Newfoundland mix

[JasperMoon]

so I have a doggo named forrest

he is amazing with humans, BUT terrible with animals, like he gets agressive, but other than that he is a perfect loveable patient animal, who protects us. id just like to know if we can train it out of him, he was a shelter dog when we got him 5 years ago, currently he is 7, and we are getting outside cats and a herding dog for the animals protection, and id like for them to know each other.

 

[Smuvers Farm]

Hello doggo named Forrest!!! Who is a good doggie?!?!? WHO IS A GOOD DOGGIE?!?!?!?!?!?

OK, I'm done.

You can ALWAYS teach an old dog new tricks.. but it would take a LOT of time and patience. Good luck!

 

[Welshies]

You'd be able to train it out of him. Introduce him to the birds or other animals one on one, and keep him on a leash. Use a firm No! if he becomes aggressive.

 

[JasperMoon]

Hello doggo named Forrest!!! Who is a good doggie?!?!? WHO IS A GOOD DOGGIE?!?!?!?!?!?

OK, I'm done.

You can ALWAYS teach an old dog new tricks.. but it would take a LOT of time and patience. Good luck!

alright! hopefully my dad and i can do it!

 

[JasperMoon]

You'd be able to train it out of him. Introduce him to the birds or other animals one on one, and keep him on a leash. Use a firm No! if he becomes aggressive.

alright! im just worried because he has attacked dogs before, and weve payed for the bills and stuff, he was getting better with our old neibors dogs but they where constantly around each other and surrounded by fence,

 

[Smuvers Farm]

alright! im just worried because he has attacked dogs before, and weve payed for the bills and stuff, he was getting better with our old neibors dogs but they where constantly around each other and surrounded by fence,

My advice, is to hire a local dog trainer and get a few sessions in with them first. They will teach YOU how to train/teach your dog. Lots of treats are going to be eaten.

 

[JasperMoon]

My advice, is to hire a local dog trainer and get a few sessions in with them first. They will teach YOU how to train/teach your dog. Lots of treats are going to be eaten.

thank you, so much i love all my animals and want them to all be happy with eachother

 

[JaeG]

He needs to know all those basic commands, especially "Leave it". I'd make sure he had a good grasp of those before introducing him to any other animals (on a lead). Don't just stick another animal under his nose and expect him to be good - start out from a distance. You want Forrest focused on you and ignoring the other animal. If he's not focusing on you, increase the distance. Reward him with food (or whatever works for him). Slowly build up his tolerance level and get closer - he needs to understand that he focuses on you, not the other animal. That's his job. You'll basically be teaching him to ignore the other animals. If his attention strays towards the other animal you want to be able to say "Leave it", have him look at you, keep his focus on you, then you give him a reward. It will take a lot of work but it will be worth it. He's quite the looker by the way!

 

[JasperMoon]

He needs to know all those basic commands, especially "Leave it". I'd make sure he had a good grasp of those before introducing him to any other animals (on a lead). Don't just stick another animal under his nose and expect him to be good - start out from a distance. You want Forrest focused on you and ignoring the other animal. If he's not focusing on you, increase the distance. Reward him with food (or whatever works for him). Slowly build up his tolerance level and get closer - he needs to understand that he focuses on you, not the other animal. That's his job. You'll basically be teaching him to ignore the other animals. If his attention strays towards the other animal you want to be able to say "Leave it", have him look at you, keep his focus on you, then you give him a reward. It will take a lot of work but it will be worth it. He's quite the looker by the way!

....ok! yes we have traind him to leave treats till we say go get it, and yess he is a fluff ball!

 

[staceyj]

Hi there! He’s a cute boy!
I hate to be a naysayer here but as a professional dog trainer I feel the need to give my opinion based on decades of experience that “reactivity” such as you described can NEVER be erased from a dog that age completely and is unlikely even at a much younger age either.
Whatever caused it, ie: previous treatment, genetics, lousy training in his puppyhood, he is hard-wired this way.

Some dogs can be trained to neutrality about others animals but they have to start out with a lean towards that direction in the first place.

There is a primal difference for instance in the concept of the command “leave it”.
It is totally different then the command “wait”.

Leave it means this is never going to be yours. Ever.

Wait means be patient and you can have it when I say you can. But yes you’ll get it eventually.

A whole platter of bacon fried to a perfect crispness is not nearly as valuable to an animal as the reward of chasing or attacking something he feels a predatorial drive towards.

Think of it in these terms, reactivity/aggression is like a computer program that is constantly running in the background of your computer. You might not see it or use it but it’s there.

It is possible that you can train your dog to stay at your side and “behave“ when you are with him, but it will never be possible to allow him to be unattended near other animals.