never the way to deal with a challenge. I am pleased many (including you) recommended a behaviorist but we also know that there may be no professional to help them in their area or the cost may be prohibitive (even though it is much less than not controlling a huge dog). There are still some dog "trainers" who still use certain physical and possibly damaging techniques and wanted to explain it is not needed so they don't choose someone who does.

I can tell you want to have a happy relationship with your dogs and are better educated about how to do so.

 

[Brindlebtch]

Quote:
What would you do chickerdoodle? I understand there are many ways to train dogs and they all work. I am willing to be educated.

 

[Rosalind]

I will add to the chorus of, "Get a professional behaviorist to work with you."

I don't think a shock collar is required. I have a two-year-old male Pyrenees (100 lbs.) and a one-year-old Newfoundland (140 lbs.) and neither have ever attempted to turn on me, nor have they ever shown the slightest hint of food aggression. Play-biting was stopped after several weeks of "bite inhibition training" as puppies, where you yelp real loud if you feel their teeth for any reason--including putting your hand in their mouths and feeling their teeth. This is amazingly useful when, for example, you need to shove a pill down their throats without getting nipped: they will open wider to avoid biting you as you stick your fingers in their mouths.

A professional needs to show you how to establish yourself as alpha over a dog bigger than you, though. It's not something you can figure out from books or DVDs. If you're going to have a large dog, you need to be prepared for certain things--even if your dog is a perfect angel for you, other dogs in the neighborhood or at the dog park might try to pick a fight with it, scout troops might poke the dog in the face while they try to sell you cookies, they might decide to hate on a door-to-door salesperson. It happens even with dogs who have AKC obedience titles. So you need to learn how to grab the dog and get it out of a bad place (including the bad places in their own fluffy heads) even when it outweighs you. Think of it as doggy kung fu, it's the same principle. But not learn-able over the internet, you know?

 

[Mrs MIA]

Can I interject here? After reading through this, it appears this boils down to two obvious courses of action... 1) train the dog or 2) put the dog down. There is a lot of good information and advice given here, professional and personal opinions, but it is ultimately up to the owner to decide which road to take. Please don't turn this into an argument? Let it go. I'm assuming that the OP is out doing what she needs to.

 

[EweSheep]

Mrs. AK-Bird-Brain :

Can I interject here? After reading through this, it appears this boils down to two obvious courses of action... 1) train the dog or 2) put the dog down. There is a lot of good information and advice given here, professional and personal opinions, but it is ultimately up to the owner to decide which road to take. Please don't turn this into an argument? Let it go. I'm assuming that the OP is out doing what she needs to.

Well said!​