My dog is getting aggressive! WHY????

Question

I have an 8 month old Wire Fox Terrirer. He has a ton of energy. Recently I've noticed he is becoming aggressive in situations when he is being disiplined. But it is 10x worse when it involves food. Example, at my in laws house, he was eating the cats wet food, when I disiplined him by saying "NO!" and trying to move him away he bit me (hard) on my leg and growled as if to say "don't f_ck with me". A similar time when he was trying to get into the garbage he did the same thing. We give him a ton of exercise, and always show him affection. Why is he getting aggressive? and what can I do to stop this? I'm getting worried that he will do it again.

Answer 1

This is a dominance and food guarding issue
Have you had a terrier before. They can be dominant dogs, either sex and they are not bothered about being intimidated by something bigger than they are.
I would recommend going on line and finding several wire fox terrier rescue sites. These people try to help folks with these dogs overcome issues... they don't just take dogs away. They also have loads of breed specific experience. Talk to these guys they should give you several ideas.
Just be warned when going to dog experts and trainers, some of them charge the earth and I'm sure genuinly believe that one shoe fits all. We know that doesn't work, go by word of mouth and watch the trainers at work before putting your dog through their school
1 30 sec mistake could last you a lifetime

Answer 2

This isn't uncommon in young dogs but you have to stop it early if you don't want it to get worse. Whatever you do, NEVER let him have his way when he gets agressive, and never try to calm him by petting if he's growling because you are only encouraging the behavior. If he's agressive with food one of the worst things you can do if free-feed him (where the bowl is filled and he eats when he wants). Try having him sit before you put the food down and make him stay until you release him. Do some exercises where you have him on a leash and you or someone else picks up the food while he's eating (if you're afraid he'll bite, use a stick and touch his bowl with it), when he shows the slightest sign of aggression, jerk the leash and make him sit. You have to snap him out of it right away. Keep doing this until he stops. If he's not TOO bad, you can get between him and the food and command him to get back and don't let him by you until he's calm and submissive. You can do the same thing with toys. Just telling him no isn't disiplining him, there needs to be some sort of action as well. A noise like a shaker can (can with pennies) I've found work as a good "No" and in response to other suggestions....i could understand putting him in a crate if your worried about other people's safety, but not as punishment or training...that is avoiding the problem, not establishing your dominance.

Answer 3

Often dogs will become aggressive when they are being disciplined because they ARE saying 'don't f--k with me!' cause they're afraid. When you add food to the picture it's called resource guarding and it's likely that your dog is going to get worse, especially if you don't change how he feels about you being near his food (and if he's near it, it is HIS food or garbage). There's a good book called MINE! that can help you deal with this behavior, but to start, make the training into a game.

Get a bowl of kibble (nothing super special, but something the dog will not want you to take) and some super special treats. Give him the kibble and then offer him the treat. When he takes the treat, take the bowl of kibble away. Then, give him the bowl back. Offer him the treat again, and take the bowl, each time giving him the bowl back. You can then do the same thing with toys or the cat's bowl (just put in enough for him to have a taste of the food, offer the treat, take the bowl, treat, add another tiny taste of cat food and give him the bowl again) The goal is to have the dog think that having you come and take stuff away from him is wonderful, not only does he get a treat but he gets the thing back. Practice this for several weeks. Once the dog has changed how he feels about you coming near him when he has something special you'll be able to take it away and not give it back and it's no big deal.

Remember that dogs, whether they are dominant or submissive will growl and bite to protect their food. Don't punish or scare your dog when it does this. As you've learned, you can get bit.

www.fearfuldogs.com

Answer 4

Unfortunately, you have a "time bomb" on your hands and you need to defuse it.. quick.

All dogs are 'pack' animals and they fit very easily into their human 'pack'. In every pack, their is a 'pecking order', with the top dog being what we call the 'alpha'. EVERY dog, either when we first introduce it into a new family or when it reaches adolescence (as in your case), tries to fit into the pack... starting at the top. You dog is now doing just that. If were to guess, I'd say that prior to this, he may have growled, put his ears back, etc.... body language telling you that he was displeased.

I have dealt with quite a few 'aggressive' dogs (and have the scars to prove it). While you dog is not (yet) what I would classify as truly aggressive, he will be willing to increase his aggression and possibly inflict more damage the next time he bites. Unless you are prepared to take him on, I do not recommend that you provoke him in any way that would cause him to bite. (Keep spare food away, etc.)

Now for the "cure"... Seek a qualified obedience trainer TODAY! Call your vet, animal shelter, etc. Will they be able to stop the aggression? Absolutely not! But they will be able to work with you in teaching him obedience, how to read body language, how to properly discipline him, and how to use your voice as the ultimate control tool.

