CAN DOGS STOP BEING AGGRESSIVE TOWARDS OTHER DOGS/PEOPLE/ANIMALS ONCE THEY HAVE LEARNT THE BEHAVIOR


My belief is YES they can unlearn aggression. I have had two personal experiences where I have trained and managed dogs out of aggression.

Chan had aggression towards males and dogs plus possession aggression where he owned the truck, his porch, and his pack of dogs and governed his food supply. Pansy had aggression towards all new people, dogs, food possession aggression.

When I meet dogs with these problems I like to get to know them. Some of them do bite me when I first meet them even if I am totally not trying to make them get to know me. Even if I am ignoring them they still go for me. I do not have some magic personality that all dogs like. Nobody does. I like to run through the diet of the aggressive dog. What it is eating, when it is eating, how much it is eating. There is a huge element of diet in bad behavior. I need to know how much exercise the dog is getting. Too much for its breed/size, not enough for its breed/size.

I need to know what other dogs the aggressive dog is socialising with and how that socialisation works for the aggressive dog. Some dogs really love particular others and hate particular others. Some dogs seem to dislike particular men, women and children and not others. Some just dislike them all.

How much play with humans does the dog get? What are the games, where are they played? How much lone time does the dog have per 24 hours? How is that time spent? Restricted in a crate or kennel and run, tied up or free to roam on a quarter acre, two acres, and ten acres.

And lastly of course the Breed of the dog or the major b reed type in a crossbreed. My expectation (but not 100% of the time) will be that the profile of the aggressive dog will be:

It is very overfed (fat) or underfed (thin) its diet will be either tinned meat or cheap roll or really top of the heap Active Dog Designer biscuits. It will typically be under exercised, has no socialisation with other dogs, very little socialisation with people other than its own. Doesn't play games with its human beings. Is alone for 16 hours out of 24 and has a quarter acre or more to run around on.

If I build a written profile of every dog that comes to me for aggression then I can see the percentages of harm potential within that dog's lifestyle, which will lead to the dog being aggressive. Aggression in dogs comes from Fear and Insecurity.

Whether we like it or not the Breed Type does play a role in the aggression outcome. For example. I consider most Terriers from the very small to the large Airedale and Bull Terriers, to have a Fear factor in new places with new people that is far greater than some other breeds. Of course there are some individuals that are totally chilled and not nervous at all, but for the greater number that nervous, unsure fear can lead to the inability to cope with surroundings that feel threatening and scary...leading to some form of Aggressive Behavior. Some of the very large breeds can suffer the same kind of insecurity as can some of the so called 'ankle biter' tiny dogs.

By and large the middle sized dogs are likely to be the most well-adjusted, the Labradors, retrievers, poodles, spaniels, German pointers, English pointers, Irish and English Setters, Dalmatians, boxers, beagles, basset hounds, and whole rafts of the middle sized cross breeds, in particular those bred for pig hunting in New Zealand.

You may notice two outstanding omissions from this list of dogs. Both are middle sized dogs. One is the Border Collie and the other is the German Shepherd Dog. These breeds personality traits and dispositions are governed by their desire/need to work. If proper 'work' is not part of their daily regime then these dogs can cause their owners some difficulties. My question often is to owners of pure bred and crosses from these breeds is ' What is his job for you'. If I get a blank stare in reply, then I know that the frustration and unhappiness that these dogs are suffering is due to a lack of a job, the socialisation that goes with that job and a total lack of training.

Next question to the owner of an Aggressive Collie/Shepherd Dog. How much training does your dog get? How much has it had to date? The point is that the desire to work and burn up emotional energy in these breeds is very large. The other point is some Shepherds and Collies who are immensely well trained and skilled in tracking, agility, obedience, are intolerant of other dogs being too close to them or people in their faces. It is my firm belief that those who do show these traits have not had the well rounded education from three months to twelve months that they should have had before they were thrown wholesale into a particular set of skills. So all their energy and the energy of their trainer has gone into making them fast jumpers, devoted heel workers and single minded trackers, from the age of three months, without all the other puppy and young dog skills being allowed to flourish. What I find remarkable is that the dogs of these breeds who lead a 'normal life' are less likely to be either possessive or aggressive. So what is natural? The Collie is a Sheepdog. I have never met a well trained farm dog who had any issues with anyone. Lots of exercise, not necessarily fed a fancy diet and a job to do where his handler says 'good dog’ a lot.

For a German Shepherd, another dog or dogs in his life, a family, not too much time alone. Alone time for GSD is very negative. Good normal handler skills. A modicum of obedience training. Lots of socialisation at the beach and at family BBQ’s. Totally used to being in a crate or tied up. Accepting of all circumstances because he has been part of that way of life all his life, preferably with one handler or family for life.

