Overly Aggressive/Anxious Dog

[m1lesteg]

Hello all. First-time poster.

I am the owner of a Golden Retriever/Rottweiler breed, who is about 2 years old. I'm at my wits end regarding training him. He's very kind and affectionate when it comes to family, but once a stranger is around, he gets out of control. He's nearly bitten several people, and barks all the time. It's gotten to the point where I can't have friends over because the dog is simply too loud.

I've tried many things, including giving him endless treats in the presence of a stranger and such, but nothing seems to have a lasting impression. Any suggestions (including some sort of help from a vet, be it medication or whatnot), or am I stuck with what the dog's genetics seem to have given him?

 

[bridey_01]

Well, regarding your positive training towards strangers, where did this take place, and with how many people?
Always remember, one person to start off with. Women before men, adults before children and girls before boys. And the treats should be FANTASTIC and given only when your dog is behaving calmly. The fact that he CAN behave well (around the family) is proof that it can be done.

 

[luvmydogs]

i dont have much of advice, but i was wondering...was he socialized a lot when he was a puppy?

 

[stirder]

same questions as luvmydogs asked, also...when you give treats while strangers are around, do you give the treats when he ISNT barking or when he IS barking??? if you do it while he IS barking he will think hes being rewarded. hard to give good advice so you will probably get 100 ideas and all are good, who knows which will work with YOUR dog though. have your friend sit on the floor and look at the floor...not at him (he may be thinking their eye contact is a challenge?) have them hold their hand out palm up with his FAVORITE!!! treat in their hand. hold his collar, not leash (gives you more/faster control if he reacts wrong) and calmly tell him its okay and let him go to them.
hopefully he will take the treat and then do you have a wife or husband/boyfriend or girlfriend (sorry, cant tell guy from girl on here) if so and the dog trusts them, have them shake hands with the friend. if that goes well, then tell him good boy, calmly so you dont get him excited, and then have them hug the friend. you may have to do this quite a few times but he should start to learn that they are okay.
hopefully you will get more ideas because as I said, one way can work great with some dogs and not at all with others

 

[Doberluv]

Is he cowering when he bites or is he lunging out at people? An unsocialized dog is normally showing more fear than outright, dominance aggression. What is his body language like?

I think you got some great ideas from everyone. Here are some of my ideas in addition.

Do a search on this forum for desensatization. This is the only way to really work through his problems from the inside out. Don't punish harshly for this behavior or he'll likely associate people with a bad thing....punishment. Try to turn the "bad" people into "good" things, from a distance at first. Make him succeed at calm behavior where he is able to handle it. This shows him what you want and that people are OK. Little by little you'll move closer, but when he acts up, you've gone too close too soon. Go back a step. Desensatization takes time and patience. But it's really the only way to conquer his fears or distrust of people.

Be careful you are not giving treats or comforting/cooing at him while he's in the throws of this behavior. Keep him on a leash when people come to your house and like it was said, only give him good stuff when he is calm.

Work on obedience skills pronto. He needs to sit when you meet with someone. Start somewhere on neutral territory, not at home. From a distance let him watch some people. As long as he is calm, treat/praise. Move a little closer, do the same.

Teach your dog "watch me." Teach him to look at you on command. You need to get his attention on you in order for him to follow any instructions you give him. He needs to be able to turn his attention away from distractions and onto you. Hold a treat by your face. Eye contact=treat. Say, "watch" or "watch me" or "look" ..whatever you like but keep the same word.

You might consult a reputable, certified behaviorist/trainer. Check for references. Be careful who you get.

Keep us posted. I'm sorry you're dealing with this.

 

[bridey_01]

Remember, with the stranger thing, the person doesn't havn't to walk right up and touch him. This can be overtly threatening to a fearful dog. Try having the stranger walk past at a distance, whilst throwing some food on the ground. You can work your way up to touching and handling from strangers, but it's best to start it low key and relaxed.

 

[Doberluv]

That's a great tip Bridey...so true about many dogs not liking it when someone comes briskley right at them. Lyric doesn't like that either. He's suspicious of people who are that obtrusive. My old Lab and my Chihuahuas couldn't care less. LOL.

I just thought of something else. I use it with Lyric when someone comes to my door that he doesn't know and he's barking...doing his protection thing. I am sure to speak to the person in a super friendly, cheery way. The dog gets so much information from our moods. They can sense when we're tense. (hey, I'm a poet) LOL. So try to be sure to relax and don't make too much tension on the leash....be friendly to people and about people....("Hey.....lookie there! A person! Wooo hoooo." in your squeeky, happy voice...treat. LOL. When I was socializing Lyric as a pup and he was pretty suspicious of strangers, I sounded so unnaturally friendly to people, they probably thought I was nuts and not very genuine. LOL. It was kind of embarrassing. But it really helped the dog see what normal, friendly strangers were about, and now he's great with people...still not super outgoing with most, but with some people, he's quite interested and friendly...the breed is generally aloof and somewhat reserved. But he's comfortable, confident and gentlemanly albeit a slightly suspicious at first....watchful.

