[spirit woman]

Hi everyone
Im new to the forum.
My boy is dog aggressive (he loves people but he hates other dogs) and Ive been told that he will need to wear a muzzle when we are out. Ive bought one and he seems to be tolerating it, and it has calmed him down a bit, but I would like to talk to anyone whose dog also has to wear a muzzle because their dog showed signs of aggression -and what they did about the aggression.
Thx so much to anyone who replies .....

 

[KCFilley]

How old is your boy? Is he in tact or neutered? How long have you owned him and was he socialized a lot? Does he dislike both males and females or just males? Who told you he needed to wear a muzzle? You don't put a muzzle on him when he's outside playing by himself right, just when you are walking him?

 

[Toby'shuman]

Hi, Toby my Dobe is required by law to wear a muzzle when out and about here in Spain because they consider him a dangerous dog (don't get me started on what I think about it).


Toby is aggressive when he first meets dogs through fear, when he is allowed to meet the dog on a one to one basis, calmly he starts to relax and the aggression diminishes.

It may help if you could give us a little bit more info,
Has he always been like this?
How does he actually react when he meets other dogs?
Is he aggressive to both male and female?
How you have tried to deal with this problem?

There are many people on this site who know a whole parcel of stuff, hopefully you will find the help you need.

 

[MeadowCat]

If your dog needs to wear a muzzle, I would condition him to it so that it's a positive thing. I find using a clicker and lots of great treats to be the best for this sort of situation. As far as using a muzzle goes, you may want to PM the user Okie-dobie. Her girl, Jasmine, wears a muzzle out in public if I'm remembering correctly.

However, just muzzling him isn't going to address his issues. Are you working with a trainer? For dog aggression, I highly recommend picking up a copy of the book, "Control Unleashed," by Leslie McDevitt. It has wonderful methods for dealing with dogs that are aggressive, anxious, reactive, etc. Even better if you can find a trainer who uses these methods. You might also fine BAT (Behavioral Adjustment Therapy) helpful.

I highly recommend reading through this informative post: http://www.dobermantalk.com/1018827-post10.html

 

[spirit woman]

dog aggressive

Thank you so much for your replies.
I adopted my boy a year ago, so I dont know anything about his history. He had been castrated when we got him. He seemed ok with other dogs when we got him, but within 3 weeks he started to show signs of aggression to other dogs (we later learned that he had been adopted once before but had reacted in a similar way, hence the adopters returned him to the animal rescue). He is very well behaved in the house, and very loving and gentle. He is easy to train and obedient but when he is out he is fearful and reactive.
Hence he has to wear a muzzle at all times, when he is in a public place. I have arranged for him to see a dog trainer/behaviourist, in a couple of weeks time, on a one to one basis and she will eventually let him meet her dog under controlled conditions, provided he wears a muzzle. In the meantime, I was wondering if there was anything I could do to to dampen his reactivity - incidentally, it has been suggested that lots of exercise would do this .......

 

[Toby'shuman]

Thank you so much for your replies.
I adopted my boy a year ago, so I dont know anything about his history. He had been castrated when we got him. He seemed ok with other dogs when we got him, but within 3 weeks he started to show signs of aggression to other dogs (we later learned that he had been adopted once before but had reacted in a similar way, hence the adopters returned him to the animal rescue). He is very well behaved in the house, and very loving and gentle. He is easy to train and obedient but when he is out he is fearful and reactive.
Hence he has to wear a muzzle at all times, when he is in a public place. I have arranged for him to see a dog trainer/behaviourist, in a couple of weeks time, on a one to one basis and she will eventually let him meet her dog under controlled conditions, provided he wears a muzzle. In the meantime, I was wondering if there was anything I could do to to dampen his reactivity - incidentally, it has been suggested that lots of exercise would do this .......

