Any Dog Whisperers out there?

[gbrown]

I have a 13 yo Lab, Pit, Basset, probably some more flavors mix. He is the sweetest animal I have ever seen. We got him at 8 weeks of age, a re-homing, as his owners had to move and couldn't take him. He was supposed to be my middle grandson's, but I ended up with him. Neutered. Never showed any inclination to bite anyone. Has cornered a couple of meter readers. Funniest meter reader was an older lady, who would walk in the back yard with him and say, "I know you won't bite me, now stop all that and let me do my job." He would. My SIL's parents sheltered with us during Immelda. They brought their dogs, 2 sheepherding types with them, of course. They were some neurotic animals,
for sure. Walking them out, to go home, Joey walked over, for whatever reason, and one attempted to attack him. I stepped in, and narrowly avoided a couple of good bites. Not sure I could own animals of that nature.

[remy3424]

Rotts are generally safe, they are 2nd behind pitts in fatal human attacks. I know that is a shocker. Back to shooting and casting topics.

[JSnover]

I assume his trouble is with male dogs. When you show up, he feels the need to protect his position in his pack. When you showed the other dog attention, he takes exception to it. He can't get angry with you so he takes it out on the other dog.

Spot on, I had the same thing happen. Neighbor's pit/lab had always been a friendly dog until it saw me scratch my beagle, then it attacked my dog. I don't have a solution but I believe you nailed the problem.

[trapper9260]

jsizemore you got it on spot
You right and for what I found work with my coydogs, is you correct them like a mother dog will do with her puppies. grab them by the skin of the neck and push them down and correct them. I am on my 3 rd coydog. I got them all as puppies the first 2 came from when I had trap one in my coyote set and the other stayed with him. They where protecting and also had there alpha order and they learn I was the alpha by the way I stated. and then the 2 brothers was trying to see who it next in line most of the time and I would stop them till they got older. They where mix with coyote, wolf and dog. the one I have now is coyote and dog. From what I learn is the males will always try to be the top of it all till they learn that they not . All I learn is that you correct them like their mother will do when they are puppies and they do not forget for how she done that with them.

[lksmith]

I have had success with an electronic collar on a strong willed German Shepherd. He is 10 months old now and he is very obedient. I'd bet you could take command of your dog the same way if you are willing to put feeling aside and give him the stimulus he needs to learn that you are the alpha.

I guess I'll have to break out the collar I used on some of my other dogs. My main concern with that when he's being a butthead (one of his nicknames) to other dogs is that the collar may escalate the situation and him mistakenly think the other dog is causing it.

[lksmith]

Rotts are generally safe, they are 2nd behind pitts in fatal human attacks. I know that is a shocker. Back to shooting and casting topics.

Both are big muscular dogs, when they bite they do more damage than a chihuahua, even though they are exponentially less likely to bite than a chihuahua. All the Rotties I've been around are far more likely to lick you to death than bite you or show aggression

[John Wayne]

I'll preface my statement. I am the principal owner of a 1 million $ animal shelter that opened in 2006 and has placed over 8000 animals and I certainly have some scars to prove it.
First off I wouldn't call Remy3424 racist for his opinion. You also mention media opinion. I wouldn't worry about media opinion, I would worry about your homeowners insurance policy. Many don't allow that breed or require notification if you have certain breeds and they will charge you appropriately. Things have really changed in the legal world and sadly you can be sued for anything these days including selling a dog that becomes dangerous or was made to be dangerous long after you sold it. If your insurance company walks away from you it can really be costly.
Now the dog...I would flip him on his side and lay on him until he submits. Do this a couple of times each week during play time or if he exhibits any irritation with you or the family. Be ready for the day he "tries you" like you just gave him a slight correction during leash training and he looks around and barely growls or bares his teeth. React instantly and flip his legs out from under him, lay on him and have your forearm pinning his neck and head so he can't nip you. Hold him there until he sighs and relaxes. Don't miss a golden opportunity. Don't do any of this with a Corso around.
Best of luck to you and enjoy your dog.

[trapper9260]

I'll preface my statement. I am the principal owner of a 1 million $ animal shelter that opened in 2006 and has placed over 8000 animals and I certainly have some scars to prove it.
First off I wouldn't call Remy3424 racist for his opinion. You also mention media opinion. I wouldn't worry about media opinion, I would worry about your homeowners insurance policy. Many don't allow that breed or require notification if you have certain breeds and they will charge you appropriately. Things have really changed in the legal world and sadly you can be sued for anything these days including selling a dog that becomes dangerous or was made to be dangerous long after you sold it. If your insurance company walks away from you it can really be costly.
Now the dog...I would flip him on his side and lay on him until he submits. Do this a couple of times each week during play time or if he exhibits any irritation with you or the family. Be ready for the day he "tries you" like you just gave him a slight correction during leash training and he looks around and barely growls or bares his teeth. React instantly and flip his legs out from under him, lay on him and have your forearm pinning his neck and head so he can't nip you. Hold him there until he sighs and relaxes. Don't miss a golden opportunity. Don't do any of this with a Corso around.
Best of luck to you and enjoy your dog.

