My dog just went crazy, what should I do?

[chickerdoodle]

Quote:
I'm sorry I do not agree with some of this advice even though I realize it is commonly believed. I do believe everyone has the right to make their own decision and choose their own path once (hopefully) armed with good information. However, in this case we are dealing with aggression in a 110 lb. dog capable of killing a human--easily. Any good, professional behaviorist would never use a shock collar, nor pure dominance technique as I mentioned in a previous post on this thread. I have been a professional behaviorist for over twenty years so I feel confident giving this advice. Some trainers use shock collars because it seems so easy to them. Quick results seem to trump long lasting behaviors in their minds. You also can truly destroy some dogs with shock collars them as they are too sensitive and it will shut them down.

The bottom line is that the owner needs guidance from a professional behaviorist as well as the dog. You need to learn to read your dog's body language. I highly recommend reading any or all books by Dr. Patricia B. McConnell. She is a very well educated working researcher and behaviorist along with a humbling sense of humor which makes great reading and lots of wonderful, useful guidance. She also has a Great Pyrenees that guards her sheep. The first one I read was "At the Other End of the Leash and found it a fast fun read with lots of windows into the dog's mind. Please take the time to find the correct way to treat this as you are gambling with serious injury to you and anyone else who come on your property.

 

[Brindlebtch]

I think you need to thoroughly read the thread, chickerdoodle.

 

[chickerdoodle]

Quote:
I have read it and I know everyone is trying to be supportive and helpful. I also noted that many folks did recommend a behavior specialist which I applaud. My concerns include the frequent mention of asserting dominance in the thread. Dominance alone is not what is needed and this is a big powerful dog. I just want her to understand what the dog is doing and why instead of trying any collar with a trainer. I'm sure you know in many areas there are no professional behaviorists to help. My other concern was getting the wrong trainer would be a disaster. I feel the poster needs to have information from someone such as Dr. McConnell to help see which trainer would be best for this situation.

 

[mekasmom]

I'm sure someone else has mentioned this, but pyrs kill cougars, bears, wolves, etc. Killing a child or even an adult would be very easy for them. You need to have a real revelation of how dangerous this dog could be if the mood struck it. It isn't like a nippy chihuahua. This is a guard dog. And they know how to guard and kill.
They are rarely ever mean. But if they are, it is a really big issue.

We had an anatolian put down early this year for nippiness. Our vet suggested it. He was only 5mo old, but would bite if anyone touched his food or his toys. He walked on a leash just fine. But he hated strangers, resource guarded, and growled and tried to bite the vet every visit. As our vet said, a dog that size (as an adult) with that type of temperament was just not worth the risk. There is no dog in the world, no matter how much you love them, that is worth having if it will hurt a human.

 

[Mr. Peepers]

I've owned large, somewhat "sharp" working/protection breeds all my life. I've also read this whole thread.

If this were my animal, I would put her down. This kind of behavior is very difficult to modify and the odds of your success are low. Just one more occurrence could be truly disastrous. You are dealing with a very dangerous situation.

There are all sorts of experts and behaviorists who could give advice, but there's always a great risk that they'll be wrong and/or unsuccessful. The only reprieve I would consider would be to have her spayed and place her with an expert handler who is well aware of the risks and willing to assume them. In no case do you want to pass this kind of behavior on to the next generation.

 

[Sunny the Hippie Chick]

I had a great dane/bull mastiff rescue. She was 9 months old and starved to death so bad she could not walk with out leaning against me.

It took awhile to get her to health. And only after she regained her complete strength. Then she started to become food agressive by growling while walking by her while eatting.

Not hurting the dog. But I grabbed her lower jaw so she couldnt bite me. Then I pinned her on her back. Sat on her stomach until she stopped squirming and layed still. You have to make eye contact. And never let them win a stareing contest. Only the submissive looser will look away first.

Then for her next meal. I got a brand new dog bowl and ate a bowl of cereal out of it. Then gave her a meal out of it. If you eat first. You are more dominant in the pack. Never let your dog eat before you do.. After that, never again had a problem.

Also an unfixed female dog will from time to time try to become the dominant female. Spaying will help. Remember in a wild pack. Only the dominant female. Or other dominate females in the pack are allowed to have young. If you allow your dog to have pups. You may have an aggressive problem soon after.

 

[joebryant]

Quote:
I was told too that you hold the dog tightly in your hands by its two cheeks and do not stop the completely silent staring into its eyes until the dog sticks out its tongue; that's supposed to be its ultimate sign of submission according to a lady who raises champion dogs. If the dog is an aggressive one you want to be careful not to get your face too close to its when you're holding its head in your hands because it might try to bite your face before finally submitting.

