Dog has become Agressive - Trainer needed

flyon · #1 02-24-2021, 02:41 PM

Looking for some input/ advice and trainer recommendations.

My wife and I are in need of some training for our dog Jaeger and ourselves. A 2 year old neutered*Wirehaired Pointing Griffon, I hunt birds with him and he has done a great job even working with my limited experience.

He has become increasingly*aggressive to other dogs at the dog park- specifically within the last 3-4 months. He seems to be fine and then all of a sudden he will just blow up on another dog without warning. It could be a rottweiler or a Pomeranian, doesn't matter.

He seems relatively calm off the leash so we are not sure what is setting him off. On the leash if he gets close with another dog he will lunge and bark very aggressively. He is not good on the leash and pulls incessantly. We have tried martingales, chokes, and pinch collars.

I believe that he was*well socialized as a*puppy and regularly plays with multiple friends dogs with no issue, but something has changed.

When he is off leash he wears a shock collar that we use for corrections.*I believe timing with corrections is on point.

No aggression towards kids or adults. He will bark at people at the door/walking in front of the house.

Looking for any wisdom and recommendations for a trainer to work with.

Cheers

58thecat · #2 02-24-2021, 02:50 PM

another phase in his training is all...I think he is being protective of you getting between the other dog and you....work with him constantly if this is the only problem...keep him close and at your side sitting and have others bring their dog by at a farther distance and slowly allow the distance to decrease always holding steady your voice commands etc...my lab use to lunge up but we worked that out of her overtime by the age of four I just used my voice to have her do what I wanted...she use to carry the leash in her mouth...he is 2 and still young just work with him constantly on this and reward too...good luck.

Speckle55 · #3 02-24-2021, 03:13 PM

good advice

thanks for sharing

David

Quote:

Originally Posted by 58thecat

another phase in his training is all...I think he is being protective of you getting between the other dog and you....work with him constantly if this is the only problem...keep him close and at your side sitting and have others bring their dog by at a farther distance and slowly allow the distance to decrease always holding steady your voice commands etc...my lab use to lunge up but we worked that out of her overtime by the age of four I just used my voice to have her do what I wanted...she use to carry the leash in her mouth...he is 2 and still young just work with him constantly on this and reward too...good luck.

slough shark · #4 02-24-2021, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flyon

Looking for some input/ advice and trainer recommendations.

My wife and I are in need of some training for our dog Jaeger and ourselves. A 2 year old neutered*Wirehaired Pointing Griffon, I hunt birds with him and he has done a great job even working with my limited experience.

He has become increasingly*aggressive to other dogs at the dog park- specifically within the last 3-4 months. He seems to be fine and then all of a sudden he will just blow up on another dog without warning. It could be a rottweiler or a Pomeranian, doesn't matter.

He seems relatively calm off the leash so we are not sure what is setting him off. On the leash if he gets close with another dog he will lunge and bark very aggressively. He is not good on the leash and pulls incessantly. We have tried martingales, chokes, and pinch collars.

I believe that he was*well socialized as a*puppy and regularly plays with multiple friends dogs with no issue, but something has changed.

When he is off leash he wears a shock collar that we use for corrections.*I believe timing with corrections is on point.

No aggression towards kids or adults. He will bark at people at the door/walking in front of the house.

Looking for any wisdom and recommendations for a trainer to work with.

Cheers

Not sure what it is but yeah put a dog on a leash and they get protective around other dogs, take the leash off and he just wants play with the same dog. That makes it tricky if you’re walking your dog on leash and other dogs are off leash, makes for a potentially volatile situation.

CalgaryDan · #5 02-24-2021, 05:47 PM

If you’re near Calgary, Clever Canines has some phenomenal training. We’ve taken all of our dogs (apart from the most recent one, yay covid) through some of their programs. They do quite a bit of work with reactive dogs and helped one of our Danes a lot.

Ackleyman · #6 02-24-2021, 05:48 PM

I had aggressive Shepherds for many years. If..one got into lunging I would immediatley take his leather leash connected to collar ,run it down his back and then loop it around in front of rear quarters in a loop . It is loose and does not bother them. When he would lunge you have much better control then neck control and they know you mean business. A command of OUT means Out , and right now.

artie · #7 02-24-2021, 05:53 PM

My buddies young female black lab was doing the same thing. People started calling him down because he never trained his dog correctly. It was getting so he was afraid to take the dog anywhere.
What is working for him is he has the dog on a long leash and he brings the leash back and makes a hitch around her flanks. Now when the dog goes into attack mode he flanks her sideways and gets her attention. You have to catch the dog early before they get excited.
worth a try anyway

jdog0 · #8 02-24-2021, 06:29 PM

As Cesar Millan would say, it could be 100% related to his owner. Stress, anxiety, etc... tough to know without checking every fact...

Never had that happened to me and my dogs get picked on a lot while at the park and they are a big 120 lbs bloodhound and a 5 month 68 lbs corso. Never retaliate back unless it has just been enough... my point is again, it could be something totally different than just your dog being aggressive...

Enviado desde mi SM-G973F mediante Tapatalk

bucksnbears · #9 02-24-2021, 07:57 PM

You are the BOSS?

EVERY SINGLE time it happens, correct it,!,,

So many dog problems can be avoided by doing this.

geezer55 · #10 02-24-2021, 08:06 PM

Try a Halti, it goes on in such a way that when and if he lunges he spins around to be looking at you. I put my dog in one and now she walks on leash so quietly there are time that I think she has slipped her collar. Don't use it now as she leash walks very well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyUrTP3XLp4

flyon · #11 02-25-2021, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdog0

As Cesar Millan would say, it could be 100% related to his owner. Stress, anxiety, etc... tough to know without checking every fact...

