Aggressive behavior

[Durant]

Not much activity in the gun dog forum so I'm posting this here.

I have a 4yo male chocolate that has become mildly aggressive the last 6 months. I've had him since he was a puppy and he knows basic commands and is for the most part obedient. He's blood trailed deer for me and my friends since he was 5 months old. When I "play" with him, sometimes we play rough, but I never let him get out of control, and he always stops when I say stop. This past December he tied up with another tracking dog, and like an idiot I got bit by the other dog trying to seperate them. One midnight trip to the ER and several stitches for me later, my dog now will be aggressive towards other dogs if they don't "back down" when he gets in their face. Also, he rides with me everywhere I go. If someone approaches the truck window, he growls, and may even show his teeth. I'm worried someone not meaning any harm is going to get bit. While at the vet recently, he would growl whenever a student of the vet would get close or start touching him. The vet advised me they should take him out of the room away from me and that he was probably just being protective. She said he was fine once they did that. I believe it all started when he witnessed that other dog mangle my wrist up. Any suggestions?

[jacksbuddy]

How qualified are you at training a dog? I ask that because you have a problem and it sounds like it could be a very big problem if you don't train that aggression out of him.

The good news is that you have a good opportunity to do this training since you take him everywhere with you.

Good luck.

[ACEINTHEHOLE]

This will probably not be a very popular answer, but I am ok with that. It is what I feel is the truth. I DO NOT tolerate any aggression from a dog around my family. My kids are way to important to me and 1 bite can cause serious consequences. Any sign of aggression towards people results in a dog being put down. I had a food aggressive hunting dog years ago and had paid big money for him when I really didn't have it. He started growling at my wife while eating and it scared her. I consulted a trusted dog man I knew and he gave me some steps to make to try and correct it, but advised that I put him down without even trying. I went through it all and thought he was cured of it, until he latched onto a buddies arm. Luckily he was a good friend and not someone who could have sued me. There are to many good dogs out there to fool with an aggressive one or scared one. Either can hurt you.

[DuckBoat]

Every dog is different so different things work for different dogs. It is also amazing how one event can "set" a dog off. Never say a dog will never do something.

I have seen dogs mellow out after they have been withdrawn from those situations. May take 6-8 months. This one may be hard to do since you take him every where but if you try this don't let them near other dogs or people in a scenario where he would feel defensive then slowly allow those situations to occur and monitor his behavior after 6-8 months.

The other option is correcting the behavior every instance. However you have to catch it early preferably even before the first growl. Correcting can be removing him from the situation (for example if someone is walking up to the truck and you see hair in his back bristling up put him in the back seat), scolding, or physical punishment. Be aware that some dogs will learn to act good around you but be careful when they are not with you.

[Durant]

[Long Cut]

this may sound crazy but may be worth looking into. Since you would like him to be able to flip a switch on his aggression more for your protection like you mentioned in your 2nd post have you ever thought about consulting with or sending him for a bit to a someone who trains defense dogs or police dogs. I understand that they are completely different types of dogs but they train dogs everyday to flip the switch. If you are looking for controlled aggression that might be where to look. There is a guy in Tupelo that does this full time. Not sure of his name Maybe North MS k-9. Should be easy to google.

[Durant]

[Long Cut]

That's where I was going with that post. Not so much reaching out to get him trained for protection but how that type of trainer controls the aggression and is able to say no and back them off. Their job is to teach controlled aggression.

[jacksbuddy]

[champcaller]

If you have small kids around I wouldn't feel comfortable. If they have a toy he wants, one snip could end very badly. That's tough either way. Good luck and I hope you get it worked out.

[greenheadgrimreaper]

Our female chihuahua will draw blood if provoked. That comes with the territory- and the fact that I wasn't living with the dog when she was a pup. If I'd of been, she'd be totally different.

I don't mind my dog being protective when a stranger walks up to the truck and reaches inside towards him. If it were done to me, I'd defend myself too. It's the dog that goes out of his way to be aggressive that is a problem.

IMHO, we civilians don't want to have a dog that can flip any kind of a switch, controlled or not. That's trouble. It all comes down to dominance: Where does the dog fit in, in its pack- in HIS mind, NOT yours? Ask yourself that, figure that out, and you'll be closer to solving the problem: Since his ranking is not where YOU want it to be, YOU put him where he belongs- once (If?) you find out what place he has in the hierarchy of things in, again, HIS mind and not yours.

[mphillips]

I have experienced a very similar situation with a black lab. It was a very frustrating. The dog developed fear aggression and could not be trusted around other dogs or strangers. He was a great retriever and all he wanted to do was hunt with me and go with me where ever I went. I did a lot of reading, talking to other owners and my vet about ways to correct the behavior. The dog was neutered and prescribed amitriptyline. I tried a lot of techniques described by trainers in working with slowly introducing the dog to uncomfortable settings. Nothing worked. I decided I had 2 choices. Either put the dog down or never let him be around strangers or other dogs. I chose to keep the dog. It was very difficult. The dog lived to be 10, he died of bladder cancer. It was bitter sweet, when the dog was with just me and our pack it was great but a nightmare around strangers and other dogs. I don't know if I would make the same decision if I had to do it over again. The only advice I can offer is never trust your dog around small children or strangers. The potential for a bad outcome is too great.

[Seymore]

I don't want to hijack the thread but I have somewhat of a similar situation and thought I'd ask. We have two dachshunds. This breed thinks it's bigger thank it really is and will bow up on a dog 10 times it's size. My problem is both dogs love the family and especially my girls. They can play and haul these dogs around everywhere and the dogs have never once complained. They race to the door when they here my wife's car pull in the driveway if they girls aren't here because they know they are about to walk through the door. The problem is if anybody else gets near their human family they will absolutely nuts. I know it's just their protective instincts and they have never actually bitten anyone just put on a huge show. We have them locked up before we open the door or have anybody over though.