Need advice , my pup is getting aggressive ..

[Presswood_936]

 

[Jason Snyder]

Read molliesmaster’s post 10 more times. Don’t beat the dog. There are other and better ways to assert dominance.

If it were my dog, he would earn every single bit of food he gets for about the next month. Absolutely everything he does would be at yours or your wife’s permission. Don’t give them free rein, that’s how these situations develop.

If I had any concerns about the dog and the behavior around others, I would crate them without hesitation. You’re doing yourself and the dog a favor.

 

[RuggedYogi]

@molliesmaster had some fantastic advice. It’s disheartening to see people suggesting that you shoot the dog or beat it. It sounds like you have some work to do, and that your dog needs some established boundaries and structure. It does not sound like this dog is a lost cause.

Best of luck to you.

 

[Stikbrandon]

Cut his nuts off! Should have been cut off the second they dropped. Also take that food away ! That dog shouldn’t eat until after the dishes are put away Who runs the pack? That dog is acting like he is !

 

[Jason Snyder]

Actually, leaving dogs intact for the first couple years has some distinct health benefits for their growth and development. Behaviors are primarily learned, and are not usually the result of whether or not they still have testicles.

 

[KurtR]

Cut his nuts off! Should have been cut off the second they dropped. Also take that food away ! That dog shouldn’t eat until after the dishes are put away Who runs the pack? That dog is acting like he is !

Worst advice ever for large breed dogs. It does nothing to help with his problem and causes skeletal/ muscle problems as the dog gets older.

the people saying shoot the dog are a special kind of stupid

 

[Stikbrandon]

Worst advice ever for large breed dogs. It does nothing to help with his problem and causes skeletal/ muscle problems as the dog gets older.

the people saying shoot the dog should are a special kind of stupid

It’s a dog not a person. Bet if them nuts were off the second they dropped ol boy wouldn’t have to worry bout his grand kids and that dog would show his belly the second wind changed directions.

Cutting them now at 2 years old will do nothing, that dog will still rub that pink thing raw on that pillow any chance he gets.

 

[UncleBone]

My dog growled at me once when she was about 6 months old when I went to take a bone from her. I jumped on top of her, bit her on the lips, growled, snarled, told her "no bad dog", spit in her mouth a little, and held her there for a few minutes while repeating. She has never growled at or shown aggression to another person in 8 years. Even children can take a bone from her with no problems. She is the most well behaved big ol girl I have ever come across. I think its about establishing dominance, and showing them who is the alpha. That is how it works in nature.

 

[wesfromky]

Check out Mike Ritland - I feel like he has a good balance of training advice. He just dropped a QA podcast that might be worth checking out, and has a good online training class.

 

[KurtR]

It’s a dog not a person. Bet if them nuts were off the second they dropped ol boy wouldn’t have to worry bout his grand kids and that dog would show his belly the second wind changed directions.

Cutting them now at 2 years old will do nothing, that dog will still rub that pink thing raw on that pillow any chance he gets.

Your wrong. The dog having its nuts has nothing to do with the behavior.

How many dogs have you trained to back up your claim?

 

[tboltz34]

Do not harm the dog. All you're teaching him is to stop the signs of aggression (growling) and not fixing the underlying cause. I would rather the dog let me know they are uncomfortable than to hide it and snap.

I agree with others, all treats/foods should be earned. No more access to food. Make him sit and make eye contact with you before eating. Try hand feeding. Stop the high value treats until there is progress with his normal food. Practice swapping high value treats. Have two of them and give one and take. He needs to know that taking away something isn't bad and he doesn't need to protect it. I would refrain from the dominance if he shows signs of aggression because a non-dominant person (kid) who he doesn't feel threatened by could be the unlucky victim.

My puppy at 10 weeks old growled at me one time when I gave her a pork chop bone. In hindsight, that was too high value of a reward at that age. We practiced swapping bones and she has never shown any resource guarding since that one time. She also sits before any reward and hand feeds occasionally. We practiced "annoying" her while she ate at a very young age.

Practice every day. If progress isn't made, contact a professional.

 

[COJoe]

My wife is much stricter than I am , and I'm the one giving him treats , I'll stop that.

Let me back track slightly, I do give rewards but never when my lab is begging or staring at me eating something. I send her on her way and may give a reward later on when it truly can be a reward from me, unexpected or when she listens in obedience. And I will say this in all honesty, most of her disobedience frustrates me because it reveals my lack of continuous training with her. I need to give her the best chance to please me and in knowing what to expect.

 

[James K]

No more access to food 24/7. You control the food. 15 min to eat. He doesn't eat. Take the food. If he's hungry enough, he will eat. He growls you might have to give him a couple good whoopings. The key is, you can't let them win. It's all consistency and follow-through. It has to be reestablished you're the boss, you control the food, he doesn't like it? There are consequences.

I'd also remove him from any food situation like your wife cooking. Put him in another room and/or crate.

The key is catching this behavior now before he gets older and it gets very ingrained. I've had dogs my whole life and we had a few like this. It was caught and handled real quick.

 

[PredatorSlayer]

Those of you saying not to beat or get physical with the dog don’t know what you are talking about. It has to be reasonable, but have you ever seen a momma dog train her puppies on what behavior is acceptable? Or what takes place when you introduce a new dog to a pack and they are figuring out who is the pack leader? It is physical and sometime a little violent. You don’t need to be inhumane, but physically pinning a dog down or a swift kick to the butt is fine. The correction has to be immediate…if you wait a few minutes, they won’t understand why they are being punished. That is why an E collar is so awesome for training. Also, NEVER use your hands for correction, you don’t want them to be scared of your hands.

