Aggressive Female Pup

[kathiem1]

Hello,

My husband is always bringing home strays and what-not. That latest is a 5 month old rott pup. We got her February 16, 2006. She had every bad behavior in the book you could imagine. Jumping, biting, tripping you up when you walk, bolting on the leash, food & object aggression, temper tantrums with our other dogs and my husband. She has a high prey drive and is dominant as well. I know this is rather long, but I've included some background on her as well.

I have a couple questions. The people who had her claimed she was going to kill someone some day. They had a shock collar on her from 10 weeks old up, she was shocked so much the hair was off her neck. Plus, she was literally bug-eyed (always showing the whites, what i refer to as "hard eyes") when we first got her. But couldn't that have been what's contributed to the aggressive behavior? I feel, and I don't know if I'm right or wrong about this, but I feel that there is nothing wrong with this pup at all, other than the fact that she was terribly mis-handled.

After about 3 weeks, her eyes went back to normal. Her attitude is becoming gentler, calmer now. She's very loving & affectionate, in that if you sit on the floor she'll come running to set in your lap. (she will fall asleep there if i let her, lol) She is incredibly intelligent. In the six weeks we've had her she's learned to sit, lay down, come, fetch, release and walk nicely on a leash. Plus she's totally housebroke now.

But she is still aggressive with my husband. Any tips for him?

Thanks,
Kathie

[llwaxan]

Thank you for rescuing this pup! Some people should never be allowed to have children and/or pets...

You may want to have your Hubby enroll with her at a formal ob class. This help her bonding with him and will allow her to get some socialization---a very important thing for a Rott pup. Also a professional trainer will be able to observe the interaction between the 2 and offer suggestions/help.

Also use the search capabilities on this site and I am sure you will find tons of info about aggression (the is a great sticky in this forum about dominance, etc.), taring, and puppy development.

Believe me you will thank your hubby morte and more for bringing her home. This breed is truly wonderful! Good luck :)

[Anne]

In what way is she showing aggression towards your husband? Does it show in play or is she showing aggression towards him in her general behaviour?

[AngelBunny]

Dear God in heaven. A shock collar on a puppy. If there's no justice in this world, we can only hope for it in the next. Thank you to your husband for taking her away from the hell in which she lived.

None of the behaior you describe--"jumping, biting, tripping you up when you walk, bolting on the leash, food & object aggression, temper tantrums with our other dogs and my husband" can be called "bad." Rather, they are behaviors of any untrained puppy.

A couple of suggestions.

Since she appears to settling least of all with hubby, have him enroll himself and her in obed class.

Both of you should start practiting NILIF yesterday. Stop sitting on the floor with her--and do not let her fall asleep in your lap. If your puppy is dominant, you do not want to do anything to give her ideas that she's in any way on par with you.

I assume your puppy is crated at night? No up on the furniture or in the bed??

Can you provide specifics as to how she's aggressive with your husband?

[kathiem1]

Hi there,

llwaxan, thanks, those were my thoughts exactly. She was crated 18-20 hours a day, she didn't even KNOW what a squeaky toy (or any toys for that matter) was/were for. She was scared to death first time i squeaked it at her. Anyway, thanks for the suggestion. I told my husband I felt he needed to work with her on obedience training, but to get that same input from someone else who's knowledgeable about rottweilers & their training helps reassure me that yes, my thinking's on the right track. I love rotts, but have only had 2 in my life. This pup (Abby) only makes the 3rd rott I've dealt with, so I am still a bit unsure of myself. And especially with her background.

Anne, if he tries to put a leash her to take her out and she doesn't want to be leashed, she either growls at him or snaps. She escalates far too quickly into aggressiveness with any form of rough-housing or hard playing, so we just don't do that with her at all. We play gently with her with pull toys, squeakies, and balls, and she does fine with that. But basically, if she doesn't want to do something for him, she'll just get nasty. (having her collar put on in the morning, feeding time, or if he tries to get her to go in her crate, etc.) First she'll warn him with a growl, then if that doesn't work, she'll try snapping at him.

Angelbunny, yes, she's crated, but only at bedtime or if we're gone. None of our animals are allowed on furniture or in the bed with us, ever. I like that way you put that, that those are the behaviors of an untrained puppy. She's come so far in the past few weeks, I can't get over how smart and quick she is to learn new things. I only have to show her something 3-4 times, then she gets it AND remembers it. Thanks so much for the suggestions, we will definitely get her into formal obedience training with him ASAP. What is NILIF--i've never heard of that before??? Is it on this site, that I can do a search for it? I will also stop letting her sleep on my lap too; that made wonderful sense to me what you said about not letting her think she's on par with us.

Thanks everyone for the help & suggestions, I deeply appreciate it. RE: the husband? We've been married for 11 years, but that night he brought her home and told me what her life was like, I fell in love with him all over again.

kathie

[SABELLESMOM]

Gracious! A shock collar on a puppy! Thank you for saving her from more of that. Now, on to you guys. Rottie pups need training. Like most breeds they don't arrive knowing how to walk sedately on a leash, or not to jump up.

Enroll her in a puppy obedience group. And practice, in between classes. There is nothing better in this world than a well trained, beautiful Rottweiler who is a credit to both the breed and to you as owners.

You will build a bond you will never wish to break. Rottweilers are people dogs. They simply adore their families and want to be with them all the time. They are certainly amoung the more intellegent of breeds, but you need to make the effort.

