I'm in dire straits and would appreciate any help any of you could give. We have an agressive dog. Here's some background: We have an intelligent and docile 10 year old male Yellow Lab mix, a 5 year old male Chow mix, and a 2 year old female Yellow Lab. The problem (I'll bet you already guessed it!) is the Chow mix. Well, it's actually us because none of these dogs have been trained.

When our beloved black lab/collie mix died at the young age of 10 and her sibling died at 17 we decided that we would be tree hugger dog lovers from then on. Our dogs have never been crated, have been allowed on the beds and sofas, and pull us along for walks. They know basic sit, stay and come but haven't been taken beyond that.

The Chow was a surprise gift from a friend when our 17 year old dog was diagnosed with cancer. This dog came from a pet store at about 8 weeks old and was not what I would have chosen but no matter, we love all dogs. The Chow was named Taz because he was snarling, snapping and nipping from the time we got him. Which was after he spent two weeks in the hospital getting over parvo. (God I hate pet stores!!!)

Anyway, I tried to break him of this but my husband thought it was cute. The only thing he taught Taz was "kisses" because he thought that would distract him into licking instead of biting. In fact he thought the cutest thing Taz did was licking him on the face while snarling at the same time. Every time I tried to hug Taz he would nip at my face and growl. He pretty much grew out of that but will still give a soft growl if you try to move him physically. He rarely does this to me, it's mostly my husband.

Here's where the trouble is: Taz has nipped friends of ours and attacked our older dog three times. A police officer neighbor of ours said he thought Taz was fear agressive. This may be true because anyone who approaches him with confidence can easily pet him but if it's a woman and she's nervous he'll nip her. And screamming children make him nuts. Thanksfully he's never bitten one. The times he's bitten Bucky have all (to our knowledge) been when one of us came home or entered a room they were in unexpectedly. And it comes close to a battle whenever the doorbell rings and a barking frenzy erupts. It's like he's confused about all the racket and if Bucky corrects Storm, Taz attacks Bucky. He's done puncture wounds all three times. The attacks have stretched over the past two years and the rest of the time all three love each other but Bucky is very wary of Taz.

After the last battle, two days ago, I freaked out. I opened the closed bedroom door where my huband was sleeping and as they came toward me a fight broke out. Taz latched onto Bucky's neck and we had a real hard time prying his jaws open. Bucky has a gash in his neck. I think it's about Taz being confused about what's going on and challenging Bucky's authority. I can't take having Bucky hurt anymore. I found Ed's website and have been reading it almost constantly. The dogs were immediately ordered off the beds and sofas and are sitting and lying down on command. I'm being a very good Alpha, I think. I have ordered the Basic Obedience and Agressive Dog CDs, a wire muzzle, and dominant dog collar and a drag leash. I also purchased an electronic collar from a local store yesterday.

I'm sorry this is so long, but here are my questions:

I'm home alone for the next week so is there anything I can do if a battle erupts? Will a full-force nick from the collar escalate Taz even more?

What if docile Bucky doesn't want to put up with this s*it anymore and is turning over the reins to Taz? How would I know? What are the signs? Whenever Bucky corrects Storm Taz charges at him and then stops short. For the last two days I've been reinforcing the pack order with Bucky being the Alpha dog and correcting Taz whenever he challenges him. I feed them in order (after a sit) and make them go up and down the stairs in order. Is this right? Taz always looks at Bucky whan a barking frenzy occurs like he's trying to figure out what's going on so I think Bucky is still Alpha dog.

What else can I do right now until my supplies come in? I've got a fabric muzzle and Taz totally submits when he wears it but I can't leave it on. I really don't want to put him in a room or the yard by himself, I don't have the heart for it.

I'm not sleeping well and I'm pretty stressed out so any help you can offer will be greatly appreciated. Thanks for taking the time to read this.

PS Is it safe for a cloth muzzle to be worn for an hour and a half? He seems perfectly fine with it and the box says he can drink and pant with it on. I have to give my mother a ride home from the airport tomorrow and will have to use the cloth muzzle or just take my chances.

Read Groundwork(article and podcast) and stick Taz in a crate. With a dog that`s lunging to try and get out of a crate you may have to use the leash snaps to hold it closed.

If you have to leave him put him in the bathroom or some other room with the door closed without the muzzle. If a dog can open his mouth wide enough to pant with a cloth muzzle on then he can also bite.

Thanks for the replies, Cathy. He's actually super docile and downright embarrassed when he has the muzzle on. I'm positive he couldn't do a choke bite with it on because he can only open his mouth a little bit. And Bucky is much larger than him. But is it safe for him to wear it if he can't do a full pant? I've read that they shouldn't be worn for more than twenty minutes. Do you know why not? He wouldn't be running around, just lying around. I don't have a crate and I'm afraid that leaving him in a bathroom would wreak havoc on his psyche. (Sorry, there's a little bit of tree hugger left in me.)

