Dog Aggression Problems
More bad dog behaviour stories from all manner of dog breeds.
Dizzy, a female Jack Russell determined to be the best sentry dog ever, and dog aggressive to boot.
Toby. A feisty, biting Newfoundland near Norwich in Norfolk.
A fighting Weimaraner called Dyllon in Derby, backed up by two of his mates!
An aggressive and lead pulling Staffordshire Bull Terrier cross named Jay from a dog rescue centre.
Takis. A large and aggressive German Shepherd in Essex.
Dizzy the Jack Russell Terrier
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Rosemary and Peter called me from a village near Ashover to help sort out their dog problems. Dizzy is a three year old female Jack Russell Terrier that is aggressive to her companion Charlie and to other dogs she meets. She barks at the windows and chases through the house and into the garden to bark through the gate. She pulls on the leash, lunges at dogs on the leash and can't be let off the leash at present because of her behaviour. She also jumps up.
I worked with Rosemary and Peter in the house to show them how to gain control over the dogs by using a simple blocking technique without rewards, and showed how they could start to communicate more effectively with Dizzy and Charlie. Dizzy is on 24 hour sentry duty and this is stressing her out. I showed how to reduce and eliminate this stress and get Dizzy to relax. We did some simple leash work outside and Dizzy was walking to heel in no time at all. I introduced Pip and Buster who was on holiday with me and Dizzy went mad, but after a short time Peter was able to walk all three dogs together. You can see Dizzy with Buster the Airedale and Pip my Border Collie in the picture to the right. They sent me this update soon after. |
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| Dear Ade Many thanks for your report - I don't think that there is anything therein that we can disagree with! Things are progressing with Dizzy as she no longer goes upstairs, or even tries to, so the barking at the windows there has been completely eradicated. She does bark when someone passes the window here in my office, but not with the same intensity and she does temper it down to a gentle growl when told to stop. That's perfectly acceptable to both Peter and I! The dominance with Charlie is not so much of an issue. She does still growl and rush up to him when he tries to go outside but not every time and not with the same ferocity that she did before. She will now let him go outside first, standing back from the door to give him room to do so and she even did the same when they were in the cage the day before yesterday. Usually she is climbing all over him to get out when it is time to get them out of the cage. She has had 4 meetings with other dogs - not many but I think dog owners are a bit wary of her and so try and avoid confrontation! However, my neighbour has a big white dog - like a husky - and she invited us into her garden so that the two dogs could meet. They were both on leads and Dizzy created like mad for a while but then calmed down and we all went for a short walk together without problems. |
We did the same yesterday but without the initial meeting in the garden. She did yelp and bark at first but had forgotten all about it 5 yards up the road and we had a pleasant and uneventful walk. She did go back to her old ways when we met another neighbour a couple of days ago. He had his 2 collies off the lead and running around barking. I did then find it difficult to control her as she was beyond her tolerance level. I had the same problem with her when we met a new dog and the owner and I stopped for a chat. By the way this lady has a problem with her dog (a golden lab I think it was) so I lost no time in mentioning your name and contact details. I think Dizzy now can cope with walking with another dog but if I meet someone and we stop and chat then she finds it hard not to go into attacking mode. Still, I have no complaints it is an ongoing learning process for us all and we shall overcome!
So, all in all it's a marvellous job that you have done and we can't thank you enough. I never thought I would see Dizzy walking with other dogs the way she did at the end of your first lesson - how I wish I had found you earlier! I have to say that both Peter and I are looking forward to your return at the end of this month so that we can work towards the ultimate goal of being able to let her run free without the fear of her attacking other dogs or running off into the unknown! Best wishes and thanks again, Bud & Peter |
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DIzzy came to one of the Pack Leader Workshops in May 2011. Soon after I received this email. |
Four greyhounds came around the corner all on leads and even though one of them barked and was obviously uneasy she quite happily sniffed and stayed around them whilst the owners and I had a chat. Her aggression does seem to be apparent when she is on a lead though and she would revert back to her old ways but, hopefully, if we keep meeting the same dogs she will get used to meeting them whilst on the lead. So, thank you - we actually feel we have a life again. I have met several owners and have said about Dizzy's problems and have mentioned your name to them and I wondered if I could have some more of your little cards as I could then give them to interested owners! One or two people have said they may be interested in a pack leader workshop. Once again thank you - Peter says you are worth your weight in gold!! Bud xxx |
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Toby the Newfoundland I had a trip to Norfolk to visit a Newfoundland called Toby. He is aged 4 and has recently joined the household. As I was there for the day, Toby's new owners Inger and her son Seb had listed a range of subjects they wanted me to cover. Inger had tried to take a bone from Toby after he had been in the household only two days and Toby had growled and bitten her which she naturally found quite frightening. It was the longest list I have received so far!
