Protective, Territorial or just plain Aggressive??? - MyCorgi.com2024-03-29T13:06:14Zhttp://mycorgi.com/forum/topics/protective-territorial-or-just-plain-aggressive?feed=yes&xn_auth=noThat sounds good. If you can…tag:mycorgi.com,2011-11-17:1150197:Comment:13747082011-11-17T18:36:30.839ZAnna Morellihttp://mycorgi.com/profile/AnnaMorelli
<p>That sounds good. If you can't do a class with Maisie, start some formal obedience on your own, there are many simple good books. Keep in mind that some dogs just don't like other dogs and this is quite normal, especially in certain breeds, but they still can be under control and well behaved around them, you just don't expect them to go nose to nose or remain calm if a loose dog comes up to them. You learn how to manage this type of dog.</p>
<p>That sounds good. If you can't do a class with Maisie, start some formal obedience on your own, there are many simple good books. Keep in mind that some dogs just don't like other dogs and this is quite normal, especially in certain breeds, but they still can be under control and well behaved around them, you just don't expect them to go nose to nose or remain calm if a loose dog comes up to them. You learn how to manage this type of dog.</p> No no - we don't have two out…tag:mycorgi.com,2011-11-17:1150197:Comment:13749502011-11-17T16:58:58.723ZNJohnsonhttp://mycorgi.com/profile/NeilieJohnson
<p>No no - we don't have two out of control dogs. Only one. Milo's really sweet and calm. It's Maisie who has "issues". :)</p>
<p>When I walk Milo alone, he sees another dog and is like, "whatever" and he's great with people and wants to say a smiley hello to everyone we meet. He only barks when he's with his sister. I also am happy to report that they're surprisingly non-destructive whether together or alone. I'm actually shocked that they've never chewed anything or scratched anything. They…</p>
<p>No no - we don't have two out of control dogs. Only one. Milo's really sweet and calm. It's Maisie who has "issues". :)</p>
<p>When I walk Milo alone, he sees another dog and is like, "whatever" and he's great with people and wants to say a smiley hello to everyone we meet. He only barks when he's with his sister. I also am happy to report that they're surprisingly non-destructive whether together or alone. I'm actually shocked that they've never chewed anything or scratched anything. They just seem to sleep until we get back. Whew!</p>
<p>I'll try doing what you say though and start walking them separately and see if that brings any improvement. Thanks!</p>
<p> </p> Jennifer, you write " we "dom…tag:mycorgi.com,2011-11-17:1150197:Comment:13748752011-11-17T16:17:05.275ZAnna Morellihttp://mycorgi.com/profile/AnnaMorelli
<p>Jennifer, you write " we "dominate" him by pinning him to the ground, and we stand over him. He generally calms down once we do this, but if he doesn't we keep him down until he's just laying there. We make him lay there for a few minutes, if not more and then we gets up when we tell him to. " Be aware that this is a dangerous technique that can ultimately make the dog more people aggressive in general and really backfire. It is also dangerous for the person carrying out the technique,…</p>
<p>Jennifer, you write " we "dominate" him by pinning him to the ground, and we stand over him. He generally calms down once we do this, but if he doesn't we keep him down until he's just laying there. We make him lay there for a few minutes, if not more and then we gets up when we tell him to. " Be aware that this is a dangerous technique that can ultimately make the dog more people aggressive in general and really backfire. It is also dangerous for the person carrying out the technique, putting them a risk of a severe bite. Your other comment " the more harsh the punishment, the harder Charlie retaliates! " is right on target! </p> Nellie, the advice they gave…tag:mycorgi.com,2011-11-17:1150197:Comment:13747882011-11-17T16:00:28.508ZAnna Morellihttp://mycorgi.com/profile/AnnaMorelli
<p>Nellie, the advice they gave you at the HS is correct. Walk them separately, even if you have to cut the time each one is walked in half. There is only one of you! They will adjust. With one, you can implement many of the good suggestions given here for dog to dog aggression. Start this when you have someone else at home to leave the other with ( if you live alone, confine the one you leave safely, so it cannot become destructive in your absence. This should not be necessary once they…</p>
<p>Nellie, the advice they gave you at the HS is correct. Walk them separately, even if you have to cut the time each one is walked in half. There is only one of you! They will adjust. With one, you can implement many of the good suggestions given here for dog to dog aggression. Start this when you have someone else at home to leave the other with ( if you live alone, confine the one you leave safely, so it cannot become destructive in your absence. This should not be necessary once they have gotten used to your new routine, a week or so ) Begin with walking the most energetic dog first, and maintain this order thereafter. In a few days they will learn your new routine. With two out of control dogs, you don't stand a chance, your anxiety is giving you good feedback, trust it.</p>