When you're done with class, sign up for another! You will never regret even one moment of positive training that you provide your dog. What you get in return is priceless. Take the time, spend the money, learn, and you will have the best dog you ever owned. And a loyal friend for life.

[ecburt]

My eyes were tearing just reading the wonderful new home this dog has...thank you for taking this girl in and giving her a loving home...for a "novice" dog owner you seem to have much logic. Best of luck...you'll never regret the dog obedience classes you take your dog thru..look for a trainer that has worked with this breed and feels comfortable...not all trainers are alike. Good luck and keep us up to date.

[brunie's mom]

You have been given good advice.
I would also like to add that you should keep a collar on her at all times...and even let her drag around a short leash so that your husband can control her. He should also be plying her with treats...the way to a scared, untrained dog's heart is treats. Everytime he calls her and she even looks at hubby...she get's a treat...she "sits" for him...treat,etc.

He should also be feeding her...everything good comes from him.

Once you get her enrolled into classes...things should go smoother. Training helps to give a scared dog confidence and it will also help her bond with your husband.

Also remember NOT to feel sorry for her and make excuses...she's had a rough start and it's time to move forward.

I hope she will turn out to be a great dog!

Gina

[smileygirl]

Kathie,
NILF-stands for Nothing in Life is Free..I didn't know about it when I found this site a few months ago...IT WORKS!!! On everything from respect to attitude. Have Hubby work with her as much as possible..you have probably bonded due to more contact and with her background I truly respect both of you for accepting all the time and effort you will put in to make her your lifelong companion. Thank you for taking her and truly showing her all humans aren't bad...Best of Luck...Tina

[AngelBunny]

Do a search on NILIF. With both of you consistently practicing it, your puupy's attitude will change and she'll start to relax and look to you for direction.

The suggestion of having your puppy always wearing a collar and always dragging an old leash or piece of line around, 24/7, is an excellent one. The leash provides a safe way to snare a dog without having to put your hand on Fido's collar.

A 15 mo old Foster Boy came into our house with a mightly big opinion of himself and a not so good opinion of people. Day two he got a meat wrapper and was settling down to enjoy his goodie. He saw me coming, got up to leave but couldn't because I stepped on the leash he was dragging. With my right hand I got a nice grip on the leash close to his neck, with my left I reached for the meat wrapper. Quick as a wink, FB let go of the meat wrapper and snapped at my hand. I was ahead of the brat, however, so he didn't touch me because I was holding him by his leash. (After I was done with him, he never snapped at me again for taking anything away from him.)

The point of the story is having a leash is a mightly safe way to get ahold of your dog if needs be

[kathiem1]

Hi Sabellesmom, ecburt, Gina, Tina and Angelbunny,

NILIF it is then! I will do a search for it and we will BOTH read it tonight. Husband's all excited now, after reading all your how-to posts and encouragement posts. I think you have all given us what we need to be able to help her. I am calling the vet first thing in the morning to find out about local obedience training classes.

The leash idea is helping already, as soon as i read that one i put a thin 4-foot leash on her, him feeding her meals and giving her treats, all of these are exactly the kind of things I was hoping to learn, practical, hands-on tips/advice on what to do with her, how to handle her appropriately, how to help her bond with hubby.

I do have something funny to report. My husband got up before me this morning and fed her (per all the great suggestions from you all), but forgot to shut our bedroom door. I was sound asleep, UNTIL she leaped on the bed, sat on my chest and was trying her best to kiss my face with wet happy slobbers!!! It was so hard to NOT laugh, but I did good. I kept a very straight face, got out of bed, told her "no" and made her get off the bed. Her little stub looked like it was going to fly right off her rear though!

You are all wonderful people, thank you so, so much!!!!

Kathie

[Burnsway]

How sad....... I knew a man once with a Doberman , he zapped the crap out of his dog for everything and nothing...... He did it for 2 years straight before the dog just waltzed off and died one day.

Glad you got this pup, but if they were zapping too much some damage could have occurred. Not saying it has, but I think I would do extra vet exams and hire a "GOOD" behaviorist to evaluate some things.

She is young and in good hands may have a hell of a chance, but I think you have lots of work cut out. Please stick around the forums. You will get great advice and help!

[AngelBunny]

kathiem1:

In the event your vet can't recommend a trainer, perhaps checking out Rottie rescue sites local to you might help. On my rescue group's site we have a list of trainers and behaviorials recommended by people who've adopted from us. Maybe rescue local to you has similar info on their sites; if they don't, call them for suggestions/recommendations.

Try you local kennel club--my kennel club runs all sorts of obed classes. Do a search of the AKC's site to find the club local to you.

You want a trainer who's had working dog experience and uses positive reinforcement. The trainer should also let you audit a class before you sign up.

[myst]

And maybe the person who did the horrible shock collar was a man? so your pup might be slow coming around to your husband in trust.
but am so glad you have her now:)
and a bit of but I have a very hard time understanding why most posters have trouble w/dogs on couch or beds. I would think it up to the owner of said dog;)

[kathiem1]

Angelbunny, there's a rott rescue here in michigan that's not that far from us at all. What a GREAT idea!!!

Myst, thank you. You're right about the shock collar; it was a man. Re: critters on furniture? The reason i don't like them on the furniture or on our bed is just that i'm prissy. But don't tell anyone.

& Burnsway, thanks for your post too. I will ask my vet about that. the poor doberman. (just shaking my head) maybe he/she had a heart attack from the stress of it all? or died from lack of love? (personally i believe people/animals both can die from lack of love) what a sad, sad story though.

Uh oh, she's milling, she needs outside! Thanks all!!!