Need Help!

[Tariel]

Hi everyone, I'm new here and in desperate need of some help.

My mom is thinking about putting our 2 year old Chesapeake Bay Retriever down.. for one reason. When people come to the door (family friends, strangers..) our dog goes NUTS! He'll jump up at the door, barking viciously and wanting to attack or scare the person away [which he does successfully]. He's very loyal and devoted to us, maybe even a little too attached. I think he's just doing his job to protect us. But now he's just getting TOO agressive to strangers. He tried to bite a family-friend yesterday who came to the door, but I put my arm in front of Byron [the dog] and he bit my arm instead. It didn't hurt too much, I just got a few marks. But he wouldn't stop going at the guy! With our old dog we could say "No!" and he'd be as happy to see the person as I was..

I'm not sure if he's doing this just because he's not neutered or he's just guarding. Please help! This is for the life of my dog!

Another thing he does is chases shadows and light beams, which is just irritating! Our neighbour got him hooked on a lazer-pen beam when he was just a puppy, and he goes beserk trying to get lights. He chases flashlights, and even tries to chase cars' headlights. He even opens/closes the front door just to get a reflection going through the window onto the wall. How do I get him unhooked this habit?

Any help is GREATLY appreciated.
Thanks.

 

[Saje]

Personally I don't think that's any reason to put a dog down. You and your family accepted the dog into your family and you need to work through his issues. What kind of training has he had?

 

[Tariel]

That's what I said - it's not right to put an animal down just because it's doing what it's naturally programed to do. But mom says its the worst possible thing a dog could do and she can't keep a dog like that..(if he attacked a little kid, he's already tried to get the flyer boy ). She's even gotten a group of people to try to convince me that it's the "right thing to do".
He's never been to obedience class, just trained the basics here at home.

Thanks for the fast reply

 

[Brattina88]

I'd suggest sitting down and having a heart to heart with your Mom. There are ways to communicate that will get your point across effectively. Are you willing to dedicate consistent work / training to this dog? Ask her if obedience classes are something you can do. Would she be willing to give you time to try and work it out yourself? Its a big commitment... Do some research on training for/about this situation before presenting your case to her, and continue to learn as much as you can so you can help as much as you can. Ask us (you can always PM me if you want)
I know its hard to talk with parents, I was in very similar situations very often when I was your age. Even if it isn't animal related communication is the key. Tell your Mom that if she wants to convince you of something that it is best done one-on-one instead of getting a group of people against you (lol - I don't know about you, but that would seriously annoy me) Good Luck! and keep us posted!!

 

[Mordy]

looks like it's time to consult a qualified trainer, or even better, a behaviorist.

it's going to cost more than putting the dog down, but i'm sure it's worth the effort.

 

[poodlesmom]

Chesapeake Bay Retrievers are a wonderful breed but they definitely need extensive training. As you have seen they are very protective of their family. I would definitely recommend having him neutered as well as what Mordy suggested. He is young enough that I really think this is a problem that can probably be resolved although it will take commitment and alot of work from you & your family with professional guidance.

I know 4 Chessies quite well - 2 are quite laid back while 1 is extremely protective and the 4th is protective but quite responsive to commands to stop.

If your family makes the decision that he can no longer stay with you I really hope your mom will contact a chessie rescue group to help out with training and rehoming him.

 

[juliefurry]

Neutering isn't the only thing that will help this situation. It may help a small bit but he needs obedience training and to see a behaviorist ASAP. If he's been allowed to do this this long (yes I know you have been correcting) then he is going to continue to think it is ok. How is he when the people finally do enter the house, is he still aggressive or does he calm down?

 

[Chasintrail]

Please get him neutered and start some training.

Chessies are wonderful dogs, but they are protective and can get agressive. If you and your parents aren't willing to spend the time and money to get him the training he needs, please take the other posters advice and contact the breed rescue instead of having him put down.

 

[Tariel]

Thanks for the replies everyone!

I convinced her not to put him down, because that's just wrong. She thinks it's best if we gave him to a friend of a friend, who has more time to work with Byron and enjoy his company. With him, Byron can get more exercise/activity on a big property and be out doing what he does best - retrieving! The guy is a hunter, and I'm pretty sure he'll be happy there. Byron loves him, too. He's a man's dog
He's too much "dog" for us lol There's a vet in the next town that recently got rid of his Chesapeake because he couldn't handle it anymore, so we're going to have a talk with him sometime this week.
We're thinking about getting a smaller dog sometime in the future. So far, the cairn terrier is the favourite

 

[Chasintrail]

Sounds like Byron will have a good home. They are definately bred to hunt. Gander is only 14 wks right now, but he's already been out at deer/turkey camp and loved it!

Terriers in general are cool dogs, good luck!

 

[Zoom]

I had a couple of suggetions for your Chessie, but it sounds like you're pretty set on rehoming him. Good luck on that!

On any other dog you plan on getting, do EXTENSIVE research, talk to every since cairn owner you run across, heck, even go to dog shows and find the carins there. This applies to any breed you might want to get. Cairns are neat little terriers, but they are terriers which means they can/will be: stubborn, tendency towards obsessive, hyper, intense, stubborn, too smart for their own good. Obedience classes and knowing how to keep your place as "top-dog" in the house are two very key things.

 

[Tariel]

Thanks for the tips, Zoom. I'd love to hear your suggestions, so feel free.
lol Chasintrail, is Gander a chessie too?

 

[Chasintrail]

Yep, 14 wks of pure meaness! LOL

He's a handful, fortunately I did a lot of research on hunting dogs before deciding on a chessie. He's an amazing dog, but already challenging me for alpha spot sometimes!

 

[Tariel]

lol, lucky you. I guess I didn't do ENOUGH research.. We didn't even get the pick of the litter. $800 down the tube

 

[Zoom]

I was going to suggest desensitizing him to the door bell. Call up a bunch of your friends and enlist their help. Have them come up to the door one at a time with a dog treat in hand, ring the door bell and then wait while you get your Chessie into a sit or down or at least not lunging. Then have them give him the dog treats and leave. Wait a minute and repeat. Increase the time your friends are in the house and have them continually dole out treats as they are there. It might take a bit, but eventually your dog should start connecting "doorbell=treats for me!"

 

[groovymcawesome]

These things really work, and contrary to what some may say here, they don't hurt the dog.

http://www.innotek.net/store/produc..._id=4&osCsid=073e4d6dcd242b4c3cd5d45e3ff11119

Just stuns them. They change their behaviior really quick as they start to associate a bad feeling with it.

 

[skyhigh]

Thats a great suggestion Zoom!