Dog Training - Aggressive/Defensive Tendencies

[moda0306]

Hi All,

I figured maybe members of this board could enlighten me how to handle a situation, either via a good book, training regimen (even if I have to pay for it online or something), etc.

We just adopted a rescue dog, and he's about 9 months old, a terrier mix, and is extremely well-behaved on several fronts... There's a pic of him below...

I don't know how to organize our situation in the most useful format for someone looking to help, so please excuse any meandering points...

The Main Problem: He's defensive at home. Even with our roommate, who has been around him a dozen times. It's not going away. In fact it's getting worse as he becomes more and more comfortable. He's also been defensive towards a couple other guests. He actually nipped at my roommate today, not breaking skin, but definitely not playful, and with a very aggressive bark/growl as she very calmly tried to pet him after giving him a treat. We WANT to keep him, and we're more than willing to engage training and introduction programs and tips. Much of dog training is counter-intuitive, however, and he's at an impressionable age, so I want to do this as absolutely organized/successful as possible. Any advice is more than welcome, as he's already a very welcome member of our family, but we want to weed out as much defensiveness as possible.

Here's some background info... as-mentioned, I don't always know what's pertinent, so sorry if it's a jumble...

1) When we were introduced to him, the fosters said he would bark and run away from other guests and potential adopters, and was very timid, so they suggested meeting for a walk, where we would take the leash, then do a more warm introduction inside their home. This worked great... as when we got back from a good walk where he was very indifferent to our presence, we sat on the floor, and he VERY timidly came up to us and desired to be pet and cuddled with. Any sign of apprehension was very timid/submissive, not aggressive/agitated, in nature.


-- Could this be the trick... just have to do this with our roommate and ANY guest that we want to actually warm up to our dog? We're not opposed to it, but it seems like starting here might not be the best place, though I'm open to ideas...

2) Same when he came to our home for the "home visit" portion of adoption. Veeery timid and cuddly. Very much liked us when we would sit on the floor to pet him. He'd be very submissive but sweet and bow his head to us as he desired to be pet. Now he's more confident but it seems like it's mixing with his nervousness to create a more aggressive/nervous demeanor where his hair on his back stands.

3) He's very well-behaved in other areas. No pee/poop accidents. Very-well kennel trained. Doesn't chew up stuff he shouldn't. Doesn't bark too much. Knows a couple basic commands. Doesn't pull much on the leash. Very good at the dog park with other dogs. Even good at passing dogs and people on the hiking/walking trails we go on. He's been getting better and better in these areas too... very good at passing a group of walkers/bikers/dogs/kids/devices without getting nervous or defensive at all. He's been all-but trampled by some big excited dogs at the dog park as well, and while he holds his own, doesn't ever get more aggressive/defensive than I could imagine most dogs being if overwhelmed.

4) He's probably had a sordid past, like many "rescues," and he's from Mexico.

5) We walk him and burn his energy a lot, and I'm home working with him, so it's not like he's just cooped up lonely and agitated all day.

6) Simply more time with an outstretched hand and calmness by a guest or our roommate, or even ignoring him for a while, or giving treats, doesn't seem to work on its own if he's already defensive and agitated upon guests arrival.

7) I've tried to follow advice showing calm consistency in being the alpha... neither flying off the handle nor letting him get away with much. Always making him wait to eat, or do something to earn a treat, etc, etc. I know I could be doing better at certain tricks with this, but I'm definitely not letting him run all over me. I always try to calmly demand discipline from him.

He's never shown aggression towards me or my girlfriend. Just either playful, or cuddly, or just indifferent while taking a nap on our bed.

9) He loves to chew... but he's good at keeping it to his own toys... pertinent? I doubt it, but there you have it.

We want to keep him, and while we exercise him a lot and we're not afraid for him to have some alone time, we don't want a dog we always have to kennel with guests. More for his sake than ours, we want him to be comfortable and excited with people who come over, or at least apathetic to their presence, even if there's a de-stressing time that it takes them. I'm willing to put him through any sort of training program I need to. If it doesn't work, we'll have to see what kind of sacrifices we're willing to live with, but I don't want to be lazy about it by wasting precious time for bad habits and stress-pasterns to set in.

Please help... the little guy loves us and has a good heart, just one nervous screw loose that I want to work on with him. We're in a good position (no kids, plenty of exercise & patience, stuck at home now) to help this guy get over this one crucial hurdle if it's possible. So much of positive dog training I've seen is counter-intuitive, and little things we've employed outside have already worked, but we need to nip this habit (pardon the pun), and any direction someone could point us in we'd be grateful for. I've had trouble finding resources on this that seem to work/apply, but most of it is searching YouTube videos.

