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I was just wondering if anyone had any ideas on how to re-socialize a protective dog. The dog is a 3yo mixed breed, and when he was a puppy was very social and lovin to everyone, and other animals. But as he has gotten older and developed an intensely strong bond with me has gotten quite protective. he had to live my parents for 2 years and i only saw him in summer and on weekends, and he didn't get walked much except when i was around. So i was curious if anyone had ideas how to resocialize him. I get nervous when other dogs and people approach on walks as he growls and ets into defensive postures and very stiff. He has been introduced to a few people inside of my house, i would let the person in and then let the dog out of my room where he sleeps and he is very loving, going to them and immediately licking and playing, but its like a different dog outside or if we are out or when people come into the house. My other dog is very loving as well and loves meeting new people, and is very reliable off leash, i would like to get him to that stage too, i am just worried about the possibility of him being aggressive to other people or animals as he is the strongest dog pound for pound i have ever encountered. He is a rott/lab/chow mix. thanks

by the way the dog, jersey, is good at sit, stay, usually good at recall except the times he seems defensive of me, and very good at laying down, even at times he gets defensive of me i can get him to lay down, he will just growl softly, under his breath almost. The other problem is that my other dog, and aussie shepherd mix gets sucked into this defensive behaviour when the two are together, and can get protective as well occasionally since her original owner left after 5 years and i adopted her. sorry i know this was long, but thank you for any advice.

//jersey, is good at sit, stay, usually good at recall except the times he seems defensive of me, and very good at laying down, even at times he gets defensive of me i can get him to lay down, he will just growl softly,//
The good news is that the growl is a warning! Be thankful your dog is warning you of how he feels. I wouldn't discourage the growl...but I would interrupt his attention with some cue like "hep!" and get him paying attention to me again. Then reward his attention on you with praise.
Your dog has got to think you are the most exciting thing around...food treats? praise? toy? What does your dog desire the most>
I am modifying my 2 yo GSD behavior now for same issues.
First I had to establish myself as leader....my dog has to wait til I go through door first, doesn't eat til after me, I change his bed location around and he has to lie where I tell him, he can't lie infront of my path, etc.
I also separated my 2 dogs, since they were more strongly bonded to each other than to me. Believe it or not, your 2nd dog may be part of the D2D aggression problem.
When we are outside, I must walk him on "loose leash" as he is reactive when leash is tightened. What has worked for me is to redirect his attention to me in a "sit". Then I treat and praise the "sit". I proactivley take control of the situation and do not let my dog fix on the other dog, I give him something to do and a reason to pay attention to me!
It is a long road to change this behavior...another strategy is to remove yourself from his side when he acts up...for example, my dog is trained to sit when tied up. So if he acts aggressively to another dog when we are out, I will tie him and walk away to let him know I am not putting up with it...it is like a "time out" for kids. When he sits calmly for 2 mins, I return and we go on about our business.
It has gotten better for me...
be sure to shut off attention and emotion when dog is misbehaving so you are not rewarding the behavior you do not want.
Think Dog by John Fisher is a good book on canine behavior.
Rule of thumb: do not reward the growl by "cooing" "there, there, that's alright", or yell at dog for giving the growl signal.
Simply stop the focus, "eh-eh" and redirect to you and pleasurable activity, then reward, "Good boy" for engaging with you.
If you are the leader of your pack, then the focus is on you, nowhere else.