Basic commands such as drop, leave, down, stay, bed, heel, wait, come, out. Not to pull on lead. Not to jump up. Not to launch when seeing people, dogs, kids. Be able to recall any time especially when walking off lead or meeting other dogs and people. To be able to eat in front of him at all times and in the pub and on social occasions. To be calm with people around him and to sit and lay down instantly on command. Allow grooming, nail clipping, ear cleaning etc. To be able to take his bone away. To go up stairs (he has a fear of stairs) and on boat. Be friends with cat. Toby weighs in the region of 50 kilos and likes his own way. The four of us worked extremely hard all day on Pack Leader skills and Toby was learning quickly although trying to control 50 kilos of bouncing fluff was wearing us all out! Seb is going to take Toby to work with him every day and promised to follow my instructions for his care and rehabilitation. Over the next few weeks I had regular contact with Seb and Inger and here are a few of their comments. |
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Thank you so very much for coming all the way to Norfolk to see Toby and the pack - especially when you were not that well, hope you are much better now.
Well, Toby has been remarkable; he is much calmer and appears very content and relaxed. He walks on the short lead very well, even first thing in the morning, Seb is practicing his recall and it appears to work fine now for them both. We are very happy with the fact that we're able to instruct Toby to stay behind an invisible line whenever we need him to. Toby is getting more patient when it's time to go out of the front door as well - amazing. We've met a few souls on our walks - gone ok, but nobody has visited the house. Toby is not jumping much and when he does we correct him…
I've done lots of massaging and grooming - Toby loves it and I'm no longer nervous about it… Seb and Toby go off to work together most days and Toby is now calm and contented, patiently resting behind the invisible line Seb has drawn - different lines each day, yesterday it was next to the river whilst Paul and Seb was working in a boat, however Toby became a bit frustrated then as he clearly wanted to join them in the boat but wasn't brave enough to jump onboard… Toby is getting on fine with Paul and is not jumping on him nor chasing his cat…!
Actually, he is more than ten times better, calmer, obedient, and easier to handle than when you saw him and ever more than when he first arrived six weeks ago. He really is trying bless him, and Seb has without doubt got Toby's attention now.
Thank you for being there. I'll keep you posted… Very best Inger
Thanks Inger, you and Seb have taken Toby to your heart and he is turning out to be a great dog. Ten out of ten for perseverance!
Update July 2010:
Hi Ade, Thanks for news - we are all very grateful to you and Pip for keeping up giving guidance and directions to confused humans and dogs - thank you. Just an update on this front - Both Seb and I are very happy to be the owners of Toby the Newfie (Teddybear) and I know Toby is very happy too. He has completely settled in and seems totally at ease with us and with any people, dogs and other creatures he meets on his travels. Toby leads a very busy and stimulating life with Seb and he appears very happy. He loves being groomed and we can just roll him over and he completely surrenders. Seb, I and the cat are definitely in charge - Toby has (touch wood) not challenged our position for a very long time now (occasionally he tries with the cat but she quickly puts him right) Toby walks beautifully on the lead, waits in line to go out doors, through gates etc. He waits patiently when we eat and very rarely jumps on people - never on us. Toby is meeting loads of humans, dogs and others and still gets much exited but is friendly and wants to play, however most humans and small dogs can initially become overwhelmed over this huge beast so we have to be careful. Toby's still has a tendency to gallop off when he sees something exiting and totally ignores any calls from us - very embarrassing at times, but at least he now tends to return once he said hallo to target as Seb once hid up when T charged away, which made T very worried. Oh, Toby eventually climbed the stairs in the cottage and once upstairs became very anxious (big sissy) and it took us (not kidding) two hours to get him down again - he was too scared…. In the end we had two leads and pulled him down between us. Toby swims in the sea a lot and in any water he spots but if I go for a swim he gets anxious and swims out to rescue me. Have attached a recent picture of T.
Take care and bless, Inger
Bracken, Shadow and Dyllon
Bracken, Shadow and Dyllon belong to Lesley in Derby who called me to ask for help as the dogs had started to become more and more aggressive after being attacked about a year ago by a terrier running off the leash. Lesley was very frightened, frustrated and nervous about her dogs attacking or being attacked by other dogs. They also bark a lot, run riot in the garden, chase the neighbours cat and pull on the leash, Shadow jumps up really high at visitors. [Left to right in the photo are Bracken, Shadow and Dyllon]. Dyllon is big, clumsy and unsure about what he should do.The whippet named Bracken was very nervous and was setting the other two dogs off into attack behaviour. This was a very dangerous situation for the dogs and Lesley so I paid a house visit as soon as possible. It was clear to me that Lesley was scared of her dogs getting into a fight and this nervousness was being transmitted to the dogs making them worse. I did my best to reassure Lesley that there was a cure but it would not be overnight because three dogs more than triple the problem! We worked on handling skills, control and commands and pack leader mentality. We had several sessions over the next few weeks, Dyllon the Weimaraner being particularly difficult to handle because of his size and age (2). We met a lot of dogs on our walks!
Seven weeks after our first meeting I received this email.
Hi Ade, update on the terrible trio!
