# Worried about my dogs behavors and that he will bite someone eventually



## bixa525 (Oct 31, 2010)

Hi, I adopted a golden retriever/cocker spaniel mix about 6 months ago. He is 4 yrs. old and when we first got him we noticed right away that he was very territorial about his food and toys. He has gotten much better with this but now has become very territorial about his yard and of me. When ever anyone trys to get near me that he doesn't know he barks and lunges at the person as if he is going to bite them. When I walk him and he sees a stranger he barks and lunges at them. My neighbor came over today to drop off some mail he accidently received and my dog was outside and he acted as if he was going to bite him. I am really worried that some one is going to get bit and we could have a lawsuit on our hands. Also my daughter just got married and someday we will have small children in our home. I am very fearful that he will bite them. He is fine with my husband and myself and people he knows but anyone he doesn't know he generally doesn't like and I fear eventually he will bite someone. What can I do? This has been an awful first experience with a dog for me.


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## debpass (Oct 13, 2009)

I think the first thing I would do it get into some obedience classes with him. A good trainer will be able to advise you.


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## BraveheartDogs (Jan 3, 2011)

bixa525 said:


> Hi, I adopted a golden retriever/cocker spaniel mix about 6 months ago. He is 4 yrs. old and when we first got him we noticed right away that he was very territorial about his food and toys. He has gotten much better with this but now has become very territorial about his yard and of me. When ever anyone trys to get near me that he doesn't know he barks and lunges at the person as if he is going to bite them. When I walk him and he sees a stranger he barks and lunges at them. My neighbor came over today to drop off some mail he accidently received and my dog was outside and he acted as if he was going to bite him. I am really worried that some one is going to get bit and we could have a lawsuit on our hands. Also my daughter just got married and someday we will have small children in our home. I am very fearful that he will bite them. He is fine with my husband and myself and people he knows but anyone he doesn't know he generally doesn't like and I fear eventually he will bite someone. What can I do? This has been an awful first experience with a dog for me.


I think it's good that you recognize the issue and want to work on it. I recommend that you contact a behavior consultant in your area who is qualified and skilled to work on reactivity. You might check www.apdt.com or www.iaabc.org for a consultant.


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## doxiemommy (Dec 18, 2009)

It may be that he is being territorial, but I suspect that he is being fearful, instead. You mention that he is the same when he is on walks and sees a stranger. Lots of dogs that are fearful react in what seems to us to be an aggressive way. But, really, they're scared, and are kind of doing the "I'll get you before you get me" thing.

Also, some dogs who, for whatever reason, may not have been socialized completely, seem to have problem being reactive.
There are quite a few threads on reactive dogs; I would do a search for that on the forum. 

There are some techniques to help your dog become less reactive, I'd be happy to post some ideas if you have problems searching for "reactive dog" threads. Basically, it usually involves you letting your dog be "away" from what scares them, at a distance, so they can watch and not feel threatened. That way, they'll get the idea that whatever triggers their fear, be it strangers, other dogs, whatever, isn't something they need to be afraid of.

I have a reactive dog, and I thought it seemed odd, at first, to be told that it helps to get your dog a good distance away from what scares them. I felt like it was not facing the problem. But, really, it works. If you can let your dog be a distance away from the "trigger" and see it without being threatened, the situation can really improve!


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## bixa525 (Oct 31, 2010)

Doxiemommy, I believe you make some good points. He definitely has fear aggression. When we take him to the vets he is the same way and barks and acts as if he wants to bite the vet. His background is sad, he was adopted off the streets when he was 5 months old from the person we got him from. Then she had him for almost 4 years and gave him up because she was leaving him alone for up to 12 hours a day so he definitely wasn't socialized. I guess for me I am just so afraid he will bite someone and once I have grandkids what if he would bite my grandbaby? Can a dog with fear aggression really overcome these issues? We took him to one vet and they told us they have seen dogs like him before and that we should think about giving him up. Of course we didn't listen to them and found a different vet but now I am wondering if they knew something we didn't.


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## Cracker (May 25, 2009)

The beginnings of what you said sounds like classic resource guarding...it's important to realize that resource guarding is based in anxiety and fear...so working on the source of the anxiety will help, combined with behaviour modification and obedience training. You really need to get a behaviour consultant on hand, the links that Braveheart listed are a great place to start. I would also have your vet check for hypothyroidism etc (see the sticky in the training and behaviour forum) and discuss the possibilities of maybe putting your pup on medication if it is needed post assessment. 