For what you say about put the dog on its side is what I left out when I said do what the mother would do with her puppies. That is what I do also by the neck skin. In time they will submit to you and what you tell them . You got it all on point.

[John Wayne]

For what you say about put the dog on its side is what I left out when I said do what the mother would do with her puppies. That is what I do also by the neck skin. In time they will submit to you and what you tell them . You got it all on point.

Thank you sir. I knew what you meant. Ps. I never met a Trapper I didn't like!

[lksmith]

...
Now the dog...I would flip him on his side and lay on him until he submits. Do this a couple of times each week during play time or if he exhibits any irritation with you or the family. Be ready for the day he "tries you" like you just gave him a slight correction during leash training and he looks around and barely growls or bares his teeth. React instantly and flip his legs out from under him, lay on him and have your forearm pinning his neck and head so he can't nip you. Hold him there until he sighs and relaxes. Don't miss a golden opportunity. Don't do any of this with a Corso around.
Best of luck to you and enjoy your dog.

I went through the alpha thing with him when he was about 6 months old. When he would try to show dominance toward me I'd flip him on his back and hold my hand on this throat until he calmed down. But to be clear, he has never showed aggression towards me or any human. The worst I have gotten from him towards people is that he occasionally gets a bit rowdy when playing and either forgets or doesn't realize his size.

[RogerDat]

No disrespect meant, but apparently you know nothing about the breed. His breed is not a problem, and he has the best temperament with people, he loves everyone. Never met a stranger
I am asking for help with him getting along with dogs. Again, with people anywhere and when at home with other dogs he is about as dangerous as an AR15 in a safe

Not having complete control and confidence in the behavior of the dog of that size is a recipe for disaster. The dog has to know that "deciding" to be aggressive is never his decision. If one is unable to gently but firmly reach that level of confidence with this particular animal then breeding them is probably a mistake. The breed deserves dogs that are trainable to help responsible owners better avoid the negative incidents that give these breeds such bad press.

Imagine a buyer having met the sire and dam and finding them very friendly being totally unprepared for the dog aggressive characteristics that are strong in the sire when those show up in the pup. Just keeping a dog that one can't be sure won't attack another dog is not smart. I'm sure a hundred pound dog could savage my 40 pound dog, not sure the 100 pound dog will survive the 240 pound master entering the fray. At a dog agility trial I grabbed a 90 pound Malamute but the back of the neck and stood up. If he had been clamped on my dog his throat would have been severed on the way up. As it was he was slashing and biting not clamping and holding so it wasn't required. That owner didn't protest the lifetime ban the dog received for this 2nd leaving the ring to attack incident. They knew that dog was not temperamentally suited to being around other dogs off leash. If your dog has had two incidents I would say the same assessment might apply.

Owners owe it to their dog to insure they are taught how to behave and to not put the dog in positions where they will handle it badly. Two attacks on other dogs says to me no off leash time around other dogs until this is totally sorted out.

[matrixcs]

if you have Netflix you might want to watch Canine Intervention. It gives you an idea how to fix some behavior issues. It gave me ideas I would never have guessed on my own..

[Greg S]

https://shannonspring.com/

She is good. Helped my sister out when her Dane rolled outta bed and broke his neck paralyzing him.

[Tatume]

Any Dog Whisperers out there?

I don't believe there is such a thing. I train service dogs. Dogs need frequent and consistent instruction. If you make a mistake once, they will remember. If you are inconsistent once, they will remember. If you don't want a dog to beg for food when someone is eating in the car, don't give him a French fry EVEN ONCE. If you do, he will remember.

Pay attention to what is a reward. If you laugh, that is a reward. Laugh when a dog grabs and chews your tee shirt when you take it off, and he will remember that you rewarded him for doing it. If he jumps on someone and they touch him, that is a reward, and he will remember. When you introduce your dog to a person or another dog, he should sit until you tell him otherwise. If you let him have his way, that is a reward and he will remember.

