Siberian/Mal mix help. (Aggersion, growling)?

Question

I am training my own service dog and I have been through so much research I cant even say! I looked very hard for the "perfect" dog and I honestly thought this was it.
So me and my mother decided to bring him home for a "baby sitting" trail and see how he reacts. Well, the whole approach was a disaster. We did not introduce the dogs properly and he growled at first. *(Now he is nice to them, and plays with them. He will still growl if my male/neutered papilloin is on my bed with me.) He first met my dad, and this was a neg. experience. My dad was rude and scared Montee intentionally. That was only the begining. My dad scared him a few more times, and finnally stopped. When my dad thought Montee was "ok" he called him over. Of corse, motee was scared and Dad grabbed his collar to pull him over, and Montee reacted in a protest. (Barked and maybe fear bit, but he in no means lunged forward but back.)
Now Montee is afraid of my brother when he first walks into the house and other males.

Is this normal? Is it just because he is new and nervous?
What do you think I should do? Wait it out and see what happens or return him?

He KNOWS I am the dominant. I made sure of that BEFORE we got home. I am very strict with him, and very cautious. (At times a little to cautious.)

Montee is 8 months, nuetured and 90 pnds.

Can be trained out of this behavior?

I have high hopes for him, but I realize that he MAY not work as a service dog.

sorry let me also ask, how should I go about to train him. Sorry I know this is a lot. Its just that he means a lot to me, and I really want to give him a chance.
If it doesn't work than my mom wants to take him in.

My dad is just naturally a jerk when he first feels intimidated. He isn't much of a kind person.

I simple pulled Montee back after this episode, said no, waited for him to calm down and sit, then let him outside to relax. I didnt hit him or yell. I havn't yelled at him yet.

I know, very poor Montee. I feel terrible and I am very very upset. He does seem to show a great amount of respect for me though.
(Letting me walk through the door first, relaxed, calm, walking behind me/sometimes, still working on this, very difficult, but overall he shows a lot of respect. And this is very good when considering a service dog. He is the first one I have seen yet that respects me this much.)

Right now i am just doing as Ceser Millan says. I got his books. (LOVE THEM!) Giving him wakls 2 times a day, working with him slowly, etc.
It didn't say anything about this in his book though.

Answer 1

it appears that your dad was afraid of the dog and had to use his own aggression to show the dog he was boss. not a good idea.
now, you'll have to go to behavioral training professional to cure Montee. good luck.

Answer 2

I recommend you not get another dog or service dog because until your father can stop his behavior you will run into the same problems again. Also, if you are not going to take the time to introduce him properly to anybody or any dog than you are intentionally creating a disaster and putting fear into a dog. What Montee did was extremely understandable. You can fix this problem but the whole family is going to have to decide to all work together to help train him and not scare him. I hope you keep this dog and work with him because he can be a great dog if you give him the chance and proper training. From what it sounds like you need to hire someone how to train your dog so you atleast have some sound basics to go on before you go and try to train him yourself.

Start with nilif
http://www.ddfl.org/behavior/nilif.pdf

There are more tips here
http://www.ddfl.org/tips_dogs.htm

Find a trainer here
http://www.apdt.com/

Answer 3

He might not be the best personality for a service dog. Esp if he reacts in fear to males. Your dad scaring him 2-3 times should not have done this unless your dad beat the crap out of him. There had to have been something before that make him nervous around males.
He may get over it and he may not. I know some animals that will always attack or shrink from men (usually not women) from a variety of species. Do you have a man that could work with him a bit? You need to find someone that is used to dogs, but doesn't have a severely dominant attitude. Have that guy take him for walks, throw a ball for him in the yard, etc. Just start small and work up to longer periods of time.

Answer 4

Aggression due to fear or dominance can be handled but you must do your part. Firstly, You must take the dog out for a walk in the morning and at night if possible. After the dog has been walked (for around 30 - 60 mins) give the dog his food. You have then supplied your dog with the two most important things he could have - Exercise and Food. This should calm him down. Then you need to work on obedience training Get him into a class straight away if you can. You must continue to be the pack leader but do this through calm assertiveness. All the best.
BEST ADVICE - LONG WALKS!

Answer 5

You seem to be painting all Christians with the same brush here with how you worded your question. I'm a Christian and I never in my life had any kind of problem with homosexuality or even with other religions and belief systems (as long as they don't discriminate against anyone of course). Even when I was at a conservative Baptist church as a child, I couldn't figure out what the big deal was about homosexuality or why anyone would be so upset and prejudiced about that. I was also immediately angry when I overheard someone say something I thought was racist. So not all Christians are behind the times on civil rights, just as not all atheists are children who are merely upset with their parents. Edit: Corrected a typo, that's all.

Answer 6

If you want a service dog, avoid Cesar. Cesar is resurrecting old fashioned, silly force based methods that will teach your dog to be afraid of you.

If you want to be a real leader to your dog, instead of just a bully like you are now, read Dr. Patricia McConnell's book:
How to be Leader of the Pack and Have your Dog love you for it.
www.dogwise.com

Answer 7

OK, well you said that your dad was rude and scared your dog intentionally, right? so give him a lot of care and love until he gets better. then teach him basic commands (sit, lie down,....etc..) practice the commands you teach every day for about 20 minutes. if he barks too much then get him a barking collar...or a muzzle.if that doesn't help then be "kinda" strict with him. tell him whats right and whats wrong. biting problem? give him a very sharp "NO" and a tap if necessary.and once again start small then you'll have the perfect assistant dog.....GIVE HIM SOME LOVE AND ATTENTION!!!

Answer 8

You and your dad have overcorrected your dog and scared him. His reactions are fearful. Yes, he can be trained out of this, but only positive reinforcement works with fear. Using force will only make him more fearful, therefore useless as a service dog.

Answer 9

Tell your father thanks a lot! Sounds to me like because of your father, your Montee is now afraid of human men! It's clear that your father should be trained in how to deal with him AND should pay for you to properly train your dog and he and your brother may have to paticipate thanks to your father!

Good luck in getting him over it (poor Montee)=(

Answer 10

Your dad was wrong...and now that dog will never like him, because a dog never forgets. Huskies need very good one on one training...not class training. Also, huskies are naturally dog aggressive, they prefer people to dogs. Huskies are very smart and stubborn...they are best placed with a family that has experience with this breed, and it sounds like your family may not be ready for a husky.