Agressive towards other dogs?

[*LabLoverKEB*]

*bump*

[Giselle]

Have you tried any of the suggestions previously mentioned? A few of the underlying messages I got from these guys was: 1) Socialization 2) Obedience classes ASAP.

If you plan to show in conformation or flyball, Rita needs to learn doggy manners. She needs to learn that there is absolutely no need for her act protective once she sees a strange dog approaching you. What kind of collar do you use? A prong might not be a bad idea. You will need to do major desensitization and heavy socialization. A quickie trip to a professional isn't going to fix all your problems =/

Also, it doesn't sound like you can necessarily handle both Rita and Sadie at once. I suggest walking them separately so that situations like the one aforementioned NEVER has to repeat itself. Additionally, do you tense up once Rita sees a strange dog? If you tense up, pull on the lead, and speak to her in angry tones, she is going to instinctively associate negative connotations with strange dogs. Have you any books on dog behavior problems? If not, I would recommend: How to Behave so Your Dog Behaves by Sophia Yin and in the case that Rita's aggression is fear based (sounds like it is to me), I would also suggest The Cautious Canine by Patricia McConnell.

[*LabLoverKEB*]

Giselle thank you very much! Yes, I do uses a prong collar, she is much easier to control when she has it on. I will try to take a looksie at those books you mentioned.
Thanks!

[cloverfdx]

Hi Sarah just wondering if you have gotton any help yet with Rita? how are you both doing?

[cloverfdx]

Hoping no news is good news .

[*LabLoverKEB*]

Sorry, I haven't been able to get on PT in a while! Sorry! Rita seems to be doing better, thanks for asking. I actually found this business card on my bulliten board the other day, and it's for dog training, is says on the card, "All breds, all problems" I'm thinking about giving this guy a call sometime soon! Wish us luck! Thanks!

[butrrfly23]

I have the same problems with my dog, Ginger. My other dog Roscoe (the Pit Bull) is actually the friendly, social one, but Ginger (who is a rescue without much socialization and who most likely lived on the streets for a while) is the bad one. There is an invisible "zone" where she will react, but I can see the ears perk and the tail go straight up as soon as she sees another dog within eyeshot. After a number of VERY bad experiences where her tension and aggression ended up being passed along to Roscoe and the two of them start to snarl and then go after each other (when they cannot get to the other dog they will turn on each other as a way of releasing their tension) I have started to just avoid other dogs.

However, as buttercup132 was saying, this issue is addressed quite often on the Dog Whisperer. The key, I think, to Cesar's success in dealing with these dogs is not only his leash technique (which is only a small percent), but most importantly his calm, assertive energy during the exercise. He NEVER overreacts, and always remains very calm, but at the same time confident and dominant (he knows he's in charge and the dogs sense that he's in charge). I also have noticed that he will do repetitive exercises using calm, well behaved dogs where he will set up situations where he (and then the owners) pass by other dogs on the street. Often times the dogs he's working with will put up tantrums and have strong reactions, but after several repetitions of walking deliberately forward, past the other dog, giving well-timed leash corrections and basically using his energy to let the dog know that his only job is to follow him (and ignore the other dog), the dog starts to calm down and eventually gets it. He's also said on a couple of episodes that you will have to do this with many, many dogs, as every dog is different and will elicit different reactions from the dog who is getting trained. Eventually the owner learns how to have the right energy all the time and the dog eventually learns that he/she needs to just follow the pack leader all the time and the problem starts to go away.

So, there you have it, I'm a total "Dog Whisperer Geek"!

I'm definitely not at that point yet, but I'm certainly working on it. Ginger has been this way for at least 3-4 years (her estimated age) so I'm sure it will take a bit of doing to get her more socialized, but at least Rita is young and will probably pick up on this training more quickly. The hardest part for me is being able to find other dog owners nearby who 1) have a calm, well-socialized dog and 2) would be willing to work with me in this kind of setup.

So, if there are any well-socialized dog owners out there in the Orlando, FL area who would be interested in offering me some help setting up this kind of training session, please let me know!

Good luck with Rita!

[*LabLoverKEB*]

Thank you all so very much for your kind responses! I really appreciate the replys!