Agressive behavior year old male

[gam]

Hi,
I have a decision to make and need some advice. My male rotti turned a year old in April. All in all he is a gentle dog, likes to play, chase balls, likes to be petted, and follows his commands..sit, stay, down, etc...

However, last week he had a shoe and when he was told no, he dropped it. Then as my wife went to get it, he linged at her showing his teeth, grabbed her by her shirt and began to thrash. She finally got away when my son showed him a dog bone. He never bit her, but he did scare the life ouot of her. After that he was fine until he was laying on a blanket she went to get him off and he growled at her again.

He's now with my trainer and he has been evaluating me. At first he thought it was best we give him up, but after the evaluation he believes that the dog was given too much freedom and became powerful in his own territory. At my trainer's house the dog has shown no sign of aggression..The trainer went as far as puttinghis hand in his bowl while the dog was eating, taking bones away from him, and other things. His words were the dog is a WIMP out of his environment.

He feels that with stricter training and less freedom the dog can be turned around and become a good dog again. He thinks that because my wife was too easy on him, the dog moved himself up in the family structure behined me.

Sorry for the long history...So we are faced with the decision of going through with the training or letting him go and be a gaurd dog. Everyone says to let him go, although some never owned a dog and none have owned a rotti. My trainer has owned 2 rotties and been training them for 15 years.

I have 3 children 7, 11, 12...Should I just say goodbye or would the training be worth the try? Is it to late?

Thanks in advance...I need to let the trainer know by May 7.

Thanks

[lblax]

go with the training!!!!!!!!!! he is only a year old and he is at the age thast he will test weaker members of the household, this is by far not uncommon just train and make sure he knows his place in the pack!!!!!!!!!!! at a year old making him a junkyard dog shouldnt even be a option.

[LORHEL]

Don't let this boy go, he is not beyond help. You know what the problem is already, he has been able to bully your wife around because she let him. He sees himself above her in the pack.
Its time for some tough love...;) He's also still very young, and with the right trainer, and you guys working with him each and every day (training never ends with these guys)...you can be successful.

There are numerous experts here who can also give you some advice on this issue. Best of luck to you. Don't give up on the dog, its not his fault, he hasn't had the guidance that he needs! :)

[Judi W]

I vote for training however the entire family must be in agreement, and I also would stress that you must be dedicated and ensure that no one is hurt by this boy. If he hasn't been in a consistent and ongoing training program and then has permissive owners, incidents like this can certainly occur. Get out your crate and use it when you are not going to be able to supervise. Dogs do not give up a superiour position happily and you do not want him experimenting with making people back off by showing aggression. That would be very bad for all and establish even more precident in his mind for how to get what he wants. When an act is successful from the dog's point of view it will be repeated. You need to set rules for the entire family as well as the dog and all must agree to support the decision and the program. Training every single day several times a day. A dog might be a wus, but still be dominanting over people who allow it. Being gentle and obeying when things are going his way, but aggressive when they are not simply will not do. He is not a baby any more. It is not pleasant for your wife and she is the one who must have the buy-in because she is the one who was gone after. You are so lucky you have a quick thinking child. I don't know your family dynamics so please do not take offense at the following. Make sure that the dog, if he defers to you, always sees you treating your wife and the children with respect. If you are of the personality type who yells at family members, some dogs will feel that they are joining in on the side of strength and that those family members are free to be disciplined.

Well, I don't envy you and I know you all have some hard thinking to do. This is a youngster and yes, training works. Just as the decision to acquire a dog in the first place demands forethought, so does how you raise and train it.

[gam]

I want to thank all those that have responded and those who will respond. After reading your posts, my wife feels t hat we should give our male rotti, we have a female already, another shot.

We have spoken to the trainer and he will be putting together a training schedule which will include our dog staying with him for a while and then we'll join in and work very closely with him.

This should take about 3 weeks. Then we will bring him back to our house, where he feels secure and is king, and continue intensive training.

I'm grateful to all of you and would accept any help, constructive critisism, advice, or anything to make this all work out.

I will do my best to keep you posted on ouor training and our dog's training...

Thank you again

[Judi W]

Just remember one thing. He is not supposed to feel like a king. He is not and that is what got him into trouble in the first place. Remember, he is still just a dog and doesn't pay the bills or do the laundry or...........

[TrishB]

Be sure to be very supportive of your wife. She'll have to execute the majority of his upcoming training. She'll be very involved with the dog, so as to establish herself as Alpha to him. This will take time.

Be sure that she's given some freedom with her schedule to do so. You may have to 'pick up' some of the slack as she directs some of her focus to your dog.

I agree with the others that training is a very possible option. However, your wife and family members must be dedicated, on their own terms. If they aren't sure, are feeling overwhelmed or fearful - the safety and comfort of your family must over-rule.

Best of luck and please let us know how he's doing.

[brunie's mom]

You have been given good advice:) I hope that you do try to turn him around. If the dog is still intact, please have him neutered... it is not a magic solution... training is still your best bet, but it should make your male much more manegable:)

Good-luck!

Gina

[Judi W]

A good thought. Actually, if he is living with an intact female, that will contribute to his bad actions if he hasn't been managed properly as to his place in the world. Gives him another reason to think he's a big shot. You want to remove any reasons he has for believing he is so darn important.

[gam]

Thanks again...Both my female and male are fixed....