To what degree does the personality of the handler/owner/trainer impact on the dog's capability for aggression? To me this is the biggie. Someone calls me to go and look at their dog who has been cautioned for aggression and 'hello' meet the owner. Problem solved. Unfortunately not. Aggression in dogs is usually a range of things that affect the dog's ability to respond quietly and not over respond under a set of given circumstances and this is what makes the dog somewhat unpredictable.

My part in helping people get their dogs sorted goes like this.

  1. 1 I run ' Handler is the Boss' classes on Friday night. Two classes one 4.30 to 5.15 and the next 5.15 to 6p.m. People (including non members) and their dogs can join in at any point over this time frame. This work absolutely sorts how the handler should be responding to pulling, jumping, aggression towards other dogs and people. How to calm the dog down so it is able to cope. We also build the dog's confidence by working in a group where we all have to trust our dogs and each other. To me this class is the 'real' dog training. The 'real' how do I discipline my dog so we are both reading from the same page? So I as a handler recognise when my dog has broken the rules and I have a set of fall back behaviors that I can use to renegotiate the behavior with my dog.


  1. 2 I run Beginners Control Obedience and Agility classes to give the dog and handler exercises to learn that help the dog and handler achieve a working bond. The handler becomes proud that their dog is able to listen to their commands and do what they want it to. The dog is working for the handler and understands when it is good and when it is non compliant.


  1. 3 The nature of Dog Sports Rotorua and the safe venue it operates from, allow owners and dogs to socialise. It allows dogs to run wildly around together learning about other dogs and dog on dog behavior. Given the large number of members we have now the variety of dogs is huge, and variety of owners is amazing as well. There has got to be a good friend for your dog at this Club. As handlers make friends with each other then there is the opportunity to have dog/people outings and general socialisation. This is incredibly healthy for all concerned.


For the vast majority of dogs who come and play and learn at our club the above is sufficient to work through most issues. For those others who struggle with their dog's behavior and their inconsistent correction of that behavior, I am happy to sit down and analyze what is going on in their dog's life that we can change that will make a difference to the dog's perception of his world. Some of the easy solutions are training the dog to a kennel and run, or in the case of a small dog a crate and an indoor pen. Getting the amount of exercise right. Tinkering with the diet.

Making sure the dog doesn't have any injury or pain which is causing ongoing unhappiness, sometimes as easy as a continuous skin or ear infection. Sometimes as tragic as a brain tumor. There are probably only two reasons your dog is Aggressive. Once we find out through a process of elimination what those trigger reasons are, we can do what it takes to solve the problem.

Nobody should feel isolated with a dog that everyone says is 'a Bad Dog' . No such thing, but you really do need commitment and energy to get things back on track for you and your best friend. If you are paying me money and you don't do the necessary work you are likely to hear it from me for a long time. It is very interesting that paying money doesn't guarantee the required result.

I intend to continue for the rest of my life trying to make people understand the added value of their lives with their dog/s. It is a fascinating and exciting thing and even better every dog you ever own gives you a very good reason to get another one. I am an expert on that subject :-)


Update on PANSY.


Well I think I can make this the last update on Pansy. She is training extremely well and will start the year as the fastest mini on the flat Sprints (all the faster dogs have now graduated). She is loving having little Benni as a playmate. Plays all the time. Chases Chip and Sophie after the ball. Is learning Flygility and Agility and is doing really well with her Control and Obedience. Her call-offs are the best of any dog I have ever owned. If she is on a cat chase or a bird chase, one 'leave it come' and she is there, instant response. Yes I put a mountain of time into her for three months but the dog has to have the X factor and ability. Pansy is a star in the making and I am really enjoying her. Goes to show you never know what will turn up in your life when you love dogs.


Obituary


Dog Sports Rotorua lost its Honorary Life Member on Monday 5th December.

Nick Milsum donated all his Agility Equipment to us when he retired from the sport eleven years ago. The weaves we still use, the seesaw and the long jump still in use are remnants of the set of gear that he donated. Without this equipment we could not have trained for Agility and therefore would not have had the members who raised the money to purchase newer gear. We also have a cup for the best Junior Flygility score at our December Tournament which has been running for ten years which was given to the Club by Nick. He won it at the last National Dog Training Competition in 2000 which combined Agility with Obedience for the National Show. Since then they have been separated.

He was an inspirational Agiliteer who won many titles and was part of a group who were responsible for Agility taking root within the Kennel Club System and going on to serve us as it does today. He was Raewyn’s first Agility Coach and gave her enthusiasm for the sport.

Our condolences to the Milsum family.