Zoee's being aggressive?

[kallisto4529]

Oh my sweet Zoee girl!!! Cindy do you think the seizure might have changed her attitude a little? I dont know if it is possible but it does affect the brain some. Could be she was just having a bad day!!!! I hope everything turns out ok, I will try and give you a call this weekend. give her and Taz some kisses.

[Taz_Zoee]

You know what Marti, I actually did think maybe it had something to do with her seizures. But it's very inconsistent. So I just don't know. I'm still going to blame that Husky! The owner wasn't very nice about it either, like it was Zoee's fault and I've seen them there before and have heard her yelling her dogs name LOTS of times. The dogs name is Keeva (pronounced that way anyway).
You sure can try to give me a call this weekend. I have NO idea what I'm doing, but I'll be happy to talk to you if I can. And I will gladly deliver your kisses to my babies tonight.

[Animalhouse26]

Well, Not being there to see the behavior makes it very hard to Diagnose. I know my Falise is like that as well. she has been VERY Social since 5 mo when I got her, and Dog parks, Doggy Day care.. everything. But as of the past yr, she has started getting almost Grumpy. She will growl at the dogs in the begining, But give her like 2 min or a ball to chase, and she forgets. I just tell her "Falise cut it out" Or I will leash her, and walk her to another area. What for her to relax.. and she is fine after that. But, I am VERY in tune with my dogs behavior. I can usually Point out a dog in the dog park to stay away from. It is a great Idea to have them.. But, can also be a pain. As people bring there dogs there as there ONLY Way of excersize. And this can start the issue of aggression because of the pent up frusteration. So, you just have to be aware of who is there... and know the behaviors the best you can. It is a toughy. :-/ But, Like I said.. This is IMO.. And from what I know.. from MY Dog.

[venus74]

I have an Akita (that are known to be dog-aggressive) whom I have been taking to a dog park since she was 5 months old. I am a huge advocate of the dog park and credit it with making her so social. She is just over 3 years old now. We still take her and she is still great with the other dogs. I have heard (keep in mind that this comes from those that think the dog park is an awful place) that around three years of age some dogs will start to change their disposition and they may become more dog-aggressive. I would be so sad if that happened and so far I haven't seen any sign of it, but that was something I was told. I was being warned to not let my gaurd down as things can change. (???)

[Giselle]

I don't think one can necessarily gauge at what point a dog becomes aggressive, and I think blanket generalizations are unfair. It's good that you're on your guard, but you mustn't keep yourself on your toes just because you have an Akita. Yes, Akitas require certain owners, but it sounds like your pup has been heavily socialized from the beginning and you really need not worry. Should you be proactive and always supervising? Of course, but I would do that with my ultra-friendly-greyhound, too

However, the younger the aggression/reactivity shows, the more likely it is that the problem is genetic. Ivy started showing reactivity at around 6 months. VERY young. Since the beginning, I've always thought she was predisposed to certain behaviors and the fact that her problems arose so early in life tells me that much of it was already ingrained into her. I like dog parks and I advocate for them all the time, but many many dogs are not suitable for dog parks/doggy day care. If your dog is suitable, fine, you're lucky! If not, fine, find another venue.

As for Zoee's problems, Cindy, I'd say try her again but muzzle her. Some people will be put off by it, but I am a firm believer in muzzles for safety's sake. I've seen Zoee at parks before, and she seems very relaxed, so I think these few incidents could definitely be attributed to the Husky incident. Another way to help her is to give her a job. If she's snapping out of fear, give her something constructive to do so that the dog become less of something to fear than just mere distractions. For example, with Ivy, I work a lot of recalls and heeling. Anytime you fear Zoee's going to lash out, recall her and move away from the offending dog. Good luck with that

[Taz_Zoee]

Exactly, luck is what I need. She can not be distracted when we are at the park. Balls and frisbees mean nothing to her. She is a follower and loves to chase any dog that runs. She has also been running over some of the smaller dogs. But my outlook on that is don't bring your small dog into the big dog park if you're worried about them getting ran over. And I've never had an owner get upset for getting "rolled" by Zoee......yet.
I'm not against muzzles, but honestly I don't think I could bring myself to put one on Zoee. She can't even handle a gentle leader over her nose. I'm sure if I had a muzzle on her she would freak out. If we ever "dress" her up with glasses or hats and things she freezes and won't move. And I don't think we are at the point to need a muzzle. I sure hope we NEVER get to that point either.
I guess I could tuck her leash into her collar so she'd be easier to grab. With her long hair it's hard to find her collar quickly.
I'll try the park again in a while. I'm not giving up on it. I am just afraid of her hurting someone elses dog. That would kill me.
I seriously think it was the incident with the Husky. I believe she is afraid that another dog is going to do what the husky did so she is reacting before they have a chance to. Does that make sense? How would I break her of that? Maybe I'll try her on leash and see how she acts for a bit.

Thank you all for your advice and suggestions. I do appreciate them. And I'll keep you updated on our next visit to the park.

[Giselle]

If it is due to the Husky, then it's fear. You summed it up almost perfectly:

I believe she is afraid that another dog is going to do what the husky did so she is reacting before they have a chance to.

That's fear aggression in a nutshell =)

So if it is fear, the two basic suggestions are DS and CC: desensitize and counter condition. At this point, I don't think DS is really all that relevant or necessary, but definitely counter condition strange dogs and think about giving her an alternative job to do.

Does she pay attention to you in public spaces? What about in dog parks? If no to both, then work on basic obed. with distractions. Gradually work your way up to basic obed. in the dog park, away from other dogs. Then, you can do it in the pit of it all. You want to build up her confidence and let her know that other dogs aren't a big deal and that they won't hurt her. If she starts to zone out, take yourself out of the situation and try to do the basic obed. in a quieter place. Alternatively, you could just ask for eye contact/focus. If she's showing a lot of stress signals (sniffing, zoning out, frantically roaming all over the place), take her out of the situation and try to see what her trigger is and at what point the triggers start to get at her.

Aggression is a p.i.t.a to deal with, but it's really rewarding once you work past the nitty gritty Ivy and I can COMPLETELY relate!