training away from fighting

racerx520

New Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2008
Messages
34
Likes
0
Points
0
#1
my dog (husky with possibly malamute mixed in) seems to be very aggressive towards other dogs, he wants to always prove his dominance and used to try to in the house until we were trained about what he was trying to do when he would jump on people...now whenever we walk and sees another dog (who would just be curious as to who he is) he'll try to fight the other dog...anyone have any tips to prevent this? i would really like to be able to walk him without being afraid of him fighting another dog, we learned that he doesnt like other dogs and hes extremely powerful with pulling (like the breed should be) and i would really like for no one inmy house to be afraid of him pulling when seeing another dog just to fight it.

any input would be greatly appreciated.

thank you
brian
 

lizzybeth727

Active Member
Joined
Nov 9, 2007
Messages
6,403
Likes
0
Points
36
Location
Central Texas
#2
First of all, jumping on people is usually NOT a dominance behavior. In fact it's often a submissive behavior - friendly or submissive dogs will lick each other in the face, and many times dogs jumping are trying to lick your face.

Plus dog aggression rarely translates to human aggression.

I can't give you a whole lot of specific advice without actually seeing your dog reacting around other dogs. Many times friendly behavior looks like aggression if you're not a professional who deals with aggressive dogs. If it's friendly behavior, you can certainly teach your dog to act calmer; if it's aggressive behavior, you can certainly teach him to be more comfortable toward other dogs. But you cannot treat aggression and friendliness the same way, so I can't give you a whole lot of advice. I can say, though, you should read "Click to Calm" by Emma Parsons, it gives very clear and easy-to-follow advice about how to help dogs who are reactive.
 

Tazwell

New Member
Joined
Jul 5, 2007
Messages
1,083
Likes
0
Points
0
#3
Huskies can be very vocal. If he's lunging and pulling and hollering at other dogs, it doesn't necessarily mean he's aggressive. My foster Sibe will "Growl" when we bring her best friend Bruno to visit.

Has he ever had contact with another dog, especially recently? What happens when he meets another dog nose to nose, or off the leash? More importantly, has he ever actually bitten another dog?
 

racerx520

New Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2008
Messages
34
Likes
0
Points
0
#4
well he has met a couple dogs so far, he seems to have gotten into a fight with another dog, i couldnt see it as playing by the way he had the other dog pinned on the ground, the other dog was not on a leash, my dog was, they met nose to nose and just jumped up on each other, they were biting and such, he actually had a puncture wound on his leg (my dog) so i dont think they were playing

second time he met another dog, it was my uncles akita, they met trhough the glass of his jeep first, my dog licked the other dogs nose, but as soon as the akita was outside, my dog started growling, barking, and trying to jump all on top of my uncles akita
 

pacopoe

New Member
Joined
Aug 18, 2008
Messages
409
Likes
0
Points
0
Age
47
Location
San Francisco
#5
I would contact a local trainer (interview a few to find one you like) and start taking him to basic multi-dog obedience classes. Make sure the trainer understands your issues and is willing to have you work at a distance initially, if your dog cannot behave while in close quarters.

Remember, the goal is not to teach him how to "sit", but how to "sit around other dogs". The more he experiences positive, non-confrontational situations with other dogs he will begin to drop his dog-dog issues, but you need to control his experiences. No off leash dog parks, no nose-to-nose on-leash greetings, no play sessions with strange dogs until you have his basic manners under control and you feel confident he will succeed.

Every positive experience he has will take you one step forward, every negative one will take you ten steps back, so it's your job to keep the positive count above the negative. ;)
 

Angelique

New Member
Joined
Aug 18, 2005
Messages
547
Likes
0
Points
0
#6
Aggressive behavior (especially) with a powerful breed is best helped by hands-on, eyes-on help from an experienced professional within the home. The dynamics and routine of the household, as well as all who interact with the dog within the household, need to be observed.

You probably need to learn some leadership principles, body language skills, and dog handling in addition to getting some training and behavioral tips.

Many professionals have their own "bomb-proof" helper dog who can help your dog learn through the helper dog's own stability.