My neighbour commented when he saw me walking the three dogs this morning - how well behaved and controlled they were!! Yippee!!
The little pointers you gave me, although I didn't think would make much difference have really worked. Simple things like not allowing excitement while we get ready to go out. Amazing.
I am so much more confident too now. I am relaxed and feel I can deal with any eventuality on our walk. Dyllon is still 'work in progess' particularly when meeting other dogs - but the other two are calm - so it's much easier to control the situation.
Anyway - I am waffling on a bit.
I just wanted to ask if you have a place for a 'naughty' Weimeraner on your next doggie day in May?? I think it would be good to bring Dyllon along (on his own) to teach him a few social skills with other dogs?
I am pleased to hear of your progress Lesley and would be delighted if Dyllon came to our doggie day out. Ade
May 2010 update. Dyllon came to Pip's doggie day out at Elvaston and I was amazed at the improvement in his behaviour. Lesley has worked wonders with all three of her dogs, she says it has been very hard work but now she really feels like a pack leader. Lesley has shown incredible determination and persistence and achieved amazing results.
Review on CityLocal:
"I phoned up because my German Shepherd was driving me insane with his aggression to other dogs and pulling my arms out all the time on a walk.I couldn't believe the difference in just one session. I learnt so much in the time available and got a full set of notes afterwards. I love my dog again! "
You can see the review on CityLocal by Clicking here
Jay the rescued Staffy Cross
Nina from Derby had bought Jay, a Labrador Cross from a local Dog Rescue Centre and after 10 days called me in to sort out some dog aggressive behaviour and also some strong lead pulling on walks. Initially he was quite friendly with Pip, but suddenly threw a wobbly and there was much gnashing of teeth and growling. I showed Nina how to become the dog's Pack Leader and get him to start to pay attention to her. Working together, Nina and I got Jay to do lots of different exercises and we managed to burn off some of his hyper energy. After sending her my report I received this email.
Thanks for the text Ade, that's brill, I'll pass the email along to my boyfriend to have a read too so we're totally on the same page.Jay is doing great, we went to the park yesterday and he remembered not to pull, on the way back we had a good couple of minutes with a slack lead where we didn't even need a correction, then just one small one passing those barking dogs at the roundabout- which he listened to and trotted on! I let my boyfriend know we were almost home and he came out to discreetly watch us walk the final stretch, bearing in mind he actually had to abandon a walk only a few days ago because Jay was simply too energetic and so almost pulled him over as well as choking himself to alarming levels...he was astounded.
I'll take him out again this afternoon after work so my boyfriend can learn what Jay needs from us from now on, hopefully it will just be a case of consistency and practice now!
Nina
Nina, you have taken it all in and are doing really well. I am sure Jay will be a much happier dog with you as his Pack Leader. Well done!
One morning in March 2010, I had a call from Kala in Thaxted, Essex. It's a long way from Derby, about 130 miles in fact but Kala desperately needed help with her German Shepherd named Takis. Now Takis is a pub dog. He is there as a watch dog at night. He is allowed in the bar during the day but steals bags of crisps from behind the bar and is a force to be reckoned with at 42 kilos. He is OK with customers but has a habit of jumping up and putting his paws on the bar. Some of the bar staff are very wary of him. He is a big dog. Almost as big as Kala, who I would describe as petite, with strong arms!
Kala used to like taking Takis for a walk, but now Takis, the dog, takes Kala for a walk. He is very aggressive with other dogs, hates another German Shepherd in the village and goes bonkers when he sees it. He growls, his hackles rise up, he lunges and snaps in a frightening way. Kala has to drag him away. Now Kala has to find times of the day when other dogs aren't around. It's no fun.
Aims. After an early start I arrived just in time to see Takis the dog taking Kala for a walk. We talked about what we wanted to achieve, that day and in the future. Primarily getting Takis walking to heel, being able to take him out at any time without him trying to kill other dogs! Also better behaved in the bar and more obedient. I was going to turn Kala into a Pack Leader.
Action. I showed Kala a way of getting Takis to follow the leash. I only spoke to Kala to explain how and why. I didn't speak to the dog. We encountered two ladies with an excitable Collie. I coerced them into helping us with Takis. After 5 minutes Takis was sitting with the Collie circling us in a calm manner at a distance of 3 metres. I showed Kala some more techniques, her future tools for happy dog-walking. Takis started to respond. We then walked and found by accident his arch-rival, the other German Shepherd. All hell broke loose but within minutes and with the cooperation of the other dog owner, we had two dogs sitting again at a distance of 3 or 4 metres. During the day we also met 2 Staffys and a little terrier, each time Takis's behaviour improved a little. Back at the pub, I asked Kala to walk the dog at heel around the pub and talk to customers. He then sat at her feet while we had lunch. He had never done this before. A week later I emailed Kala to see how she was getting on. This was her reply:-
Brilliant news from our new Pack Leader Kala, just keep it going, be consistent, be persistent.
