Guest Anonymous Posted December 20, 2002 Share Posted December 20, 2002 Yes I now have a real problem. Since we moved Hazel has become extreamly territorial. She has even chased an old man with a cane walking along the front of our house! I wanted to kill her, and then myself! :oops: So now I have her in the house or tied up most of the time... I am so afraid she's going to take it a step further. Since tieing her up she hasn't chased people even though she is lose, but she still barks ferociously from the pourch, occasionally following people along in the yard. I should say that the barking doesn't bother me, we live next to a trailer court and some not so savery people live there. The road that goes by our house is well favored by those comming from the bar (3or 4 blocks down) to the court. We live in a good neighboorhood (heck the town pop doesn't go above 500 people!), but I still worry as I am alone with my children alot (hubby is still in oly with work) but I don't want her chasing people. I have done the alfadog thing and shaken her by the scruff of the neck, I have rewarded her when she just barks from the pourch, and I have tied her up when I catch her leaving the yard. Geez if you look at her wronge she will cringe and submissive pee! I don't want to be mean, but I don't want her to bite anyone as I would probably have to put her down. Now the wierd part, or not so wierd, is that you get her away from the house and she becomes this totally outgoing psyco love pup! She cannot get enough of anybody, and enthusiastically greets anybody. I don't want her like this at home, but I would like the old guy with the cane to feel safe about walking down the street! Thanks for all your help and ideas formerly hazelhover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carolk9s Posted December 20, 2002 Share Posted December 20, 2002 [quote]I should say that the barking doesn't bother me, we live next to a trailer court and some not so savery people live there.[/quote] Oh and these not so savery (sic) people deserve to be barked at? Gee, if they are not so SAVORY, they might decide your barking dog needs to go. Or retaliate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric Posted December 20, 2002 Share Posted December 20, 2002 Its not clear to me why your dog is running loose to begin with. If your dog is outside, she should either be in a fenced-in area or tied up. To have your dog running loose is extremely dangerous for your dog. Sooner or later, your dog is going to run out after someone who considers her to be a very real threat and they may do what is necessary to protect/defend themselves. It also puts you at a very serious risk of litigation if she ever ends up biting someone. There's also the risk that she will dart across the road and get hit by someone's car. Out of curiosity, do you not have leash laws where you live? In Canada, what you are describing is illegal and is grounds for having by-law enforcement show up, write you some tickets, and take the dog away if the situation persists. If you really, really want to leave her loose out in the yard then you need to invest in an "Invisible fence" to ensure she remains on the property. This is for her safety and well-being. I understand your desire for protection and deterrence, as my wife also feels much more comfortable being home alone with three large breed dogs. However, I would suggest that encouraging your dog to bark incessantly at everyone who walks by your home is an invitation for a paper bag full a dog food and antifreeze. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted December 21, 2002 Share Posted December 21, 2002 No, unfortunatly we do not have leash laws... there are hundreds of dogs running loose in the town. Hazel doesn't leave her yard (even when she chases people she does it from the yard), but I still have her tied up. Even when she was chasing the old mad she was in the yard, and I was out side with her the whole time! I never knew her to do this before. As for barking, I believe anyone who is on the road at 2 am in the morning deserves a warning. She doesn't bark alot, just a couple of warning growls (I have at least got her down to that...sigh) she was really bad about ongoing barking when we first got here. There have been quite a few breakins in the area as well as a peeping tom. I am alone most of the time and feel much safer knowing that no one will come near the door as that is were she is tied. And I have a friend who tryied the invisible fence... works great until the dog accidentally runs through it. Then they can't get back in... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alicat613 Posted December 21, 2002 Share Posted December 21, 2002 heavy socialization work and back to obedience school This is not acceptable behavior Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carolk9s Posted December 21, 2002 Share Posted December 21, 2002 It is not up to you to moralize who should or should not be 'on the road' at 2am. As long as they are not trespassing on your property, they can be on the road whenever they want unless a town curfew is in effect. Sounds like your dog has some fear aggression issues. She might feel uncertain as to what her role is. The cringing and submissive peeing are indications of a concern with discipline. Does she expect to be corrected? Swatted? Scruff shook? I am NOT saying one should NEVER physically discipline their dog, I would be a hypocrite if I did. I have IN THE PAST swatted my dogs but a couple of years ago I decided I needed to stop that entirely. If I had kids, they too would get the occaisional swat on the rear but thats a different story. Now most dogs will alarm bark, that is part of the reason I do not believe dogs should be outside all night long. They are out there alone, might feel uneasy about strangers in the vicinity, and feel they need to bark, growl or chase. She should be inside with you. A simple sign on a porch rail, stuck in the yard, etc saying somthing like DOG ON PREMISES will get the message out that she's there without her having to bark and growl at people. Instead of disciplining her when she barks at someone, be ready for it to happen and work on distracting her with a toy or treats. You need to be able to communicate to her that YOU are in charge in a nonthreatening way. You might be able to teach her to ignore passersby by focusing her attention on you instead of the others. YOU need to be more interesting than they are. Interesting in a fun or rewarding way. It may take some time to retrain her, you must stick with it and perhaps get creative. It is also up to YOU to protect her. While many of us count on our dogs for some level of protection or security, dogs also must feel that we as their humans are ultimately in charge and can handle what comes at us. As was said before, if she continues to annoy people who are simply going about THEIR business, one might take exception to her to the point of retaliation, dog food laced with antifreeze in a bag was listed as a possibility. That has and could happen. If any of these people you consider to be 'unsavory' really are, they may well decide to take matters into their own hands to 'get rid' of the neighborhood nuisance dog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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