In the mean time, check out NILF (Nothing in Life is Free) and get the book, "Dogs Love to Please...). See the links below.

You are not alone with your problem... lots of other people have overcome the same problem and now have a very valuable family member!

Good luck!

Answer 5

1) Most of us are not trained professionals.
2) We cannot see the situation and therefore cannot make an accurate statement regarding the behavior.
3) You need to speak to a professional in your area about this behavior before it becomes worse.
4) From the limited amount of information you've given it sounds like resource guarding. A method of "curing" this is to re-establish that YOU are the keeper of the food. Using a block of some sort do not let him eat until YOU say he can. By this I mean when you put his dish down, stand over it and wait for him to sit and look at you before you let him have it.
5) Look into NILIF.
6) Aggression+Aggression=Escalated Aggression. Unless it is life and death do NOT hit a dog for biting. It only makes it worse.

Answer 6

Relax for a second.

Your dog is showing very normal and common behavior, especially for a terrier.

He is doing what dog behaviorists refer to as "resource guarding." He is trying to to protect "his" things (can be food or toys) from people.

Affection and love are not enough to keep a dog in line, especially a terrier. Terriers are SMART dogs and very strong willed and will take advantage of a person if they can. He's at that age where he's not a little baby anymore and he is going to start testing you to see what he can get away with. He's trying to be the alpha, and you need training, rules, and boundaries to show him you are in charge.

Does he have issues with him touching his food regularly, or is it only "special food" like garbage or cat food? Sometimes a dog will only guard items it percieves as being high value.

A way to help with this problem is the Nothing In Life is Free Program. In this method, the dog has to work for everything it gets. Feed him his meals through training: make him sit, drop and handful of food in his bowl, make him down, drop a handful of food, etc. This serves two purposes: It makes it clear to the dog that he is not in charge, you are, and it helps him realize he does not need to worry about you taking his food.

After you do handfeedings, work on exchanges. Go up to his bowl while he is eating and drop pieces of hot dog or something else delicious into his bowl. You want him to feel comfortable about having you approach his bowl. Eventually, work up to the point where you can trade him a treat for his bowl.

I would really reccomend you buy the book "Mine!" by Jean Donaldson. It specifically talks about resource guarding behavior and what you can do to work through it.

Answer 7

all I know is from pets I've had and been around (cats) and they get aggressive if you tease them, take a toy from them, tease them by taking their food from them, even if you smack them with a soft newspaper (making noise to deter them from doing a bad thing) eventually they will think it's a game and challenge you. Although sometimes they (are kinda like us) and they have days when they don't feel good (maybe teething, or fleas bothering them, or a bad tooth, or even a headache from humidity and they don't want to be bothered), I can say that there are such things as puppy mills who breed incorrectly and some pets that come out of those puppy mills have attitude problems. If you feel your pet is not behaving or not listening, get on the phone with a dog trainer and ask them the questions and even send your dog for a short vacation to the dog trainers to learn some manners.

Answer 8

When you dicipline a dog, you cant just yell at him and say no, There is a spot on the end of a dog's nose that is sensitive, and you wack them there, and if they resist, than you kick them. If a dog feels like he is in charge, he will run ruffshot over you. There are some dieseases that cause agression, some of which are not cure able, and if he has one of those, you will just have to put him down.
You cant let a dog ever think he is in control. His punnishments have to hurt. When you take him for a walk, if he pulls and tugs on the leash, you train him by yanking hard on the leash, telling the dog that you are in control and you are going to pick the pace and you wont be pulled. That is part of the training. But when your not needing to train him, love and affection is important too to let the dog know your his friend.
but he must see you as his master. I own a dog, and I have been through obedience training with her. These are some of the things I learned.
But personally, if I ever had a dog bite me, I wouldn't have it around. It would be dead right there.

Answer 9

Think of a dog as a child. If he bites you, don't you have a small cage to put him in for a few minutes to discipline him? Ever try making a loud noise to slightly scare him away from what he is doing?
It's not necessarily inhumane in the training process. Remember to praise when he is being gentle, also.

Answer 10

Your fur boy is finding his place. Many dogs once they reach full maturity will begin to show their "adult" personality. Your little terror there is whats called an "Alpha" personality. It means that traditionally in the wild, he would be the one fighting for leadership of his "pack". what you need to do is take him to an obedience school and select ONE family member to be the "alpha" of the house. That is the person who will "discipline" him if he's bad, tell him how to behave, etc. With one person in command he'll quickly fall into better habits. The people at the obedience school will teach you all of the proper steps.