Frankly, I would not do this with a possibly dangerous 110-pound dog.

 

[Neophyte Chick]

The bottom line with this problem is that, as a dog owner, you must establish dominance at all times...period. Jumping? Nipping? Pawing? Growling? None of these behaviors are cute. All of these behaviors are the dog's attempt at "owning" you. Your dog was "resource guarding" and has probably gotten away with it when playing with a toy or stick. I had a very agressive Rott that we trained to control his behavior, but only by asserting our alpha status over him from a young age. Because your dog is older and larger, you really ought to consider working with a behaviorist who can help you develop new skills so that your dog can follow your leadership. I promise it's worth every penny. I just went through it with a horse -- I had so little experience working with horses that mine literally tried to kill me one day. That was the day I called the equestrian behaviorist because that horse had a significant human problem. Now, a year later, I took him on his first trail ride and he trusted me through everything. Get help, but don't give up on your dog because you'll gain a lot of perspective on yourself if you go through the process. Good luck.

 

[Brindlebtch]

I do agree that understanding the dog's behavior and professional help will be a good thing in this situation. But we don't know that is going to happen.

Sunny the Hippy Chick has the right idea with the dog bowl. There is something called a dominance program that basically psychologically can put a dog in it's place without ever having to pin it down physically or ever having to assert dominance physically. Basically you have to play mind games with the dog. Obviously this doesn't involve just a dog's bowl. I really do recommend getting the dog into obedience class if you cannot get a behaviorist in to do a consult right away.

You don't want to pin down the dog or get into a staring contest because with a 110 lb dog you are going to lose. That is my policy, but I'm a 50 yr. old broken down old bag.

It seems we are dealing with a young adult or child still living at home and I am not going to recommend physically wrestling or challenging the dog.

This person may not be able to pay for a behaviorist.

This person values the dog and of this moment prefers not to put the dog down.

As of this moment I don't see any reason to put the dog down. It sounds like and unruly puppy was allowed to grown into an unruly adult and has never had proper training.

It is normal for a dog to try to raise its status within it's 'pack' and it sounds like this is what the dog is doing. It would be interesting to know if the dog has ever done this to the parents of the OP, if, indeed, I have read this situation correctly (I may not have).

John Rogerson has a very good dominance program. He also has books and is on the internet. Calling Dr. McConnell or reading her book should help, also, of course.

I just don't feel the situation is as dire, yet, as some people here seem to feel. From what I understand this is the first and only instance of resource guarding with a 3 year old dog. She has probably just recently become mature enough to push the boundaries of her status within the pack. So obviously her status is unclear to her because she feels she can assert herself over chickNjake and move up within the pack. This can also cover the resource guarding. Lower pack members cannot take resources away from higher pack members.

As you know, I'm sure, this sometimes happens with children in a dog owning household. The dog has played roughly with the kids since puppyhood and the kids have not been the ones who disciplined the dog. The kids played hand games and let the dog bite, yadayada, so the dog views them as equals in pack status.

It will be harder to correct now than when the dog was a puppy, but is still correctable without real trauma to either party.

If this common problem is not corrected in a timely fashion and the dog is allowed to express its outright dominance over a period of time then yup, you are going to have a really serious problem and a dangerous dog.

I would kennel the dog until the problem is resolved to keep the birds safe and to start the program.

 

[Mr. Peepers]

There are a lot of wonderful theories about canine behavior and a lot of qualified and unqualified people who are willing to spout these theories.

This is not a theory, this is a fact: A large dog can seriously injure or even kill a person without warning and in seconds.

Here's another fact: The animal in question, at three years of age, has demonstrated the propensity to attack her master.

Final fact: No matter what training/behavior modification the animal may receive, there's never any proof that changes in behavior will be long term.

Here's a story: I owned two (female dogs, can't say b1tches here). At an early age one clearly dominated the other and was the alpha b1tch. No person can teach a dog better than another dog can, so it's probably safe to say that the second b1tch had her behavior correctly modified. Many years down the road, the alpha b1tch took a trip to the vet and came back wearing a muzzle. The second b1tch took immediate advantage of the situation and attacked, nearly killing the alpha b1tch before I could intervene.

Moral of the story: Dogs can learn and can modifiy their behavior, but there's never any guarantee that given a slight change in circumstances they won't revert to their previous behavior. Because of the danger that a large, unpredictable dog can present, I wouldn't make that bet.