Dog Agression

[SpeedyPug]

Geeg is a HUGE barker-anything and everything.  Immediate family is fine but if anyone else comes into the house- bark.  They move- bark.  They leave- bark. They come back in- bark.  Doesn't matter if she's met them 30000 times- bark.  She lets no one pet or touch her and she flips out if they try.  She wouldn't bite but she needs space to back away.  I always ask people to leave her alone and ignore her- you ignore Geeg, she calms down and sometimes will even come over- on her terms and at her pace.  But most people (Blanche excepted) INSIST on approaching and trying to touch or pet her.  And Geeg hates it.  She isn't even pleased if people LOOK at her!!!  So yeah, BIG BARKER!!!

[RockysMom]

Geeg is a HUGE barker-anything and everything.  Immediate family is fine but if anyone else comes into the house- bark.  They move- bark.  They leave- bark. They come back in- bark.  Doesn't matter if she's met them 30000 times- bark.  She lets no one pet or touch her and she flips out if they try.  She wouldn't bite but she needs space to back away.  I always ask people to leave her alone and ignore her- you ignore Geeg, she calms down and sometimes will even come over- on her terms and at her pace.  But most people (Blanche excepted) INSIST on approaching and trying to touch or pet her.  And Geeg hates it.  She isn't even pleased if people LOOK at her!!!  So yeah, BIG BARKER!!!

Poor Geeg!  Rocky hasnt lived through any of the trauma that she did before she came to you, but he sure does have some of the same tendencies. 

Thanks for sharing this.  At least I dont feel like he's the only one with these issues. 

[SpeedyPug]

Rocky's definitely not the only one and it is workable.  Crappy thing in our house is, Geeg is lead dog so if she wigs out, Jemmie follows happliy, even though he's pretty easygoing about most things- dork. 

I'm sure Rocky's just trying to prove his mojo and while serious, its not the end of the world.  I find with Geeg if I can put myself in between her and the distraction, it helps.  Short lead, keeping her focus on me and whatever I'm using to distract her- voice, treat, squeek (a fav of Geeg's) etc.  We haven't been on any major walks in a while...too cold for my pug royalty- so we'll be re-starting Geeg's training again once the weather clears.  I don't expect she'll ever totally get over herself but she does improve with constant work.  And the more exercise she gets, the more compliant she is- she's always more of a terror at the beginning of a walk than at the end of a walk.  Good luck to you and Rocky.

[wildwoodvictoria]

When I have a foster it's hard to keep up with the distract and reward - I just don't have enough hands. So we go on walks instead of going into an off leash park. I stop of cross the street if I see problematic dogs coming. If I can't avoid I just keep him moving with a short leash.
It's easy to see him starting to work himself up. His hackled go up and he stiffens.
If the big dog owner is willing we work on letting him sniff and learn that this dog is not a threat. Once he knows a dog he's okay.

I keep him on leash even in the park. Some dogs he just goes ballistic on even with filet mignon scraps as distraction. At least I can grab the leash and lead him away.

We took a focus first class with Who's Walking Who that helped the most. The "Leave it" command is useful for other dogs and countless other distractions. I'd highly recommend it.

[lmcpug]

Rocky's definitely not the only one and it is workable.  Crappy thing in our house is, Geeg is lead dog so if she wigs out, Jemmie follows happliy, even though he's pretty easygoing about most things- dork. 

Hahaha yep Bubs is the same! He was a goofy when ShyShy took the lead and
now He follows Abi's zany yipping
Men! Sheesh!
 

[luckiest1]

I just found this discussion....Ringo has been progressively getting worse on leash, since I got him last May.  Since October, he will bark/scream at cars driving on the street, and he goes ballistic when we pass by a house where he knows a dog lives (whether or not the dog is visible doesn't matter, he will try to provoke it by barking).  If we see another dog being walked, he barks and pulls and acts as though he wants to attack the dog.  My other two (Piper and Jersey) will follow suit. If, however, we are in an off-leash dog park, he is fine around other dogs and plays well.  Last week he managed to get away from me on a walk (I had all 3 pugs with me and was juggling leashes while the other two did their business).  He ran into the road to "attack" a car, and of course he lost the battle, but was not seriously injured, thank god. 

Last night I took him up to Lori's to try to get some pointers, and he became a completely different dog.  This was the first time I've had him out on a walk in 6 months where he did not bark at cars or other dogs.  She kept him on a very short leash and rewarded him with treats frequently.  On the way back I took the lead and he kept up the good behaviour, even on a street with semi-regular traffic.  This morning, I took him out by himself and tried it in my own neighbourhood.  He was resistant and refused to move at first, wanting to get more slack on the leash, but eventually settled down and we walked on a street that I haven't been on in 6 months because of the sporadic traffic.  He did not bark or scream.  The only issue we had was when another dog on a leash approached.  I moved him off the sidewalk to allow them to pass but he barked and attempted to get at the other dog.  Otherwise I'd say it was very successful.  I am so relieved that there may be a solution to this behaviour.  It was becoming almost impossible to deal with, and of course the accident last week was the last straw.  I am glad the warmer weather has arrived, so it's not so bad having to take double walks.

[pugmantis]

Lola exhibits this behaviour often, as well, but she *has* had bad experiences with bigger dogs, so I know where it comes from.

We had a Behaviouralist come in years ago (I'm in Toronto), and give us tips on how to stop the lunging (as well as the barking in the house, which can be epic, at times), and they work. ...when I am able to do them.

It's a lot of work, and the key is planning, awareness and *consistency*, but it can be done. Definitely.

Now. Time for me to get back on that bandwagon.