davidl Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 I know there are a number of dog lovers, trainers, breeders here so I'm seeking some advice about my Belgian Shepherd Dakota. We rescued her as a skinny shy 6 or 7 month old pound puppy. She was picked up as a stray. First off, she is a very affectionate playful 2 year old now. She loves other animals and people too. She is the exact opposite of our other dog Maggie, an 11 year old border collie shephard mix who is docile and doesn't have an assertive bone in her body. Dakota has always been protective and strong willed but very friendly which is fine by me. She has started to show an agressive side only when people she doesn't know really well go to leave the house or studio. She will sometimes race towards the door and display aggression towards the person leaving. She has never bit anyone yet but did snap at one of my friends recently. I think if a bite was really on her mind it would have happened. I have a theory that being a herding type dog, she is trying to keep the herd together which is fine in the field but this is in the house. Anyone experience this and if so, any advice? I know Jocko has significant experience with similar breeds. I failed to mention that the dogs get tons of regular exercise and respond really well and seem very well adjusted in all other ways. Thanks in advance. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOL! Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 From the training we got for our other Boston Terrier who has some fear/aggression issues, you have to step in right away to show the dog that this behavior is not tolerated. When she races to the door and starts aggressive behavior, step right in with a firm negative command (no! or Unh-uh!) and give the sit or down command. If the dog does not sit, stand your ground until she sits. If they comply say Yes! and hold them in a sit until the person leaves. You can treat after that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Versatile Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 An interesting Canine Psychology situation And wholly appropriate for discussion on a guitarists' forum... <_< IMO the DIQ(Dog in Question) may have just reached a level of maturity where inherent traits come to the fore As suggested...perhaps akin to an inbred 'herding' instinct All very well and dandy...but not always 'people friendly' Some strays/rescue dogs can require ongoing care and sensitivity in optimising good behaviour The obvious approach would be to pre-empt the guest's leaving by gentle and firm restraint of the DIQ (perhaps with a distracting chocolate reward) Hopefully better behaviour will ensue in due course Good Luck !! V Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
This_Dying_Soul Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 good advice so far. I was going to make suggestions along the same lines. Only one thing - for a treat you should NEVER give a dog chocolate. it's toxic to them and eating enough of it can kill a dog. My wife's cousin used to have a boxer that got into a case of chocolate bars he had brought home from school for a fundraiser. He ate about 3 chocolate bars and was never the same dog again. He went from being a friendly lovable dog (although he thought was a lap dog, not a boxer) to having a few screws loose. They had to put him down because the effects of all that chocolate turned him into a psycho. Carob would be a better choice. It's often used for artificial chocolate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carv3r Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 hearders heard, its how they roll. my friend has two of them, i have a 5 year old son,. they all try to keep him in their circle and when he tries to leave the will nip his hand or arm and try to lead him back into the group.. they dont bite hard. they dont even really bite. they use their mouth like we would use a hand,. they are trying to guide. you know the difference in a dog. you can see in their eyes when they have "Snapped" and are acting out of agression. to avoid this from happening. simply see your guests out. your dog will see that you (the master) is aiding this person out of the group and they wont 2nd guess your action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-poland Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 If you have the chance there is a tv show called( the dog whisperer) by caesar milan very interesting show !many times the problems he encounters with people's dogs involves training the owner. take a look if ya get a chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Versatile Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 good advice so far. I was going to make suggestions along the same lines. Only one thing - for a treat you should NEVER give a dog chocolate. it's toxic to them and eating enough of it can kill a dog. My wife's cousin used to have a boxer that got into a case of chocolate bars he had brought home from school for a fundraiser. He ate about 3 chocolate bars and was never the same dog again. He went from being a friendly lovable dog (although he thought was a lap dog, not a boxer) to having a few screws loose. They had to put him down because the effects of all that chocolate turned him into a psycho. Carob would be a better choice. It's often used for artificial chocolate. Yes I meant to emphasise 'dog chocolate' which I believe is carob based and well established as a safe reward for dog-training.... V Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest farnsbarns Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 This is an odd one so I've mulled it over a bit. I suspect that without seeing the property, and the behaviour, it will be hard to read. The dog clearly feels there is a reason to put the guest in his/her place and since he is not being aggressive toward you it seems unlikely it's a play for pack leader. I wonder if the dog feels that the guest is making a play for leader and is helping you to fend off that risk. As said, try to spot the cues and change them and scold the dog when it starts and treat it if scolding stops it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender 4 Life Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 poor confused Dakota 1st sees the "guest" as an intruder in the flock.......then when she realizes the intruder is accepted into the flock(compounding the confusion)her mind is blown by the new flock member, who WAS an intruder, trying to break away and leave........she literally doesn't know whether to herd, or attack, and doing nothing is not even a concept to her...YET. please work on socializing her before she's blamed for a bite that's not really her fault!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carv3r Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 bender for life,.. thank you for a perfect post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShredAstaire Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 David, I have two dogs and its almost the exact situation you have. My newer dog (the spaz) has improved ALOT...but it took 3 years of VERY hard work...Cesar Milan style.. Feel free to PM me with more specifics...i'll be happy to share my experiences with you. Snoops is 1000x better than he used to be but still has his moments. Its all about how you deal with it. We're not perfect and its hard to change but you'll likely need to change the way you deal with the unwanted behaviour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyK Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 I suspect she is exhibiting a shepherding behavior. Probably why the word Shepherd is in her breed name. You must become the dominant, Alpha, member of your pack. Your pack is you, your family and other animals living in the house. Some dogs will test the hierarchy. The best time for this is at play time. While in the yard play the 'figure 8' game. This is the one where you try to "attack" the dog and the dog playfully runs in a figure 8 pattern with you at the cross roads. She will run at you, then you reach to grab and she dodges, making another loop. All dogs play this game, it's in their genes. Dogs love this game. At some point when the dog tires, you have to tackle her, then get on top of her and gently bite here nose. Done a few times this establishes dominance. You don't have to 'bite bite', just get your teeth on the bridge of her nose between her eyes and nostrils. This is how dogs do it. You may need to do this a couple times over a few days. Do this before the dog gets too big to man handle. After this all you have to do is sternly scold her with a short, "NO!", all the while making eye contact until she backs down or stops the behavior. Eventually, she should stop the inappropriate behavior once she knows what you will and will not tolerate. You should also lead your guests to the door so you are right there when she tries to corral the guest back to the 'herd'. If you allow one of your dogs to become the alpha member of the household, you are in for a lot of misbehavior. All humans, including children, in the house must be on a higher level than the dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidl Posted January 9, 2012 Author Share Posted January 9, 2012 What I'm hearing from you folks is a lot of common sense. More socializing work is needed as well as training to let her know that she does NOT own the door. The last thing we want is to have her actually bite someone for no reason. Our older dog was a breeze to train. I've never seen a dog learn so quickly and retain that knowledge so well. Thanks everyone for your wisdom and insight. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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