Exercise is a wonderful tool, however, I have found it isn't the magical fix it we all hope it will turn out to be. I say this because Toby my Dobe must walk on average between 4 and 6 miles a day, that is to say, I walk he runs. Back and forth, up and down, in and out of the trees, he doesnt stop. ( I have to take him into the wilds so he can exercise off leash but it is worth it as he really isnt tireable without a decent run around) Despite so much exercise fact is up until recently if he met another dog, bham he would snap and bark like he was a killer. This my trainer friend helped me recognise was purely through fear. "I am going to get you before you get me, because I know that is what you are intending". Of course not all dogs are out to get him, but he just wasnt willing to take the chance. Fortunately I was able to catch the problem before it became too entrenched in his behaviour. I did this by finding someone with the calmest, kindest dog in the world and by simply walking near them, we walked up and down a training area (my friend has one set up for her dogs) till I swear we were going dizzy. Everytime Toby barked or lunged at the other dog, (who completely ignored him by the way) I was instructed by my trainer friend to say a sharp NO! and give him a tug on his leash. Nothing violent, just enough to get his attention. When he walked and ignored the other dog he was told he was 'such a good boy' and given a treat every now and then, eventually he became more and more relaxed about the other dog simply because after an hour of walking back and forth he was too tired to continue with his snapping and snarling. He also got the idea that if he was good he got a treat, something he really values. Now Toby is a whole lot younger than your boy so this kind of thing may not work anymore with him, however, I do think a dog can learn to accept somethings, (they don't have to like them) with patience and a calm approach. To be honest, if your dog is really so afraid of other dogs and it is probably because of fear he reacts this way it may come that you simply have to avoid them. Not easy in a place where dogs are on every corner I grant you, but the repercussions of him getting into a spat with another dog doesnt bear thinking about.
Please keep us informed and if I can think of anything further or if my trainer friend can add anything I will be sure to post it.

 

[Darkevs]

i have used bach flower remedies for years with great results.

Holly
Holly is for the dog that is bad tempered, snappy, aggressive. The dog that has specific “hates” such as another dog, cats, postmen. Dogs that growl and bite, that fight, can’t get on with each other, chase or attack other animals. Holly is good for bitches that attack their puppies. For dogs that are jealous - of a new baby, a new puppy, another dog, or the attention someone else is getting. The positive side of Holly is tolerance, so it is useful for any sudden, acute intense illness, acute allergic reactions, sudden high fevers, severe pains and infections with sudden onset.

The virtue of Holly is tolerance.

Bach Flower Essences | The Spirit of Animals | The Spirit Of Animals

 

[Audrey1]

Spiritwoman, if you find a friend/trainer who has a calm dog and can work with you as described in the above posts, it may work. Meanwhile, for random dogs outside on the street, it is best to do what is necessary to keep your dog under threshold i.e. do not let him get so close that he reacts with barking and lunging even if it means 1 block away.
It will get better but it will take time but I think being older will mean it will take more time.

 

[bec&dan]

Hi, I just wondered where you're based in the UK? I'm currently working with a great trainer on one of my girls who is dog aggressive. The trainer takes, what I feel, is a good holistic approach. We do one to one training sessions but have also been using TTouch techniques and she has actually advised me not to walk my girl while we're working on her as every bad experience when she's out reinforces her negative reactions towards other dogs. It's not easy not walking her but we've found lots of games to play in the house to tire her out. She does seem more relaxed in general and is responding really well in the one to one sessions.

 

[spirit woman]

Thx so much to everyone who replied to my post.
Today I arranged for my dog to see a registered behaviourist (vet referral) in 2 weeks time, and she will assess him and formulate a training regime, based on her findings. I will let you all know how I get on.
Thx again for all your help and advice.

 

[Patches Mom]

Male Doberman s are known for male aggression sometimes no amount of training will help at the top of the page you will see search put male aggression in the search few articles written about it. You might say it is a Doberman trait.Good luck with your boy I keep my male away from other male dogs.Example: My male is also 4 years old, my son brought over his 8 year old Bulldog for a few hours for us to baby sit.Husband held Bulldog while I walked by with my Doberman Buddy who growled at the Bulldog.Our female Doxie was fine with Diesel the Bulldog.When I wanted to trade out dogs one of us held onto them while walking by Buddy locked in bedroom while Diesel was out. It was just for a few hours if overnight would have broke out crates.Better to be safe than sorry.

 

[Elzajpn]

I know an aggressive female dobe who wears a muzzle. Actually she started to wear it AFTER she bit horribly a male dobe at the dog park. I saw the scene. My dog's brand new T-shirt was ripped off by the dog too.
The owners relationship went terrible as you can imagine.
Untill you're sure that your doberman wouldn't bite others, I recommend to wear the muzzle to avoid disaster as you do now.
Good luck with training!!