I have an dog-aggressive dog that overpowers me, any suggestions?

Question

I adopted a mix shepherd/rhodesian mix dog four months ago. he now weighs 90 pounds, which sadly is only 20 pounds less than me. He has been trained to walk on the leash, sit, stay, down, and come. The only problem is he is leash aggressive to other dogs. Due to his size, I can't correct it with the leash, he is just too strong. I have tried a halti and a prong collar at the suggestion of a behaviorist. The behaviorist said he has an insensitive neck. We have also tried a shock collar, which had no effect on him. He has literally dragged me on the ground before. I'm sad b/c he is a danger to other dogs b/c of my inability to control him. I'm literally too weak. Any suggestions.

The prong collar has actually helped alot in his training, teaching him to walk, and what not. It just doesn't help when he wants to go somewhere real bad....like another dog. In that situation, he just doesn't care. The situation dies down when the other dog owner is out of site.I'm just really scared that maybe the next time i can't hold him and he gets away...gets the other dog or runs in the street. I wish I could get cesar milan's help but his inbox on his website is full.

Answer 1

There is one more type of collar. A spray collar. It holds a small aerosol can of lemon water that sprays the nose to correct the dog. This would be one way to get around the insensitive neck.

Answer 2

A collar is not going to correct this problem. This is not an issue of leash-walking... this is a behavioral problem and can only be corrected with training. It does not matter how strong you are. He should respond to your commands; you shouldn't have to worry about holding him back from attacking other dogs. Enroll him in an obedience course. This will teach you how to control him properly on a leash while also exposing him to other dogs. I'm sure the trainers will have more insight on your problem as well.

There is no quick fix to this, I'm sorry.

And please don't listen to the guy who said you need to give it away to a rescue or someone (that's able to control him). You know what will happen? That dog will sit in the shelter and not get adopted because he will be considered uncontrollable. And as far as the dogs he suggested, he is ridiculous, because Huskies, Shepards, and Goldens are all incredibly strong (how do you think Goldens are used as rescue dogs??) so don't mind him. :) There is no reason you can't own a huge dog; you just need to train him properly.

Answer 3

You are right to be very concerned. Dog aggression can be a big problem for some dogs and owners. The liability of owning such a dog is huge. It is even worse if you place this dog in another home and it attacks someone.

You're doing the right thing to search for ways to control your dog. I highly suggest muzzling your dog any time you are off your property. It is not cruel to protect others from his aggression. Reading his early signs of aggressive tendancies can be useful to try to avert his attention before he has a chance to react. Have you also tried some conditioning with food? What I'm talking about is some rare beef. If you had stew sized chunks of lightly cooked beef, would your dog hesitate and maybe choose the meat instead? What if it was right in front of his nose? Some dogs can be persuaded to leave other reactive behaviors behind to focus on something more satisfying, like beef. It can give you a second to step in front and between your dog and another dog that would trigger his aggression. Having you as a distraction and lots of beef, might be the distraction he needs to keep from loosing it and going after another dog. If he opts for the beef keep a steady supply going into his mouth and constantly tell hiim what a good dog he is for being a good boy.

Best wishes.

Answer 4

You guys are not listening to the OP's concern. It sounds like this dog is CHARGING. Have you ever seen a big dog charge?

1. She (I assume this is a girl at 110) SPECIFICALLY says she tried to contact Cesar Milan but his inbox is full. And you shouldn't peddle his information without entirely understanding his theory of training dogs. What you see on TV is always very case specific. You try tapping a German Shepherd on the back legs when he is pulling at full strength. It sounds like the dog is pulling towards the other dog... I am sure the collar is tight.

2. The dog she has IS a shepherd mix (for the poster who suggested getting a dog not as strong... such as a shepherd).

3. Prevention? So you are going to just leave your dog inside the house or in the backyard forever? No walks ever? How can you guarantee you won't see another person or another dog?

4. Rattle something at the dog? So you are trying to frighten it more? It would have to be one seriously food motivated dog if you can draw it's attention when he is charging.

5. A muzzle is just a crutch. It doesn't solve the problem. It is good protection until the situation can be fixed. But won't be a fix itself.

6. The dog was adopted. It might have a series of problems not aware to the OP. If it was a puppy, proper training could have been done before getting too big but now it needs to be "broken" or as Cesar says: "rehabilitated."

My suggestions are to:

- Send your dog to a boot camp b/c you can't train him yourself.
- Exercise the crap out of your dog before walking him. Of course, exercise PLUS walking takes a lot of time... more than most can afford unless they are home all day or train dogs for a living.
- Worst case... find a better home for you dog with someone who CAN properly train him. It isn't fair to your dog to trap him at home and keep him from ever going out.

Sounds like you picked the wrong breed. More research and soul searching should definitely be used if you ever try to get another dog. Dogs are part of the family. Living breathing animals. Sometimes the hardest thing is admitting you can no longer care for them. Do what is best for you and your pet.

