Why does my dog acts like this? Any advice to help him get better?

Question

I got my dog from a rescue center 3 years ago. He was always afraid of noises like children playing, bikes, skate boards, garbage trucks, etc. Lately he's getting worse and getting very aggressive with people he doesn't know. I took him to a vet psychologist that prescribe some pills but nothing seems to work. I can't take him almost anywhere, especially crowed spaces. He gets along with other dogs. Can you give some advice?

Answer 1

He may be losing his vision, hearing or both.

Answer 2

Dog socialization occurs when they are very young. Since he is a rescue dog he may have missed out on this training as a puppy and now he has learned to be afraid of noises. If he is rewarded or if this behavior is reinforced by your actions it will get worse. You might try to take him to a small obedience training class. Then he will be around other dog owners and their pets. Reinforce his good behavior and ignore the bad or in this case the unwanted behavior. Reserve the pills for thunderstorms and fireworks. Continuing to expose him to people and places to get over this phobia will make your life together much more rewarding. Happy tails!

Answer 3

You need to establish a safe place where the dog knows it can be left alone and feels safe. The best way of doing this to have a crate with the door open and start training the dog to use this. the dog will eventually find it very comforting to rest in it.
My dog is afraid of thunder storms and rain. Over time she has calmed down by using the crate and comforting her when she gets scared. do not baby them to much but make sure they feel safer. It takes time, but things do get better.

Answer 4

Usually, dogs are agressive out of fear. The dog has always been afraid , but is now becoming agressive sounds like something may be making the fear worse. I would make sure that he is not being bothered by someone when you are not around. Also, it might be a good idea to have its eyes and ears checked, if your dog is having difficulty percieving new people and things well, it might be even more afraid than usual.

Answer 5

this is a tricky situation. rescue animals usually have behavior problems (otherwise they probably wouldn't have been given to the shelter or wherever). they need owners that are very patient and loving.

it's hard to deal with these kinds of animals (the ones that are afraid of everything), but in most cases training the dog/animal can help out quite a bit. i'm not a huge advocate of giving dogs anxiety pills (or the like) unless it's a last resort. if the pills help at all, feel free to keep giving them to your dog while you work on training him. start out small. lots of rewards/treats for good behavior (staying calm when someone walks by on the sidewalk outside your house, or letting someone else pet him). i always tell owners training their dogs to treat the dog like he just spoke to you, every time he does what you want him to (basically, get really excited and pet him and maybe give a treat too). the key is to be consistent in your training and to stay small. slowly work up to bigger things. you could start out with giving him treats while he remains calm and isn't aggressive when someone new comes around. if he stays calm while they are in the same room (only one new person at a time, slowly work up to more people), then have the visitor give him a treat. if he takes that well, have them keep giving him treats while they pet him. as long as that keeps going well, maybe have the visitor walk him down your driveway or something small. try that with different people for a little while (a week or 2) and then when you have worked up to a few new people letting him pet him, have them try approaching him 2 at a time, slowly. giving treats when he's calm. petting comes next, with treats. then keep going, adding another person he's grown comfortable with. then work up to letting new people meet him. as long as he stays calm and isn't aggressive, slowly VERY SLOWLY add more/new things until he is okay with it. if he stops eating treats at any point, go back a step until he relaxes again. this will take some time, but you can do the same process with other animals as well. start out with the dogs separated (unable to get to each other) and give treats to both dogs. if one of them starts to get aggressive or stops eating treats, separate them farther and try again. baby steps.

you could try having treats on hand all the time and if there is a loud noise, IMMEDIATELY give him a treat. pretty soon he should stop jumping to every little thing. once he stops being scared of everything, start giving the treats a little less frequently, but still give attention.

good luck.

Answer 6

go to this website perfectpaws.com
it has got everything this is about loud noises.