<p>Once you feel fully in control of each one, try both again on short distances and short leashes. Basic obedience classes individually, would help, if you can afford it. Consider enrolling just one. A class with the more difficult dog, would teach you how to deal with the other one as well. Incorporate the training in their individual walking time. !5-20 minutes of daily training gives a dog a lot of mental stimulation and can go a long way in calming them down as well.</p>
<p> </p> Yeah, 1-2 private lessons wit…tag:mycorgi.com,2011-11-17:1150197:Comment:13745022011-11-17T01:50:49.763ZDianehttp://mycorgi.com/profile/DianeW
<p>Yeah, 1-2 private lessons with a good trainer was well worth the $$ spent... It just gave us a good start on things to practice on our own. </p>
<p>Unfortunately the seaweed guarding is proving to be a bit hazardous to his health... Most dogs just back off when he warns them, but last weekend he snarked at the wrong dog and ended up with a bitten ear ;-< Fortunately it wasn't serious, but it definitely means we need to stay more on top of keeping him away from the seaweed (not always…</p>
<p>Yeah, 1-2 private lessons with a good trainer was well worth the $$ spent... It just gave us a good start on things to practice on our own. </p>
<p>Unfortunately the seaweed guarding is proving to be a bit hazardous to his health... Most dogs just back off when he warns them, but last weekend he snarked at the wrong dog and ended up with a bitten ear ;-< Fortunately it wasn't serious, but it definitely means we need to stay more on top of keeping him away from the seaweed (not always easy depending on the beach and time of year).</p>
<p><br/>At any rate - hope you find someone who can help you out (preferably someone who won't write it off as a "breed" thing). Keep us posted.</p>
<p> </p> Thanks Diane,
We're hoping th…tag:mycorgi.com,2011-11-16:1150197:Comment:13743942011-11-16T23:44:11.107ZCarly & Finnhttp://mycorgi.com/profile/CarlyRodriguez
<p>Thanks Diane,</p>
<p>We're hoping that a private trainer will be able to help quell the issues. Your story has helped to relieve some frustration. That's so funny that Chewey guards seaweed! What a healthy lil pup... now he just needs some rice and fish to make some sushi! :)</p>
<p>Thanks Diane,</p>
<p>We're hoping that a private trainer will be able to help quell the issues. Your story has helped to relieve some frustration. That's so funny that Chewey guards seaweed! What a healthy lil pup... now he just needs some rice and fish to make some sushi! :)</p> Hi,
We adopted a fairly young…tag:mycorgi.com,2011-11-16:1150197:Comment:13743652011-11-16T22:24:42.416ZDianehttp://mycorgi.com/profile/DianeW
<p>Hi,</p>
<p>We adopted a fairly young rescue corgi a year ago (history unknown) and experienced the exact same behaviors around other dogs, at least when on-leash, so I can completely empathize. On our daily walks Chewey would lunge out and growl at any dog we went by on our daily walks. Given that we often take walks on a very popular walking/bike path along the ocean that got to be embarrassing fairly quickly.</p>
<p>We are first time Corgi owners and it became clear that we needed some…</p>
<p>Hi,</p>
<p>We adopted a fairly young rescue corgi a year ago (history unknown) and experienced the exact same behaviors around other dogs, at least when on-leash, so I can completely empathize. On our daily walks Chewey would lunge out and growl at any dog we went by on our daily walks. Given that we often take walks on a very popular walking/bike path along the ocean that got to be embarrassing fairly quickly.</p>
<p>We are first time Corgi owners and it became clear that we needed some help to learn how to curtail that behavior... Fortunately we lucked out and found a trainer who had owned/shown corgis and had some familiarity with the breed, so we did 1-2 private classes just to work on those behaviors. For us - it basically boiled down to getting Chewey's attention (e.g. with yummy treats and "watch me") _before_ he started zeroing in on the other dog. As soon as we saw the dog and/or before Chewey started looking at the dog we would work on getting his attention. If he started to pay any attention to the dog we would tell him to "leave it" and entice him with a treat. He got the treat if he left it alone, otherwise not. Needless to say we went through a lot of cookies and string cheese (aka "corgi crack").</p>
<p>It seemed like it took forever before we saw any significant improvement - months (maybe even 6+ or more). It just took a lot of patience and practice, so don't despair. Our dog is still not great at saying "hello" to other dogs when on leash (without being snarky) so I always warn people who bring their dogs up for a greeting... but it's still a huge improvement over a year ago.</p>
<p>A couple other things that helped for us was switching to a gentle leader and taking some additional group classes with the same trainer (for the extra practice/exposure as well as for general learning/fun). </p>
<p>Now if we could just get him to not be so food aggressive with seaweed on the beach.... sigh. </p>
<p>At any rate, good luck!</p>