Answer 5

Get a whistle or a rattle or something noisy and when your dog does his lolly at another dog, make noise in his face to distract him from the other dog then using your best command voice tell him to sit. Then use another command word such as 'ignore' and have a treat in your pocket to use to try and hold his attention. If the noise doesnt work try a spray bottle with water and citronella oil and spray that in his face instead. I grew up with great danes and they doubled my weight. One of them was female dog aggressive but she got to the point where we would be walking and if another dog came by i would just have to say 'ignore' and she wouldnt even look at the other dog.

To Rick D who said get a retriever or shepherd, you obviously didnt read the question properly because thats what shes got, a shepherd mix, idiot. And i own 2 dobes that weigh less than 80lbs, idiot. Any breed can be a problem to walk, size doesnt matter, idiot. All the breeds you suggested weigh in at more than 60 lbs, idiot.

Answer 6

That is crazy that the prong collar did not work.... are you sure that you are not holding back a little, afraid of hurting your dog?
I can understand easy it would be to do that, but maybe you just gotta use everything you have to get across the idea that you dont like this kind of behavior.
If that does not work, you could have someone stronger, who may have a little bit better control of your dog, work with him first and then it might be easier for you.

Answer 7

Have you ever seen The Dog Whisperer on tv? Please look it up on the internet or go to a video store and rent his DVD's on dog rehabilitation. He really understands the way a dog thinks and has turned around some of the worst case agressive dogs, ones that were going to be put down such as pit bulls and rotts. To sum up his advice on your type of situation, your dog needs to realize that YOU are the pack leader and must bow to your authority. You will teach him this by simple techniques such as being sure he doesn't go out the door first on your walk (You should always walk out first) and also never let him lead you on the walk, he should be at your side or slightly behind you. If he's in front, then he's in control and he doesn't acknowledge or respect you as a pack leader. Usually this problem isn't only noticed on a walk but in other areas of your life together, look around and see if you notice other ways that he's asserting his dominance over you. Does he growl if you approach him while eating? Does he easily give up a toy or treat if you tell him to drop it or does he run off with it? He can be taught to be submissive to you, dogs really don't want to be the leader but if you don't assert yourself, he'll do it so one of you is leading "the pack".
The collars you have mentioned usually work in normal cases but obviously not in yours. After you've worked on becoming the leader at home, you can start with small "test walks" outside. You need only a simple slip knot type of leash/collar but the key is to place it up high on the neck, coming up high right behind the ears. Have you ever seen a dog show on tv where the owner runs the dog around and holds the leash up high? That's the trick...it keeps the dogs head up so he is looking ahead and thinking about traveling, not letting his head drop to the ground so he's sniffing everything. If he pulls you ahead, do a quick jerk on the collar not back towards you (you'll start a tug of war front to back that he will win) but instead pull him towards your side. Dogs can set their feet to resist a forwards or backwards motion but they don't anticipate a sideways jerk. Sometimes you can even tap his hind quarters by LIGHTLY kicking with your foot behind your other leg and that will mentally snap him out of what he's focusing on, if there is another dog coming up and he's getting in that mindset again. You need to do the correction technique immediately when he does something wrong. Have a friend walk a well behaved dog past you several times til you get the hang of this and your dog learns what you are doing. Don't be nervous, your dog will feel that tension and he'll think somethings wrong that he needs to protect you from. If he pulls towards the dog, do the sideways jerk towards you, and if he stops, immediately release tension on the leash. Tension on the leash only should happen when he's misbehaving so as soon as he stops the bad behavior you must stop the tension or else he'll never put two and two together. It takes a little practice but most dogs are quick learners. Please do check into The Dog Whisperer (I think it's on Animal Planet) or on the web, his name is Cesar Milan. Good luck!

Answer 8

Prevention may be the key element that is necessary. You may have to resort to not presenting your dog to atmospheres in which he may encounter other dogs. When he goes to the vet, have him wear a muzzle and wait with him in the car until you can actually be seen. Walk him with a Halti at all times because this will provide the maximum amount of control. you may want to also attach his leash to a harness so you won't have to rely on restraining him by his neck.

Answer 9

When you are walking with your dog, and he gets aggressive, You stop and in a sharp voice , Make him sit and them lay down, an tell him stay, Relaxs the leash so he no s you are relaxed, Make him stay laying down till the other dog go by him, If he gets up make it clear you want him to stay down, You got to be the leader, not him, when walking keep him right be side your body not on a long leash,

Answer 10

So you gotta big and aggressive dog and its turrning out to be a big problem well i wish i could help but i cant but do know how you fell my family has this pitt bull and a couple months ago my dog broke its chain while my cat was out my cat ran up a tree and i was getting dragged across the ground in the snow freezing so igave up went with my friend and let my family deal with it and my cat came down in about three hours.So good question.Or mabye i can help call the dog whisper hes the man.look him up if you havent heard of him.