April 22, 2011
My dog was attacked by a pit bull while out walking. Now she is aggressive to small dogs and kids. What should I do?
Full Question:
Dear Ed,We have a 2 1/2 yr old female Rotti who was attacked a month ago by a female Pit Bull while my husband was walking her - luckily neither my husband or my dog were injured. The dog had gotten away from it's owner. Since then she has shown aggression towards dogs smaller than her and towards small children - but still very friendly to adults. Before the attack she had always been loving and friendly to EVERYONE especially children. She has basic obedience training. Please give us some advise on how we can correct this behavior - I am wanting to order an electric collar for her - but will wait for your reply.
Thank you,
Sandy
Ed's Answer:
Dogs have long memories and it surprises people how one incident can sometimes change them forever.
The solution is control. The dog was traumatized. Just like a woman getting raped. It is not going to get over it easily or quickly. But it can have its behavior controlled. This is going to take a well founded obedience program and being firm with the dog. You need to establish yourself as pack leader and a firm, fair pack leader.
When the dog shows aggression towards children you need to be very quick to correct. The dog must get sharp corrections with a prong collar and loud verbal corrections. You need to make it very clear that YOU ARE NOT HAPPY.
I would not recommend an electric collar for you yet. The dog needs to understand that you are the one who is correcting it. It needs to know exactly what it is that it is getting corrected for, and in the hands of a novice, an electric collar can be confusing for the dog. I never recommend one unless someone is a good dog trainer to begin with, (unless its for punishment training).
Read what I have to say about the steps of obedience training.
If there is any chance of this happening again, get pepper gas and carry it. Or get an electric cattle prod and carry that.
The solution is control. The dog was traumatized. Just like a woman getting raped. It is not going to get over it easily or quickly. But it can have its behavior controlled. This is going to take a well founded obedience program and being firm with the dog. You need to establish yourself as pack leader and a firm, fair pack leader.
When the dog shows aggression towards children you need to be very quick to correct. The dog must get sharp corrections with a prong collar and loud verbal corrections. You need to make it very clear that YOU ARE NOT HAPPY.
I would not recommend an electric collar for you yet. The dog needs to understand that you are the one who is correcting it. It needs to know exactly what it is that it is getting corrected for, and in the hands of a novice, an electric collar can be confusing for the dog. I never recommend one unless someone is a good dog trainer to begin with, (unless its for punishment training).
Read what I have to say about the steps of obedience training.
If there is any chance of this happening again, get pepper gas and carry it. Or get an electric cattle prod and carry that.
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