I totally agree. This is something we started working on in School, and at first I was a bit skepticle, but it works. Our first day, Cookie was a lunatic, not aggressive, but barking and jumping at all the other people and dogs. The trainers told us to start clicking and treating as fast as we could to distract her. I was concerned at first that this would be rewarding the behavior, but it's not and it really does work. As she calms down, we slow down with the clicking/treating. And within 5 minutes she was laying at my feet. I know it's a different circumstance since you're dealing with an aggression issue, and I'm dealing with an overly-friendly issue, but It is still modifying the behavior and distracting them to be happy and interested in you.
Good luck! Hope it all works out!

this training method does sound like a good one, unfortunately for me it is already what i am doing. He waits for me to tell him to eat, come through a door, he lies down when and where i tell him, and i he is being picky i can tell him to eat and he will. He also knows a ew non verbal commands, i can simply point up or downstairs in my house and he knows that means i need to be left alone, and he will go lay down and wait or me to call him. He kas to sit and stay before he ets fed, comes through a door, he has to shake beore he gets a treat, and he knows that if he comes up to me and nudges my hand or licks me i will not pay attention to him, so he simply comes and sits and waits for me to pet him if i choose to. when we go out and sit in the front, i will put him in his harness (which i use cause he pulls hard enough to choke himself, i simply use the harness cause it allows me to pull back harder without feeling bad for choking him, and without looking like a jerk in front of my neighbors) and i use a 16 foot retractable leash as i am trying to get him used to distractions and not reacting unless i allow him, after the first time, he now chooses to lay right beside me as i sit in the lawn instead of trying to investigate all the little distractions. But unfortunately he still growls at the neighbor (whom he hates) and other people and dogs who approach, though he has not barked out front like he did that day in the park with the rott. the neighbor kids basketball came into the yard the second day and the kid came running after it and jersey did not respond at all, which was good and he got rewarded for it. I am sure that with work this problem will pass, and now that i have all of your suggestion as to the methods o training that have worked for you i can really dig in and hopefully get over this stage....thanks

I would find a trainer that has medium size classes and uses positive reinforcement. your dog may not need the training at home, but the exposure of the other dogs in such an environment would be a great learning and socialization experience.

Considering the strength/appearance (as in many would already consider this a 'dangerous' dog) you have a reason to be concerned. If he were to attack or 'almost' attack, whether it was another dog or person, you'd both be in big trouble, you could lose the dog/lawsuit, etc. I'm sure you realize.

So your options are limited, in that professional consultation/training/ specific coaching is the way to go & it could be lengthy/expensive.

Your vet may recommed someone & I'd go check them out first. All trainers are not equal. The 'new' thinking on working with a dog like yours, is that any 'rough' training will only increase your dog's aggression.

It is great that you've already taught him commands, this will help. I'd think his age might be difficult, as in the more he does this behavior, the more he is 'rewarded'. And it could have started when he was staying with your folks?

I'd not walk the 2 dogs together at all.

Best wishes & keep us posted. Sharing your experiences helps others 'cos this isn't an uncommon problem.

Thanks for the advice, my only concern is that if i were to take him to a class where other people dogs are present the situation might be stressful for him and make him even more protective of me. He has NEVER been rewarded for this behavior. It is always met with a stern NO. And its not that he is an aggressive dog, he is very sweet and loving, he loves my 5yo niece and everyone else in the family. Like i said anyone we introduce him to where they don't come in to "his" territory while he is there is fine. I realize, and am fearful of losing the dog or any lawsuits that might come from a bite or attempted bite. He really is a good dog, he is about 115 pounds or so and very smart, too smart actually, and could pull a house if he wanted i think, i can overpower him when needed but i'm the only one in the family that can. So that limits the options a little more, as he seems to be more protective of me than anyone else in the family, so my original thought was that someone else might be able to socialize him but he just pulls them around. When he's inside the house and barks at people who come to the door he stops when called and comes. what spurred this question, besides just wanting to be able to take my dog out without worrying and be able to go camping etc with him, is that a few weeks ago i was walking him and the other dog and a rott approached with its owner, as the dog approached it veered from its owner toward me to investigate and jersey stifened a little and the other dog snarled a little which just caused problems, fortunately i was able to handle my two dogs and get them out of the situation, and they were good for the rest of the walk, thanks again, i was hoping to find a way to do it at home, in public, as i am pretty good with animals in general and especially dogs and have trained quite a few for myself and others, but if a trainer is the general consensus i might look into it. thanks