 Quote:

I don't have a crate and I'm afraid that leaving him in a bathroom would wreak havoc on his psyche. (Sorry, there's a little bit of tree hugger left in me.)

I don't mean to be an alarmist but your dog's psyche is not doing fantastic with the "tree hugger" treatment. A crate is not a punishment - hell my dogs love their crates. It is "their" space and will often go an lay in it when left loose in the house. Don't be anthropomorphic. From what you have written, you have a time bomb waiting to go off. He has not bitten a child yet but I'd bet my bottom dollar, he would not hesitate to do so in the right situation. It is good that you are working on this problem now before it happens!

This is a pet, correct? From the sounds of it, this dog does not have much, if any, respect for you and your husband. I would HIGHLY recommend getting some professional training help with this dog and I would advise starting "Nothing in Life is Free" with him:

http://www.goof.com/~pmurphy/NILIF.html

But a crate is necessary for this program.

ditto on the suggestions already made. since you are taking the time to read here so much, please open your mind and realize that you are ruining your dogs by treating them as if they were kids in fur suits. they are dogs and have very different needs than you do.

i'm reading cesar millan's new book just now, "cesar's way," and in addition to all the good training and management advice you get here, this book is terrific for explaining what a dog's basic needs are, psychologically. millan's philosophy is they need "exercise, discipline, and affection", in that order. is taz getting a long daily walk that is disciplined (i.e. you are not being dragged all over creation)? and practicing NILIF is essential.

 Quote:

I'm home alone for the next week so is there anything I can do if a battle erupts? Will a full-force nick from the collar escalate Taz even more?

keep the dogs separated. get a crate NOW.

 Quote:

What if docile Bucky doesn't want to put up with this s*it anymore and is turning over the reins to Taz? How would I know? What are the signs? Whenever Bucky corrects Storm Taz charges at him and then stops short. For the last two days I've been reinforcing the pack order with Bucky being the Alpha dog and correcting Taz whenever he challenges him. I feed them in order (after a sit) and make them go up and down the stairs in order. Is this right? Taz always looks at Bucky whan a barking frenzy occurs like he's trying to figure out what's going on so I think Bucky is still Alpha dog.

NO. YOU are the alpha, and no one else. you have a dog pack, and you are the only leader. do not allow your dogs to work out who is leader. you are the leader.

 Quote:

What else can I do right now until my supplies come in? I've got a fabric muzzle and Taz totally submits when he wears it but I can't leave it on. I really don't want to put him in a room or the yard by himself, I don't have the heart for it.

go out right this minute and get a CRATE. if you are not going to listen to our advice, then don't bother us with your problems!

You need a crate, ASAP. I don't think the average person really understands enough about canine behavior and rank to decide which dog eats first, second, etc. It seems like often times we misjudge who's alpha, who's really picking fights, etc., and that only escalates problems because we don't truly understand the cause. What we see might be a dog leaping up to attack an innocent dog lying down, but there's always more to it. A look, an ear twitch, tiny little things that we don't see or really comprehend can cause problems. The safest thing is to keep them separated, on a rotating basis perhaps (if you're concerned about fairness and want to be true to your tree-hugger heritage <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> and concentrate on YOU being leader. They will not fight because YOU do not allow it. Don't bother trying to figure out, decide, or enforce one's rank over another. They all must mind YOU, period.

Thank you for all the great replies. I FULLY understand the mistakes we've made but am feeling overwhelmed because it's so difficult when you're dealing with THREE UNTRAINED DOGS at once. Our dogs have never been crated so I need help with this. Storm is having the most difficulty with obedience right now. Would it be correct to crate Taz and Storm only? Bucky is soft and very obedient. Or should I crate all three?

I was posting late last night so didn't get any crates yet. I'm leaving for the airport in about an hour and will remove the doggie door from the patio slider and leave Bucky alone in the house and put Storm and Taz outside. I'll be stopping at PetsMart on the way home so should I get one, two, or three crates? (I'll have to make at least two trips!) Also, who should I take out for a controlled walk first? Does it matter? Should I also pick up a prong collar for Taz and Storm? (Taz's neck fur is really thick so I'm not sure if it would work on him).

I love watching Cesar on TV but I'm only going to listen to Ed right now. Focus, focus, focus. Forget the trees! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

I would separate all of them; you state that one "sweet and soft" but you don't really know for a fact that he/she has nothing to do w/the issues you've been having. If you are buying 3 crates, go to WalMart! I think you're worrying too much about who to take first; take whoever YOU feel like walking first-it's not all about them <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />. If they're all dragging you around the block, make them all wear prongs. Make sure they fit properly. Good luck. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />