This question is for anyone who has pets?

Question

Okay the thing is my husband is in the army and is overseas and right now I am living on the base. However, the housing people are kicking everyone that are on my street out. I already have another house on reserve. however, my biggest issue is my oldest dog. He is very protective and he does not get along with strangers at all. My friend told me that if he bit anyone on the base, I and or my husband could go to jail for it.

I need some training help. What could I do as far as training him to be not so aggressive? I am afraid that once I do move into the new house, and when I take him outside he will be a big issue. And I dont want to end up having to put him down over this. I could never do that.

What can I do? What would you do? Please help me as I love my dog so much. I love him as though if he were my actual child. There has to be something I can do.

Answer 1

Walk him with a muzzle. Try obedience school. The old adage that you can't teacha old dog new tricks is bunk.
Call Cesar from the Dog Whisperer. Ithink your case would make for a good episode.

Answer 2

Sounds like your dog needs some socialization skills but it also sounds like he may be to old for such. If this dog bites anyone your in for some big trouble, jail I'm unsure of but your dog will be taken away and most like put down and you could be sued for damages. The bigger this dog is the bigger your troubles will be too.

Call your vet they can give you some good advise on the laws and where you may find some help, a socialization program or something. Maybe some kind of training course. If this dog is the world to you than consider moving off base to a better location for him.

Most people think of their pets as children and doing the best and right thing as impossible as it may sound is the only option when it comes to our children.

Answer 3

First of all, if your dog is aggresive it should NEVER be allowed outside off a leash. Check into obedience schools, but they usually only teach the dog to obey, they don't deal much with personality and behavior issues! This requires a special type of training.
DO NOT contact cesar milan as someone else suggested, his training methods have been deemed ANIMAL CRUELTY by the Humane Society of the United States!!!
Next, go to your local pet shop and check into a good muzzle for your dog to wear when you are walking him. There are muzzles that allow the dog to slightly open it's mouth, enough to pant, or to lap water, but still prevent it from opening it's mouth wide enough to bite someone.
I believe your friend is exaggerating. I have never heard of anyone going to jail for their dog biting someone! However, if the bite is bad enough, you could be responsible for some pretty large medical bills, and possibly some fines from your county for having an aggressive dog, and not properly restraining it.

Answer 4

There are soft fabric muzzles for dogs that allow free breathing and don't strain the head of the dog, so if you need to have him outside with you on leash yet be completely safe, I'd choose this route.

The local humane society has dog training classes, for both obedience and for behavior problems. You can check with them, or at least ask for suggestions if they don't have any being given right now.

You won't go to jail, but your dog could be impounded. People are concerned about liability and safety, so it is a very touchy issue. Be safe, get one of those muzzles, and he won't be able to bite if provoked or if he gets too assertive.

The most common muzzles are basket muzzles
http://www.collarmycanine.net/products/muzzles/
But I'm thinking more along the line of the nylon muzzles
http://www.petblvd.com/cgi-bin/pb/CPP07610.html

They're really not expensive, you just have to have the right size for your dog.

Answer 5

Scary. But try 'catching him being good.' That means, reward him with something he really likes, a food treat or playing ball or whatever, for NOT being aggressive toward strangers. After all, even a good guard dog shouldn't be when you're there with him and have told him it's ok.
When ever ppl are around and he doesn't bark or act aggresive twoards them, reward him until strange ppl mean treats to him.
On the other hand I would be quick to tell everyone he might come in contact with to ignore him. Not reach for him, not look at him directly, not talk to him, ect. That might help him not be aggressive.
I had a very sharp german shepherd. She had been teased as a puppy before I got her. Her first reaction was always to bark, and be aggresive to people. But she learned to obey. And if I said no, I meant it. She was rewarded for sitting and completly stopping barking. And if she didn't obey, she had a time out in a pen.

Answer 6

Like everyone else has said, obedience training should help. Until then, check into muzzles. I don't know a lot about them, but it seems there should be some good, humane versions that will help when you have him outside, on a leash.

If you put him outside in a fenced in yard (not anywhere near where the mailman / delivery persons would have to go) and he bites someone who gets close to him, I doubt the military base would do anything since they'd be trespassing in order to get that close anyway.

Also make sure he's current on his shots, and you have signs posted on that fence and you let visitors know to leave him be.

Answer 7

You could look up some information on training or even send him to a 'doggy camp' for training...BUT...I think you could just use a more practical and common sense approach here. How about (if you don't have a fenced yard) keeping your dog on a leash while outside. I think if you are worried about biting that a muzzle would be a good idea too.

If your dog can run after someone because he is on a leash, and if he can't bite them because he has a muzzle on, then you will have nothing to worry about.

Answer 8

You can socialize your dog, but before I describe how it's done, you should probably consult a certified trainer in your area -- your local pet store or vet should be able to point you to a good one. It's not a very big expense, and can give you a great deal of peace of mind.

If your dog is very agressive, let the trainer give you better instructions than you'll find from me. Otherwise...

Talk to some friends and invite them over to your house. Leave goodie/treat bags outside your house for them to pick up before coming inside.

Once inside, they need to let the dog come to them on its own terms. Give your dog encouragement until he goes to one of them. Then they should immidately reward the dog.

This process will take time.

Build up to having your friends call the dog to them (and getting a reward), being petting by your friends (and getting a reward), being petting in different places (and getting a reward).

Use lots of rewards.

It will also help if you walk your dog and talk to people along the walk, so your dog gets used to the idea of people as safe, friendly, and nice.

Good luck!

Answer 9

it's a matter of the carrot and the stick. i don't mean beat your dog but you will have to be rough with him if you want any results.

first off, if your dog is stranger and/or dog aggressive, you'll have to train him with a leash on, and i would recommend avoiding obedience classes until you're sure he can't/won't jump out of your hands.

the only way to teach him not to go after strangers (dog or human) is to take him into their company in a controlled environment. have him on a leash. if necessary, use a choke or pinch collar, or if you prefer you can use a gentle lead. the choke and pinch collars work on the principle of mild pain, and the gentle lead works on the principle of 'where the nose goes, the body must follow' so he can't jump away from you without getting whipped around.

once you're sure that he's secure and can't 'escape' from you, get someone who you trust, and who trusts you to let you experiment. do this in a back yard if possible, and if you're really worried then you can have your friend on the opposite side of the fence so your dog can't get to him anyway.

play like you're taking your dog on a walk, and happen to run into your friend. if/when your dog tries to go after him, you have a couple of options. if you're using choke/pinch collars, yank on it really hard and release quickly. the point of these collars is to cause a brief spike of pain and then release when good behavior resumes. if using a gengle lead, do the same thing, yank back so that your dog's head is forced to turn around, thus forcing his body to turn around. with all three of these, you want to suprise your dog. don't just sorta pull back, it has to be sudden so it's sure to get his attention, but don't pull so hard that you actually injure your dog. that's not good either.

if you find that none of these things work, or you don't want to use 'fancy' equipment, then you can try 2 other options. again, when your dog goes after your friend, pull the leash tight, and step on it. it's a form of leverage that forces your dog's head to the ground. if your dog's head doesn't make it all the way to the ground, then pull up on the leash, and that will pull his head down all the way. the logic behind this method is that you are forcing your dog into a submissive position. it doesn't hurt them at all - unless you accidently kick him in the head! basically, your dog is trying to tell any stranger that they're on his turf, and he's the boss so they better back off. he can't be all high and mighty when his nose is in the dirt.

a similar method is to tackle your dog and force him belly up. i dislike this method for two reasons: it looks silly to be sitting on top of your dog, and your dog will now associate that you are going to beat him into submission because you're on top of him. using the leash leverage just means that he's forced into submission when ever he's aggressive, not whenever you want to be dominant, so you keep a good relationship.

sry this is so long but i've gotten results with all methods. try them on your dog, and see which is easiest for you and gets the best results. good luck!!!

Answer 10

fence your yard or get a dog run so he cannot bite anyone.. Your friend is a bit extreme, I have NEVER heard of anyone in jail because their dog bit somebody..
make sure he is up to date on his Rabies shot - otherwise if he does bite someone he will get a 10 days Rabies hold.