Guest Anonymous Posted December 9, 2004 Posted December 9, 2004 I have a 2 year old blue heeler; I've had him since 8 weeks. It's just the two of us most of the time; around me and my family he is as good as can be, but is extremely possessive of me around strangers. I understand that this is common among this type of breed, but he has just gotten like this over the past few months and it's so bad that I can't take him anywhere without worrying that he will attack someone. I'm wondering what I can do to stop this before he does bite someone. :-? Quote
xavierandrea Posted December 9, 2004 Posted December 9, 2004 Is he neutered? (sp) sorry I'm a bad speller. Has anything changed in your life lately? Example new home, new friend? Quote
courtnek Posted December 10, 2004 Posted December 10, 2004 your grandparents have spoiled your dog, to the point where he thinks he is more important than you in the pack. THEY need to follow YOUR rules about the dog. Sometimes you have to be bitchy about these things. I know I DO with my son and his ideas.... Quote
courtnek Posted December 10, 2004 Posted December 10, 2004 oooppps...wrong thread..never mind :o Quote
DogPaddle Posted December 10, 2004 Posted December 10, 2004 Get dog neutered. Get dogs thyroid checked. Take dog to behaviourist or bring behaviourist to him. Practice NILIF. Quote
Cairn6 Posted December 10, 2004 Posted December 10, 2004 courtnek napisał(a):oooppps...wrong thread..never mind :o :lol: I wondered what that was all about. I had to go back and reread it thinking I missed something. Quote
mouseatthebusstop Posted December 10, 2004 Posted December 10, 2004 Cairn6 napisał(a):courtnek napisał(a):oooppps...wrong thread..never mind :o :lol: I wondered what that was all about. I had to go back and reread it thinking I missed something. so did I- I thought I had missed something Quote
imported_Kat Posted December 10, 2004 Posted December 10, 2004 Neutering is the first question as intact testicles are responsible for a lot of dominance aggression. If he is neutered then you would be best to seek the help from a behaviourist and get tough with your dog. Let him know that it isn't acceptable. From what I perceive he respects you therefore a raised voice could shame him and put him in his place. Quote
Guest Anonymous Posted December 10, 2004 Posted December 10, 2004 Actually, yes in the past year a few things have changed. When I got him I took him to work with me at a deer park (zoo) and he was around a lot of people and animals...I never had him on a leash! Then last October I moved for a job with the Army and he can no longer roam freely. I walk him and give him a lot of attention, maybe too much? I spent about 6 months going to schools and getting qualified for my job and was only home for a week or so at a time. He started getting possessive about 3 months into it so I had him fixed...maybe he was too old. Now, he isn't around a lot of people and when he is he's down right mean! Other than being around strangers he is really the best dog in the world and I just don't know what to do. Quote
rotten_two Posted December 10, 2004 Posted December 10, 2004 obviously we can't even begin to hatch a behavior modification plan over the internet because we don't see first hand what is going on. i do wonder if your dog has a specified job? heelers are bred to herd and protect cattle and the cattleman. often if dogs that need a job don't have a job they will create one (herding ppl or other animals, guarding people, etc). have you thought of trying agility or herding type trials (maybe privately until he is better around people)? it is necessary to keep a dog socialized to animals, humans, etc if you expect them to behave in an enviornment that contains these factors. your dog has not been around people in some time and has probably "forgotten" how to behave in a situation with other people. if you truly want to help your dog it is gonna take a time committment and lots of patience. you essentially need to re-socialize your dog (slowly) to people. all sorts of people -- fat, short, tall, skinny, hats, mustaches, sunglasses, etc. has your dog done any obedience training? do you have a good solid sit stay? have you used a clicker? see, tons of questions need to be answered. too many to type even. you might be best suited finding a good animal behaviorist in your area. let's see you are in wisconsin? pat mcconnell is in black earth wisconsin and i would argue she is one of the best. i dunno how close that is to you. her is her web link www.dogsbestfriendtraining.com good luck! Quote
xavierandrea Posted December 10, 2004 Posted December 10, 2004 First it is great news to hear that his is neutered and no it is never to late to have it done. I agree with Rotten_two, maybe he forgotten how to behave around people. From what I read you used to always take him out and then all of a sudden stopped. He's probally confused and acting out for attention. You will need to re-socialize him slowly. Rotten_two have great suggestions :) Quote
Guest Anonymous Posted December 10, 2004 Posted December 10, 2004 You are both correct; I really do need to take him out more. We climb the bluffs and do a lot together but not much around other people. I've looked into classes for him around here and I guess it's my fault that I've not got him enrolled yet. Black Earth is quite a drive, but the website did look rather interesting......thanks for all the input :lol: Quote
xavierandrea Posted December 10, 2004 Posted December 10, 2004 Good luck and keep us posted ok.. :D Quote
rotten_two Posted December 10, 2004 Posted December 10, 2004 pat mc will do phone consultations so that might be an option if she is too far from you? you will find lots of her books on the site too. cautious canine & fiesty fido are 2 little booklets that are pretty inexpensive and worth the read. Quote
Yoladybug Posted December 10, 2004 Posted December 10, 2004 My sister has a Brittany Spaniel, and he was the model dog for about a year. Then, she got married, and everything changed. He was intensly protective of her, yet he wouldn't listen to her. He started attacking people. First it just started with a lot of angry growling, then growling and lunging, then growling, lunging and biting. MY sister and her husband were doing everything they could do on their own for him, and they were starting to consider putting him to sleep (as a last resort of course, but even having to discuss it is obviously very troubling). Through friends, they heard of a behaviorist who specialized in aggressive dogs. The took their dog there and left him for about 3 weeks of intensive training. The last week (while the dog was still staying there), they went out there every day and worked with the trainer and their dog to learn the new commands and to teach the dog that they were in charge. Then, they took him home. In 3 years, he's had one "relapse" where he growled and lunged. He went straight back to the trainer for a refresher. Anyway, the point of my story is that they were at the end of their ropes, and nothing seemed to be working, but thank god they found something that did. This guy really saved them. He's in Tallahassee, FL. His name is Ken and his website is http://capitalcanine.com/contact.htm. I know you are not in this area, but he is well connected, and maybe he could refer you to someone in your area. He truly saved my sister from a really nasty situation. Good Luck...I know it must be hard to deal with something like this, and I hope you find something that works. Quote
Guest Anonymous Posted December 10, 2004 Posted December 10, 2004 Thanks for all the great feedback; now I've got to do my job and contact some of these people to get the right person to help with this problem. :lol: Quote
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