Need advice , my pup is getting aggressive ..

[magtech]

I lay down on my younger more agressive dog when were playing so he knows whos the boss. If he growls at anything or anyone i grab him and put him on the ground and pin him.

In the beginning he bit me once or twice, but i had to let him know you can one up a one upper. Now he'll let little kids bite him and crawl on him and not care.

Ifi out him down now he just sighs and lays there, sometimes we nap... its kinda nice. If i see any agression i address it right away. There no reason to allow it and my dogs know that.

Any dog can be your best friend if you're willing to put the work in and not let it control you.

 

[CRJR45]

KurtR said:
Your wrong. The dog having its nuts has nothing to do with the behavior.
__________________________
Uhhmmm......to a point!
When my Rotty goes into "kill mode*", testicle or not, the boy goes "primal"!
Around 3 years of age, he became a world class "leg humper". When the hormones kicked in, the boy lost his everloving mind! Not aggressive or mean, but he was gonna hump "SOMETHING"!
A 120 pound Rotty with "satisfaction" on his mind got really tiresome.
Really didn't want to neuter him, but we really didn't have much choice!
Even then, it was about 6 months before surprise attacks were ended! LOL!

* - skunks, armadillos, rat's, etc, etc.... thankfully not people!

I think you missed the point . Kurt was talking about aggression . I've seen some of the meanest Pits , they were female and some fixed males .
Have a dog fixed is not going to change his aggression . The toughest dog I've ever seen fight was a Great Dane , and it was fixed , but it would KILL other dogs in a heart beat .
Also basing your opinion on 1 dog's actions is not very scientific , maybe your dog just got frustrated and gave up , and it had nothing to do with being fixed at all . ??

 

[tony]

Our boy

 

[CRJR45]

I would stop with the treats and stop the 24/7 feeding. Feed the dog 2 times a day once in the morning once in the evening. When my GSP was a pup I made sure I classic conditioned her to me sticking my hands and face in her bowl while she was eating. I also made myself the alpha by laying her on her back all the time randomly.

Sounds like the dog thinks he is your master. Might be time to get some professional advice like the other gents have recommended.

We did stop the treats and 24/7 feeding , thank you .
And again , this dog is trained and in no way thinks he is the boss , he knows a wide range of commands heel ,sit , stay , how far out he can range and he responds to my hand commends as far as which way to go , he points and holds point until I release him .

 

[CRJR45]

View attachment 649753 View attachment 649754

Our boy

Good looking dog ! I love Dobes , they're such a smart breed , it's a shame how the breed got misrepresented by Hollywood .

 

[*zap*]

if he is trained and he is growling at you while standing over a bone then just tell him 'leave it' and then 'kennel'.

He should then leave the bone and go and lay in his box.... problem solved.

 

[CRJR45]

if he is trained and he is growling at you while standing over a bone then just tell him 'leave it' and then 'kennel'.

He should then leave the bone and go and lay in his box.... problem solved.

OK , good point , maybe he still has room for more training . I've never tried to train him to kennel . He knows leave it while outdoors , like when he wants to roll in shit or something dead , but I've never thought to try it in that instance . New kennel is on the way , I'll work on that . I did do the distract thing , by telling him to go outside and leave the bone , that worked fine .
I didn't realize that I had created this problem and thought he had a problem , or was just a mean dog .
We are making changes and appreciate all the advice .
Thank you everybody .

 

[*zap*]

the dog should have a kennel with the door open in the house for a place to go when he wants or is told to and a platform that is his place when told to 'place'. He needs to stay there until released from that.
The two commands are kennel and place.

The kennel would be a bit away from activity and the place would be where the family likes to hang out.

field training is not really obedience training.

 

[Amos Keeto]

I think you missed the point . Kurt was talking about aggression . I've seen some of the meanest Pits , they were female and some fixed males .
Have a dog fixed is not going to change his aggression . The toughest dog I've ever seen fight was a Great Dane , and it was fixed , but it would KILL other dogs in a heart beat .
Also basing your opinion on 1 dog's actions is not very scientific , maybe your dog just got frustrated and gave up , and it had nothing to do with being fixed at all . ??

No, I understood. But he used the term "behavior" rather than "aggression".
....and "No!", I'm not trying to be the language sheriff. I was actually just being facetious.

....and yes, he finally "gave up" when the testosterone finally subsided. We've since acquired a female Rotty and he will still try her on occasion. She's "fixed" and will tear his butt up when he tries to hump her! LOL!
But more than anything, he leaves us alone.
So yes, neutering did alter his "behavior", but he's never had an aggression problem with humans!

All in humor mi amigo!

 

[CRJR45]

No, I understood. But he used the term "behavior" rather than "aggression".
....and "No!", I'm not trying to be the language sheriff. I was actually just being facetious.

....and yes, he finally "gave up" when the testosterone finally subsided. We've since acquired a female Rotty and he will still try her on occasion. She's "fixed" and will tear his butt up when he tries to hump her! LOL!
But more than anything, he leaves us alone.
So yes, neutering did alter his "behavior", but he's never had an aggression problem with humans!

All in humor mi amigo!

Yes , I get it now , I'm a little slow , LOL
Saul Goodman !

