November 19, 2013
My dog was attacked at the dog beach and now she is aggressive towards other dogs. How can I train this behavior out of her so that we can go back to 'normal'?
Full Question:
Hi,My female terrier dog is 6 years old. She was attacked on a local dog beach by a big dog that just ran in from nowhere as she was playing in the sea. The attack resulted in 3 stitches to her neck. Now my dog is aggressive with other dogs. If they approach her she tries to bite and warn them away. This is a problem as obviously many dogs use that beach and there is always a dog that approaches her. My dog does not initiate an attack, she just warns them off when they come too near. How can I train this behavior out of her so that we can go back to 'normal'? Thank you.
Ed's Answer:
I am sorry to have to tell you this but there is no going back. What you are now is what you will always have.
The fact is once a dog has been attacked it will always be aggressive to other dogs. They take the position that a good offense is the best defense.
I compare it to you walking in the park and being badly mugged. In fact mugged so bad you need to go to the hospital. Would you forget that any time soon? I think not.
Now I also hate to say this but you have been making serious mistakes in how you had managed this dog. Dogs are pack animals and you were the dogs pack leader. As such it was your responsibility to protect the dog – you didn’t do that. This has a dramatic effect on the psychology of your dog. It makes them feel like they are out there alone fighting all the muggers of the world.
I recently produced a short video on Management for one of our recent newsletters. I suggest you watch it. Bottom line is good management is more important than obedience training when it comes to living with a dog.
When we walk our dogs in areas where there can possibly be other dogs (we do almost on a daily basis at our local bike and walking trail in our town) we always keep our dogs on a leash. There is never an acceptation. We would NEVER allow a strange dog to come near our dogs. We step in front of our dogs and drive the stray away. If need be, we would have a stout walking stick and we are not afraid to use it on a dog that the other dog's owner could not call away from us.
That is what you should have been doing. I am sorry to have to say this and I don’t want to offend (but I don’t have time to sweet talk this issue) but had you done this you would not have this problem right now.
Regards,
Ed Frawley
The fact is once a dog has been attacked it will always be aggressive to other dogs. They take the position that a good offense is the best defense.
I compare it to you walking in the park and being badly mugged. In fact mugged so bad you need to go to the hospital. Would you forget that any time soon? I think not.
Now I also hate to say this but you have been making serious mistakes in how you had managed this dog. Dogs are pack animals and you were the dogs pack leader. As such it was your responsibility to protect the dog – you didn’t do that. This has a dramatic effect on the psychology of your dog. It makes them feel like they are out there alone fighting all the muggers of the world.
I recently produced a short video on Management for one of our recent newsletters. I suggest you watch it. Bottom line is good management is more important than obedience training when it comes to living with a dog.
When we walk our dogs in areas where there can possibly be other dogs (we do almost on a daily basis at our local bike and walking trail in our town) we always keep our dogs on a leash. There is never an acceptation. We would NEVER allow a strange dog to come near our dogs. We step in front of our dogs and drive the stray away. If need be, we would have a stout walking stick and we are not afraid to use it on a dog that the other dog's owner could not call away from us.
That is what you should have been doing. I am sorry to have to say this and I don’t want to offend (but I don’t have time to sweet talk this issue) but had you done this you would not have this problem right now.
Regards,
Ed Frawley
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