Hello, I have a 10 month old male who has become aggressive towards the wife and I. Last week he got a chicken bone out of the garbage and when I took it away he bit me, not real hard but none the less. Tonight he growled at my wife. What is my next move? All he has recieved is love, he goes everywhere with us and is included in about all we do. He has been transgressing through his training and should recieve his Junior Hunt Test this summer. I don't understand because he has always been real easy about getting things away from him. It really bothers me because he is more then a dog to us, but I don't know what to do. I hope there is something that can be done. I have personally seen and worked with his parents and other siblings and none of them is like this so I don't think its genetic. In addition he as all of a sudden forgotten to listen to us and is very stubborn. Any help would be appreciated, this is bothering me very much. Thanks

Hello Ric it seems your sweet puppy has turned into a teen age monster. He growles at you and your wife he has forgotten to listen when you talk to him and he bit you when you took a chicken bone away from him he is stubborn? He either needs a wake up call just to let him know who is in charge in other words a good dose of obedience just to let him know where he stands in your family no#3 but before you do this it would not hurt to get him checked by a vet. He mite have a medical problem. Maybe there is some els who can come up with a better solution Take care Marv.

Ric,

Take a look @ www.leerburg.com and find the training articles "dealing with an aggressive dog". This is an excellent site centered on working dogs. The guy has some strong opinions and/but has some very good insights as well.

http://www.leerburg.com/articles.htm is the direct link, if it doesn't work look at the site supra.

A quick quote "We begin with the understanding that you are supposed to be the pack leader. In many pet homes this is not always the case. Too often the dog does not really see the owner as his true leader. So the solution to the animal aggression problem starts with changing this pack leader issue. "

Deal with it early and conclusively.

Take care,

Rob Bartels
<mailto:RBartels@martins-supermarkets.com>

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Rob Bartels:
Take a look @ http://www.leerburg.com and find the training articles "dealing with an aggressive dog". This is an excellent site centered on working dogs.

I'm sorry, but "excellent" isn't the word I'd use! Note that he says "when a strange dog APPROACHES" not "attacks":

"When a strange dog approaches (if I have my dog out for a walk) I become very aggressive towards this strange dog. If the intruder does not back off I will actually attack the other dog if he will not leave us alone.

"Very few untrained dogs are going to try and fight me. I begin with a serious warning, i.e. GET AWAY AND GO HOME! If this does not work I will advance on the dog with a loud deep-throated threatening warning. If this doesn’t work I am looking for something to hit this other dog with. If I have pepper gas I will gas a strange dog in a heart beat - right in front of his owner.

"If another pet owner is so slow or so stupid that he will not take control of his dog when he sees another pet owner who is concerned then I will not hesitate to do what is necessary to protect my dog."

All this kind of behavior does is teach his dog to BE aggressive. I've found that 99% of the time, when a dog approaches my 10-month-old Chessie when she's on the leash or in the off-leash area, it's to say "Hi, who are you?" and sometimes "Wanna play?"

My response to an approaching dog is a friendly "Hi, pup!" Most dogs turn into big happy mushballs. In the off-leash area, the dogs approach, sniff, play, and eventually walk on.

But an owner who bristles and yells and gets aggressive with an approaching dog just teaches his dog to do the same -- and it doesn't "cure" the other dog, either!

Willow and I live part-time at our lake cabin, where the "trail" around the lake cuts literally through many back yards, including mine. Most people who walk through are fine. But one day when I was out doing yardwork, a couple being dragged by their golden retriever became very aggressive and kicked Willow when she approached. "Keep your !(*&! dog chained up!" the man yelled.

Willow has never been aggressive towards any dog or person, and all she learned from this jerk was that strangers are nasty and dangerous. Although she still turns into a mushball if someone's friendly, she now barks at people going by.

No, I'm not going to chain Willow up -- if people are going to walk through our yard, they can be polite and friendly, and my pup and I will be too.

-- Jena

I agree completely with Rob Bartels. The Leerburg page is great. Having had aggressive dogs all my life, I know first hand, you must establish leadership. A good trainer can help.

Best of luck to you!

Sight had some great articles - specifically the one about introducing a new dog into a home with existing dogs! We're two weeks into the process now and still haven't allowed contact between the two dogs except through a barrier, but things are improving!

Just like Cahoun said.This is one of those critical times in his life.Next time he does that smack him on the nose/snout and tell him NO! it will soon pass, but you got show him whos the alpha.