A parallel walking technique next to a calm dog, where your dog is taught to initially ignore other dogs and follow your direction, can work wonders. Face-to-face greetings should be avoided right now, IMO.
 

racerx520

New Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2008
Messages
34
Likes
0
Points
0
#7
well as of right now i am making sure that every chance of meeting another dog is avoided...i dont want him getting into another fight and i feel like that would be exactly what would happen if he saw another dog...hes not very vocal ever, and its kinda hard to tell if he is trying to play or if he just doesnt like the other dog
 

cashland

New Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2005
Messages
8
Likes
0
Points
0
#8
well.. you can have his teeth filed down . and put a bark collar on him. and chop chop. Or you can put a muzzle on it.
 

racerx520

New Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2008
Messages
34
Likes
0
Points
0
#9
well right now we just avoid other dogs..he had a muzzle on once at the vet, it calmed him right down but i just dont feel thats right to do to him...i am just trying to find a way to get him to not want to fight every other dog he meets....my neighbors all have small little dogs like jack russells or things of that size and i know he cant meet them without potentially seeing them as a chew toy....also the vet says that he may turn away from having to have this 'dominance' over other dogs whenhe gets neutered but we'll see
 

Cessena

New Member
Joined
Jun 18, 2007
Messages
141
Likes
0
Points
0
Location
Chicago, IL
#10
My husky is neutered continues to view other small dogs as "potential food" he has problems on leash as well as at doggy daycare with them. He is not allowed to say hello to any dog smaller than his shoulder (Or any child for that matter.)

We have similar reactiveness on lead, but he does not usually get away from me. We have been working on a few techniques so there are definetly things you can do. Everytime we see another dog on a walk (and we try to stay at least 20 feet away, that is about his limit) he has to sit and he gets a treat. This is a much more positive experience than running up to another dog and getting into a fight.

I would definitely work on a group obedience class, get a behaviorist to come to your house. (you may not be able to go to certain classes until he is neutered.) He can be trained, you just need to really work at it.

If you do decide to use a head halter be sure you use a backup method simultaneously. My husky was out of the head halter in under 5 minutes. (Just pulled it right off, it had plastic clasps instead of buckles.)
 
Joined
Oct 26, 2006
Messages
2,365
Likes
0
Points
0
Location
High Ridge, MO
#14
Well if chop chop means neutering, that is a good idea. (I missed if this dog is neutered or not.) The other advice with regard to teeth filing, bark collar and whatnot has the same worth as a wooden nickel.

As someone who owns a breed that is naturally aggressive towards other dogs, I can tell you that dog aggression is not something that can be trained out, but it can be controlled if you're dedicated to that idea. You can work on attention, on getting your dog to walk past another dog and ignore it. But you can't take a dog that is not interested in making nice with other dogs and turn him into a dog-loving dog. Classes are a good idea. They will teach you to work with your dog around other dogs.

Certain people here on this board who walk dog-aggressive dogs will tell you that we refuse to muzzle our dogs just so that other owners can let their dogs run free "safely." If you don't want to muzzle your dog in situations where you can reasonably expect other dogs to be on leash, then I don't blame you. My answer for my dogs when walking in the neighborhood is that I carry a breaking stick to get them off another dog if it happens, and I will try to scare off other dogs before it reaches us. But if another dog wants to keep coming, they may well get handled by my dog. Thankfully, we're out in the country and dogs out here seem to have sense enough to keep their distance.
 

racerx520

New Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2008
Messages
34
Likes
0
Points
0
#15
well the town that i live in has a leash law...the person's dog who sky got into a fight with was not on a leash and was the one who approached him...sky doesnt growl or bark at other dogs...he pulls really hard towards them, but after the fight, i dont quite want to see how he'll react when he gets face to face with another dog...i dont let him around other dogs and he is always on a leash...our old dog (a shepherd mix) actually broke a cable run that we had about 4 times to get to other dogs...cornered a rottie that was almost twice her size when she was younger, and had lots of aggression towards other dogs...but as she got older it seemed as though her aggression aged out...i dont know if this could also happen with the new dog as well
 

Members online

No members online now.
Top