Take your dog to places where there are other people and other dogs. Consistently reward him when he behaves well, consistently don't reward him when he misbehaves. I don't believe in physically punishing dogs, but I will pull the leash and take the dog elsewhere if I see a hint of bad behavior. They will eventually learn that if they want to stay and enjoy the company of others (people or dogs), they must behave. Dogs learn bad behavior instantly, but it takes time and consistent, frequent training to teach them good behavior.

[Mr_Sheesh]

Another thing to be aware of is that there are 3 parts to how a dog will act (May be more, 98% asleep and can't seem to fall asleep, arrgh.)

There is the dog's natural set of instincts and behavior,
There is training, and
There is the environment, including how you feel / think;

I've seen an otherwise great Hearing dog, meeting a great Service dog, get defensive because their partner went neurotic, afraid that the Service dog would get out of hand. (Unlikely as, despite being a 150# furbeast, he regularly played 'chase me, chase you!' with a 6# cat, never any issues other than making me laugh hard and distracting me, those are acceptable issues!)

The third element here probably isn't "it", but I wanted to remind all of us to keep our own intent and emotions in mind when dealing with our furry friends. They are usually better tuned in to us than we are, and i's a good thing, we just have to be aware of it.

[jsizemore]

I'd like to point out that the police and military use dogs as well as firearms. Their dogs know when it's the right and wrong time to bite. You see them around the public daily. No reason why we can't do the same. You wouldn't take your gun out in public and start shooting indiscriminately. The same goes for your large herding or working dog. ALL dogs bite. You as a responsible owner needs to teach them when it's right or wrong. You as the head of the pack needs to show your consistent response to situations and your dogs participation or not. They don't have a hand so they use their mouth to interact with the world.

My bouvier had a schutzhund 1 title and his akc chanpionship. To get the schutzhund 1 title he had to track, do an obedience routine and protection routine. In the show ring he had to conform to the breed standard for body structure, movement and temperament. Kids were drawn to them cuz they look like a shaggy bear. Mine would lay down on the ground while surrounded by 5 or 6 sets of eager hands.

[WheelgunConvert]

Larry Benoit in Baton Rouge.

[RogerDat]

I don't believe there is such a thing. I train service dogs. Dogs need frequent and consistent instruction. If you make a mistake once, they will remember. If you are inconsistent once, they will remember. If you don't want a dog to beg for food when someone is eating in the car, don't give him a French fry EVEN ONCE. If you do, he will remember.

Pay attention to what is a reward. If you laugh, that is a reward. Laugh when a dog grabs and chews your tee shirt when you take it off, and he will remember that you rewarded him for doing it. If he jumps on someone and they touch him, that is a reward, and he will remember. When you introduce your dog to a person or another dog, he should sit until you tell him otherwise. If you let him have his way, that is a reward and he will remember.

Take your dog to places where there are other people and other dogs. Consistently reward him when he behaves well, consistently don't reward him when he misbehaves. I don't believe in physically punishing dogs, but I will pull the leash and take the dog elsewhere if I see a hint of bad behavior. They will eventually learn that if they want to stay and enjoy the company of others (people or dogs), they must behave. Dogs learn bad behavior instantly, but it takes time and consistent, frequent training to teach them good behavior.

This is solid advice here. Our dog tries to jump on people, never tries to jump on me. I turn my back to her and tell her "off". On the other hand my wife greats the dog warmly when she comes home while the dog jumps up on her. I point out dog never jumps on me, she sits to be greeted then rubs against my leg while she is getting petted. I can see the dog when greeting others at the door toggle between jumping on people and sitting then jumping on people then sitting. Dog wants the greeting but WE have made it so she has no clear idea of what greeting method will get her the reward she wants of being petted.

I have been tempted to get shock collar for the wife but... thought better of it. Barely.

If you want a dog to "behave" in what are strange situations for a dog like crowds or parades or little league games then you have to expose the dog to these things gradually and with a 100% focus on training the dog. Go to events or sit outside of stores when the only thing you are there for is dog training.

I had an old dog that I worked with around little league fields after work. Got him to the point that kids could pet him with one hand while eating a hot dog out of the other and I wasn't worried about the kid losing the hotdog or being "challenged" for the food. My current dog begs by laying down where she can watch you eat. Which should allow us to eat at outside dining with her easily. And without having to stand on her leash the whole time to keep her down. She gets anything that she is getting afterwards and from her dish. Zero reward for being "at" the table or chair begging.

[bangerjim]

If there are any whisperers out there..............better get on over to the Bidumb White House, because he as a stupid dog that keeps biting people.

[lksmith]

If there are any whisperers out there..............better get on over to the Bidumb White House, because he as a stupid dog that keeps biting people.

nah, that dog is WAAYYYY smarter than anyone else in the white house