what would you do? Dog help

[sunny & the 5 egg layers]

I have a similar problem with my one year old border collie. But with her, it is fear. She will bark and bite at people who are "strangers" to her. She is EXCELLENT with the family, however. She has NEVER bit anyone in my family. And after she gets used to somebody, then she is fine. But when she first see's somebody she will bark/bite. I had one lady come to my house (she was buying something off craigslist) and she saw my dog barking. She sat down on the ground and Zoey ran up to the house and wanted to go in. The lady said,"That dog is scared, she isn't mean". And she is right. There is no way I could put her down. She means too much to me. I am thinking of finding a good dog trainer to help her. Other then this, she is the perfect dog. She will stay right with me off leash.

I am sorry to hear about your dog, I really hope he can be trained.

 

[flowerchicks]

Quote:
A dog isn't just born aggressive. Even my cattle dog that was growling and barking at strangers as a puppy, most likely learned that behavior from her mother, who I was warned not to go near when I got her. She was always cautious of strangers and unstrustworthy around them, but as she got older, she became more trustworthy, not less, because I worked with her. I knew she did not trust men and would go after them if she was able. I didn't find out until she was about 4 years old that the jerk who was living across the street would shoot marbles and rocks at her with a sling shot. That is why she didn't trust men. I had to teach her that not all men were going to hurt her. A big part of doing that was her trusting my judgement. If I was confident with a stranger, she was not aggressive towards them.

As the dogs owner, it is our responsibility to figure out what problem is, what caused it, what triggers it and how to fix it. When we see a dog with an aggression problem, whether it is fear aggression or an over protective guarding instinct, if we don't work with the dog to teach it what is expected of it, it is usually our fault if it bites somebody. The exception to this is a medical condition that is causing the dog to exhibit aggression (tumor, epilepsy, etc), but that is rare. The fix is not quick. It takes time, commitment, and often money for a trainer. But, I feel, it is our responsibility as a dog owner not to give up on our dog because they are not behaving the way we want them to. Leerburg.com has some great training DVD's, books, articles and even a forum that may help you.

 

[zzGypsy]

Quote:
A dog isn't just born aggressive.

respectfully disagree with you there. dogs, just like people, are born with some personality traits and instinctive behavior. while learned behavior is significant, and certainly handlers can make or ruin a dog by neglegence or lack of experience, there are some things the dog comes into the world with. not all behavior is learned, some is just the way the dog is made.

not saying what's true of this dog, this may be an inborn trait, or a behavioral issue created by the breeder, the owner, or things we don't even know about, like kids teasing the dog through the fence. dogs with issues are often exacerbated by owners who do not have experience with that kind of issue and don't know what to look for, or how to manage it before it gets out of hand. I'm not saying that's so for this owner, only that it's often true. not blaming anyone here, the owner, the dog, the dog's genetics...

nonetheless, the situation is as it is now, and needs to be managed appropriately for everyone's safety.

one of the PPs has a good point about contacting a rescue org for the breed. those folks are usually experienced in dealing with the breed, and the kind of issues they often have, and will have more experience than most at identifying an unfixable problem, correcting a fixable problem or finding a suitable home.

 

[dainerra]

A breed-specific rescue might be able to direct you to a trainer/behaviorist with experience with cattle dogs. Th ey may even have a volunteer who is experienced enough to do an eval, but sadly rescues won't usually take a dog with a bite h istory. Just too much liablity.

DO make sure to contain her at all times.
DO have her thryoid levels checked as well as other health-related issues that can cause aggression

That said, cattle dogs aren't necessarily known for being friendly with strangers.
In some ways, what the OP dcescribes sounds like typical cattle dog behavior gone into overdrive. These are dogs bred to work all day long. They need physical AND mental exercise. A game of fetch and running around the yard isn't going to cut it. You need to tire out the brain as well. Otherwise, the dog will invent a job for itself.

Someone mentioned a good point. What was the mother like? If she was aggressive with strangers, pups will learn that behavior. Some elements of temperament is inherited as well, so it's really important to get a dog from a trusted source. Thasts also why, unless you are super-experienced with the breed, a good breeder will NEVER let a client pick their own pup.

 

[Jamie_Dog_Trainer]

I can tell you that there are very FEW breed-specific rescue groups that will look twice at a dog that you announce has aggression issues. I have been there-done that with a client of mine and her aggressive Golden Retreiver. I advised the dog be put to sleep, and they wouldnt' do it. I used every contatact I have and NOT one would even let me get past the behavior issues. There are private people that will do it, I am one of them, and would take this dog on if I could. But well run, and well respected group usually won't even listen past the words bite or aggression.