Is it possible this is a leash-related aggression? A lot of dogs can develop leash aggression if something happened to him on the leash and he was unable to get away. Or sometimes dogs can just develop leash aggression even if nothing has ever happened. When they see another dog or person, they know there is no where to go and their only defense is to be aggressive.
Just a thought! Hope it all works out, and I agree with the other posters, a trainer or behaviorist would be your best bet. The best solution I think would be a private behaviorist that can come to your house and work in the environments that you are having the most trouble with. Talk to your vet, I bet they have a good suggestion. Any pics btw?

but some of what was posted might be hard to do unless you somehow can help you get started and help you through the modification program.

As for the class, you would have to talk to the trainer first and also go out and observe a class so that you can be confident that the trainer is the one that can help you. There are a lot of folks out there that call themselves trainers that really aren't.

From your description, it's not clear how serious the problem is -- I could read it several different ways. We have many dogs that come to training with the traits that you describe and they end up doing very well. It all depends on how much is posturing, how much is true aggression, and the trainer that you end up with.

About the class being stressful -- it might be at first. Probably will be. But that's why you're going there, precisely to learn how to function near other dogs.

I don't know how long you've been here, but I have a GSD mix that has some protective issues. My situation is very different however because I know that Kaiser's problem is very serious, and he has bitten. He is just over one year old, and only weighs 30lbs but he's nearly strong enough to pull me over. You mentioned that your dog is the strongest you've seen lb. for lb. and I completely understand

At first I didn't think that the problem was major. He sort of growled at children and snapped once at my younger sister. We got a trainer that was trying to help us with basic manners like sit, stay, and loose leash walking. His behaviour got worse, the trainer's methods were proving counter productive. We tried a few other trainers, a behaviourist, and finally the behaviourist that my vet recommended to us. By this point, Kaiser had bitten and scarred my little sister's face and he was actively freaking right out merely at the sound of a child's voice. He was stealing food as often as possible, and would not allow anyone except my boyfriend and my dad to take things he wanted from him. Even then, it was never without a good fight. I spent over $2500 Canadian on trainers and behaviourists (within 4 months!) and no matter how great they seemed at the beginning not a single one turned out to be trustworthy, even the one recommended by our dear, trusted family vet.

I'm telling you this for two reasons. One is that I don't want you to waste your time and money on a trainer (or six) that can't help you. You only spent weekends and summers with him, are you in college? As a university student myself, I know that money can't be thrown around and wasted like that. You might get lucky and find a really great trainer that can do what you need, but be very careful in choosing. Your dog doesn't seem nearly as aggressive as mine is so he shouldn't need such intense intervention. Personally, because of the experience I've had, I would ask a vet's advice on what the root of the problem is, read up on it, and go to work. Save yourself the money from the trainer and when you're pulling out your hair in frustration because things aren't going well later, at least you'll have that to smile on Believe me, it's much better than screaming in frustration AND realizing that you've spent more of your tuition money than you meant to.

The second reason I'm telling you all this however is that you need to seriously assess the degree of severity here. If it's not a big problem, there's a chance that you'll be able to bring him around with distraction tactics and such. It'll take lots of time, but it's very doable with a mild case. You know your dog best. If you are afraid he may bite someone, he probably would if given the opportunity. If that's the case, you might have to accept, as I have, that he'll never be safe in public and you'll have to put him in another part of the house if certain kinds of people come over, and you'll never be able to take him camping or anywhere public. My dog is perfectly behaved as long as he decides that likes you. But just when we're getting comfortable he'll snap or bite and remind us that we have to be constantly watching and on guard for the rest of his life.. I love him and he's worth it but it's a huge price to pay to live with an aggressive dog...

I hope for his sake that his situation is nowhere near as severe as Kaiser's, but you're the only one that can decide that..

I would be careful advising someone to ask their vet about training advice. Hearing what clients tell us, maybe they've been on the mark about 5% of the time. Training and Nutrition -- two topics I wouldn't ask most vets about. Of course there are exceptions....

