Aggressive Female Labrador

[brockham]

Hello!
I own 3 black labradors(2 males, 1 female) and i never thought having 3 dogs and 2 of them being un-castrated males would be a good idea. But the thing is, the males arent aggressive at all towards other people/dogs and are great dogs, the female is also a great dog and loves humans but hates just about every new dog she meets.
About 18 months ago we only had 2 (male and female), and the female (phoebe) used to be very submissive to dogs. But then she had puppies, and since then she has become quite aggressive towards dogs. Dogs that she knew before her birth she still loves, but new dogs she doesn't.
She listens to me quite well so when im walking them and i see another dog, i can call her and she will come back, so i can normally avoid her coming into contact. But there has been a few occasions when she's met other dogs and got into a small fight. Shes never made another dog bleed and doesnt really bite, she just jumps on them and makes a lot of noise. Off the lead she is just as bad and growls, and growls at every other dog, i have tried walking her away but this has not helped.
Also, if she meets a smaller dog usually she will start to play with them, but if its a bigger dog (like it is most of the time) she will not like them at all. So i think she attacks out of fear.
I know i can avoid all other dogs, but i just wish she could meet other dogs again. Is there anything i can do?


thanks alot!

 

[opokki]

How old is she and how long ago did she have the puppies?

 

[Rubylove]

And most importantly, is she spayed now? That will seriously help - seriously!

 

[brockham]

She's 4 and had puppies 18 months ago..
and by getting her spayed do you mean it will help as in she will not get pregnant again or it will help her aggression problem?

 

[puppyluv2004]

Both.

 

[casablanca1]

How does spaying help a bitch become less dog-aggressive? The theory that neutering makes a male dog less dog-aggressive, as I understand it, is that neutering him reduces testosterone, which is a key factor in dog-aggression. Spaying a female only reduces estrogen, which I would think might actually make the aggression worse.

 

[brockham]

Ok thanks, well shes been booked in to go and see a dog psychologist for next week! i don't know what do expect!
Also, whilst im here i have one other small problem.
Two of my labradors love chasing/trying to kill rabbits,ducks,feasants and the odd dear. I know there labradors so it might just be instinct but is there anything i can do to make this calm down a little. They listen quite well usually but when there in the middle of hunting a rabbit, they wont do anything i say! It's not too much of a bad problem but there could be an accident if they chased a deer or rabbit onto a road!

 

[Julie]

I have a female yellow lab that is also dog aggressive, she has a thing for my female german shepherd, but is fine with my male choc lab.

Shiloh just turned five. She gives no warning just attacks and goes for the neck. Ohh boy, I have seen some really bad fights. The cops even came to one of them, well because I totally flipped out and was screaming loud enough to wake the dead. Needless to say I have learned other ways to break up bad fights, but really not needed anymore because we just keep her and the shepherd seperated all the time. Really hard cause they use to be together all the time and in the house too. She started this at about 3 years old or so.

I did alot of research on spaying a female dog to help with dog aggression and it is very possible for it to backfire and the aggression get worse. Don't get me wrong I am all for spaying but don't expect that to cure your problem.

Shilohs aggression is only with female and some nuetered male dogs. She is fine with male dogs and hunts with alot of other dogs, but they are all male.

She is also great with people and kids, but I never trust her around strange dogs, except for the ones we hunt with and like I said they are all males, and hubby is there to help or handle the situation. Besides she has a one track mind while hunting and retrieving game is her passion.

As for your other question about chasing wild animals, we have to have our dogs "livestock" safe alot of the places we hunt have cows, goats, horses, etc. Around here if someone sees a dog chasing deer, the dog will end up shot. So really that is a matter of life and death for the dog. I know people have different views on how to correct this situation, but the only thing that worked effectively for me is a shocking collar. And it really only took a few times. They don't even wear it anymore because they are reliable now and no they are not scared or timid, they are happy and healthy dogs.
I would also like to say a inexperienced person should never use these, you can ruin a dog if used for the wrong thing or in the wrong way. Consult an experienced person, but make sure they have some sense.

As for the dog psychologist, I hope you found a good one. Go with your gut feelings. I hope it goes well for you.

Julie.

 

[brockham]

Thankyou,
She has become a bit of a bully to one of our dogs aswell, but nothing to serious.
We have been recommended a collar which squirts a citrus smell/liquid into the dogs face(from remote control). Has anyone on here used one of those?

 

[Julie]

No, I have never used one. I have seen them for barking, but never with a remote control. I really don't know how they would work, but my guess would depend on the prey drive of your dog. Best of Luck, and keep us updated.

 

[smkie]

making sure your dog has a firm understanding of NO and LEave IT!
it can be done..a labrador is not suppose to switch from one bird to the next fall if he cant find the first..i was running Charlie in the derby stake on a double fall at a field trial once. HE started to switch and big nono and i said NO! LEAVE IT! and you could see the dirt pile fly in front of him and he put on the breaks.. leave it is an excellent command.

 

[Julie]

That is also the command I use. Charlie found a sandwich enclosed in a plastic bag, he was out in the yard at our camp and I saw him tearing something open and chewing. I yelled Leave It! He dropped the bag and looked up at me. I went out and got the icky thing. It must have been left by some people fishing days earlier. My dogs have listened to that command since pups........except with deer and cows. Now they don't even give them a second look either.

I have never done any field trials with my labs, but they both sure enjoy real hunting. And they have to follow commands without fail, cause you can't expect a dog to retrieve a 30 pound goose with a leash on. lol
Hand signals are what amazes me, how a dog can see a simple hand movement from that far away. They must have better eyes than thought.
But, when they bring a bird back to us, we say "out" not leave it.

 

[brockham]

thankyou for all of your help!