Aggression towards other dogs

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Facidaisy
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Joined: Tue Nov 08, 2005 8:26 am

Aggression towards other dogs

Post by Facidaisy »

Hi

I have a Border Collie of 18 months.

We tried to do everything right with him from the start by solializing him with other dogs at clubs etc but

unfortunately he was attacked by another dog at a class :mad:

and ever since if another dog barks at him he wants to attack them, he gets really wound up when he hears another dog bark.

he is such a placid dog otherwise and gets on well with our other dogs and is not the top dog. but I can see why he feels he has to stick up for himself when we meet other dogs .................I am thinking he will always be like this now.:(
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minks
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Joined: Mon Dec 13, 2004 1:58 pm

Aggression towards other dogs

Post by minks »

Facidaisy wrote: Hi

I have a Border Collie of 18 months.

We tried to do everything right with him from the start by solializing him with other dogs at clubs etc but

unfortunately he was attacked by another dog at a class :mad:

and ever since if another dog barks at him he wants to attack them, he gets really wound up when he hears another dog bark.

he is such a placid dog otherwise and gets on well with our other dogs and is not the top dog. but I can see why he feels he has to stick up for himself when we meet other dogs .................I am thinking he will always be like this now.:(


Gosh aggression in a border collie is so unusual, my thoughts just keep introducing him to other dogs, and if he gets cranky immediately remove him from from the situation. When he acts good loads of praise and treats. He is not too old yet to be taught. I hope he didn't suffer physical damage from the attack poor pooch.
�You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.�

― Mae West
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valerie
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Joined: Sun Sep 05, 2004 12:00 pm

Aggression towards other dogs

Post by valerie »

If you were at a class, what did the trainer say?



This can be controlled with time and training but I wouldn't expect

your dog to ever really easily make friends.



You need to teach focus. Borders are exremely smart, and you should

be able to get good results. If you have a friend or someone with a

well-behaved dog to work with you, even better. Start by having the

other dog far enough away to not trigger your dog's response. Then

practice whatever obedience you can with your dog, the usual sit,

stay, down, stay is fine. Give treats. LOTS of treats, reserve something

your dog ONLY gets at this time. A good one I like to use is boiled

skinless chicken breasts cut up in really small pieces. (Use the tip of

your little finger as a guide) Reward your dog for all the obedience and

ignoring the other dog. Do this say in 2 15 minute sessions a day. After

a few days of this, have your friend move the other dog a bit closer.

Repeat as often as necessary, and if you have a step where the dog

starts reacting again, go back to the previous distance and work on

that again. Whatever you do, DO NOT "baby" your dog with lots of

pats and "It's alright sweetie's" because that will reinforce the behaviour

you don't want.



My girl Tamsen has been attacked 3 times in her life, hurt to the tune

of largeish vet bills the first 2 times, all off-leash male dogs. She became

very reactive, essentially a show of force before she thought she might

get hurt again. Fear aggression to the max. With patience, and with the

help of her dear gentleman friend "Popsicle" may he rest in peace, she got

over it. She and Popsicle had many walks side by side while myself and

"Auntie Pat" talked. So, just to cheer you that it IS possible to get through

this.



Good luck, and do let me know how it goes!



(If you're interested, Popsicle is on Tamen's Dogster page, her "Pup Pal")



:)
Tamsen's Dogster Page

http://www.dogster.com/?27525



Facidaisy
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Joined: Tue Nov 08, 2005 8:26 am

Aggression towards other dogs

Post by Facidaisy »

Thanks

No he wasn't hurt physically but it gave him trauma.

The dog who got him was one of the club's best at flyball and when I complained there was reluctance to do anything about it, mine wasn't the first dog to get hurt, so after a few choice words I left but

there are no other decent classes around here but he will eventually get on with friends dogs, when he has got used to them but any strange dogs and he is wound up again and know if he had chance, he would be in there. especially if they dare bark at him. Which is nearly always what happens.

He has been neutered.

The good thing is he is obedient, especially off the lead and will always come back but I constantly worry that if we come across another dog unexpectedly he would ignore me and attack.

I think what I would like to do now is to give up on his making friends and get him to the stage where he can just ignore other dogs completely as I know he always feels threatened.

I also have have the choice to put him in kennels for a week early next year.

Do you think, it would make him worse or better, considering the constant barking that will be going on in there.I don't want to traumatize him further.

again thank you
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valerie
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Aggression towards other dogs

Post by valerie »

A lot of people do that, give up on their dogs making friends and I don't

think it's really a problem for most.



The kennel thing could probably go either way... you won't be there and

your dog does pick up things from you. It might be sort of like

immersion therapy, and the dog will finally give up because the barking

and commotion is there all the time. I would suggest maybe if you trust

your kennel operators you talk to them, explain the situation and ask

their opinion. They might have had experience with this type of thing.



I've never kenneled Tamsen but I must say, the few times she had to

spend time at the vet's, she was fine. Even in the waiting room, as

dog aggressive as she is, she would still lay quietly in a down/stay by

my side.



Until her advanced age, though, she never really gave up barking at

other dogs when she was riding by in the car!



;)
Tamsen's Dogster Page

http://www.dogster.com/?27525



Facidaisy
Posts: 10
Joined: Tue Nov 08, 2005 8:26 am

Aggression towards other dogs

Post by Facidaisy »

thanks again and I will be having a word with the kennels.