I guess I forgot to mention that my vet is a behaviourist as well.. I forget that most aren't because I'm so used to Karen's advice. But you're right, I suppose most vets wouldn't have that kind of training.. I just have serious problems trusting anyone that calls themselves a trainer now.. I could set up a business and legally call myself a dog trainer tonight if I wanted, but it doesn't mean I know what I'm talking about. I've met people with "30 years of experience training dogs" that I would pay to keep away from my dog.. The whole business is a sketchy one at best - it's hard work to find someone that will do a decent job and maintain it..

>>.....I just have serious problems trusting anyone that calls themselves a trainer now.. I could set up a business and legally call myself a dog trainer tonight if I wanted, but it doesn't mean I know what I'm talking about. I've met people with "30 years of experience training dogs" that I would pay to keep away from my dog.. The whole business is a sketchy one at best - it's hard work to find someone that will do a decent job and maintain it..

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I agree. I only started assisting about 6 years ago and you could count on one hand out there the number of trainers in the city that were doing consitent business. Now there are a zillion trainers. Some of the older ones are terrible, as are many of the newer ones. We get alot of dogs that have already seen other people in town and it's scary some of the things that they report -- I don't blame you at all for being skeptical.

I don't have much experience with vets that are behaviourists except for some of the more well-known ones and articles I've read. Those vets seem, on the whole, to be more reliable, but I bet there are a number out there are also a bit scary. I sure am glad that you found the right one.

I would just like to thank everyone for their help, you all gave me A LOT to think about. I will probably try the distraction training, and I will work with him more on not pulling on the leash, maybe that will make him feel more comortable. I really do believe that he is just looking out or me and is NOT an aggressive dog, just possibly nervous that i might leave again, unfortunately i hurt my back at work this week so walking is out o the question for a little bit anyway.
I was looking at dog training options in my area, and only ound two options that even seem worth the time. One is barkin mad, but since they work at your house it is a questionable option. The other is American Dog School, or American School of Dog training, I believe they are only located in CO, has anyone ever heard of them or had an experience with them, or does anyone here actually live in CO and have a suggestion? American do school charges 300 or the life of the dog, including private and group lessons, they "guarantee complete off leash obedience" in writing. But to be honest that sounds a little good to be true, they also have board and train options for two and four weeks but i will not give my dog to someone to train and not see him or 2 or 4 weeks, like i already said he knows basic commands, his only real flaws are the pulling and the defensive aggression, so it is a viable option, but it seems like too good of an offer. Thanks again for your help everyone

>>I would just like to thank everyone for their help, you all gave me A LOT to think about. I will probably try the distraction training, and I will work with him more on not pulling on the leash, maybe that will make him feel more comortable. I really do believe that he is just looking out or me and is NOT an aggressive dog, just possibly nervous that i might leave again, unfortunately i hurt my back at work this week so walking is out o the question for a little bit anyway.
>>I was looking at dog training options in my area, and only ound two options that even seem worth the time. One is barkin mad, but since they work at your house it is a questionable option. The other is American Dog School, or American School of Dog training, I believe they are only located in CO, has anyone ever heard of them or had an experience with them, or does anyone here actually live in CO and have a suggestion? American do school charges 300 or the life of the dog, including private and group lessons, they "guarantee complete off leash obedience" in writing. But to be honest that sounds a little good to be true, they also have board and train options for two and four weeks but i will not give my dog to someone to train and not see him or 2 or 4 weeks, like i already said he knows basic commands, his only real flaws are the pulling and the defensive aggression, so it is a viable option, but it seems like too good of an offer. Thanks again for your help everyone

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That's pretty fast training. Ask what methods they use. Electronic collar? Koehler techniques? I really believe the best training is owner and dog working at it together with a good class or coach in the form of a private trainer. I wouldn't let anyone work one of my dogs in my absence. Bad things can happen, very bad things.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series at www.veterinaryforum.com