Just so agressive

[spike]

Hi I'm new to this forum so hi to everyone.

I have a lakeland terrier 12 months old and he is so aggressive towards other dogs. He's fine with people, in fact a little timid at times. It's started to become difficult to take him out when I know there will be other dogs about.

It's got to the point when it's difficult to take him anywhere there are dogs about, so all the fun parks and beaches are out.
Anyone got any ideas on settling him down. He is still only 12 months old so hopefully there's time.

Any advise would be most welcome.

[Karen]

Have you done any obedience classes with him? What kind of training have you done? And is he neutered?

[emc]

Do you have any friends with dogs? Maybe you can invite them over and introduce your dog to other dogs on a one to one basis.

[spike]

Hi Yes i've done some obedience classes with him, however I was told everytime he barks at another dog to throw a small water filled balloon at him which I didn't like to do.
I have started to introduce Spike to a friends dog which appears to be helping.

Have you done any obedience classes with him? What kind of training have you done? And is he neutered?

[MoonandBean]

The water balloon things sounds crazy. I've heard of using a squirt bottle filled with water and making a no sound like "eh eh" and spraying them in the face with water when they do a behavior you are trying to correct.

[Karen]

That's just wrong - the water-filled balloon - I've never heard of that, and it just sounds like a bad idea. What you CAN try is a spray bottle, and spritz him with water, to distract him. But a better idea is as soon as he starts to react to another dog, tug the leash a bit and get him to sit, then do "down" or "paw" or whatever other commands he knows, and only when he is calm again let him approach the other dog.

[Freedom]

What Karen and Moon & Bean said.

Be sure to always carry treats with you. I take a baggie with cut up bits of hot dog. (Did you know a hot do can be cut into 67 pieces for training? I've never made more than 60!)

You make sure the dog focuses on you, treat, get the dog to sit, treat. Treat liberally at first, to re-enforce the proper behavior. You can practice the "look at me" at home, even when you are alone.

Never heard of water balloons for training! Not very practical!

[akitrix]

Water balloon downright dumb & impractical, never throw ANYTHING at your dog, it teaches nothing good. If that's the only advice, then you need to find a more knowledgable trainer. Dog Star Daily is an excellent blog site staffed by some of the best animal behaviourists and trainers. Lots of good advice and insight.

[poochieandi]

I was told everytime he barks at another dog to throw a small water filled balloon at him which I didn't like to do.

A water balloon is a definite no-no, for one reason it is way too bulky to carry around in walks plus can be very messy, most of all it will not only startle him, it will hurt him (like when it bursts on his face- ouch!) and can seriously turn on negative emotions at you. So, good that you are not into it.

If introducing him to other dogs in a little-by-little manner does the trick, then stick with it. A good recall training can also be of help along with catching his attention each time he starts barking at another dog and making him busy on some things that you have taught him like "stay" and "sit." If he is obedient then. Reward him.

[Cataholic]

Is he neutered?

Does he spend a significant amount of time behind a fence? Is he walked on a daily basis, with plenty of positive reinforcement for nice behaviour?

[Shelteez2]

You need to change his emotional response to seeing other dogs. Do not use anything adversive such as tugging on the leash, spraying water in the face etc when he sees another dog. He will just associate the dog with that. Here are a couple of videos on a positive way to change his response.

http://www.youtube.com/user/pamelama.../0/uFiZkAG_1JE

http://www.youtube.com/user/kikopup#p/u/51/JY7JrteQBOQ

I would highly suggest trying to find a class for reactive dogs that uses positive reinforcement and attending it with him. Good luck!

[Hninyi]

I have English bull dog .je lived with us since he was 2 month.and we r very fridenly with my bully.play a lot,feed him all the time and walk everyday outside.but I have a problem one thing that when I pick up his poop,he growl me and tried to bite me.why is it like that and I was scare .how can I fix that behavior.plaza give me advice please.I need ur help.I love him so very much but I don't want to scare like that..thanks.

[SWHouston]

Hninyi,
You have already started a Thread about this at...
http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/showthread.php?t=164716

[ultimatedoglover]

In this case it is likely that the dog see's itself as your superior and protector. Dogs minds have a pack mentality and each dog or person in their pack has a level on the hierarchy. Your dog likely sees itself as the pack leader of your pack and you are his subordinate in his mind. In order to diffuse this you need to become pack leader and learn how to work with dog psychology.
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The key to dog training and puppy training is understanding dog psychology and applying it.