There are times when I like to have my male ride in the car on short trips to the store etc., If he's not crated he's VERY aggressive towards anyone who comes near the car or is just walking along the side of the road. I know that this probebly has a lot to do with territory and protection of me, but is there anything I can do to "tone it down" without taking his job away?
TIA
D.Marie

Personally, I would stop it all together. If people are walking by your vehicle, posing not threat, your dog should not be showing any aggression toward them.

1st question. Is the dog aggressive, or shy in public places?

Hi;
Thanks for the response. The answer to your question is no. This is a very social dog that is not fearful or shy. This situation ONLY happens in the car.

Thanks,
Marie

You might want to teach some type of "stop it" or "quiet" command. Set up situations where your next to the dog in the car and can give the command and reward the correct response. Then once this is understood use an ecollar from the drivers seat to reinforce the command. Make it an obedience excersize.

I had a dog like that. She was the best dog I'll ever own. She never did quit doing that. After awhile I gave up and let her do it. I used to travel alone alot and she had
her job down. No one gets near the vehicle. I did manage to get her to quiet down after a few firm commands that it was OK but the behavior never ceased. Everytime she saw some walking by she'd hit the window. She was very sound and very people friendly just don't walk to near her car or house. I think she liked the reactions she got from the people. I tell ya what no one EVER thought about messing with my vehicle.

LOL! I know what you mean about not messing w/the car!
Thanks to all for your replies. I'll be going out on the road with him this week and I'll work on this. I'll let you all know <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Thanks again,
Marie

It sounds like an obedience issue to me. You being the pack leader need to teach your dog when and where it's proper to lite up. I would use a prong collar and a level 10 correction when he lites up at a passer by. Giving lots of praise when he calms down. After a few times he will realize that it is not ok to lite up at everyone who passes by.

Ps. That's unless you own Ed's police dog Rabiat. He can attest to the fact that there was no shutting him up in the car.

If you haven’t gotten sick of me saying “Ecollar” yet, you soon will. I think this is much better taught with an Ecollar than with a leash and any correction collar. If you use those devices, the dog will learn not to bark only when he’s on a leash. There’s no easy way I know of to make the transition to off leash, with this training, as there is with OB.

Rather than just wait for this to happen I’d use a decoy for assistance. I’d start out with a leash and correction collar, especially for a collar illiterate dog. Give the correction and your command, I used to use, “Quit,” when he’s barking at your helper. Do this 4–5 times, then travel to another spot and do it again.

Then the next time you do it give a stim at the same time you give the correction. This should be fairly low level, the “flea scratch, discomfort” level. Repeat this 4–5 times and then move to another location.

This time don’t use the leash but keep it attached to the dog. Just give the stim when the dog barks.

You should start with the decoy fairly far away from the car. He’s not wearing any gear; he’s just walking back and forth. If the dog doesn’t bark at him, have him move closer until you find the distance that will get the dog to bark.

Some people like to give another command, such as a "down" instead of a "stop barking" command. If you do this you still may have to teach a "quiet" command.

Teaching this kinda stuff here often brings up more questions than it answers. I guess it should all have a standard disclaimer; your mileage may vary, etc.

Regards

Lou Castle, Los Angeles, CA
Uncllou@aol.com

Hi there, here are my issues in regards to all the suggestions

1. a dog should be crated while in the car for his own safety
2. Electronic collars should be only used by experienced handlers ONLY, otherwise you might shutdown the dog, like people no two dogs are the same, each dog has a different nerve level, as well as drives


Find some one (Look around your area for Working Dogs Clubs) that can evaluate your dog, and only then start working with their help.


Also if you crate the dog in the car your problems will be minimized.

Regards,

Eze

Dito on the ecollar comments. Ed has a great video on finding the right level for your dog. Give it a try.