Aggressive Dogs

[corgilady]

OK folks, please don't turn my thread into a rant about big dogs, little dogs, mean dogs, and pit (pitt pittttttt) bull stories.....

I'm a writer looking for stories about an aggressive dog that you own or have owned. I've had one myself, so please don't think I'm going to bash you. Tell me how you got him (breeder, ASPCA, etc) how old he was when you got him, and how you dealt with his aggression. What was the end result? Were you successful? Would you do it again?

For now, I'm not going to differentiate between people-aggression and dog-aggression; that will come later.

At some point, if I use your story, we'll exchange real names; I'll have to have a written release saying I can use your name.

You can pm me here if you'd rather, and I'll give you my email address. Posting email addys on the board gives them to the spammers. They are worse than----nahh, you won't laugh at my joke. :lol:

Thank you for your help!!!

[Horsefeathers!]

Corgi!! I just recognized you!! Dang, I didn't even realize that was THE Corgilady. Imagine my red face. :oops: How the heck are ya??

Ok, me me me! *waves hand furiously in the air*

I might as well be one of the first ones to get flamed and shot at (not by you, but it's coming, I'm sure).


[quote]Tell me how you got him (breeder, ASPCA, etc) how old he was when you got him, and how you dealt with his aggression. What was the end result? Were you successful? Would you do it again?[/quote]
I'll just basically answer the questions asked. If you need more detail, or think it's something you can use, don't hesitate to ask.


We obtained Penny when she was about 4-5 weeks old from a "breeder." Actually, my own sister had an old dilapidated dog she bred to death and the litter Penny came from was the last. At that point, the mother dog pretty much stopped caring for the pups at around 4 weeks, so that's why we took Penny.

The aggression began showing when she was about 2 years old. How we dealt with it, in no particular order... various training techniques, full medical workup including eye exam and blood panel, natural diets, medication (Clomicalm), stringent monitoring, pain medication (though she never showed any sign of pain; it was only something we were trying). The end result was the dog became increasingly volatile and was put down, so no, we were not successful. As for whether or not I would do it again... I say absolutely not. That's my official answer. The truth is I'm sure I would. I just don't INTEND to.

That's the short version and I don't make the distinction there of when her animal aggression crossed over to human aggression and I also didn't include her breed (or mix) just so it wouldn't seem as stereotyping, though it's no secret... most people are aware of what Penny basically was. I just didn't include it in the story. If or when you need more details, I'll be happy to oblige. :)

[Guest Anonymous]

I'll PM you, I have the story already writen out and wanted to get it published actually, but every place I sent it didn't take it... It's really long, and I'd rather not have snooty guests comments on it since it's still a very touchy subject close to my heart :(

[Cairn6]

Alright but it might be a bit long.

I got my cairn terrier when he was 12 weeks old at the shelter I was working at. I am not worried about stereotyping him because frankly I think it's something that comes up a lot with terriers. Anyway when I first got him I didn't know a thing about cairns so I read and read. I read that terriers are a lot of times dog aggressive. So I socialized by taking him to the grooming shop my sister worked at. He visited everyday, we went to the dog park, to the petstore, everywhere dogs were. I was determined. He loved everybody, dogs, people, rodents, everyone.

Then in his second obedience class an older dog comes in and has a problem with dog aggression. He comes in looks straight at Toto and stares him in the eyes and lunges at him. Toto looks back and starts at him. For the first time in his life he starts barking and lunging at another dog. We get the situation under control and a while later we leave. We run into another dog and boom he starts barking and lunging at another dog. From that day forward it slowely got worse and worse. I was very upset. It got to the point that I had to hide his face to go to the vet.

The method I finally used is controversial and I really don't mind question or concerned voiced but I tried everything before I resorted to this method. I tried clicker traing but he ingnored the clicker when another dog was around. I tried spraying with a water bottle he ignored it when riled up by another dog, I tried citronella, I tried ultersonic sound. Nothing worked. I was desperate to have the sweet dog I had before back that I went out and bought a shock collar. Yep a shock collar. It was one that you put on them and it slowly escalates until it gets there attention. I was not in control the collar was. I didn't leave it on him for more then 20 minutes, I never left him alone with it on and only used it when going to meet other dogs. I needed a way to get his attention so that when he was quiet I could praise him. I used it for about a month and I know longer use it. It worked and now he is back to the sweet dog I had before. He now loves to visit with other dogs, we go to dog parks, the vet with no problems. I have him back again.

I don't suggest using those collars and leaving them on because they are barking. I think they can be used for barbaric reasons and if you just want to be lazy. But I had no choice I love him so much and would never want to hurt him. He is just a very determined headstrong dog that needed something very strong to get his attention and once I got it we were able to communicate.

[courtnek]

well, this may not help you, but here goes.

