Aggression

[Guest Anonymous]

Ok so I am a first time dog owner and am totally head over heals for my puppy. He is a shar-pei & lab mix. I brought him to obedience training and he does very well with commands etc.. Recently though he has started to show serious signs of aggression.. He is always very loyal to us but when a stranger is near he switches to a "gard-mode" and flares the gums etc ... etc... He has started to nip at anyone outside our family unit .. I need to stop this now.. I love my dog but cannot accept this behavior as I am afraid that he could potentially really hurt someone... Could someone pleaseHelp me try to figure out a way to get him socialized and to get him to stop nipping? :cry:

[Aroura]

Contact the person who you did obedience with, if they are good they should be able to help you. If not then find someone who does.

[Guest Anonymous]

[quote name='Dakota']Ok so I am a first time dog owner and am totally head over heals for my puppy. He is a shar-pei & lab mix. I brought him to obedience training and he does very well with commands etc.. Recently though he has started to show serious signs of aggression.. He is always very loyal to us but when a stranger is near he switches to a "gard-mode" and flares the gums etc ... etc... He has started to nip at anyone outside our family unit .. I need to stop this now.. I love my dog but cannot accept this behavior as I am afraid that he could potentially really hurt someone... Could someone pleaseHelp me try to figure out a way to get him socialized and to get him to stop nipping? :cry:

take a look at www.gentleleader.com for a tool to help control the pushy boy's mouth while you at the same time look for a behaviorist to help you with this problem - ask your vet for a referral

[Aroura]

[quote name='Anonymous']take a look at www.gentleleader.com for a tool to help control the pushy boy's mouth while you at the same time look for a behaviorist to help you with this problem - ask your vet for a referral

I disagree completely, restricting the dog will only make it more agressive.
The best bet would be to find people with similar sized, well socialized dogs and let them play OFF LEAD, making sure no serious fights break out but at the same time remembering that any little tussles are just a part of the dogs getting used to each other. So many people grab their dog and put it on a lead when the dog does even the slightest thing wrong, this is the worse thing you can do.
Let them play under the supervision of a trainer or someone who knows the real danger signs and I'm sure things may well sort themself out.

[mouseatthebusstop]

i agree with k and i would also go back to training classes. good luck :wink: :wink: :wink: :wink:

[Guest Anonymous]

[quote name='Aroura'][quote name='Anonymous']take a look at www.gentleleader.com for a tool to help control the pushy boy's mouth while you at the same time look for a behaviorist to help you with this problem - ask your vet for a referral

I disagree completely, restricting the dog will only make it more agressive.
The best bet would be to find people with similar sized, well socialized dogs and let them play OFF LEAD, making sure no serious fights break out but at the same time remembering that any little tussles are just a part of the dogs getting used to each other. So many people grab their dog and put it on a lead when the dog does even the slightest thing wrong, this is the worse thing you can do.
Let them play under the supervision of a trainer or someone who knows the real danger signs and I'm sure things may well sort themself out.

Well and do tell us when you got your degree in behavior :roll: :lol:
This is the tool used to work with aggressive dogs by all the top modern day BEHAVIORISTS and if you read anything going about behavior modification in dogs with problems you would know that - I'm not talking the local pain trainer here though mostly those who know anything at all about real training are delighted to have this tool to help control pushy behavior in dogs. Your idea exposes people and dogs to bites and fights - not my idea of a training program at all!
This person has a dominant dog based on what he or she has said and if they do not get control of it its pretty likely that either they will be unhappy for life with the dog OR it will have a short life due to its behavior issue.

[Smooshie]

I have to agree with both K AND Guest on this......get your vet to refer you to a good behaviourist, and in the interim, start racking your brain as to what might have caused the dog to become so distrustful of people.
Is there a chance that someone might have hurt him,or teased him when you're not around? Is he kept inside while you're away? Is he nippy with kids AND adults? How is he with other dogs?? The more information you can offer a trainer, the easier it will be for them to get to the root of the problem,and help you get your pup back on the right track. Good luck :)