December 22, 2011
My dog was barreled over from behind by a strange dog off leash, since then he has become aggressive towards other dogs. What's the best way to approach the socializing of him to help him gain some confidence?
Full Question:
Hey, Firstly let me say "thank you" for the your website. I have found it very valuable and great info. I am interested in some of your DVDs, as I have a 10 month old shep, but don't know which ones would best suit. We currently attend obedience training at our GSD club every week, my problem isn't the obedience side, it is my dog's reaction to other dogs. When he was approximately 4/5 months old he was barreled over from behind by a strange dog off leash and he got sent flying, since then he has reacted to every dog, hackles up and sometimes bearing teeth, another could be within eye sight unless he became very defensive, almost trying to get in before they did. I am sure his reaction is out of fear and I need to find a way to give him back his confidence. He has always been a bit shy but I don't want him growing up thinking this is how he must be. We have worked hard with the trainers at our club, correcting aggression for no reason and rewarding for calm meetings even if only for a couple of sec's and he has now made friends with some dogs and is now willing to play but he still is very wary of dogs not known to him, what's the best way to approach the socializing of him to help him gain some confidence? Some people have suggested to take him off leash at a park and "let him figure it out" but I'm not comfortable with this idea, and don't feel its the right approach, need a professional opinion. Also are your DVDs advertised in us dollars as I am in Australia?
Cathy
Cindy's Answer:
The videos I'd recommend for you are Pack Structure for the Family Pet and Dealing with Dominant & Aggressive Dogs.
Your dog is quite young and is likely dog aggressive from his experience at 4/5 months old. It's a “I better get them, before they get me” kind of reaction. This is very common and unless you handle it correctly, it may never get better and will likely get worse as he matures. Instead of correcting him so much for this, I'd recommend teaching him that you are going to protect him and you are not going to let other dogs get close enough to make him feel uncomfortable. Many trainers think the thing to do is to put dogs like this in situations where they show aggression and then correct them, but in your dog’s case I believe he’s worried and fearful and if you correct him for feeling worried/fearful you will have successfully made him more nervous. You can see how this will snowball.
I'd work him on things he's confident in far away from other dogs and slowly desensitize him. I think if you read some of our Q&As on pack structure you'll find some similar stories to your own.
You can also use our search function (located at the top left of each page on our website) to find articles, Q&As and posts on our forum and a number of free eBooks that may interest you.
I hope this helps,
Cindy
Your dog is quite young and is likely dog aggressive from his experience at 4/5 months old. It's a “I better get them, before they get me” kind of reaction. This is very common and unless you handle it correctly, it may never get better and will likely get worse as he matures. Instead of correcting him so much for this, I'd recommend teaching him that you are going to protect him and you are not going to let other dogs get close enough to make him feel uncomfortable. Many trainers think the thing to do is to put dogs like this in situations where they show aggression and then correct them, but in your dog’s case I believe he’s worried and fearful and if you correct him for feeling worried/fearful you will have successfully made him more nervous. You can see how this will snowball.
I'd work him on things he's confident in far away from other dogs and slowly desensitize him. I think if you read some of our Q&As on pack structure you'll find some similar stories to your own.
You can also use our search function (located at the top left of each page on our website) to find articles, Q&As and posts on our forum and a number of free eBooks that may interest you.
I hope this helps,
Cindy
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