Hi to all, I'm a new member here, thanks to someone I consider a friend out in CA.

I have a 7 month old Doberman, male who has recently become dog and other people aggressive. I think it all stemmed from a trip we took to PetsMart when another dog lunged at Dozer. I pulled him back but from that point on, it seems as if the aggression thing is getting out of control.

Let me say that we are in two intermediate obedience classes. He did well in his basic with the usual sit, stay, down commands. My friend, Jeff in CA, thinks I may have screwed up my "pack leader" roll with him, so I am trying to regain that position. He is crated both at night and during the day off and on. We go on walks where he is on heel and we practice other commands in differing locales so that he doesn't become accustomed to any one area. He also goes to daycare a couple of times a week. I did that for socialization due to the winter here in WI. He does not seem to have any issues at Daycare, go figure.

I have an appointment on Tuesday with a Dog Behavioralist in Oshkosh but if any one knows of others in the Fox Valley or other areas (I'd be willing to drive to find someone) that you consider good, I'd like to know of them.

I'd also like your thoughts as to what you think I may be experiencing with Dozer.

Thank you all for your help.

Patt

 Quote: patt konopka

I have a 7 month old Doberman, male who has recently become dog and other people aggressive. I think it all stemmed from a trip we took to PetsMart when another dog lunged at Dozer. I pulled him back but from that point on, it seems as if the aggression thing is getting out of control.

I'm not the one who can help you with this, but I am curious about what he is doing that you see as aggressive behavior. It might help the more experienced member figure out how to best help if you go into a little more detail, too.

 Quote: patt konopka

My friend, Jeff in CA, thinks I may have screwed up my "pack leader" roll with him, so I am trying to regain that position. He is crated both at night and during the day off and on. We go on walks where he is on heel and we practice other commands in differing locales so that he doesn't become accustomed to any one area.

This is all great!

Keep it up and I am sure that you will see some real positive changes with him. One other thing that I have found helpful with my own dog is to put her in a long down stay at least once a day. Its a practice that was suggested to me, and I have noticed when I slack off and don't do it she tends to be a little edgier and tests more frequently.

For a pup his age a "long" down stay might only be a few minutes, so set him up for success with it and release him after an appropriate amount of time. Its good for your leadership, and it will help teach self control to the pup.

 Quote: patt konopka

He also goes to daycare a couple of times a week. I did that for socialization due to the winter here in WI. He does not seem to have any issues at Daycare, go figure.

If I were you I would not send him to daycare anymore. If he is really showing dog aggression it is very important that his interaction with other dogs is carefully monitored. Especially if there is a chance that his reactions are fear based.

If he is being picked on by other dogs while he is there it is not going to help your situation. Don't that trust the daycare staff knows what they are doing, or is even really paying attention. Unless they happen to be professional trainers, they probably don't have a clue.

It won't be long before he is a very powerful dog. Depending on your local laws there is a chance that If something bad happens at daycare and he hurts another dog you may be liable for it, even if you are not there.

I failed to mention that at 7 months, Dozer is weighing in at 75 lbs. and stronger than an ox. With people that he knows, he is great but strangers are now an issue. I am a bit afraid to take him to his classes due to the behaviors.

I am trying not to let my uneasiness travel down the leash when we walk and am going to order the dominant dog collar, as I feel this will also help with control and training. I am currently using a prong collar. I did check out Ed's "How to Fit a Prong Collar" and know that I am doing at least that correctly.

Help appreciated.

Thank you for the ideas Lauren.

The behavior that I am see is this...

lungeing, hair on hackles from shoulder to tail raised, growling.

He snapped at one of the workers at my home yesterday who was working on my lawn. I had introduced Dozer to the workers having them give him no eye contact and they threw him treats away from themselves. The guy had just been in the house for lunch, Dozer interacted with him while in the house but the minute he went out and grabbed the wheel barrow and turned his back to walk away, Dozer went after his pant leg. I was able to intervene and push Doz away and give him a low growly NO. That interrupted his behavior and he left.

Now I'm wondering if this behavior is fear based. Any thoughts?

P

The Daycare folks are not professional trainers, that I know. The owner is a Vet Tech at one of the local clinics. They have someone with the dogs at all times monitoring behavior and they generally tell me if there are any behavior issues when I pick him up. But you are right. Given his current attitude, that may not be a good setting for him.

Hi Patt, and welcome!

As Lauren mentions, you should stop the doggy daycare. It will take only 1 incident of real aggression at daycare to increase his dog aggression to the point that it may become irreversible.

The only other thing I will mention (and you've probably figured this out yourself. ), is that you should not put him in situations where he's given free access to strangers. ie Loose in the yard when you have workers present.

One thing that you can work on (until you find a trainer) is desensitizing him to people that he doesn't know. In the yard, keep him on a long line with his prong collar on, and work on some fun obedience at a distance where he is non-reactive to the workers. You can move closer as long as he is non-reactive to them. The goal is for him to become neutral to strangers, not best buddies with them.

You mention that he's been in obedience classes. Are you doing marker (or clicker)training? If not, there's loads of good info here to explore. Some free, some, like the DVD's, to purchase. If you need links, let me know...

Thank you Lynne, yes we are doing marker training. I use "yes" has his marker for the correct response. He does well with most of the training but I'm still having a difficult time getting him to "focus" on me. I use the marker training for this also but when distracted, you could put a dadgummed steak in front of him and he'd ignore.

We have his intermediate training class today at PetsMart and will work on his marker training more today.

I have some of the DVD's coming to me, thanks to my friend, Jeff. He has offered them to me for viewing and training.

I am so concerned about his behavior. He is generally such a nice dog but this issue scares the fool out of me. We have the invisible fence, which he doesn't even try to cross. Thankfully. When neighbors walk, ride bikes, walk their dogs, he stays in the yard. That is a wonderful thing.

The other thing I noticed when he starts the aggressive posturing is that he shakes, which makes me think this is fear based.

Again, thoughts, suggestions, ideas greatly appreciated.

P

He doesn't sound aggressive to me, he sounds leash reactive. Usually leash reactive dogs are the way they are because they are unsure, or even fearful. Initially, he may have been unsure but it was amped up by a dog suddenly in his face, followed by a quick pull back. A reasonable reaction on your part for sure, but if you can from here keep as little tension on the leash as possible. I've found that leash tension can really make things worse.

I like the groundwork stuff you are doing, just make sure you are not using physical corrections for this behaviour, as it can quickly turn a reactive, unsure dog into an aggressive one.

A plan of calm desensitization is the way to go, and because you caught this so early, you probably saved yourself a lot of work.

How much exercise is he getting?

Probably not enough :-( I try to walk him daily plus he plays fetch with the ball, which I use the "chucker" for. He is so ball driven. We will do that for 15-20 minutes solid. I am working on his retrieval skills while doing this. We do that 2-3 times a day.

He is a very smart guy, probably too smart :-)

Kristel, your Sooperpuppy looks a lot like the Dozer.

Thank you Kristel and Willie, do you think he's getting enough exercise?

P

To me he sounds like he's getting a good amount of physical exercise, especially considering he's only 7 months yet. Murphy (AKA "Sooperpuppy":-) learned his retrieval skills by playing two ball with the Chuck It; it worked great!

I might now work on some impulse control games to tire out Dozer's brain and teach self-control, in addition to the desensitization.

Working on the desensitization exercises can be quite mentally exhausting for the dog too, though I would still drain physical energy before this part of the training.

Oh, and don't get discouraged, your problem is a fairly common one.