dog is too aggressive

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Countryside : One Thread

My dog is so hateful towards other animals that we have to keep him on a chain and have to put the cats and rabbits in a building to keep him from killing them when he's loose. Any ideas on how to make him calm down at least around the rabbits? All he does is stand there at the cages and bark and attack.

-- Jessica (jaywig86@psknet.com), March 15, 2002

Answers

Neuter

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), March 15, 2002.

I can think of NO reason to keep an agressive animal. You are inviting trouble.

-- Mona in OK (modoc@ipa.net), March 16, 2002.

What kind of dog is this and how big. Sounds like you may be looking for real trouble. Agressive animals are hard to do anything with and may be undependable about what or who they attack.

-- David in North Al. (bluewaterfarm@mindspring.com), March 16, 2002.

I haven't ever had dogs kill any rabbits, so don't know about them, but have cured a chicken-killing dog by beating him with the chicken body, wiring it closely to his collar where he can't get at it, then tying him up out back for a couple days with plenty of food/water, but no "lovin'." I do not advocate chaining or hitting your dog ever under normal circumstances, but in cases of livestock- killing dogs, it's either that or have a dead dog ~ even if you don't do it, he'll inevitably get away from you sometime over the years and many country neighbors firmly believe in the "Three S's."

Now, I don't know your dog, so don't know just how aggressive he really is. I sure would be careful ~ if he seems overly aggressive and unresponsive to you, like he's just totally ignoring your commands without even a turn of the head ever, DO NOT do what I spelled out above! It would be better to put him down. We had a pup that seemed just not right ~ fairly aggressive at an early age and not responsive to us at all when we tried over and over again to make him stop barking at and attacking things. We didn't want to place him with anyone until we found out his problem. Well, he got out of the dogyard and attacked our miniature horse. The other dogs were whipped into a frenzy along with him and some serious damage was done to the poor little horse (he ended up getting colic and dying five days later). I was there the entire time, fighting them all off and the aggressive pup was definitely the ringleader ~ he was the only one that just flat wouldn't back down and growled severely at me when I finally beat him off with a stick. Scared me all the way to the bone. I still can't believe I was stupid enough to do that, but all I was thinking about at the time was the horse. We put the aggressive pup down that evening. I shudder to think what would have happened had we unsuspectingly given him to someone else and he attacked their or their neighbor's child. We disciplined the other dogs by putting them in a cattle trailer with a mean cow and letting her kick them around a bit. Worked like a charm! In the year and some since, they haven't so much as looked sideways at anything with four hooves unless we told them to! In case your thinking, "Man! She's hard on her dogs!", take a look at this pic: "Couch Potatoes." *grin* (url= http://davesgarden.com/editgj/showimage.php?iid=4757 ) Spoiled, they are!

BTW, generally speaking, putting a dog on a chain will make him frustrated and more aggressive. That might be adding to your problem? Good luck! And be safe, whatever you do! The others are right on the mark in cautioning you. I hope you find a solution!! :-)

-- Wingnut (wingnut@moment.net), March 16, 2002.


Wingnut, your URL doesn't work - says you have to join Dave's Garden site first. The only places I believe I've registered just to look are the Countryside Friends forum, and the New York Times - I won't do it lightly - I've got enough spam already.

Jessica, did you raise the dog from a pup, or did you get a more grown dog which may have already formed bad habits? There are ways to train a dog out of bad habits, and they may or may not work, but they generally require effort and maybe money. If the dog is standing there barking at animals it wants to kill when it knows it can't get at them then I'd say the dog is not terribly bright, and possibly not a good candidate for training oe retraining. If the dog barks in the rabbit's faces that's going to kill rabbits - at least newborn litters and maybe adults. You may be faced with fencing the dog either out or in, or deciding that this one is too much of a danger, and starting over. That's sad when it's necessary; but what's REALLY sad, even tragic, is when the responsible human won't acknowledge that it IS necessary.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), March 16, 2002.



wiffle ball bat,, hurts like hell, but doesnt do any damamge

-- Stan (sopal@net-pert.com), March 16, 2002.

Before one can make ANY intelligent answer...the breed, age, sex, etc. must be known.

Also what is YOUR experience if any with this breed/size dog?

Obedience Training is a MUST if the dog is of any size or if you have breed hysteria.

-- BC (katnip364@aol.com), March 16, 2002.


It is very unlikely he will change, and will almost certainly get worse. Being chained will exacerbate his problem, and the first thing that wanders within his reach is really going to get it...whether cat, bunny, or toddler. This is a dog that I would put down with no second thoughts. I speak as a person who has tried to help such dogs. Cut your losses now and have him put down. I suspect tragedy is right around the corner if you keep him.