These issues CAN be dealt with, but management is a huge part of it. A good consultant will be able to guide you through this.


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## Lindbert (Dec 12, 2010)

bixa525 said:


> Doxiemommy, I believe you make some good points. He definitely has fear aggression. When we take him to the vets he is the same way and barks and acts as if he wants to bite the vet. His background is sad, he was adopted off the streets when he was 5 months old from the person we got him from. Then she had him for almost 4 years and gave him up because she was leaving him alone for up to 12 hours a day so he definitely wasn't socialized. I guess for me I am just so afraid he will bite someone and once I have grandkids what if he would bite my grandbaby? Can a dog with fear aggression really overcome these issues? We took him to one vet and they told us they have seen dogs like him before and that we should think about giving him up. Of course we didn't listen to them and found a different vet but now I am wondering if they knew something we didn't.


In my experience, dogs with fear aggression will always be "quirky" and require extra management, but it is very possible for a dog with fear aggression or reactivity to be rehabilitated especially if they haven't reached the level of biting. BraveheartDogs is right about seeking out a behavior consultant. A behavior consultant will teach you how to react to and manage your dog's fearful reactions in a way that prevents the reactivity from escalating. They will also help you to teach your dog that things aren't as scary as they seem, making the dog less likely to react at all when in a formerly frightening situation. 

I found an amazing behavior consultant from iaabc for Morgan, my german shepherd dog who had fear aggression towards humans and a bite history. When I adopted him, he behaved exactly like your dog with strangers, except if a stranger touched his head or neck he would bite. With help from our trainer, he has earned agility titles up to excellent and a canine good citizen title from an evaluator who never met him before. While I will never be able to take him to a dog park or allow him to be pet by strangers like my other dogs are able to, he is still a great dog. He no longer lunges at people, can be touched by strangers if I can't stop it in time without reacting (I just don't allow people to touch him because he does NOT like it), and will sit politely on his bed when the doorbell rings. These were all skills that took months to develop, and I wouldn't have had a clue how to help him without my trainer. I was Morgan's last hope. If I didn't take him he would have been euthanized.

As an aside, Morgan LOVES children and is exceptionally tolerant of all kids, especially those who are familiar to him. He didn't have negative experiences with children, only adults so kids are "safe" to him. Once again, I watch him even closer than I do my other dogs when he is with kids, but he hasn't so much as looked at them strangely. It is just as likely that your dog will be okay with children as it is that he won't like them. Make sure you bring it up to the trainer so you can begin exposing him to children to gauge his reaction and work on it before the children come if needed.


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## BraveheartDogs (Jan 3, 2011)

Lindbert said:


> With help from our trainer, he has earned agility titles up to excellent and a canine good citizen title from an evaluator who never met him before. While I will never be able to take him to a dog park or allow him to be pet by strangers like my other dogs are able to, he is still a great dog. He no longer lunges at people, can be touched by strangers if I can't stop it in time without reacting (I just don't allow people to touch him because he does NOT like it), and will sit politely on his bed when the doorbell rings. These were all skills that took months to develop, and I wouldn't have had a clue how to help him without my trainer. I was Morgan's last hope. If I didn't take him he would have been euthanized.
> 
> .


This is an amazing and inspiring post I love hearing about people working hard and helping their dogs learn to feel comfortable in their own and skin and accepting the more challenging parts of them for what they are. I also live with several fearful dogs, one of them is just 8 months old and came to me at 3 1/2 months old (as a favor to my friend with the rescue) after she delivered a level 3 bite to a vet. She is a lot of work but has so many amazing qualities. She is already so much better on walks and has learned to look at me (instead of bark or growl) when she is uncomfortable and is learning to be relaxed when people come over when I strategically have more outgoing dogs out visiting. Between her genetic makeup and a very difficult start in life (from birth) life is challenging for her, but every piece of progess is so reinforcing for me.


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## Lindbert (Dec 12, 2010)

BraveheartDogs said:


> This is an amazing and inspiring post I love hearing about people working hard and helping their dogs learn to feel comfortable in their own and skin and accepting the more challenging parts of them for what they are. I also live with several fearful dogs, one of them is just 8 months old and came to me at 3 1/2 months old (as a favor to my friend with the rescue) after she delivered a level 3 bite to a vet. She is a lot of work but has so many amazing qualities. She is already so much better on walks and has learned to look at me (instead of bark or growl) when she is uncomfortable and is learning to be relaxed when people come over when I strategically have more outgoing dogs out visiting. Between her genetic makeup and a very difficult start in life (from birth) life is challenging for her, but every piece of progess is so reinforcing for me.


