Dog AGGRESSION problem - please advise

My dog has an aggression problem and I'd like some advice.

My boyfriend and I bought a lab x chow x husky (2 yrs old) and we've trained him so he is very submissive with us. At first, there were issues re: dominance of bones/food but we got rid of it.

So we're fine with our dog. The problem is that our dog doesn't seem to be fine with other people. I walk him 3x everyday and he's always around people and other dogs. He's been very socialized but there still seems to be instances when he will become agressive:

He barks whenever he hears strange noises outside of my apartment door (I assume this is normal?)

Whenever someone enters my apartment and if he's in his crate, he'll bark like mad - again, I think this would be normal?

At night when we walk and there is someone in the distance - his hair will stand out and he'll let out a small growl. Normal, I assume?

None of these really worry me but what worries me is that once in a park, he got hold of his food and a friend of mine tried pulling him back. My dog turned around and held my friend's arm in his mouth - my friend suffered scratches on his arm. My dog was around this person all day.

Another time, my mom spilled a drink and my dog started licking it up. She tried to push him out so that she could clean up and my dog applied pressure with his canine to my mom's arm. No bleeding though although I saw two canine teeth marks.

Another time, I was walking my dog when my uncle approached me from behind (and so I did not see my uncle). My dog began barking and chased my uncle away.

Tonight, I learned that my dog held my brother's girlfriend's thigh in his mouth and she was bruised.

What type of aggression problem does he have? How do I solve it when none of this really happens when I'm around? He's fine when I'm around. I've tried to keep him on my property at all times, but like tonight, there are times when I visit family so I have to bring him with me.

What you suggest? There are the only events of agression in the 2 yrs that Iv'e had him so I don't consider him to have a permanent/on-all-the-time aggression problem. Just in situations where food is involved or when he feels I'm in danger (That's the only rationale I can think of for him to chase my uncle away).

With regards to tonight's event, I have no clue what my dog was thinking. I was out of the house at the time. He was greeted by the girl that he 'bit' and so I don't know why he would attempt to bite my brother's girlfriend.

Any thoughts? THx

 

for starters your dog has 2 breeds in him that are known for dominance problems. the barking is 100% NORMAL. my dog barks and chases anyone away who startles her or if a not well known person approaches me from any angle. she also barks at things that might look like a human or dog at night. the 'grabbing' of people limbs, that is a dominance issue. you might have made known to the dog that you are boss, but guests have to make that known as well. the way i get my dog to stop barking at guests [not the same as the biting but still along the same tracks] is to give the guest some treats and make my dog sit, drop, whatever. i also encourage them to say 'no!' if she continues barking or pesters them [she has a tendency to lick peoples feet and sniff their bums without them knowing!]. she soon gets the point that they are in charge.

 

(Sorry this is o/t, i know nothing about aggression problem in dogs so I won't try to give you advice on a subject i'm clueless on.)
Kyle I was just wondering what 2 breeds of dogs hers is that you think is known for dominance problems?? Because both labs and huskies are known for their people friendliness and acceptance of even strangers, it's a part of their breed characteristics and descriptions on every site I've seen. and I don't know anything about chows personally. I'm just curious as to other peoples perceptions, especially of huskies, because I've had people act afraid of mine when I'm simply walking her past them and she hadn't even notice they existed :roll:

 

I personally have no advice but here is a web site that has a ton of good info that can help you

http://www.uwsp.edu/psych/dog/lib-prob.htm#agg



Gwen I know chows can be aggressive and that could be it

honeybear

 

huskies and chows are known for being dominant [along with many other spitz type breeds]. remember dominance does not mean nastiness, it just means they like to be top dog. i have an akita, she is VERY friendly and affectionate but i know if we had let her run amuck since day one she would be a pain in the a$$ in regards to dominance issues. she is very dominant over other dogs but thats about it. but that does not mean she is aggressive. if people avoid your dog its probably because they dont like big dogs or dont like dogs full stop. people do the same to me and kuma even if they dont know what breed she is. :kiss_heart: big doggies :kiss_heart:

 

Thanks kyles101,

I'll try it out - especially the 'no' part. That might be good.

But unfortunately, I have a sinking feeling that it won't work. My parents have greeted my dog many times. They give him food and some commands. Yet my dog still held my mom's arm that one time.

I wish I knew what he was thinking!

Thanks again. If you have any other tips you can think of - let me know please.

 

if the problem continues it would be worth while to hire a private trainer. im sure there are some near you who have a high success rate with dominant dogs.

 

At least he is showing inhibition when he "bites". But I agree that you do need to get a handle on it. You could try reading "Feisty Fido" and "Dogs are from Neptune" which are both about agression problems. And "Mine" is about resource guarding. I think I would takes kyles' advice and find a trainer experienced with dominance and agression issues - but a POSITIVE one. No scare tactics or beating the dog, etc.

 

hi, i'm casper's boyfriend, (meaning we own this dog)

is it wrong to wrestle with my dog, even though i make sure i'm the one on top and wins everytime, and when he trys to grab me, (using his mouth, no pressure, just to hold on) i yell 'no' or 'sit' and treat him when he sits, i do this so that when we are intense with action, he will still listen to me whenever, it seems to work, but if this is not recommended by u guys i will stop playing with him like this.

also, no beating the dog, which we don't. but we have pinched his ear and i tap his forehead, so he have to close his eyes, and the stern finger point and glare from us is the punishment he gets from us when he does bad. are these wrong?

lastly, an experienced trainer for dominance and agression issues, how much would that cost per hr, (we are both students=poor).

thanks for taking the time to read this, merry xmas

 

what you are doing sounds fine. a trainer here [perth, australia] costs $50 per hour. i personally do not know how many sessions they will do. another option is getting advice from a vet. not the best option [training isnt a big part of their job] but possibly cheaper. we have once called a private trainer up and they actually gave us advice over the phone first to see if that would help, so who knows? all i know is that it would definately be worth it if the problem doesnt get solved.

 

I would also suggest the book "The Dog Who Loved to Much" it has alot of info on dog aggression. I wonder who taught your dog a "soft bite". At least that's good...

 

The thing with wrestling is that YOU should be the one to initiate it, make the rules, and stop the game. As long as the dog stops when you say so, then it sounds like you are doing things fine. And YOU should also be the one to start the game, so that he doesn't go up to some poor person and try to start a game of wrestling.

I have never personally read this book, but judging by the comments and the other authors the user reviews mention (authors I am familiar with and who are very good), you might try this book: "Agression in Dogs" by Brenda Aloff (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...6/102-2070562-2862520?_encoding=UTF8&v=glance).

"Dogs are From Neptune" by Jean Donaldson is another good one (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...4/102-2070562-2862520?_encoding=UTF8&v=glance).

It sounds like your dog is protective of his home, family, and belongings and while he is okay with YOU he does not regard other people as being above him in the heirarchy. Perhaps you can enlist the help of friends to come over and run him through exercises, etc. At home, make sure you practice NILIF (Nothing In Life Is Free), meaning he has to EARN everything he wants - sit to eat, down for petting, shake to sit on the couch, etc. It sounds like you have this part of it under control already.

Beyond that, you may just have to keep a close eye on him when he is around other people. He knows bite inhibition which is very, very good. But you may just need to monitor him closely when he is in situations where you know he may have a problem.