April 19, 2011
I think my dog has a reaction to vaccinations that have left him very aggressive. What can I do?
Full Question:
Hi Ed,I would like to know what your opinion is on using an e-collar in my situation. My dog is 9 months old and is extremely people aggressive. He hates absolutely everyone but my husband and me. We got this puppy at 4 months of age. He's always been shy and a little strange around people. He got quite sick for a while, and ever since then, he's been very aggressive towards people. He will bark, growl & nip at anyone who even looks at him the wrong way. He's terrified of everyone he meets, especially children.
We sought the help of a holistic veterinarian who thought we might be able to help the problem using homeopathy, but as of yet, we've had no success. Although we haven't given up on the idea that this was either brought on or made worse by vaccinations or medication, we need to search for another solution in the meantime. Right now, the dog needs to be muzzled and on a prong collar if he is going to be near people. I am retraining him using your "Basic Obedience" video, and he's not flipping out on people who keep their distance anymore, but he still won't let anyone near him.
Some people I've encountered on your Discussion Board are encouraging me to use an e-collar on my dog. I've heard that you shouldn't use an e-collar on an aggressive dog, and was wondering if you could give me your opinion on this. I've had several people tell me that it isn't too late to change his behavior. You have a great deal of knowledge when it comes to things like this and I would very much appreciate your advice.
Thank you
Melissa
Ed's Answer:
I would not doubt that this is a reaction to vaccinations (it also could be genetic - but it sounds like a reaction issue).
This is a hard question without seeing the dog. It certainly is possible to use an e-collar to reinforce obedience commands. The important thing is to make sure the dog knows the correction comes from you. Do not fry the dog - keep the level down to the uncomfortable range - give a NO command and then stimulate the dog. He must learn that you control him - if you make a mistake and the dog thinks the correction or stimulation comes from the person he is being aggressive towards he will only get worse. So in the beginning use the collar correction in conjunction with a prong collar correction. That's how the dog figures out you are doing the correcting.
This is a hard question without seeing the dog. It certainly is possible to use an e-collar to reinforce obedience commands. The important thing is to make sure the dog knows the correction comes from you. Do not fry the dog - keep the level down to the uncomfortable range - give a NO command and then stimulate the dog. He must learn that you control him - if you make a mistake and the dog thinks the correction or stimulation comes from the person he is being aggressive towards he will only get worse. So in the beginning use the collar correction in conjunction with a prong collar correction. That's how the dog figures out you are doing the correcting.
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