New Dog--Need Advice

V

valentine64

Cathlete
We adopted a shelter dog about 6 weeks ago--an adorable cocker or King Charles spaniel mix--and our family of 5 is crazy about him! He is a great family dog (our first pet), and he is patient and playful with the kids. He also loves all people and is very friendly. However, the first week we had him, we found out while walking him that whenever another dog comes within a few feet of him, he gets aggressive and barks and growls at the dog. If the other dog's owner brings his dog in closer to mine, or if we pass on a sidewalk, my dog (Buddy) even tries to bite the dog! We are taking dog obedience classes, and the trainer thinks Buddy may have a control issue. We have tried distraction with him, but he gets very focused on the other dog. Otherwise, Buddy is a sweet, gentle, and compliant dog. He is supposedly about 2 years old and has been neutered. I've talked to a couple of dog owners who say their dog is the same way and they just live with it, but I want our dog to be able to walk down the sidewalk or go to a park with me and not go crazy over other dogs. I know there are many dog lovers on this site, so if you have any advice to offer for this problem, please respond! Thanks in advance,
Valerie
 
We also had this problem with a rescue dog we adopted 6 years ago. The good news is it has stopped to a large degree. It still happens occasionally but not that often. What does your trainer think about group classes? What helped our dog was going to the dog park. As he met more dogs and was off leash he became less aggressive. He is able to play with other dogs without any problem. We have since adopted a second rescue dog and Hal has never had any issues with him even from day 1. He accepted Toshi immediately and takes very good care of him. If Hal does lunge and bark at another dog we meet on a walk I use the Cesar Milan correction of jerking him to the side and maybe even a side nudge with my foot to redirect his attention. He doesn't like it but he does stop. Good luck and I am sure your trainer should be able to correct this.
 
Do you have a Gentle Leader? That will help you control him on walks without too much effort. Bring lots of treats with you on your walks. My Australian shepherd is a very nervous and protective dog. When I see someone that we will pass (with our without a dog), I sit Winston down, step on his leash so he can't jump, and then have him do obedience work until that person passes. It keeps him focussed on me and usually there isn't any outburst. I also make sure I am on the opposite side of the street. If that person isn't obeying the laws and walking facing traffic, I walk to the other side. If I were on a path or something, I would walk Winston far enough away so that if a lunge happens, there's no risk of physical contact. I don't believe he'd ever bite out of aggression, but I'm not going to take the chance.

The idea of taking him to a dog park is a good one, and the exposure he gets to other dogs in obedience classes is good. Work with your trainer for ideas. They usually know what they're doing.
 
I have two dogs but neither are aggressive towards other dogs. They do try to pull me to other dog but it is really because they want to meet and play with them.

I agree with a group obedience class and going to the dog park. The more you can get your dog to socialize with other dogs the better. My sister made the mistake of not working with her dog (a French Bulldog) to socialize him and now she cannot take him anywhere.

Also, if you have a friend who has a calm and relaxed dog, ask the friend if they wouldn't mind working with you to get Buddy to relax around other dogs. I have seen Victoria Stillwell use this method on "It's Me or the Dog" several times. She will have someone continuously walk up and down the street with a dog while you feed your dog little treats (only when he is not showing an aggressive reaction to the dog). You would start out with having your friend walk the dog on the other side of the street and as Buddy becomes less interested in the other dog, start moving the other dog closer.

Breaking this habit is going to take a lot of patience on your end (and Buddy's) but it will be well worth the effort.

Good luck!
 
Treats! Use treats to hold his attention initially, but then also to reward him when he behaves correctly. Use small pieces of something soft so that he doesn't start gaining weight, of course. Training is particularly effective when the treat is something he really likes but doesn't normally have, such as bits of cheese or hot dogs.

If you can, take your dog to a pet food store that allows pets to come in. Try to get you dog to sit and stay in an open area where he can see other dogs, and reward him with treats for being calm. Be persistent -- it may take several weeks, but it will be worth the effort.

I used to have a black cocker spaniel (15 years). Your post made me think of him -- thanks. :)
 
Another suggestion for soft, high value treats is egg whites. In my experience, I have never met a dog that will turn down an egg including the white. You can chop up the hard boiled egg whites into small pieces.

If you are going to do the trick of spending hours trying to train him, you also may want to cut back on his food for that day to account for all the extra treats you give him.
 
I am by no means a dog expert. More the 'cat whisperer' - however, a friend had a King Charles and I used to mind him a bit, and exactly as you say, he was as placid as anything, all soppy and floppy but could be extremely aggressive with some (although by no means all) other dogs we met whilst out.

I always wondered if it was a testosterone issue, as there was never any indication that he was going to strike until all the snarling and growling hit, by which time it was a bit awkward to start to try and engage the other dog owner in conversation about gender issues. :eek:

He did improve and socialise much better as he got older, so maybe its something they grow out of.
 
MidgetDogg said:
Do you have a Gentle Leader? That will help you control him on walks without too much effort. Bring lots of treats with you on your walks. My Australian shepherd is a very nervous and protective dog. When I see someone that we will pass (with our without a dog), I sit Winston down, step on his leash so he can't jump, and then have him do obedience work until that person passes. It keeps him focussed on me and usually there isn't any outburst. I also make sure I am on the opposite side of the street. If that person isn't obeying the laws and walking facing traffic, I walk to the other side. If I were on a path or something, I would walk Winston far enough away so that if a lunge happens, there's no risk of physical contact. I don't believe he'd ever bite out of aggression, but I'm not going to take the chance.