-- Shannon at Grateful Acres Animal Sanctuary (gratacres@aol.com), March 16, 2002.

Don,

You don't have to signup to view a picture, Wingnut just sent the wrong URL. Here's the correct one: Hyperlink

-- Dave Whitinger (drw@davesgarden.com), March 16, 2002.


Yeah, and who can afford obedience training.

-- julie (jbritt@ceva.net), March 16, 2002.


I work as a volunteer with an all volunteer shelter and not an expert for sure, but I don't think that killing your dog is a given here as some of the other respondants feel. Is your dog neutered? Unneutered males tend to be aggressive. What is your dog mix/breed? Despite what some people may tell you, ("My pitbull (etc) would never hurt anyone or anything.") some dogs are more aggressive than others. You never hear "My minature poodle will kill you." You should never hit an animal. It won't help change the behavior and it will only fear you or strike back. Also, I do agree with some kind of obedience training. Despite someone saying "who can afford it?", if this is a pet to you and not just an animal, you have an obligation to it. If someone cannot afford to provide the necessary care for a pet(and sometimes this does include expences we would rather not have) then a person should not have them. Have you tried talking to various animal shelters and asking them for suggestions? When you are actually talking to someone you have a better give and exchange of information. I hope you check out all avenues on this. If you don't get this remedied, your dog will not be satisfied with going after the rabbits and cats. It is likely he would turn his aggression on you. Also, Elavil (or another tranquilizing type medication) can be given for a short time which can help to break the cycleof aggression. You might want to talk with a vet.

Again, for anyone out there in forum land who thinks "don't have the money", everyone seems to have money for what they want. It is just what you make a priority.

-- Catherine (cbenandy@aol.com), March 16, 2002.


Jessica, is your dog just agressive with prey animals or does he also have an attitude with people? When I was a kid we had a dachson (sp?) that loved kids but he was something else with animals. In it's native Germany those dogs were bred to hunt badgers and follow them down the badger holes (that is why their legs are so short hehehehehe!), and our dogs urge to hunt was VERY strong! He was a good dog but we had a good fence, as he was definately a threat to the neighbors cats. Not to the neighbors kids - he loved kids with a passion- but other animals were not safe. Even so, he got out once and the neighbors 4 month old kitten disapeared at about that time.

If your dog is friendly with people you might consult with someone who does obedience training, but I would NEVER trust your dog with other animals. Ever. We were able to train our Brittany to be safe around our chickens, but the Brittany had a totally different attitude toward small animals than your dog does. I DON'T trust the Brittany with the neighbors chickens: it would be like a dog to think hmmmm-I'm not allowed to kill THOSE chickens, but no one said I couldn't kill THESE chickens----I ALMOST trust him with our pet rabbit, but he'll go after any wild rabbit he can!

I think the determining factor is more how your dog acts with people. Does he glare suspiciously at people? Does he like just one or two people and wants the rest of the world to leave him alone? If so, he is probably too agressive if he has any size on him. He might not be safe towards your neighbors. We once had a toy dog like that: we shut him up in a bedroom everytime the doorbell rang BEFORE we answered the door! He was delightful to us, but he could NEVER be trusted with others and the only thing that saved his life was that he was truly tiny. We wouldn't have dared keep him otherwise. He was a good and faithful pet for 17 years, but in all that time his basic nature never changed.

I am not an expert on dogs, I have just always had them as pets. With that much desire to hunt, I don't think your dog will ever be safe around animals. With skilled help you might be able to train him to not attack while you are there, but I would NEVER trust your dog alone with an animal even so. That is my personal opinion. If he were mine, and *IF* he does not have an attitude towards people, I would either confine him in the house and a yard with a BIG fence, or find a home for him AFTER telling the new owner he isn't safe with animals. If, like my own little dog Teddy Bear, he has an attitude towards people, I would put him down even though it hurts. I don't think you would be writing, some how, if your dog was really small.

-- Terri (hooperterri@prodigy.net), March 16, 2002.


What to do with an overly aggressive dog? Just watch what's going on in California with the case of the owners of killer dogs on trial for 2nd degree murder.... Under no circumstances would I keep a dog that is known for being overly aggressive. The dog just represents a serious legal liability when it eventually injures someone.

-- Liz Rhein (merhein@shentel.net), March 16, 2002.