Thank you all again for any direction you can offer... hope you're all doing well at this time.

[moda0306]

Moda, congrats on the new addition to your family. As someone who has adopted quite a few dogs, I think you are correct with your comment, "He's probably had a sordid past, like many "rescues," and he's from Mexico." I'm not sure that the Mexico part means anything unless he was running wild on the streets there like a feral dog. The culture down there has a different attitude towards domesticated animals (for that matter, so does much of rural America, especially in the South) than urban areas here do. It can be psychologically damaging, possibly permanently, for a dog that was abused as a puppy whether in the US or Mexico. One of the dogs my ex stupidly got from what was probably a mill was most certainly abused and literally never fully recovered, even though we took her into a loving home at 20 weeks. Your best bet, IMO, is to hire an experienced trainer to ideally come to your home for a series of visits, or do a 'boot camp' at their facility. You need to nip this in the bud. It won't be easy or cheap, but it can be done if you are patient and persistent. Good luck. He's adorable and I hope you can work it out and give him the forever home he deserves.

That's what we're leaning towards. I'll be looking into in-home or on-sight training options. We're dedicated. I haven't war-gamed the potential expenses on this issue yet, or where my willingness to put more $$'s towards it will peter out, but I'm not going to be cheap about helping our boy be a happy dog and included in our life as fully as we'd like.

One thing is that IF the whole "walk him with people then he's fine" trick works, I'm going to struggle whether to rest on that or to take a more thorough and expensive approach.

Thanks for your input!

[dualstow]

It's too bad Coffee hasn't been around the forum, lately. Dog trainer. Remember him?
https://www.amazon.com/Adam-G.-Katz/e/B ... r_dp_pel_1

[moda0306]

It's too bad Coffee hasn't been around the forum, lately. Dog trainer. Remember him?
https://www.amazon.com/Adam-G.-Katz/e/B ... r_dp_pel_1

Yes... what a vet. Interesting dude, and could use his brand of advice, but appreciate any input people can give. I found a video that almost exactly replicates the nature of my dog's aggression towards people...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlYe3Idy29Y

I have yet to see a video that really shows the kind of body language Rooney exhibits, until this one. Not sure how much that matters... some might say that all aggression stems from a core that isn't identifiable by their physical behavior... IDK.

Dog psychology is fascinating, from just the limited research I've done. I hope I can bend it to my will.

[drumminj]

Moda, congrats on the family addition and good on you for trying to work through this!

Some books I'd recommend for perspective:

The Other End of the Leash: https://www.amazon.com/Other-End-Leash- ... 034544678X
The Dog Listener: https://www.amazon.com/Dog-Listener-Com ... 300&sr=1-2

I wouldn't recommend following any of them verbatim, but my experience has been there's some good insight and habits to pick up in each of these.

Note: I'm not a trainer or anything, but I've fostered a number of dogs (boxers) and also had a dog-aggressive pitbull terrier for a few years and did a ton of training with her(sweet dog, just a stray that was never socialized). I've found a few behaviors that have worked well for establishing "polite" behavior with my dogs:

1) Feed them in their crate, and make them wait to eat -- I've always trained my dogs to wait until I say "free". If they try to eat beforehand, the bowl goes on top of the crate and we try again in 10-15 mins. As a result, I can drop food on the floor and don't have a rush by them to grab it. Feeding in the crate also gives them a positive association/makes them willingly go in.

2) Don't let them walk through you/invade your space. Make them wait to go outside or come in, vs just plow through. Don't walk around them, but through them (gently, of course). They should observe you and move around you like water/respecting your space.

3) Consistency. Even if their behavior is cute. Even if you want to be nice. Be 100% consistent in enforcing the rules. It makes it clear for them/easier to learn, and you quickly get to a place you don't need to "enforce" and everyone can be happy.

4) Teach them "leave it" and "wait".

Quite a bit of this is covered in "Dog Listener", though that book is hella strict and IMO goes a bit over the top on the whole "alpha" thing.

Another thing -- build up the dog's confidence. Teach it tricks (sit, down, stay, shake, rollover, etc). Praise/reward it as it learns. Go to a training class. It should help with the timidity.

If the dog is timid/aggressive with strangers, have strangers (neighbors, friends, even roommates) come by and give the dog treats when they do. The dog will get excited about people/the treats.

A note about all the above -- your roomate(s) needs to do all the same, and be consistent. While you can train a dog to act a certain way around you, a dog's relationship is different with each person. You may give them good habits, but they're likely to still push boundaries with others. However, if they are consistent with what you're doing, the dog has already experienced how that works, what the rules are.

Good luck!

[moda0306]

Thank you drumminj!

I appreciate your input. I'm all ears.