Aggressive behavior

Leslie

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#1
I work from my home so my dog is with me all day.
He is passive and obedient.....but
the moment my wife walks in the door he runs to her and any command I might give him is ignored.
He stays by her and becomes aggressive if I approach him...he pulls back his lips, shows his teeth, and growls in a way that i know he means business.
I have been bitten twice so I know he's not playing.
Today his aggression escalated to where he actually advanced on me.
Any suggestions as to what is behind this and what I should be doing?

He's an 18 month old Heeler

Thank you
 
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#2
The best advice I could give you is to find a qualified behaviorist who is able to come to your home and observe your dog in both situations in an effort to come to the best way to find a resolution to the problem.
 

Brattina88

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#3
I agree ^^

how about leashing him so he cannot go to her when you know she's coming home, until then?
 
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#4
Have you tried putting a pinch collar and leash on him before your wife comes home. Once she's home - I would spend 10 to 15 minutes going thru basic obedience with him. Leave the collar and leash on him. Any signs of "guarding" the wife should immediately get him banished to a sin bin (small room away from you) Both you and your wife must be very firm that it's not allowed. If you are afraid because of the bite, a muzzle on him while you work with him. It will protect you both.

The worst thing to do is dismiss or consider the behavior cute. If you do this every time he show even the slightest bad behavior, FIRM NO & BANISHMENT, he will quickly learn his behavior is not tolerated.

A good behaviorist will help you identify other behaviors that you should also correct.

Good for you for trying to correct his behavior.
 

Zoom

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#5
He's got some sort of possesive/guarding issue going on...you will need a good behaviorist. There are some on here that will be of good help, but it's very hard to correct a behavior like this over the internet where the behaviorist cannot see all the little subtle signals being passed around, most of which the people involved aren't even aware of.
 

Herschel

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#6
Have you tried putting a pinch collar and leash on him before your wife comes home. Once she's home - I would spend 10 to 15 minutes going thru basic obedience with him. Leave the collar and leash on him. Any signs of "guarding" the wife should immediately get him banished to a sin bin (small room away from you) Both you and your wife must be very firm that it's not allowed. If you are afraid because of the bite, a muzzle on him while you work with him. It will protect you both.

The worst thing to do is dismiss or consider the behavior cute. If you do this every time he show even the slightest bad behavior, FIRM NO & BANISHMENT, he will quickly learn his behavior is not tolerated.

A good behaviorist will help you identify other behaviors that you should also correct.

Good for you for trying to correct his behavior.
I can't agree with this at all. This would basically just mask the problem behavior and the dog would learn that it shouldn't show its signs of anger, but just act on them by biting.

Do NOT punish the dog for a problem that you can't understand!

As everyone else has said, get a behaviorist ASAP.
 

elegy

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#7
i absolutely agree with herschel- putting a prong collar on this dog and punishing him is a terrible idea.

you really really need in-person help with this situation.
 

flyndog

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#8
Agreed. This dog bit you twice! There is no way anyone here can offer sound advice about what collars or techniques to use without knowing much more about the situation. To find a behavior consultant you can visit iaabc.org for a start.
 

Leslie

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#9
Thank you all for your quick responses.

This morning I was in touch with a behaviorist and she will be coming to
my home, previous to my wife arriving home, to observe the complete sequence of events.

I'll be sure to post back and with an update.
 

Doberluv

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#10
I can't agree with this at all. This would basically just mask the problem behavior and the dog would learn that it shouldn't show its signs of anger, but just act on them by biting.

Do NOT punish the dog for a problem that you can't understand!

As everyone else has said, get a behaviorist ASAP.
Absolutely agree. You never want to supress behaviors like that, but get to the source. I'm so glad to hear you have someone coming to help. Way to go! I sure wish you all the best.
 

tinksmama

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I guess I'm just curious, what does your wife do while this is going on? What causes your dog to get so close to her and want to bite you? In most normal dogs, they may have a favorite person, but they don't try to bite the 'other'....
 

tac_1

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#15
I guess I'm just curious, what does your wife do while this is going on? What causes your dog to get so close to her and want to bite you? In most normal dogs, they may have a favorite person, but they don't try to bite the 'other'....
My question exactly. Does she ignore the dog for at least 15 min. upon arriving, or does she allow him to jump all over her...I'm just wondering because it seems to me that if she does this, she's enabling him to "own" her...I am DEFINITELY not an expert though. I saw that you had a behaviourist coming....Just wondering how it went and hoping you'll post a thread as to what she advised you and your wife to do.
 

Pharlap290

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#16
I'll tell you what I would do.

I would also put the prong collar and leash for long control. But, just as protection have some serious work gloves on, long sleeves and jeans on in case he tries to bite. When he tries to protect and guard, growling at you I would force him to stop and push him to the ground, not letting him get up. Push him around the way he's been pushing you around. I mean yes he's got some sharp teeth but every time you've allowed this to happen it's made him feel stronger and more in control.
 

Roxy's CD

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#17
:eek: Oh dear! ^^^

tac1 makes a great point. If your wife allows him to "own" her, that's only making this situation worse. Tell your wife to ignore him when she comes home for 10 minutes. SHE decides when he can greet her.

But that's great that your hiring a behaviourlist. Keep us posted on how it goes!
 

Pharlap290

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#18
Oops.. I'm sure that sounded strange. There's a lot I haven't told though as to why that's what I would do. This is only my 3rd post.
 

Doberluv

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#19
Push him around the way he's been pushing you around. I mean yes he's got some sharp teeth but every time you've allowed this to happen it's made him feel stronger and more in control.
Sorry. This is very bad advice. Don't get into a power struggle with your dog. You're lowering yourself to the status of a beta, not an alpha. Alphas do not use physical means to discipline. They use mental. (If you want to compare this to pack theory) Mostly, what you're doing by using force and intimidation is utterly and completely ruining your relationship with your dog and his trust in you as a benevolent leader. You will make an aggressive dog much worse by using punishment to treat aggression. It is not possible to know positively what is behind this aggression. And that is why a good, certified behaviorist who uses humane methods needs to analyze the relationships within the family and between the dog.

I don't think the OP is foolish enough to do this, but I thought I'd throw in a little cautionary statement just the same.
 

Pharlap290

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#20
I don't know. I've seen no other control until you keep them from forcing themselves on you. The picture I gather from the situation is that the owner is the beta because of how he backs away from the dog. The dog is the aggressor becoming the alpha.

I don't know how you mean alpha's don't use physical means. When you see a wolf forcing the beta to the ground I'm pretty sure that's physical.
 

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