I had a malamute/border collie/(the vet thinks) wolf mix. Acquired as a puppy from a newspaper ad. He was very dominant, and if he didnt get his way, he would become aggressive, even to me and my ex. My ex got bitten once trying to do the "roll and control" (bad move, I DID tell him not to do it) and since I had a baby I was getting frantic. He did not like anyone he considered "beneath him", and he did not like not having complete control. They vet put him on doggy prozac (he was afraid of him, I had to take him in muzzled for shots) and it didnt help. What I didnt realize was that I was contributing to the problem. He needed a "firm alpha" and I wasnt it. My ex thought he was, but his way of teaching was by punishment, not positive. He got worse with time. Snow dogs tend to be "free thinkers", in their natural work environment, they have to be.
They have to make choices, often against the mushers will. They often need to do what is best for the team. (Like not fall into a crevasse, for instance). I was not strong enough at the time to realize that the dog had become "alpha" in my household. I let him get that way. I didnt know any better.

Someone introduced me to training by "pack rules". Inside of 6 weeks this dog was as mellow as a Golden, towards me. Still defensive towards strangers, but a baby in my hands. Still didnt like the ex, who wouldnt pay attention to anything I was trying to tell him. He became my sons best friend. He became one of the best dogs I ever had, through continual pack training and enforcement of the pack rules. I had been controlling him with a capture stick! It was the only way I could...I learned alot from that.

and since then, all of my dogs have been subservient to me. Probably not necessary, but I enforce those rules anyway, just in case.

:D

[corgilady]

[b][color=darkblue][size=6]Hi Horsefeathers!!!!![/size][/color][/b] :lol:

How are ya? I'm lurking, mostly.....

Thanks for your input, all of you! You're a great help!
I'll pm each of you with questions about specifics.

And Hazel's story was so heartfelt...it was also very well written....I wish she felt comfortable sharing it (but I understand why she doesn't).

[mouseatthebusstop]

:laola: :laola:
it's corgilady I am so excited :banan: :banan: :banan: don't lurk around come back :multi:

[Sharpeigirl]

here's my long story:

Adopted Sassy at 7 weeks of age from a shelter. She was a cute little puppy. She housebroke easily, and was good dog. She was a bit domiante of times, but we worked on that. Her aggersion started when I brought home a small female pup I found tied up to a gas pump.
It went well for awhile, but one day I let them out in the backyard, and Sassy ended up killing the other dog. :( She kept getting more aggersive towards strangers & other dogs. One night she got lose from the house & was gone for 3 hours before we found her. She'd been hit by a car, damageing her backleg, as a result she had to have it amputated. She started becomeing aggersive with the vets, trying to attack them. Then we had an incedent with the AC & UPS claiming she was "pit" It got dropped, as she was a Shar-pei. She kept getting more & more unstable. Then one day she attacked me, biteing my arm. I had a hard time makeing the choice but I had to put her down. She was free from her demons. ANd free of the pain.

[MajiesMom]

Magic is dog aggressive.
I adopted her two and a half years ago when she was approx. 1 yrs old. I got her from a shelter. She was on her last days if not day.
I loved her right away and I knew she was dog aggressive but thought I could fix it. I can control it some times when I'm in the right mood but otherwise she still acts very aggressive when she see's/hear's another dog.
She is perfect in every other way! She loves people and is so great with people - I hear this is often the case with dog aggressive dogs.
I would do it again because I hate the thought of "Magic's" dieing in shelters. I doubt many people would want to adopt a dog like Magic. People I know can't believe I've kept her and I can't believe they think that! Other than having no social life at all with other dogs she has got a really good life and we are very happy.

[mydogroxy]

[quote]Tell me how you got him (breeder, ASPCA, etc) how old he was when you got him, and how you dealt with his aggression. What was the end result? Were you successful? Would you do it again?
[/quote]
we got roxy from a breeder, who turned out to be a dog fighter. she was neglected left in a crate in an unfinished basement until she was three months old (when we got her). she is highly dog aggressive, which we've dealt with in two ways. first and foremost is avoidance. we really avoid anything that might cause a problem. if any dogs are oncoming we go the other way, things like that. the other method is training/distraction. when we see another dog and there is no way of avoiding it, we walk off to the side. roxy gets put in a sit stay and gets treats as long as she remains calm.

this is an ongoing process so i can't comment on an end result. so far it's worked for us. would i do it again? absolutely.

[Guest Anonymous]

[quote name='corgilady'][b][color=darkblue][size=6]Hi Horsefeathers!!!!![/size][/color][/b] :lol:

How are ya? I'm lurking, mostly.....

Thanks for your input, all of you! You're a great help!
I'll pm each of you with questions about specifics.

And Hazel's story was so heartfelt...it was also very well written....I wish she felt comfortable sharing it (but I understand why she doesn't).[/quote]

Awe thanks Corg :oops: I have a feeling I MIGHT have posted it before, if not thought about it :lol: If people want, I can post it in NDR, at least guests can't get there :)

[Aroura]

Hazel, I for one would love to read it and think it would be great if you posted it in NDR :wink: I know how touching and painful it can be :cry:

Well I got Lily, a Boxer, when she was 12 weeks old from an add in a newspaper. She had her papers and at the time just assumed that papered meant good lines - boy was I wrong.

She grew up the first few months after I got her around kids and got socialised all the time, and went to dog training as soon as I could arrange it.

At first her aggression started towards dogs, about the time she came into heat. She started fighting with Tessa in the home and "eyeing" other dogs, wanting to fight about anything and everything.