My wife is willing to do the training and realizes he was given too much freedom. I have stressed that training will only work if we are all commited to doing so....She agrees

[TrishB]

Originally posted by gam
Thanks again...Both my female and male are fixed....

My wife is willing to do the training and realizes he was given too much freedom. I have stressed that training will only work if we are all commited to doing so....She agrees

Wonderful news! :D Best of luck to you and your family - with such a wonderful attitude and the support of a professional trainer, I'm sure you'll be successful! :) Please let us know how he's doing!

[mijpa]

Originally posted by gam
Hi,
I have a decision to make and need some advice. My male rotti turned a year old in April. All in all he is a gentle dog, likes to play, chase balls, likes to be petted, and follows his commands..sit, stay, down, etc...

However, last week he had a shoe and when he was told no, he dropped it. Then as my wife went to get it, he linged at her showing his teeth, grabbed her by her shirt and began to thrash. She finally got away when my son showed him a dog bone. He never bit her, but he did scare the life ouot of her. After that he was fine until he was laying on a blanket she went to get him off and he growled at her again.

He's now with my trainer and he has been evaluating me. At first he thought it was best we give him up, but after the evaluation he believes that the dog was given too much freedom and became powerful in his own territory. At my trainer's house the dog has shown no sign of aggression..The trainer went as far as puttinghis hand in his bowl while the dog was eating, taking bones away from him, and other things. His words were the dog is a WIMP out of his environment.

He feels that with stricter training and less freedom the dog can be turned around and become a good dog again. He thinks that because my wife was too easy on him, the dog moved himself up in the family structure behined me.

Sorry for the long history...So we are faced with the decision of going through with the training or letting him go and be a gaurd dog. Everyone says to let him go, although some never owned a dog and none have owned a rotti. My trainer has owned 2 rotties and been training them for 15 years.

I have 3 children 7, 11, 12...Should I just say goodbye or would the training be worth the try? Is it to late?

Thanks in advance...I need to let the trainer know by May 7.

Thanks

i'm just curious ,is your dog intact? i read that at around that age they will really try and psh your buttons more so then a male that has been nuetered.again i'm just curious. and good luck with your boy

[gam]

Spoke with my trainer last night, my rott has been living with him for a week now.

He said the he is doing fine; but hates being alone at times. Well he has gone through a week of evaluation and my trainer said he's a good dog. He has shown no signs of aggression towards him, even when the trainer puts his hand in the dog's food bowl while the dog is eating.

My rott is starting to warm up to him now which is a good thing so the trainer can see how the dog reacts when the dog feels comfortable and not so insecure. This is a good thing because the trainer will begin to set him up for failure and see if shows any sign of aggression or dominance towards him. Then the dog will be given a correction if he does.

All in all he's doing well...He'll be with thetrainer until the end of the month at which time the entire family gets trained and the dog comes home...

Boy...I never had to do this with my female.

That's all folks...

[ROTTSVILLE]

I must commend your childs quick thinking and presence of mind, to get the bone and cause a distraction, this dealt with the immediate problem.
But i'd be interested to hear how people would handle this situation if there was no bone or assistance.
What steps/action would an experienced dog person take, to deal with this immediate threat. A rott hanging onto your arm, presumably oblivious to any commands ?????

[Zephyr]

A rott hanging onto your arm, presumably oblivious to any commands ?????

From personal experience of having that happen to me [with a rescue Giant Schnauzer I had], the best thing to do if attacked and bitten is to poke the dog in the eyes, grab the nose hard and hope the dog falls off. If so, then DON'T RUN. Stand your ground and shout as loud as you can at the dog 'NO!" "SIT". It might help. Keep arms close to body and legs in a stance that will not allow you to be knocked down on the ground [a very bad place to be if attacked]. Slowly back away, still shouting NO.

After I was attacked, the dog was hauled off by my very large son. The dog kept up his attacks on my son, but he was a lot stronger and could hold the dog down to the ground. If a 2nd party isn't an option at the time, then do whatever it takes to make the dog let go of you.

Re the outside trainer taking the dog for evaluation/training: I've been told over and over by 3 different professional trainers that is not a good method of training a dog. Particularly a dog without a notion of his actual pack position [below wife and kids]. In fact, a very good trainer I know personally feels that sort of training is a waste of time and money as the dog will only learn to mind the trainer, who no doubt will not tolerate any crap from the dog. If the family [particularly youngish kids] can't establish pack roles over the dog, then the dog will again revert to his old behavior in the original home.

My new rottie, a rescue from a shelter, tried to growl and intimidate my son, who is physically intimidating himself. THe dog became jealous of my son, who is 23 and living here at home until he finishes college, and thought she could growl at him. He instantly corrected her by shouting "NO!" and "BAD DOG!" and then I came over quickly and made her SIT and DOWN, followed by a cold shoulder for the rest of the day/evening. She got the message. He's also going to be doing her obedience work out of class and in class with me so he can make it clear she's not to be jealous of him for my affection. Because she's very bonded to me, she has shown jealousy twice and I won't tolerate it. When I show her I'm disapproving, in unmistakeable ways, she gets it quickly.

With any aggression, I'd recommend too the reading of Ed Frawley's site for some tips on dominance/aggression: <www.????????.com>. Pay particular attention to his section on Dominance and Aggression.

Best of luck and post your updates please!

Payton