Morgan was born to be a service dog. I worked for the organization that bred and trained him. I raised him from 7 weeks to 16 months old, and knew that he was going to be a problem going into formal training because he was a fearful puppy and training is intense and correction-heavy. I begged them to release him from the program and let me adopt him, but they wouldn't allow me to. One day two months after I gave him back, I was paged to the director's office. Morgan had "snapped" and attacked a passer-by while being corrected for missing an obstacle. This wasn't his first bite: He had bitten his handler a total of 3 times during his training, 2 of which required medical attention. I was told he was to be euthanized the next morning if I did not "make him disappear" from the kennels. It took me a year to fix the damage done by 2 months of pushing a dog over threshold but I do not regret taking him home. He has taught me so much about a side of dog behavior that I had no experience with in addition to introducing me and my husband to the wonderful world of agility. It is so amazing to watch him transform from a shy, fearful dog to a confident dog who has a purpose in life, even if it isn't the purpose he was expected to serve.


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## bixa525 (Oct 31, 2010)

I couldn't find many posts on reactive behaviors. If anyone can help me find this information I would appreciate it. I would like to learn how to diffuse this behavior and if it is actually able to be done.


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## BraveheartDogs (Jan 3, 2011)

bixa525 said:


> I couldn't find many posts on reactive behaviors. If anyone can help me find this information I would appreciate it. I would like to learn how to diffuse this behavior and if it is actually able to be done.


I would check out the book Cautious Canine by Patricia McConnell, PhD. Nicole Wilde has a good book of working with fearful dogs. These are pretty straightforward easy reads. You also might want to check out the website www.fearfuldogs.com and the yahoogroup shy-k9s.


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## Cracker (May 25, 2009)

You should also have a look at the book 'MINE' by Jean Donaldson...modifying the resource guarding aspects of this behaviour is important. 
Also if you search DF here for the Fearful Dog threads and for resource guarding threads you will find some info that may be helpful.


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## Lindbert (Dec 12, 2010)

This is the most recent incarnation of the fearful dog thread. Immensely helpful if you read through.

http://www.dogforums.com/general-dog-forum/76946-fearful-dog-thread-ii.html

The biggest help short of my trainer in helping my dog was a book by Pamela Dennison called "Bringing Light to Shadow." It was a diary on how she transformed her human aggressive border collie into a reliable dog. It was a little tough to read but her success made me believe success with Morgan was possible. After reading that book, I went to her book called "How to Right a Dog Gone Wrong." This was more practical and concise on steps to take whereas the first book showed her working through mistakes and successes in saving her dog. The following article is a good start and you can find more info about her books on her page. 

http://www.positivedogs.com/articles/aggression_start.html


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## doxiemommy (Dec 18, 2009)

I have a fearful, reactive dog. If I was to have a surprise visitor, or have someone just drop by, as with the neighbor that stopped by to bring mail, I would make sure that I put my dog away, first. You might say something like "Rover is a bit anxious around people he doesn't know; hang on a second while I put him inside/in his crate/in another room" (whatever would apply). 

Surprises like that, where your dog might be unrestrained, isn't a good idea with a reactive dog, in my opinion. Your dog, when he lunges or acts aggressively, is just showing how afraid he is, and I wouldn't want to keep him in a situation that I know isn't good for him. So, I would put him away, or have someone else hold his leash while you speak with the person. 
I think one thing that might make your dog feel a bit more comfortable (if you have someone else hold his leash) would be for you to approach the "stranger" and touch him/her in some way, hand on shoulder, shake hands, whatever, and speak cheerfully, and be relaxed, so your dog sees that he doesn't have to be afraid.

When we are on a walk, and we see other people or dogs, we always turn the other way, turn down a side street, cross the street, whatever we have to do to put some distance between us and the other people. That way, Harper can watch the other people go by from a "safe zone" and realize that nothing bad happened just because we saw other people. The point is to gradually shrink that "safety zone" so that you can eventually just maybe step a couple steps away, and let other people and dogs pass without your dog freaking out....


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