 

[Ralphie]

I’d shoot the dog if that’s what it took but beating a dog doesn’t work. Asserting you and the wife and grandkids as dominant over him is what works.

Nothing wrong with treats as long as it is done in a way that he understands it’s a gift from the alpha and can also be taken away at any time.

24/7 food isn’t good for health reasons or his place at the bottom rung. Food or toys need to be a gift from you. And he eats after you and everyone else.

Instead of beating him flip him on his back, belly exposed and glare into his eyes. You can thump him on the chest with your finger and use an angry tone of voice.

Crating definitely has a place but too much of that or especially a chain can increase aggression. Lots of exercise. Exhaustion is a great tool for dogs, horses, and kids.

Back to the shooting. It’s way better to be safe than sorry. Especially with kids Around the dog. I had a dog that nipped my son in the face. I shot him within the hour. It ain’t worth it. By the way I think it made an impression on my son too that he was my priority. And I would protect him at all costs.

 

[WCB]

No idea how anybody lives with a dog they do not 100% trust. Our kids or any kid/person can literally reach down our dogs' throats and pull food out and they instantly give in. Our kids even get near their bowls and our dogs back up a foot or two and wait to go back in.

There are dogs where a stern talking to works (our male is very soft) but those who think a good A$$ whoppin (within reason) doesnt work sometimes or is mean/harmful to the dog....I guess you could just shoot them and be done with it.

As others have said...no access to 24/7 food, no treats, and no trust until it is earned. Like kids...your dog owns nothing. It is yours and you let them use it or reward them with it until otherwise noted.

 

[James K]

There are dogs where a stern talking to works (our male is very soft) but those who think a good A$$ whoppin (within reason) doesnt work sometimes or is mean/harmful to the dog....I guess you could just shoot them and be done with it.

This is an important point. The alternative for dogs that cannot be trusted is usually euthanization. So it's probably worth giving them a forceful correction or two, first.

 

[Tmac]

I train dogs as a side gig, mostly retrievers, some bird dogs, and, unfortunately, some doodle type ridiculous types for obedience. I have been around dogs my entire life. I currently own 1 GSP(female), 1 GWP(female), and 1 Chesapeake bay retreiver(male) all living in my house with my 3 young children, ages 5, 2, and 9 months old.

99% of the time a dog that is aggressive, in this situation, has a false sense of his/her place in the house. More than likely, they have been coddled too much by their owners and given too much run of the place.

Steps I would take immediately:

1- Dog goes in a crate while you are at work. It's not cruel, he won't die. Put him in there, no more free range of an area.
2- No more treats or human food. He doesn't need them and obviously they are becoming an issue. I wouldn't even let him be in the kitchen while food is being prepared or around the table while I am eating. Again, put him in the crate.
3- The 24/7 feeding ends. Its not good for them anyway. You feed once a day, morning or evening, you decide. But here's the kicker, you are going to feed him by hand, literally holding out some of his food in the palm of your hand for him to eat it. Repeat until he has eaten his allotment for the day. IF the dog acts like an idiot, he sits and waits longer for his food. Acts aggressive, you pull your hand back and he waits some more. YOU are in control. This won't be a forever thing but it is a way to shift the dogs line of thinking. This tactic is used by a lot of trainers for multiple reasons.


From a mindset standpoint, that dog would not so much as take a leak in the yard without my permission. He would not be allowed to walk out of the door in front of me or my wife or anyone else. I would do my level best to make sure that dog knew he was the lowest rung in that house, lower than any other.


For your grandchildren's best interest, the dog should be crated when they are around. At least until you have addressed this aggressive behavior. IT is not worth the risk just because you like having Fido out and around.

Have zero tolerance for this behavior. He is a dog, treat him as such. I'm not saying you can't love him. I love my dogs more than most. But we can't allow them to think they are anymore than a dog. They are in service to us, not the other way around.

Spot on.

As my Grandpa said, you need to piss on a bigger rock… If you can piss over his piss, there are worse ideas, but in the city it could lead to other issues.

If you don’t want to hand feed him, spit in his food before offering it. Just a spray of saliva works, no need for a loogie. You want him to know the alpha always eats first, not him. You want alpha scent all over his food. Have the wife join in too. Beta males defer to Alpha females and their young.

 

[Hunt eat repeat]

I had this problem with my dog when he was 8 months old . One morning he snapped at me when I set his food down.
I picked him up by the scruff and slammed him on the floor and sat on him. Then the rodeo was on. It took a solid 5 min before he relaxed and submitted. 16 years later he never once snapped again. He knew I was boss and that was that.
Obviously every dog and breed will respond differently but that worked for me.

 

[KurtR]

Those of you saying not to beat or get physical with the dog don’t know what you are talking about. It has to be reasonable, but have you ever seen a momma dog train her puppies on what behavior is acceptable? Or what takes place when you introduce a new dog to a pack and they are figuring out who is the pack leader? It is physical and sometime a little violent. You don’t need to be inhumane, but physically pinning a dog down or a swift kick to the butt is fine. The correction has to be immediate…if you wait a few minutes, they won’t understand why they are being punished. That is why an E collar is so awesome for training. Also, NEVER use your hands for correction, you don’t want them to be scared of your hands.

Maybe its how its sounds but beating has a different meaning than a physical correction. Grabbing them by the scruff, a heeling stick or prong collar, flipping them over and holding them down all forms of physical pressure that i use but when I hear some one say beat the dog it makes me picture them cowering in the corner out of fear not out of learning what you want to teach them. I suppose I assume the worst in people but an ass whopping is warranted some times you just have to have the restraint not to go to far.