 

[bridey_01]

Yes, that's right. They really do pick up on how you feel. My kelpie can literally sense how I feel about a person. I know this because twice now I have been a little scared of someone (alone, nightime etc.) and she has raised her hackles and bared her teeth at them as we walk past. I sure as hell didn't correct her!

 

[m1lesteg]

Thanks for all the great tips, everyone! I'll try to answer a few of the questions I stumbled on while reading.

To begin with, he didn't have any real socialization training while he was a puppy. My family had been told he can't see strangers for a little while because he needs to establish who's in the family and who isn't. I protested this, but when we had first received him I was inflicted with mono, so there wasn't much I could do (period).

I'll try what was mentioned to me. I think a problem might be consistency, since I don't think he's ever received this sort of training for a long span of time, just once or twice here and there. The problem is, I have to go back to school in about 4 weeks, and obviously I won't be able to train him while I'm gone. Will it matter if someone else is providing training once I'm gone, or will I have enough time to do it, myself?

 

[German_ShepherdLover]

I had a dog like that her name was Georgia She was a 3yr old female dog and she was a Pure German Shepherd. She would be fine with the family but not with strangers she never bit one of the she would just bark at them aggessivly. Try getting a Gentle leader! Try to make like strangers soon. Because my dog Georgia had to be put down because my family was afraid that she will bite someone in the face and we would lose everything! But yes try a Gentle Leader!!!!

 

[casablanca1]

There are medications for altering behavior, which you'd have to ask your vet about. Although you don't want a dog threatening and biting people, your dog is pretty young. Concentrating on training him - just obedience training, sit, stay, heel, etc., and adding distractions like practicing where he sees other dogs, strangers, etc. - might work. The training doesn't have to be centered on the issue of his aggression toward visitors, though. Regular training sessions strengthen the relationship between you and adds to your legitimacy when you ask him to do something he REALLY doesn't want to do, like stop barking at someone.

One other thing - is he neutered? A two-year-old male dog is probably going to be hitting territoriality highs even if he is neutered, but an intact dog is going to be extra alert.

 

[m1lesteg]

A small bit of an update, though a bit late since I've been in Europe for the past 2 weeks or so.

Before I left, I tried to work with my dog in my house with one of my friends over, which didn't go over so well in the end. He was fine for a little while, but once my friend got up from his seat he flipped out, and my friend eventually lost patience with him and gave my dog sass, which I doubt helped the situation at all.

Another day, though, I took him for a walk which yielded some better results. He didn't bark at anybody, but one lady commented on how handsome he was and tried to pet him. He didn't bark or lash out, but the hairs on his back were standing up, and he moved away quickly. Is that a good sign or a bad sign?

Also, when I see strangers with him on the sidewalk, I'm not sure what to do to let him know that he's being rewarded for staying calm, and not for sitting when I stop.

 

[Doberluv]

It's time to find a reputable, certified behaviorist/trainer. This is not a job for you or anyone of us over the Internet to try and fix. I really urge you to find someone with excellent referrences for this problem. It would be a shame to have to euthanize him one day or have a horrilbe accident happen. I wish you all the best. This does sound serious.

 

[Fuzz Puppy]

How did you get this dog? Do you know anything about the dog's background if it was ffrom a shelter? At what age did you get this dog?

 

[AndrewF]

That's a great tip Bridey...so true about many dogs not liking it when someone comes briskley right at them. Lyric doesn't like that either. He's suspicious of people who are that obtrusive. My old Lab and my Chihuahuas couldn't care less. LOL.

I just thought of something else. I use it with Lyric when someone comes to my door that he doesn't know and he's barking...doing his protection thing. I am sure to speak to the person in a super friendly, cheery way. The dog gets so much information from our moods. They can sense when we're tense. (hey, I'm a poet) LOL. So try to be sure to relax and don't make too much tension on the leash....be friendly to people and about people....("Hey.....lookie there! A person! Wooo hoooo." in your squeeky, happy voice...treat. LOL. When I was socializing Lyric as a pup and he was pretty suspicious of strangers, I sounded so unnaturally friendly to people, they probably thought I was nuts and not very genuine. LOL. It was kind of embarrassing. But it really helped the dog see what normal, friendly strangers were about, and now he's great with people...still not super outgoing with most, but with some people, he's quite interested and friendly...the breed is generally aloof and somewhat reserved. But he's comfortable, confident and gentlemanly albeit a slightly suspicious at first....watchful.

That's a great idea....I'm going to use that with my dog Jake, who is also suspicious of strangers.