December 26, 2013
My dog was attacked at a dog park about a year ago and we've been dealing with fear aggression ever since. Any ideas on training?
Full Question:
Hey folks, I have two adult dogs. There is Lilly, who according to a DNA test is part American Bulldog and part English Bulldog. She looks the part of an American Bulldog more so than the English.
The other, she is Lola. A Border Collie/Boxer mix.
Lilly was attacked by a Great Dane in a dog park about a year ago. The issue we have had since then is what most trainers have called fear aggression.
We have had her trained for obedience via choke collar method from a company here in Atlanta. It works really well and she responds wonderfully. We LIVE in Midtown Atlanta, so there are tons of dogs out and around our complex. Lilly reacts to them, hackle up, lunging, barking. Doesn't matter if the dog is closing distance on the same side of the street or across the street. She gives the same level of reactivity. We have deviated from the choke collar to a head collar which doesn't seem to work. Any ideas on training?
Ed's Answer:
I think you have been looking at this problem from the wrong point of view.
Once a dog has been attacked by another dog they will almost always be dog aggressive. They assume the position that the "best defense is a good offense." It’s pretty difficult to change this.
With that said, the way we approach a situation with loose dogs is WE NEVER ALLOW A STRAY DOG NEAR OUR DOGS. We carry walking sticks and if a stray or loose dog approaches our dogs we first WARN then to stay back and if they don’t heed that warning, we drive them away with the stick. We give them the option to leave but if this takes us WHACKING a stray dog, we will most certainly do it.
This is a huge thing in the eyes of your dog looking at you as a PACK LEADER. Our dogs expect their leaders to protect them. When that doesn’t happen they get stressed. Once your dog sees you protecting them they will relax because they learn they don’t have anything to fear.
I wrote an article on dog parks. You may want to read it because the core of the issue is dogs being around loose dogs.
What we do with our dogs is work on engagement training (which are covered in our food and tug DVDs). When we can put engagement on cue, we then work engagement in the face of distractions – starting with very small distractions up to very high distractions. But that’s a topic I could write a book on. If you're into dog training and want to learn get those two DVDs.
I don’t think this has anything to do with your training issue – but I have to say that these companies that claim they can tell what breed of dog a “mixed breed” dog is from a DNA sample are total 100% scam artists. It is total bs.
Regards,
Ed Frawley
Once a dog has been attacked by another dog they will almost always be dog aggressive. They assume the position that the "best defense is a good offense." It’s pretty difficult to change this.
With that said, the way we approach a situation with loose dogs is WE NEVER ALLOW A STRAY DOG NEAR OUR DOGS. We carry walking sticks and if a stray or loose dog approaches our dogs we first WARN then to stay back and if they don’t heed that warning, we drive them away with the stick. We give them the option to leave but if this takes us WHACKING a stray dog, we will most certainly do it.
This is a huge thing in the eyes of your dog looking at you as a PACK LEADER. Our dogs expect their leaders to protect them. When that doesn’t happen they get stressed. Once your dog sees you protecting them they will relax because they learn they don’t have anything to fear.
I wrote an article on dog parks. You may want to read it because the core of the issue is dogs being around loose dogs.
What we do with our dogs is work on engagement training (which are covered in our food and tug DVDs). When we can put engagement on cue, we then work engagement in the face of distractions – starting with very small distractions up to very high distractions. But that’s a topic I could write a book on. If you're into dog training and want to learn get those two DVDs.
I don’t think this has anything to do with your training issue – but I have to say that these companies that claim they can tell what breed of dog a “mixed breed” dog is from a DNA sample are total 100% scam artists. It is total bs.
Regards,
Ed Frawley
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