I have a 2 year old GSD Dakota who has started to exhibit some aggressive/fearful behavior. She has been difficult to train but we have not given up. At times she will show me teeth and will growl and snarl when I put her in her crate. I have not harmed her in any way and am responsible with her training, socialization, and exercise. On the other hand she is extremely close to me and tends to favor me over my husband. We have two other dogs in the home who do not have these issues. It seems as though we have to treat her differently than every other dog in the home. She has snapped at the puppy during feeding time so we have adjusted their feeding schedule and areas. What are some things I can do to break her of the fear/aggression before it gets out of hand. I want my dog to trust me and at times I feel she does not. We have two females (2 y/o GSD, 9 week old Rottie) and one male (9 month old GSD) and from what it seems Dakota is the alpha female of their pack) Melissa
Melissa, Ah, a new puppy in the house. Something changed. It’s not unusual to see changes in behavior when the household changes.
Because it sounds like this has just started, get her to a vet chiropractor. She may be hurt or ill. That could solve everything. Here’s an article that I wrote some time ago with video of Tilli’s first adjustment and links to vet chiropractors.
Clicker training will show you that training is not only fun, it’s fast and the dogs get it. It sounds to me that you’re not communicating with this dog and treating her differently may be causing more problems. Get your supplies and training material here at SitStay.com.
Please don’t use traditional jerk and pull methods with your girl. Steer clear of TV shows that do any of that or put pressure on a dog to change behavior. If you use the methods that Cesar Millan teaches, you could wind up with a biting dog. Cesar is trying to move to the good and positive but he’s not there yet so not doing what he does will be a lot better for your dog and your family. Besides, Cesar warns against doing what he’s doing, we’d all be smart to heed that warning.
Find a positive trainer. Try contacting Jean Donaldson or APDT for help.
I hope this helps. When our dogs are no challenge, we don’t learn more about dogs. Read everything you can that’s written by a positive trainer, like Jean Donaldson. The more you know about your dogs, the better trainer you will become.
Make sure that all dogs are walking in the same direction for at least an hour before all meals. There’s a great deal of truth to the right kind of exercise, it leads to a peaceful brain.
It’s entirely possible that you’re accidentally training her to act fearful and aggressive. Get out a video camera and film everything for the next few weeks. You might even find that she isn’t the problem at all, it could be one of the other dogs affecting her and making her act like that. Video is powerful. We get to see what really happened by slowing down the footage and we get to see how we reacted, too, which will tell us volumes. – Darcie
I took my 6 year old Dasher to the Chiropractor/Acupuncture/Holistic vet looking for help for sudden onset of grand mal seizures-regular vet could find nothing wrong and suggested meds. Then on top of that he started not acting normal, growling at the puppy, not wanting to play.. the C/A/H vet gave him an adjustment and said he had a horrible headache. It worked, a few days after the adjustment he was playing as usual with the puppy. They play rough and I think when Jingles knocked him down it put him out of alignment. There are other things the C/A/H vet is having me do for Dasher-he has not had a seizure for 8 weeks. Judy
Judy, how wonderful is that! I’m so glad you tried chiropractic before drugs…drugs often aren’t necessary at all. Thank you so much for sharing with us. It’s amazing, isn’t it? That the body can be so off balance affecting the brain to cause behavior problems. Hugs to Dasher and Jingles! – Darcie
I couldn’t agree with Darcy more. We learn from and because of our dogs with “issues”. If medical concerns are ruled out then learn about clicker training ASAP. I only just learned the difference between “clicker training” and “training with a clicker” True clicker training is a whole philosophy that is much more than getting your dog to do what you want as fast as possible. It is about having a cooperative partnership with your dog, it is about communication, it is about your dog learning to learn, think and make choices.
While some dogs may have the temperament to survive punishment and dominance-based methods and learn stuff this will be a disastrous approach with a fearful and aggressive dog. (and isn’t the best approach for any dog).
Some of the books and people who have helped me with my fearful boy are Scaredy Dog by Ali Brown, Click to Calm by Emma Parsons, Control Unleashed by Leslie McDevitt, and The Thinking Dog: Crossover to Clicker Training by Gail Fisher. Of course there are many more, but these are the ones that have been specifically helpful for using the clicker approach for working with fearful and reactive behavior.
There is also a group list for Click to Calm that you can join. You can get answers from other trainers who have a wealth of experience in dealing with these situations. It’s a wonderful support group. Best wishes to you and your dog Jill M
Jill is right. Please do learn how to clicker train before you start…you will be amazed at the communication you have with your dog. Communicating with dogs and having them show you that they understand is nothing short of…incredible. It will warm your heart when it happens. It doesn’t take an expensive course of study or a lot of expensive anything. A book or a DVD, a clicker, and treats or a toy is all you need to start talking to your dog.
SitStay.com is having a sale of books and clicker training books are included. Take a look and save to get started Clicker Training! – Darcie