fear aggression

My dog has fear aggression. Does anyone have any ideas on how to help him? he is aggressive towards people and dogs. What can i do? help!

 

Have you considered having a trainer/behaviorist help you will this?

How old is he and how long have you had him?
Can you describe in detail some instances of this happening? Is he aggressive only when an unfamiliar person or animal approaches him? Does he become aggressive right away or does he try to run away from the approaching person/animal first?
If his aggression is trully caused by fear you must be sure that you never try to comfort him (as in petting or talking to him) when he is acting this way otherwise you are only reinforcing the behavior. Also, never force/pull him towards someone or something he is afraid of. If he wants to back up allow him to but do not offer any praise when he does this.
You can start working with him by taking him to low traffic areas and keeping him at a comfortable distance from people. He should get lots of praise for remaining calm in the presence of people at a distance...very gradually you will get closer to people as long as he remains calm while praising him for this. If he becomes reactive then you have gotten too close too soon and will have to decrease your distance again. Eventually you should be able to get very close to people without him reacting. Then you should give treats (so he learns that good things happen when unfamiliar people are present) but only if he is remaining calm and eventually have the stranger throw treats to him.
You can use this same method for introducing him to other animals but it will have to be done in a controlled enviroment where the other animal is kept on a leash or in a cage as you get closer.
This will take some time and lots of patience but I beleive it can be accomplished if you are willing to work with him consistantly.

 

Definitely get a handle on it now, which by asking for suggestions is the first step in the right direction. :y_the_best: Good job. You should first get a vet check to rule out and health issues that may be causing him to be fearful. Aggression is caused by fear. Underlying pain can also change a dogs behavior. Reactions like biting, growling, lunging are all ways dogs try to control a situation if they are scared or feel cornered. Providing a little more background info about your dog is also helpful. Age? Have you had since a puppy? From a rescue or breeder? At what age did you acquire him? When did you begin to notice his behavior or a change in his behavior? Or has he always been like this? Who in your household handles or can handle him? Is he fearful of everyone - including yourself? Is like this all the time? If not where/when do you notice this behavior? Has he had any training so far? What leash & collar are you using to walk him? - this can make a huge difference.

Talk to some dog trainers and try to find a class or instructor that specializes in behavior issues. A good solid sit-stay is extremely important in a fear aggressive dog, as is "come", heal and one of the best commands I teach is "watch me". Start by holding a treat in hand and move hand in front of your nose and say "watch me". Each time he looks at you reward with a food treat & praise. Practice on a daily basis on walks, around the house and yard. What you want is an automatic check-in. So eventually he will look at you without you having to ask. Then you need to apply this to your daily walks/routine like when other dogs are near by. This command can divert his attention and stop the reaction and the reward will teach that other dogs/people means treats! As you pass others you can tell your dog to watch you. Learn your dogs body language as there are signals that will tell you when he is about to react (tail errect, ears up, posturing etc). Also you need to manage the situation and prevent other dogs/people from just coming up to him (as best you can). Like Vanessa said start out in low traffic areas and keep enough distance - excellent points. Any meetings with people must be positive and non-threatening. You also need to be confident and relaxed when around him (no tightening of the leash) - this is one of the hardest things to remember but it is important. Your dog need to trust that you are the leader and there is no need for him to protect or react. Make sure you are only rewarding for good behavior.

Jean Donaldson, Patricia McConnell, and a few other authors have some excellent books for helping with fear aggression.

Keep at it, it will be frustrating and stressful but you likely can work through it.

Good luck
Jas

 

About My Buddie..

well....my dog is about one year-old. i have gotten him for about a month now. He is most fearful when in new surroundings, people, and other animals. He does the whole barking and growling thing. I have taken the advice of taking him to a street where there is moderate traffic. He does ok until we get to a certain part of the street-his tail tucks under and he does not seem as confident. We'll have to work on that. He has also done better while we walk past other dogs. I say his name and then the word relax very firmly and he calms down.

At home, he is the most fun and loving dog. He has the most charming personality. My sister and i are the primary care takers of buddie. He barks like crazy when people come over. He sounds vicious, but once he gets a swiff of their smell, he relaxes and after a few minutes he has lost all interest in that person. However he loves to play with kids that are 8 and over. I have no idea why. I have also noticed that he gets comfortable more quickly towards people who are not so assertive. One of my friend is very assertive and he gets really scared of her. He backs up and hides behind me. but once my friend calms down my dog is ok too with her.

He is most aggreasive towards the vet. WE had to put a muzzle on him. He is all clear and healthy. I hav noticed however that he does not do well with kids that are 8 and under. I really do not trust him alone with kids period. I like to always be there. We are getting to know each other much better now. I know that this will just have to take a lot of time and patience, b/c i can not afford to take him to see a behavorist at the moment.

I know that you talked about some good books, could you tell me the name of them? and if you know of an affordable behavorist in my minnesota area, please let me know. Thank you! you both have been very helpful.

 

Awesome book: "Aggression in Dogs" by Brenda Aloff
Its a large book but its loaded with info as well as training techniques on preventing and modifying aggression in dogs and its easy to understand.

 

Re: About My Buddie..

Yes I know three good books that you should buy ...
Aggression in Dogs by Brenda Aloff
Dogs are Neptune by Jean Donaldson (highly recommondation)
The Cautious Canine by Patrica B. Mc Connell

I have questions about your dog.
When your dog barks or growls, does she do it behind or front the person?

Does she give you any warnings before she barks/growls such stare, hide her tail under her rear legs?

Does she run to a person and attack/growl/bark? Or try to avoid the person?


I know this guy, Ed Fowlay and he has many good articles on dog aggression. Please take your time and read all of his articlese because there are many different kind of fear aggression in dogs.
Scroll down to "Domanint and Aggressive dog problems"
http://www.leerburg.com/articles.htm

 

I have a 2 year old yorkie, Rylee, that i rescued, he spent the first year and half of his life in a barn with other dogs but no interaction with people,(he wasnt house trained either! :roll: ) so he acts the same as you describe yours acting. I have had him about 8 months and he has made awesome improvement. The best thing you can do is tell people to pay no attention to him, because he will feel more comfortable being able to apporach them on his own terms. Little dogs feel extremely intimidated when people look them in the eyes, so avoiding this helps as well. Children are another story, my little guy hates children, but most small dogs do, they are quick and sneaky to them so they cant trust them. I have taken Rylee to see my neices and nephews almost every week and he has become much more comfortable with them. As awful as I feel putting him in this situation, it has helped him so much! In my experience over time you will see a huge improvement, even with dogs, Rylee and my 80 pound german shepard are best friends now! Small dogs just need alot more time to adjust, alot depending on how they were brought up.