<p> </p> Aggression toward dogs is unp…tag:mycorgi.com,2011-11-16:1150197:Comment:13738712011-11-16T04:31:20.423ZAnna Morellihttp://mycorgi.com/profile/AnnaMorelli
<p>Aggression toward dogs is unpleasant and can lead to a dog fight, but aggression toward people is a much more serious issue and can lead to a lawsuit. I find that dog to people aggression is something that requires professional evaluation and help and is not a do-it-yourself affair because too much is at stake. Finding a trainer who is experienced and knowledgeable in this aspect of dog behavior may take some homework. The trainer will teach the owner how to safely handle the dog. I am…</p>
<p>Aggression toward dogs is unpleasant and can lead to a dog fight, but aggression toward people is a much more serious issue and can lead to a lawsuit. I find that dog to people aggression is something that requires professional evaluation and help and is not a do-it-yourself affair because too much is at stake. Finding a trainer who is experienced and knowledgeable in this aspect of dog behavior may take some homework. The trainer will teach the owner how to safely handle the dog. I am not a fan of treats with aggressive dogs, unless it's fear aggression. I would recommend a well fitted Halti (which gives you the control where you need it) in addition to a secure collar and a short leash when walking the dog, while you sort out the rest. Good luck.</p> I still think sometimes it is…tag:mycorgi.com,2011-11-16:1150197:Comment:13736912011-11-16T03:00:22.033ZBev Levyhttp://mycorgi.com/profile/BevLevy
<p>I still think sometimes it is not the immediate correction that can change a behavior. Yes sometimes that works but often with a "bossy" dog it is the every day things stressed in NILIF coupled with a well timed correction such as quickly turning away before getting close to the person/dog that causes a reaction. If EVERY time the dog pulls you quickly and enthusiastically change direction, eventually the dog will stop pulling. Unfortunately it is exhausting to change a behavior once it…</p>
<p>I still think sometimes it is not the immediate correction that can change a behavior. Yes sometimes that works but often with a "bossy" dog it is the every day things stressed in NILIF coupled with a well timed correction such as quickly turning away before getting close to the person/dog that causes a reaction. If EVERY time the dog pulls you quickly and enthusiastically change direction, eventually the dog will stop pulling. Unfortunately it is exhausting to change a behavior once it starts. I find when I have problems it usually stems from me being a little too lax. As far as food goes I can't see expecting dogs to share with other dogs. Mine all know that they are not allowed by the others while they are eating because I will step in and correct the one that decides to casually wander over by another animal that is still eating. On Dog Whisperer you rarely see just how long he works to correct a behavior. It looks faster on TV. I don't think the breed is a problem but they do like to be in charge and most of us don't realize when we are not being in control. Growling at another dog will get mine an instant tug and No but I don't expect all of mine to enjoy all other dogs, they just have to be polite.</p>
<p> </p> Hi Carly,
We haven't employed…tag:mycorgi.com,2011-11-15:1150197:Comment:13734952011-11-15T20:19:46.413ZNJohnsonhttp://mycorgi.com/profile/NeilieJohnson
<p>Hi Carly,</p>
<p>We haven't employed a trainer b/c we don't really have the money but it looks like we'll have to find it somehow. Our dogs so far are OK with people and have never lunged at anyone, thank god. But they're 19 months old and oh boy do they pull! That in itself drives me nuts.</p>
<p>The Humane Society folks said for Maisie's training/rehab we should walk them separately but who has the time? As it is I'm 2 hours a day making sure they get enough exercise (we live in an…</p>
<p>Hi Carly,</p>
<p>We haven't employed a trainer b/c we don't really have the money but it looks like we'll have to find it somehow. Our dogs so far are OK with people and have never lunged at anyone, thank god. But they're 19 months old and oh boy do they pull! That in itself drives me nuts.</p>
<p>The Humane Society folks said for Maisie's training/rehab we should walk them separately but who has the time? As it is I'm 2 hours a day making sure they get enough exercise (we live in an apartment in San Mateo, CA) and I can't extend that to 4 hours a day. :(</p>
<p>I admit I'm very embarrassed by Maisie's behavior and it's really stressing me out. It's like being the parent of a really bratty kid (they act up and other people look at you witheringly and blame you) and I cringe every time Maisie growls at someone else's dog while it's just being calm or friendly.</p>
<p>I imagine the Dog Whisperer would say Maisie's feeling and reacting to my anxiety and that I'm not putting forth a calm and assertive energy. Heck, the way I feel, I'm sure I'm not. How can I though, when I really do feel nervous every time we see another dog? I can't seem to squelch that fear and even if Maisie DID miraculously stop growling at other dogs, it would take me some time to unlearn that fear behavior on my own part. It's rough.</p>