Dog aggression despite classes, training, attention and socializing?

Please give your dog a chance! I have a reactive dog and I found that although training was really good for him it also brought out an agressive side.

I muzzled him to prevent him biting and began the long search for a way to repair the damage done to my dog before I got him. Try to find a really good behaviourist and if you have Tellington Touch near you this has done wonders for my Fred. He still has his moments, and still needs his muzzle sometimes (we don't go anywhere without it) but he is improving.

Have a look at Turid's website and think about buying her book On Talking Terms With Dogs: Calming Signals. This was invaluable for me - from this book I was able to do things that immediately helped my dog, although there is still some way to go.

Please don't kill your dog just in case he bites someone when it is so easy to make sure he doesn't with a muzzle.

Muzzle him in public and find a behaviorist. Training is all well and good but you need to find a person that specializes in aggressive behavior and knows how to handle/correct the behavior. A trainer generally will not know all of this as they specialize in minor problems and teaching your dog commands - a behaviorist will specialize in major problems like aggression and will use a variety of methods to help cure your dog of this problem.

You also need to realize that this may not be a fixable problem. Your dog is a rescue. He came from a terrible home situation. He may have come from horrible breeding stock as well, and if aggression may have been bred into him. In either or both cases you may find yourself with little option but to put him to sleep - a behaviorist can accurately tell you if this will be the case.

I'm sorry, but some dogs are not fixable.

Consider that this dog seems to be living in a state of constant fear. Consider if YOU would want to live like that.

And consider the potential for getting your butt sued if the dog actually bites someone, especially since you obvioulsly have prior knowledge that the dog is dangerous.

It sucks, because it's not the dog's fault he was abused. But do you think it's fair to either of you to spend the next 10 or so years like this?

hi,

Though it seems to yield little benefit for the domesticated dog, canine aggression once served very necessary purposes: hunting down food and protecting territory and other pack members. For the modern dog, aggression toward people still surfaces as a result of a real or perceived threat--and often worsens because our two species don't naturally speak the same language.
here are some guidelines:
http://dogtime.com/aggression-toward-people.html

hope this helps.

What kind of training classes did you take him to? PetSmart type classes?

A dog with an abusive history and aggression needs to be seen by a personal obedience trainer. Someone who can learn your dog one on one and work with their behavior and aggression. The group classes are only ideal for the basic training needs. They are not going to work for an aggressive dog, that needs to be handled by a true professional.

erroneous, green, inept vendors are the main to blame human beings. that is an exceedingly great and ranging team. some inspire aggression because of the fact they mistake dominance and possessiveness for secure practices. some enable the canine "be a canine" to the element that it takes on the dominant place because of the fact the vendors needless to say won't be able to, and that they fail to nicely known it whilst it happens. some manage the canine like a human newborn and unwittingly foster anxieties, possessiveness, etc that may and do deliver approximately concern bites. a number of them own toy canines, some own working canines that they have got not have been given any corporation possessing and could't cope with, some own pit bulls and picture the breed is obviously shielding and aggressive in direction of human beings. that is an exceedingly distinctive team, yet all of them have one element in straightforward--obscene ineptitude.

What type of obedience classes did you attend and what kind of techniques were used? If your dog was "corrected" for growling at a man it can actually increase their fear of men and thereby their aggression towards them since in their mind something unpleasant happens when men come around -"I get "corrected" when men come around and it hurts/frightens me"; they are bad news! And if they do get to the point where they are no longer growling it doesn't mean they are no longer feeling aggressive it just means that giving warnings have been sufficiently punished enough to make them stop giving you a warning-in the words of Dr. Ian Dunbar-you have removed your ticker from your timebomb.

You do need someone experienced with counter conditioning and desensitization methods and using non punitive training methods.
www.iaabc.org was mentioned. www.trulydogfriendly.com is a good sight for positive trainers. I have put a site about aggression below for you as well. Using a Gentle Leader can give you more control over his head, but find someone well versed on how to properly introduce and use them. We need to change his perspective that the presence of men mean great things happen. You might consider getting the book The Cautious Canine by Patricia McConnell it covers counter conditioning and desensitization. Dogwise.com has good book/dvds on aggression the website is below.

I wish you well because such a dog does need a lot of management and dedication to help them since such behavior can never be "cured" since that implies it will never happen again. But you can hopefully get them to a point of manageability and a certain amount of confidence so they do not feel as threatened since most aggression is caused by fear.

I would also have him checked by a vet to rule out potential health problems that can contribute to aggression such as Hypothyroidism, early onset arthritis (if he a younger dog), arthritis (if he an older dog), Diabetes, and seizures for example can and have contributed to aggression.

And unfortunately, some dogs can have neurological damage. Distemper, for example, can cause a high fever and brain damage, or if a victim of physical abuse he could have lesions caused by blows to the head or severe psychological damage caused by the abuse.

I have worked with many aggressive dogs over the years, and there have been 8 I choose not to work with since I felt that I would not be able to help and referred to the Behavior Clinics at U. C. Davis or Berkley. So 8 in 10 years is encouraging since such dogs are the exception rather than the rule. The others cases have been successful and some of them had bitten previously, so there may be hope.

I agree with seeing a trainer who works with aggression cases. www.apdt.com can help you find a trainer.

Be careful with dog muzzles. The groomer type muzzles found in pet stores do not allow the dog to pant so cannot be used for walks or in hot weather. www.dogmuzzle.com has the wire or basket style muzzles. I like the italian basket muzzle the best since it seems to have the best fit that I've found.

Human prozac can help some dogs but not a quick fix and should be used in conjuction with behavior modification by a trainer specializing in aggression. You should try behavior modification without drugs first. It should also be prescribed by a vet who has experience prescribing anti-depressants since the behavior could get worse if you over medicate. You should start with the lowest dose and work up if necessary. It is a relatively safe drug that can be used long term. If you buy it from a pharmacy, instead of through your vet, it is inexpensive-and as low as $5 a month.

If you have exhausted every option there is, it is best you euthanize him.

I am not being mean or rude about the situation, but some dogs are NOT fixable. Truth be told, if the dog bites someone or anyone for that matter, you will get your butt sued off and the dog will be put to sleep anyways.

Most people wouldn't want to take risk with an aggressive dog. They are a liability and a lawsuit waiting to happen.

First of all I have to ask about your leadership values.
Do you have the dog in bed with you,on the furniture,you in/out the door first before the dog. Leadership values are VERY important if you want the pack order correct.The dog has to earn rank in the family. Having the dog under order at all times by using a leash or kennel[some call it a crate] and only working the dog when your patient enough because a feels frustration all the way down the leash.
Go online a but a book called," Gotta Do Something About That Dog," by Frederick Woodard. He's a in-home dog behaviorist in the Michigan area.
Great reading and learning for any dog owner.
I hope this helps,it's a beginning.
visit his web-site www.k-9c.com