Never had that happened to me and my dogs get picked on a lot while at the park and they are a big 120 lbs bloodhound and a 5 month 68 lbs corso. Never retaliate back unless it has just been enough... my point is again, it could be something totally different than just your dog being aggressive...

Enviado desde mi SM-G973F mediante Tapatalk

I totally think my stress plays into it... two way street. If i could ensure that he wasn't fighting other dogs i wouldn't be stressed!

flyon · #12 02-25-2021, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by geezer55

Try a Halti, it goes on in such a way that when and if he lunges he spins around to be looking at you. I put my dog in one and now she walks on leash so quietly there are time that I think she has slipped her collar. Don't use it now as she leash walks very well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyUrTP3XLp4

Tried the halti after several recommendations from friends.
Could get him used to it. Tried to introduce it very slowly but it seemed to make him even more stressed out on walks. He broke two of them.

Marlin07 · #13 02-25-2021, 01:18 PM

My dog would get stressed out-aggressive at dog parks as well. It had a rough start up north running free on a reserve for the first year or two of its life so I get why it has a hard time getting along with other dogs. I have simply started to walk her daily after dark, when there are less dogs out and about. Its way more enjoyable for both of us. It allows me to work on training without as much distraction from other dogs. I do wish people would get their dogs on a leash when not in a park however. It can be a interesting experience when their dog comes running up as the clueless owner calls for it to come, lol. It all takes time and you have to stick to enforcing the basics every time, all the time. Nice thing about avoiding dog parks is you get to avoid dog park people, I swear they are a cult of dorks and stunned cants.

crawfish · #14 02-25-2021, 03:06 PM

We had a Belgian Shepherd who out of the blue became extremely aggressive towards dogs, and also in the certain situations people. I was at my wits end with him as he couldn’t be off leash and it became impossible to get him enough exercise, and I was constantly worried who he’d go after next. We went and saw JC St Louis, he is a “canine behaviourist”. He was a former k9 handler and breeding co-ordinator with CPS. He was able to quickly assess our dog and figure out was causing the reactions, as well as give us multiple ways of dealing with it. My BIL has also taken his German shepherd to JC to work on issues. He’s not the cheapest, but definitely worth going for a visit to understand your dog better.

https://www.caninebehaviourist.com/

Hope that helps!

Nikanit · #15 02-26-2021, 12:07 PM

The issue is the moment you look at another dog and feeling apprehensive about it, your dog is sensing that and misinterpreting it as "Oh, my master isn't happy seeing that other dog, I'm going to protect him". A dog can feel what you're thinking. I've seen this so often. You have to be totally calm and in control. Believe it or not, dogs can feel you thru the leash. I would lose all the shock collars and stuff like that. The trick is to correct him the moment he starts getting like that, a little poke to distract him from that, and make him look at you when you do it. He needs to learn that he doesn't need to protect you, and that you are the Alpha, and will protect him.

NCC · #16 02-26-2021, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flyon

Looking for some input/ advice and trainer recommendations.

No aggression towards kids or adults. He will bark at people at the door/walking in front of the house.

Cheers

What do you do when it barks at people at the door or walking by? I would do some research and find a local professional who will provide lessons for you and your dog. I would also carefully sort through the advice you receive on the internet before implementing any of those training methods. It should take minutes, not years, to correct this behavior.

flyon · #17 02-26-2021, 02:12 PM

I reached out to our vet and we going to get some advice from a Animal Behaviorist (didn't know that was a thing).

I appreciate the responses and will post an update after our meeting.

TROLLER · #18 02-27-2021, 11:43 AM

Only experience I had with the Griffon was when the odd time a client would bring one on our guided hunts.

Very aggresive towards any one but the owner and could never get along with my lab. Had to kennel both times I had one come with the hunter

EZM · #19 03-01-2021, 10:03 PM

I am not a trainer, nor a dog expert, but I think, like kids, the motivation for aggression could be many things, and sometimes it has nothing to do with the "method" a owner uses.

Like kids, some methods work on some kids and not others, and that's were an expert trainer may come in handy here.

I have 2 dogs, and both receive the same instructions and upbringing. One dog has never displayed aggression towards other dogs (unless he's defending himself) while the other dog is almost always aggressive towards other dogs.

The funny thing is, the dog that is good with dogs is more protective versus people - while the dog who loves to pick fights with other dogs, has never barked or growled at person in her entire life.

Makes no sense - to me at least. Same upbringing, opposite behaviors.

A professional should be able to give you some tips.

densa44 · #20 03-03-2021, 11:30 AM

A Griff has a lot of "German" dog in him and they breed for things that we don't breed for in North America, like killing cats. They call it "sharp" I have a Pudelpointer that has 50% German blood and she does some of the same things. They do think that they are protecting you so that is the point to start working with him. The fact that you recognize that the handlers need help is a very big step in the right direction.
As far as a pro is concerned, WWBirds on this form is very good and he will have seen lots of this sort of thing over the years. He can also help you make your dog into the type of hunting dog that you have always dreamed of. Good luck and please tell us how it goes. Oh for my "sharp" PP she reacts very very to collar correction and we are making very good progress, I set her up for a short lesson every day and to-day she didn't need any correction except me saying "heel".