 

[*zap*]

I would also put a tag line on him in the house. A 5' or so light line tied to the collar (light tent guy line) you can then step on it and have control without grabbing for the dog....so, when he is growling over the bone you step on the end of the line..pick it up and then tell him leave it with a correction....that eliminates direct physical contact. You can also use the line to 'guide' him back to the kennel or place if he decides to leave without permission...

My terrier pup wore a tag line almost always from when he was 6 weeks until after one year old.

 

[CRJR45]

the dog should have a kennel with the door open in the house for a place to go when he wants or is told to and a platform that is his place when told to 'place'. He needs to stay there until released from that.
The two commands are kennel and place.

The kennel would be a bit away from activity and the place would be where the family likes to hang out.

field training is not really obedience training.

We started him in a kennel and it was good for a while , but when I started leaving him in it for work he started separation anxiety and destroyed it . That's when we started leaving him in the porch , and he seems to be better with the anxiety .
And I'd never made the distinction between field and obedience , but yes you're right .

 

[Amos Keeto]

if he is trained and he is growling at you while standing over a bone then just tell him 'leave it' and then 'kennel'.

He should then leave the bone and go and lay in his box.... problem solved.

Our dog was with a trainer from weanling until about 3 months of age.
The man did an excellent job. At that age, we could say, "Give" and take his food bowl. He would stop eating, sit and watch you pick up his bowl, food and all.
We keep up the routine just in case we need to take any food from him.

 

[TSAMP]

 

[*zap*]

If you put him in the kennel for short periods of time while your home and then lengthen that over time to overnight a few days a week the 'anxiety' issues should go away. Make sure you walk him before you put him up and the door should be closed for that...

 

[Amos Keeto]

View attachment 649789

That's with every thread....and camp fire conversation! Get a group together and they can go on...and on...and on...!

 

[*zap*]

My 1.5 yr old (at that time) terrier under 'place' command at the gym. Notice the tag line...

 

[PredatorSlayer]

We did stop the treats and 24/7 feeding , thank you .
And again , this dog is trained and in no way thinks he is the boss , he knows a wide range of commands heel ,sit , stay , how far out he can range and he responds to my hand commends as far as which way to go , he points and holds point until I release him .

I think you are confusing training and obedience with dominance - him growling or nipping at you is a sign that he doesn’t respect you or your wife or your family as the pack leader. He needs to understand he is at the bottom of the pack, that has nothing to do with his ability to sit, stay, point a bird etc.

Pin him down, hold his mouth shut, and bite his ear until he completely stops fighting it. Don’t bit so hard it draws blood, but he needs to feel it. If he still acts stupid, pin his ass down again and do the same thing. Its the quickest way to let him know his place. If you do that a few times and he is still acting stupid, you may have to consider other options. Failure to fix the behavior with result in the dog having to be put down.

 

[dirtshooter]

We have two golden retrievers that are 8 and 7 years old. The 8 year old was 6 weeks when we got her and that was mistake #1. Should have told the breeder to keep her longer or for good. Over the years she's bitten my wife and I, had food aggression etc. It wasn't until we hired a pro trainer that gave us a prong collar and demonstrated tough reprimands that she changed her tune somewhat. She's good for the most part with some days she's a shithead and she gets corrected. I found "beating" on her only made her fight back harder so using the collar and leash to correct her seems to have the most effects.

We have two kids now, 3.5 years and 11 months. Surprisingly the 8 year old is good with them. She gets out of the way when the 3.5 year old comes around. I think she finds him annoying. We've also taught our oldest to respect the dog and give her space etc. So far it works.

The 7 year old is from the same breeder and was left with the breeder longer. We don't even need a prong collar for her. She really is the most gentle dog around and has never bit anyone, not even a play bit as a pup. Just yelling at her gets her to quiver.

We put a retractable gate up to separate the kitchen because they friggen love begging for food. They get fed raw food twice a day, they gotta sit prior to receiving food and they rarely get a treat and if they do it's likely a vegetable.

Do I trust either of my dogs 100%? Nope. The 7 year old like I said is the nicest dog I ever met but you're stupid to give 100% trust in an animal. But we work on it and the 8 year old is far from perfect and I am far from the perfect dog owner.

There have been many times where I wanted to put the 8 year old down or send her to a rescue but I feel like I need to see her through to the end as she's lived 70-80% of her life already in our home and giving her away would be giving up and honestly I'm not sure if giving her away that she would have a better life or not.

 

[CRJR45]

I think you are confusing training and obedience with dominance - him growling or nipping at you is a sign that he doesn’t respect you or your wife or your family as the pack leader. He needs to understand he is at the bottom of the pack, that has nothing to do with his ability to sit, stay, point a bird etc.

Pin him down, hold his mouth shut, and bite his ear until he completely stops fighting it. Don’t bit so hard it draws blood, but he needs to feel it. If he still acts stupid, pin his ass down again and do the same thing. Its the quickest way to let him know his place. If you do that a few times and he is still acting stupid, you may have to consider other options. Failure to fix the behavior with result in the dog having to be put down.

I understand what you're saying , It just seems like some of the people responding think I'm letting a feral animal loose in my house .
Having owned a few Pit's and seeing pits fight , I have a good idea of dog display dominance .

Thanks for your input though .