First off get the dog off the damn chain ! This is only making matter worse.Wouldn't it make sense to put him in a chainlink pen where not only the other animals would be safe , he would be happier.Have you tried working with him ? Is he neutered ? How old ? Get him on a leash and choke chain .Have the chain up under his chin .If he bars or makes a move towards the animals a fast jerk on the leash and at the same time a stern NO ! When he stops good dog hugs and kisses .Repeat as many times a day and for as long as it takes.

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@hotmail.com), March 16, 2002.

well i have seen the responses to your promblem and dont think any of them ever broke an aggressive dog! if you know a hunter or coonhunter see if they have or know someone that has an shocker collar you can borrow or rent for a couple of days. i use them with great results. sometimes a dog gets collar wise and if that happens you can buy a dummy collar for him to wear all the time. they are only about 5.00 dollars and are worth the money. taking him off the chain will help with the aggression also. hope this will help larry

-- larry dunn (sld5825@comteck.com), March 16, 2002.


Jessica, the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary has a forum on its website where you can ask health or behavorial questions and get expert answers from professional trainers and the online vet. As an animal lover, you'd probably like the rest of the site too. Sorry, I don't know how to do a live link.

http://www.bestfriends.com/forum/

You have to register to post a question, but it's easy and doesn't put you on any lists or anything. Good luck with it.

-- Jorja Hernandez (jorja@color-country.net), March 16, 2002.


We've delt with the same problem. First the chain will INCREASE agression. Then what we do is put a hotwire around the area we want the dog to stay away from. A few zaps will keep him from the area and then you can work with a choke chain and leash to gain control of him. There are plenty of books and articles on obediance training. It's easy and doesn't has to cost anything. Also I would bet that your dog is bored and needs more exercise. A good long romp with a frisbee or ball or even just a stick will help alot. My dogs generally only annoy the livestock when they've been cooped up too long

-- Pam Scott (cavemtdexters@cavenet.com), March 16, 2002.

I would not label a dog aggressive just because it goes after cats or rabbits .Its called instinct , they run dog chases.We do not have enough info to say otherwise.I getting the impression it's not that big of a problem since the poster hasn't checked back.

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@hotmail.com), March 16, 2002.

Julie -

Obedience training can be very affordable - I think we spent about $80 for several weeks of classes that ended with our puppy knowing sit, stay, wait, down, no, take it, and more! He is 1 1/2 yrs. old now & I can't tell you how invaluable that class was! I would have paid much more than $80 for it! ;)

-- heather (h.m.metheny@att.net), March 16, 2002.


I think, with the news from California, that people are very leery of dogs that are considered to be "agressive". Personally, if it were my dog and *if* he were fine around people, I would just put up a fence around a yard for him, to keep him away from both your animals and the neighbors animals. Obedience training helped my dog: it cost $25 at a local pet store and went once a week for a couple of months. He was never trying to ATTACK the other animals, but everytime I told him what to do he would get distracted by a fly, a bird, or whatever and snap a point. When that happened it was like I didn't exist anymore. He was bred to hunt so I know where THAT trait came from! Neutering also took some of the intensity out of him and made him a little more laid back. Since he he has hip problems his best use is pet and watchdog, not hunter.

-- Terri (hooperterri@prodigy.net), March 17, 2002.

Chaining will increase the level of agression and he may redirect this to humans if he cant work it out of his system.

Some breeds with high Prey drive love the chase so when Rabbits move they chase and sometimes kill to play with the little things.

Some breeds were bred to be independant of man and a rabbit means dinner for them /LGD"S are typical dogs that live in fields and defend for them selves. I had a wild dog living on the streets of Queens she she learned how to kill rabbits and squirels for food to this day she cant resist the urge in a now suburban home to kill little things for food no matter how much she is fed. Again she is good around cats -dogs caused she was raised with them.

Hunting dogs are bred to hunt prey and hunt drives will take over.

So without knowing what breed how can we advise?

Neutering does help but realise that the male hormones take a bit to get out of the system so fixing on Monday does not mean he is ready to be loose with rabbits on thurs.

I raised my dogs with ferrets they dont think of them as food cause they were in the house and I played with them showing the dogs My friends our family do not eat.

I really dont think a dog that shows any pleasure in killing rabbits is go to be 100% with them. But if drastic measures need to be taken because you want to keep this dogs alot of the above advice is pretty dam good

Good Luck and pls dont dump the dog work it out or build a kennel or give him to a home without rabbits

Jeannine De Palma

-- Jeannine De Palma (dogoflegends@yahoo.com), March 19, 2002.


Moderation questions? read the FAQ