 

[Beekissed]

Quote:
A dog isn't just born aggressive.

respectfully disagree with you there. dogs, just like people, are born with some personality traits and instinctive behavior. while learned behavior is significant, and certainly handlers can make or ruin a dog by neglegence or lack of experience, there are some things the dog comes into the world with. not all behavior is learned, some is just the way the dog is made.

not saying what's true of this dog, this may be an inborn trait, or a behavioral issue created by the breeder, the owner, or things we don't even know about, like kids teasing the dog through the fence. dogs with issues are often exacerbated by owners who do not have experience with that kind of issue and don't know what to look for, or how to manage it before it gets out of hand. I'm not saying that's so for this owner, only that it's often true. not blaming anyone here, the owner, the dog, the dog's genetics...

nonetheless, the situation is as it is now, and needs to be managed appropriately for everyone's safety.

one of the PPs has a good point about contacting a rescue org for the breed. those folks are usually experienced in dealing with the breed, and the kind of issues they often have, and will have more experience than most at identifying an unfixable problem, correcting a fixable problem or finding a suitable home.

I agree. I don't hold with an "all dogs go to Heaven" mentality....they are just like any other animal with certain genetic traits that can cause them to be predisposed to aggression. When a cat, rabbit, horse, cow, etc. is not friendly/aggressive you don't see it being blamed on training. There are humans who are predisposed, genetically, to be more aggressive and they are usually found in the prison system. Not to say that attempts at training can help modify some of this aggression, but not all of it can be "trained out".

 

[dainerra]

Quote:
agree with this completely. However, it takes a skilled/experienced person to know the difference. Not to mention, a hands-on observation of the behavior in question.

That's why I recommend step 1 as a 2-pronged approach to be contacting a professional experienced in training aggressive dogs (preferably in your breed) and a thorough vet exam.
Thyroid imbalance, for example, can manifest as aggressive behaviors.

 

[xchairity_casex]

Quote:
agree with this completely. However, it takes a skilled/experienced person to know the difference. Not to mention, a hands-on observation of the behavior in question.

That's why I recommend step 1 as a 2-pronged approach to be contacting a professional experienced in training aggressive dogs (preferably in your breed) and a thorough vet exam.
Thyroid imbalance, for example, can manifest as aggressive behaviors.

i had a male bull terrier puppy only 3 months old showing severe human aggression and i mean SEVERE he would flat out attack you for no reason you could walk by while he was sitting there and he would just attack. no amount of training could have helped him as it was in fact a neurological disorder and he had to be put to sleep or "managed"

 

[kbenz]

terriers in general have been breed for aggression for 100's of years. typically for hunting reasons or sport. It's in their genetics

 

[xchairity_casex]

Quote:
doesnt mean all terriers are aggressive i have a Bull terrier who was originally bred to fight. does that mean hes going to be aggressive or he has aggresive tendencies? NOPE.

any dog can become aggressive any breed of dog read Jamie_Dog_Trainer's post aboveI have been there-done that with a client of mine and her aggressive Golden Retreiver

any dog in certian hands can become aggressive and even aggressive dogs in certian hands can be trained to not show there aggression.

IMO its all about being able to read your dogs body language from the very start and stopping any bad behavior BEFORE it escalates.

so lets say this heeler is normal no medical issues perhapes this dog started out being overly alert when strangers came ears perked hackles standing chest puffed out tail erect obsevering. of coarse a normal dog owner might not even notice this behvior why should they? a few weeks,months,years later the behavior becomes this dog is growling,barking at new people the owner again just ignores the dog whats the harm? the behavior changes the dog is now mock charging new people NOW and only now does the owner take notice yelling at the dog to knock it off but assureing the strangers the dog doesnt bite.
sometimes its weeks sometimes its months for these troubling behaviors to crop up without notice and sometimes with fearful dogs its a matter of days.

how could you have stopped this behavior? easy the first time a new person came and you seen the dogs alertness correct them right then and there an everytime a person came over correct them dont lock them away dont keep them from meeting just dont allow them to stay alert. its ok for a dog to show alertness but when they stay in that state suspiciously eyeing the person even after you welcome them in you need to correct.
yes i do realize im going to be critisized for my opinion but hey so far its worked for me.