The idea of taking him to a dog park is a good one, and the exposure he gets to other dogs in obedience classes is good. Work with your trainer for ideas. They usually know what they're doing.
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I 100% agree with midgetdogg. Gentle Leader works. Great advice. The only thing I would be a little on the reserved side is the dog park. Esp if you are not sure how he will react. Err on the side of caution just because it is the smart thing to do. We all would love to believe that we know what our dog would and would not do but the truth of the fact is that we can't jump into their minds.
Sending you good vibes, . . trust me I've been there. My dog showed agression towards people though and not dogs. Either way agression in any form is down right scary and really hard to deal with.
 
janie1234 said:
The only thing I would be a little on the reserved side is the dog park. Esp if you are not sure how he will react. Err on the side of caution just because it is the smart thing to do.
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I'm with you on this too. I've taken my dogs to the dog park when they were younger and could be on the small dog side. I took them over to the Big Dog side once and they were OK, until a group of 4 bigger dogs came over and started checking them out. I saw the fear in my dogs body language and scooped them right up and out before anything could happen. I've had to break up fights between my boys and it's not easy. They know nothing except their anger at that moment. I've come away with wounds. And then the two of them are all cuddly and licking each other, but nobody is licking me. :(

Yeah... I would keep King Charles away from the dog park unless they have a small dog section.
 
Wow! Thank you, everyone, for the good advice! I am going to use the methods you recommend.
Midgetdogg--What is the Gentle Leader? I will get one at our local pet store this week. I'm assuming it's a type of collar?
I will try pulling his leash to one side and the foot nudge. However, whenever the situation occurs, it's as if Buddy sees nothing but the other dog. I have to pull his leash so hard sometimes that I'm almost afraid I'm going to choke him!
I've heard of the show "It's Me or the Dog" and I want to watch it soon. I'll get some light treats to carry with me.
Yes, I've realized that to overcome this problem, we will have to be diligent, consistent, and patient. I'm sure it will take some time, but we're willing to invest the time and energy to make it better.
Jane A--I'd love to see a picture of your black cocker, if you are willing to do that. When I figure out how to add a picture (or my husband has time to show me), I'll include one of Buddy.
Again, thanks so much for all your wonderful words of wisdom! I knew that the Cathe forum was the place to go for help and info!
Valerie
 
Gentle Leader: http://www.buygentleleader.com/View.aspx?page=dogs/products/behavior/gentleleader/description

Though my dog learned how to escape out of it.

I would try to socialize your dog with dogs who are more alpha than he is. After the hierarchy is established, your dog may just learn how to deal with other dogs. My dog tries to establish dominance with a new group..she often is top leader...but if she's not she accepts her lowered rank and goes back to playing like the adorable dog she is. It's socialization in the end but its really hard if you have a busy schedule...
 
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At some point I had 5 dogs, one of which had fear aggression with similar reactions as your dog. He is a sweetheart but with some other dogs he would just lunge at them. What helped with him was that every time I saw another dog coming I had him sit, and gave him a treat (piece of chicken), he started to associate other dogs coming by with good things and over time he greatly improved. I will say though that it takes a lot of consistency and patience.
I would not recommend going to a dog park with a dog that is aggressive towards other dogs, as all dogs are off leash it is a hard to control environment and if your dog gets in a fight his behavior may worsen.
Victoria Stillwell is a great resource for training methods that are based on rewards. She has a show on Animal Planet called it's me or the dog. Here is her website
http://positively.com/
I don't think just living with the behavior is a good solution because it just will make the dog owner frustrated which will influence the dog negatively and at some point people just give up walking their dog.
Good luck!
 
I would certainly not rule out fear as the cause behind your dog's aggression. Many dogs feel vulnerable when meeting dogs face to face on walks, the "stare down" that often happens as two dogs are approaching from different directions can be extremely unnerving to some dogs. Rescue dogs, whose past is unknown, often have problems with fear and anxiety. Even if they didn't experience abuse/neglect which might cause these reactions being uprooted and living in a shelter can really do a job on a dog's psyche for a bit. If it is fear based it is extremely important not to yell at him -- this will only make the situation worse and make him react stronger next time. Use distraction as much as possible. If he becomes disinterested in treats when a dog is approaching try to find even more appealing treats (hot dogs and cheese work great for my pit). Another thing is instead of pulling on his leash, which will only increase his drive to pull harder, place your entire body in FRONT of him, make him sit, and make him "watch" you. I personally think "watch" is one of the most important commands to teach a dog, because it is so crucial in situations when you need to distract them. Oh, one last thing, try not to cross the street or avoid other dogs who you see approaching, this will only enforce his behavior. Good luck! King Charles Spaniels are wonderful dogs!
 
I appreciate all the helpful tips about our dog. To update, we've had him now for 7 months, and he has gotten a lot better about approaching other dogs. We've even left him a couple of times at a nice kennel (out in the country, with plenty of room to roam), and he has done well with other dogs who come up wanting to play. It's also much easier now to walk him, because he has improved a lot! Thanks again for your great advice!:)
 
Congrats on your new addition!!! He sounds adorable! Post pictures!!! I also had the same problem with our rescue dog. I adopted her when I was covering a story on the local Humane shelter when I was a reporter before I got married... She was in a run with about five other dogs, and she was the smallest of the bunch. They would have to be aggressive to get to their food, etc. It was sad. The first several weeks I had her she'd eat her food so fast that she'd throw up because she was so used to having to eat quickly. She still 13 years later is aggressive toward other dogs. Several years ago, we tried to adopt another dog, but had to take it back to the shelter because Maggie was so aggressive and was really attacking it. THAT was traumatic. We've just accepted that she doesn't like dogs... even though she is one! :)

Good luck with your spaniel! I wish I would have had such good advice as you've gotten here when we got Maggie.
 
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