Then there was this kid who used to hang over the fence and tease her, nothing too drastic, but enough to get her hackles up. Also, my schizzophrenic brother had taken to chasing her around the yard, kicking and throwing things at her. I must admit she led a pretty stressful life, but when I mentioned to the breeder that she had become aggressive towards people she didn't sound at all suprised, apparently she wasn't the first from those lines to turn aggressive to people. What I still can't work out to this day is why she would continue to breed from these lines.

I tried everything, and had the animal behaviourist come over often to try to suggest new things, which I tried, but never worked. I tried desensitising her, giving her treats when children were near, but as soon as they caught her eye the food was valueless to her, she just wanted to attack. I switched her to a natural diet, which worked for a while and made her a little bit better, but soon enough she was back to herself again. Eventually it got to the point where she would nearly pull me over when ever she saw a kid, it was horrible, I had images of her tearing some poor childs face off. Her aggression moved to older people, like grade six people, thats when I realised that despite everything, the problem was growing. I was having nightmares about someones child jumping the fence to grab a ball, or someone letting Lily out and her running up to the nearest child and killing them. Thats when I made the decision to get her put to sleep. I've been very depressed about it, the depression comes in bursts, I've been having one lately - I miss her and wish there was another way. Talking about it now helps, but I still can't get over the fact that I had to put my beloved dog to sleep :cry:

[Guest Anonymous]

My family has kept corgis for a little over a decade. The very first one we ever purchased was the best and worst dog I've ever had. First the "breeder" sold us the dog at like 6 weeks. We didn't know any better at the time. Anyway, he grew up around lots of kids, and he got roughhoused from time to time. He was a little nippy at first but he was so small we did not think anything of it. He turned out to be the strongest corgi I've seen pound for pound. He had to have a harness, because that was the only way to hold him back if he saw something he wanted. He could pull me, my brother, and sister uphill on rollerblades at the same time. My dad was the only family member w/ any real control over the dog, to the dog he was God. He was wicked smart. He was top of his obedience class, and he could do more tricks than any dog I've ever seen. But he liked to use his intelligence on other things. We would try to pen him up in the bathroom during the day and he could always get out. We watched him one day and he would move his crate up next to the baby gate, climb on top then jump over. When not in class getting treats, he turned in to hell on four paws. He would just bite at completely random and at completely predictable times. We kept him in a crate upstairs during the day, and every morning when everyone left the house my mom would have to drag him snarling and biting out of the bathtub downstairs to get him in the crate upstairs. Then one night I was laying in the floor watching TV, and he came running into the room , jumped on my head and bit my eye, causing me to bleed pretty bad, and I still have the scar. Twenty minutes later, he was laying next to me licking my face, almost apologizing. He only lived for about a year and a half. He died of a disease I can't remember, but it was supposedly the equivalent of doggy AIDS, his immune system attacked itself. He got sick on a friday, died on monday, and as mean as he was I cried for hours. He taught my family alot about dogs in his short life, and I'll never forget him. RIP Corky. My family has found a great breeder now, and they have two wonderful corgis. They are not as smart as Ol Corky, but they are a pleasure to own.

[courtnek]

I am VERY sorry Johnny. Dog aggrression due to illness is something that is not, in my opinion, very well investigated. Someone posted earlier about an amiable Lab Mix that went suddenly ballistic. Turned out he had Lyme Disease. The intense pain in the joints would make a person crazy, not to mention a dog. I have a friend who got it, the pain was so bad he wanted to kill himself. Dogs cant say "it hurts, but I have to be civilized" nor can they decide to take their own lives if the pain is too bad. Aggression is the only outlet. I really think a lot of aggression issues
should require an autopsy, to find out what, if any, the real cause was.

[Guest Anonymous]

Well, he never showed any dog aggression, he was a perfect dog in obedience class. He was perfect in any other public situation, it was at home when he was made to do s/thing he didn't want to do he would go off. I definitely learned a thing or two about handling dogs from him. I will admit, he was not in an ideal situation. Both parents worked and kids at school, he spent alot of time alone and bored. The smarter the dog, I think, the easier they will get bored. He would eat ANYTHING that was left out, so our house was never cleaner than when we had him, because if there was anything he could get to, it was eaten, everything from underwear, to bars of deodorant, to bathrobes. We think that was his downfall because friday is trash day, and he had gotten out that morning and got into the trash. He was lethargic that afternoon, and the vet took him home over the weekend, where he died early monday. He was definitely the product of a BYB. My parents new breeder, who the vet referred us to , is a testament to good breeding practrices. She screened my family hard. She brought my parents to see the dogs, and then the children separately so she could watch how we interacted w/ the dogs. She is extremely cautious about how she breeds and where her dogs go, and as a result, both dogs we have from her are phenominal in every aspect.

[Cairn6]

That is a very similiar reaction that you get with Temporal Lobe Epilepsy or Canine Rage Syndrome. A lot of so called "experts" throw that term around but it's a serious illness. The dog will just turn into a completely different dog and bit, snarl and growl at you with no apparent reason. I have heard people claim there dog turns on them for no reason and I wonder if it's not this disease.