I have 4 dogs so kennel 2 and take 2 on holiday so am still deciding which will be the best thing to do for Bailey our collie.

Still wouldn't swap him,he is a brilliant dog despite his poblem but will persevere.

Just been looking at Tamsen, she is a lovely dog and also her friend Popsicle.

If you are interested my gang are here on



I doubt it will link so you will have to copy and paste,

some are much loved passed dogs and the gang now is

Rosie the terrier, Bailey is the one with the pricked ears (bless) Indy the old fella and Lily (English setter) the newest arrival who is now 6 months.
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valerie
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Aggression towards other dogs

Post by valerie »

LOVE your furkids! Thanks so much for sharing... can't decide which I like

most but the one of the pup on (Mom's?) lap is priceless!



:-4
Tamsen's Dogster Page

http://www.dogster.com/?27525



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BabyRider
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Aggression towards other dogs

Post by BabyRider »

Good advice here, Val, I especially like the "immersion therapy" idea. I'll be interested to see how that situation works out.



Hi Facidaisy! I'm BabyRider, (call me BR) and Val and I usually try to give advice on pets here in FG, as we've both got lots of experience working with animals. I can't think of a thing to add to what Val's told you, but if I do, I'll be sure to post. Going to check out your kids right now. Welcome to FG! Hope you find more stuff to interest you here!



Oh, Val...what sort of heartworm preventative do you have Tamsen on and do you keep her on it year round? (Actually, do you even use heartworm preventative in CA?) :confused:
[FONT=Arial Black]I hope you cherish this sweet way of life, and I hope you know that it comes with a price.
~Darrel Worley~
[/FONT]










Bullet's trial was a farce. Can I get an AMEN?????


We won't be punished for our sins, but BY them.




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BabyRider
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Aggression towards other dogs

Post by BabyRider »

valerie wrote: LOVE your furkids! Thanks so much for sharing... can't decide which I like

most but the one of the pup on (Mom's?) lap is priceless!



:-4
Do you mean the one of Lily, the English setter? That was my favorite!! What a beautiful dog!!! I just adore the breed. :-4
[FONT=Arial Black]I hope you cherish this sweet way of life, and I hope you know that it comes with a price.
~Darrel Worley~
[/FONT]










Bullet's trial was a farce. Can I get an AMEN?????


We won't be punished for our sins, but BY them.




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valerie
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Joined: Sun Sep 05, 2004 12:00 pm

Aggression towards other dogs

Post by valerie »

Tamsen was always on year-round Heartguard until about a month ago.

I consulted with my vet and we together made the decision to forgo it

now, because Tamsen's age and limited exposure to outdoors just seemed

to not be worth it. For her. I'm not advocating this as a a way to proceed

for ANYONE else. But Tamsen is coming up on 13, and for a purebred gsd

that is up there, and she shows definite signs of decline. The vet pointed

out that even if she were to be bitten by an infected mosquito, it would

be approx. 6 months before she showed signs of an infestation. Sad as it

is for Paul and I to face, we realize that she might head to the bridge

before that time due to other causes.



I am religious about keeping on top of the standing water around here.

I even empty the birdbaths every 3 days or so, more in the hot summer

days.



Please check for another thread I'm starting, looking for input from

anyone.
Tamsen's Dogster Page

http://www.dogster.com/?27525



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BabyRider
Posts: 10163
Joined: Sun Jan 02, 2005 1:00 pm

Aggression towards other dogs

Post by BabyRider »

valerie wrote: Tamsen was always on year-round Heartguard until about a month ago.

I consulted with my vet and we together made the decision to forgo it

now, because Tamsen's age and limited exposure to outdoors just seemed

to not be worth it. For her. I'm not advocating this as a a way to proceed

for ANYONE else. But Tamsen is coming up on 13, and for a purebred gsd

that is up there, and she shows definite signs of decline. The vet pointed

out that even if she were to be bitten by an infected mosquito, it would

be approx. 6 months before she showed signs of an infestation. Sad as it

is for Paul and I to face, we realize that she might head to the bridge

before that time due to other causes.



I am religious about keeping on top of the standing water around here.

I even empty the birdbaths every 3 days or so, more in the hot summer

days.



Please check for another thread I'm starting, looking for input from

anyone.
Gotcha, thanks. I'll PM you with the rest of my question so as not to hijack Daisy's thread here. I'll be watching for your new thread, too.
[FONT=Arial Black]I hope you cherish this sweet way of life, and I hope you know that it comes with a price.
~Darrel Worley~
[/FONT]










Bullet's trial was a farce. Can I get an AMEN?????


We won't be punished for our sins, but BY them.




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LilacDragon
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Aggression towards other dogs

Post by LilacDragon »

Since she used to be very friendly and you say she hasn't been attacked - I would start with a complete physical at the vet's. I have heard several peopel say that Lyme's can make a dog aggressive. Not to say that is the problem, but with MAJOR attitude changes, I would rule out the physical first.

Once you rule out physical issues, you should seek out a trainer or behaviourist. They will be able to see your dog, read his body language and help you through this.
Sandi



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valerie
Posts: 7125
Joined: Sun Sep 05, 2004 12:00 pm

Aggression towards other dogs

Post by valerie »

Lilac has some good advice.



Ruling out anything physically wrong would be a help... my thinking is

maybe she's in pain from something.



Dogs who are well socialized early on don't usually revert back even

after not being around other dogs for a while.



Good luck.
Tamsen's Dogster Page

http://www.dogster.com/?27525



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