It's unsettling when your dog has a fear of thunder, fireworks or other loud and sudden noises. Dogs often express their fear in destructive behavior, barking, cowering, and throwing various fits. There are two mistakes we often make which only make the situation worse. First, never reprimand or punish the dog for being afraid. He will only become more frightened. Secondly, never verbally or physically try to reassure or comfort the dog when he is acting fearful. If you stroke, cradle or hug your dog while saying things like, 'Oh poor baby, it's OK, there's nothing to be afraid of,' the dog doesn't understand your words, but he does understand that he is receiving a gentle, soothing reward by your actions and tone of voice. The dog usually concludes it is doing the right thing by acting nervous because you are so approving of it.
Sometimes simply stopping the unintentional reward stops the fearful behavior. But until the dog is over his fears, it is best to confine him to a place where he can't hurt himself or completely destroy your property. A crate is ideal. Accustom the dog to his special place so that he feels comfortable and secure there. Don't wait until the storm has arrived to introduce your dog to his 'safe haven.'

Distraction Training and Fear
Brush up on some obedience training and teach your dog a few tricks and games. It is difficult for a dog to be afraid when he is enjoying his favorite game of fetch. It is difficult to think about the thunder storm outside when the dog is concentrating on a quick series of Come Here, Sit, Heel, Sit, Shake Hands, Down, Roll Over, etc. The idea is to distract the dog from the noise. You can then shower the dog with lots of affection and attention, but for obeying a simple command of sit-shake hands, instead of for acting fearful.
The key is patience and practice. Do not wait until the night before the thunder storm or the third of July (fear of fireworks) to begin teaching your dog a few tricks. Be sure he knows them well beforehand. He will probably have trouble concentrating at first, so the better he knows the games and tricks, the easier it will be for him to perform them under pressure.

Desensitization and Fear
Another method of helping your dog overcome his fear is to slowly and gradually accustom him to the noises that frighten him. This can be done by making a recording of the sounds and playing it back to the dog while he is enjoying everyday life and activities. Many music stores have soundtracks of fireworks, thunder storms and rain that you can purchase. Start by playing it back at such a low volume that you can barely hear it, but the dog's keen hearing will. The dog should show no signs of fear at this volume. Gradually, over the course of weeks or months, increase the volume by tiny increments. The volume is increased so slowly that the dog hardly notices the change. Eventually he will be used to hearing the sounds at full force. If at any time, your dog shows signs of fear, decrease the volume again and proceed a little more slowly. This procedure will work more quickly if you combine it with distraction training.


THIS IS ABOUT BEING SHY AND FEAR OF STRANGE THINGS
IT HAS MORE INFO HERE http://perfectpaws.com/shy.html


Shy or fearful dogs can react defensively when approached by unfamiliar people. They may try to keep strangers away by growling, snarling or snapping. These behaviors must not be ignored. No dog should be allowed to get away with acting aggressively towards humans. The fact that your dog is shy is no excuse to condone growling or biting. You must instantly and effectively reprimand such behavior. As soon as your dog stops acting aggressive, it is essential that you praise him. We do not want your dog to think that the presence of the stranger brings on the reprimand, but that his own obnoxious behavior causes you to get angry. If it is ever necessary for you to reprimand aggressive tendencies in your shy dog, you have probably been trying to push him along too quickly. Avoid similar threatening situations until your dog has developed sufficient confidence to deal with them without resorting to aggression. Do not allow strangers to reprimand your fearful or shy dog.



HOPE THIS HELPS SOME GL

Answer 7

He was probably was never handled as a puppy and someone was mean to it.I would keep the dog away from people and make sure it has its rabies shot. If your really attached with your dog you may just have to learn to live life with not changing him or her.Your dog may never change.My dog bites me all the time .He doesn't bite others .You could try a trainer

Answer 8

my dog got hit by a motorbike, she was running into the motorbike and broke her leg my parents fixed it before i came from school, i was very happy :).... after the accident she was afraid from them and when i brought back my dog from Germany she got more scared of all kind of strong noises she is afraid so i thing your dog is trying to protect him self from harm and maybe something happened before 3 years ago,before you took it from the rescue center
my advice is when you two go out for a walk and he stars barking or something else try to hold him give him a hug and to tell him things to calm him down like (its OK, be quiet, shh) good luck =)

Answer 9

Call around to the local shelters and they might have pet behavior classes. There is one in Arizona. These trained people can generally help you with fixing those behaviors or tell you if they can't be fixed. Good luck!

Answer 10

Search online for the dog whisperer. He has lots of great advice.

Answer 11

he was most likely abused when he was a puppy, so now he is very afraid, but now that he is bigger, he feels like he can defend himself now. find a history report on this dog.