aggressive daschund

mrsh · #1 Jun 16, 2006, 06:27 AM

I recently adopted a 2 year old mini daschund. He is so lovable to me and my family. The problem is he gets very aggressive with strangers. He has even bitten a few of our friends. Does anyone have any ideas how to break him of this behavior.

valinors_sorrow · Jun 17, 2006, 05:37 PM

The problem is he is confused about where he belongs and who is in charge. Dogs are social creatures who live in packs where there is a clearly defined hierarchy, starting with the alpha dog on down.

My guess is somewhere between his old family and yours, he lost his place and is now rising to alpha dog position in your pack. He is simply doing what good alpha dogs do, guarding the pack from strangers.

Someone in your family needs to establish him or herself as alpha dog with the new family member to help him sort it out. I know my husband establishes himself with our lab/hound mutt by rolling her over on her back while they are playing on the floor. He carefully pins her down for a few moments, then places one gentle hand to her throat and she comes up minding him with bells on! If you try this with your dog, just be careful of his back as they are prone to back problems.

While its nice that he is lovable with you all, you do need him to mind you too. If you have not ever trained with a dog before, you might want to round up a few books about it. Good luck and thanks for posting.

fredg · Jun 18, 2006, 05:13 AM

Hi, Mrsh,
Your previous answer is very good.
I do agree that the aggressiveness is what's happening. He has control over your family! You have to gain control over him, and he will be a much happier dog. He won't have to make decisions like this, whether to bite someone or not, or even get mad. Has he been neutered? If not, do that first. It will relieve him of some of the aggresiveness.
I highly recommend a video by Ceaser Millan, a Professional Dog Behaviorist. He rehabilitates dogs, and trains people.

He has his own TV program, the Dog Whisperer, on the NGEO (National Geographic) channel, on Friday nights mainly, but also comes on some other days. This video is available from:
http://www.dogpsychologycenter.com/
I also ordered his new book, "Ceaser's Way", from Walmart online, around $15 US, and it's very good!

There are other good videos available on the web, but this one is really worth your attention.

Another good TV program is on Animal Planet, called Good Dog U. It also shows what to do with aggressiveness.
Please don't think that you are being "mean" to him, if you watch any of the above TV shows, and do what they do. You will establish yourself as "boss", and have a much happier family and dog.
Best of luck.

VLynn123 · Jun 20, 2006, 07:10 AM

I know what you're goin thru, I have a 2 year old dachshund that acts that same way. She will bark at everyone, there are certain people that she continues to bark at, and some that she will actually run up to that looks like she wants to bite them. I don't know what happened to her, she never used to be that way. I play with her all the time, I lay her on her back, but she play bites me. Good luck with your dog. We both need it.

valinors_sorrow · Jun 20, 2006, 05:51 PM

Some time spent with a good trainer would illuminate what you are doing that needs to be corrected. Check the pet supply stores or your vet for referrals to a good trainer. There are too many variables involved to be able to tell from here what specifically you are doing that is allowing or even prompting this behavior. At the risk of sounding harsh, if you cannot control your dog, then you are risking someone getting hurt.