1 year old : lunging, growling

[lumpsta]

I'm sure these questions have been discussed many times before, but this whole message board is pretty big and i haven't found quite what I am looking for. My 1 year old female, Scarlet, just had her first birthday yesterday. It just so happened that it fell on the same day that she growled at me aggresively for the first time after i tried to get a corn cob out of her mouth that she took out of the garbage can. My girlfriend said that Scarlet growled (not grumbled) at her a few weeks ago when she tried to take something else out of her mouth that she wasn't suppose to have. I didn't take my gf all that seriously but when it happened to her again yesterday and then to me, I am a little worried.

Scarlet is a wonderful, beautiful dog that just loves people and other animals. I've never had anything close to an aggression problem with her. I hope I'm not being naive, but I think she is just testing her boundries. What I want to know is how I should deal with it and not make it any worse.

The only other real problem I have with her is if I take her out of the house or her kennel and a friend is standing there she almost pulls me right off my feet trying to get to them and play. I can control her pretty good out on walks, but she does tend to wander toward people as they pass but a slight tug gets her back on track. However, if someone passes with another dog, I really have to hold on tight because she tends to get overly excited and lunge a little. Some advice on this would be greatly appreciated, too

Before anybody discusses obedience classes, please keep in mind that;

1. There is only one class offered in my immediate area, and Scarlet and I already took it. The class didn't touch too much on either of these subjects.

2. Even if there was a better class available close by, I probably couldn't afford it.

3. I'm looking more for tips that i can use one on one with her. I'm more than willing to work with her but i need a few more tools to work with.

please help, any responses are greatly appreciated! thank you

[sophie's-mom]

what did the class you took teach? basic manners? have you continued doing these exercises on a weekly/daily basis??

your scarlett is being RUDE, she's telling you that

1) she doesn't WANT you take the corn cob (or other item of value) away from her! What are you telling HER when she does this?

2) she is a brat and if she wants to play with someone WHO ARE YOU to stop her??

she's not paying attention to you because you are failing to inform her that she isn't the boss.

completing the class does not mean completed training.......you've got to keep her REMINDED of the things you expect from her. Go over her commands on leash on a daily basis. TRADE items she isn't supposed to have with a treat or some praise.......taking away isn't fun.......trading for something like a treat will not be a FIGHT.


Others will come and give you better information but these are just some bits to think about.

[sarahd]

I would definitely kick this ASAP. When you tried to take things out of her mouth were you trading for something else or just grabbing it from her? I tell Kyla to "leave it" and show her a treat and then she will drop it knowing she will get something better. As far as the lunging goes try doing some drop slack and run...basically you walk with your dog and then as soon as she stops paying attention to you (or starts to go towards another dog) you drop the slack in the lead and haul A$$ in another direction. Once your dog catches up beside you, praise and reward. Continue walking normally and then do it again...soon she will learn that 1. She better pay attention to what you are doing and where you are going & 2. that every time she approaches another dog she gets a correction which is not so fun. I had the same problem with Kyla going for other dogs and this really seems to be working. It also helps with walks in general because she knows she has to pay attention or I might catch her off guard. Just make sure when she does pay attention you give her lots of praise for the good behavoir to reinforce it.

Good luck!

[Judi W]

Not much since we've been told not to suggest obedience classes. Personally, I'd take whatever class was available over and over until the dog and I understood each other and she the rules of civil living.

[lumpsta]

I will admit that I don't keep up with her training as much as I should, and this incident provided me with the wake up call that I needed to start!

Hindsight is always 20/20, and I did think after the fact that I should have tried to trade with her. However, I feel that this will only put a band aid on the problem. I want to nip it in the bud and let her know that I'm in charge. I've never been afraid to correct her if she's doing wrong and she usually minds me pretty good, that's why it totally caught me off gaurd.

[sophie's-mom]

but lunging at people and other dogs is NOT minding pretty good.

and if she tests in one area and is allowed to get away with it (such as in NO REAL CORRECTION for bad behavior) she will test in other areas too.

[sarahd]

time to start at the beginning and make her earn everything...she definitely doesn't think that you are the boss...she minds you when she feels like it and when it suits her. Even if you don't have the money to go to classes there is no reason you can not work with her at home. It just is easier when you are in a class because you make the time for it and you have someone who knows more than you (hopefully!!) to help you out. Even if you only work with her for 5-10 minutes 3 or 4 times a day going through exercises and stay on top of general manners etc you will notice a difference. Don't give her any freebies...correct her the first time...she needs consistency and to be reminded that YOU are the boss not HER.

[Sargeant_C]

What about at least getting a book on how to train her and work with her at home. There are several great books on teaching them OB and it would help you out.
She has learned she can push you and now you have to push back and get it under control before it gets worse. And it will get worse.
Teach her drop it and leave it now so when she does get something you can use those commands.

[lumpsta]

yes, but what is the proper way to correct them when they do wrong? especially when it's out in public and she lunges toward someone? i'm at my wits end trying to get her attention when she's pulling with all her might toward someone who wants to pet her. i can't figure out how to settle her down. a gentle tug does no good. a hard pull does no good. saying "no" doesn't work at all. she gets tunnel vision and i don't know if it's best to correct her harshly or softly with treats or what. same with the growling...being nice gets me nowhere, being loud and angry just scares her temporarily then she forgets all about it.

[sarahd]

Yelling is pointless...the dog can hear you...she is not deaf, she just doesn't want to obey. What kind of collar are you using? The correction that I give my dog when she lunges is to give her slack on her leash and collar to allow her to make the mistake and to allow for a good "pop" on her slip collar. I was using a choke chain but it was not very effective...too slow because I couldn't get the right fit for her skinny neck. hold the leash in your right hand...dog on your left side...slack loosely bundled in your right hand. As she starts to lose focus and head for the other dog tell her, "leave it" or whatever command you use and give the leash a pop with your left hand. Quick pop and release. She should be paying attention to you now. If she does praise praise praise. If not, drop slack from your right hand (but not the leash!!) and run a couple steps away so that she is given an automatic correction. My trainer told me not to worry about hurting her...she is tough and basically the better (forceful) correction you give her the quicker she is going to learn that the behaviour is a NO GO. She may spin in a circle as the slack is gone and you "catch" her. But as soon as she heads in the right direction the collar will release and the correction is done. Its pretty hard for her to go after another dog when you are running in the opposite direction and knock her off her high horse! lol This is not to say you have to run everytime you see a dog but it will get her attention and reinforce that going after another dog ends with me getting a harsh correction...maybe i won't do that anymore seems how i didn't like it that much! lol Once you have her attention you can work on doing a down-stay or complete ignoring of distractions.