As a previous post mentioned I have a pup who is aggressive. The vet thought it was a broken rib (he had one and assumed when we touched him it hurt so he bit) but he is still aggressive, and not
Knowing his breed is dificult (Sorry alty I don't think he is beagle, he is getting HUGE). He is going to be a VERY large dog and I definantly do not want him to be a mean big dog. It was getting much better, but it seems overnight (well about a week or so) he has become aggressive again. I've tried spending more time with him but it doesn't make a difference. I'm wanting to put him in obedience but I actually fear he will attack someone there, I was then thinking private lessons, but he is SO aggressive it's scary to even take him anywhere. I want him to be a little loving! He tries attacking me (as well as everyone else) every chance we turn our backs it. He has left gashes, bruises, and doesn't let go, he latches on until someone literally pulls him off. I know on my last post someone mentioned it was me, but honestly I don't know how I could be bringing this on. He is more strong headed than a brick wall!
Sometimes he is the most loving puppy, and then all of a sudden he bites your hand and there's blood everywhere and he's growling and snarling 20 feet away, literally in a matter or seconds. It seems there's no "trigger" he just snaps...

I was the one that said it's possibly his environment. I said that because of your other issues with aggressive dogs. Every dog you've had (or posted about) has aggression issues. It's simply not possible to always end up with a puppy that's just naturally aggressive. So, if it's not in his nature, it's in his environment.

I think it's time to consult a behavior specialist. Someone that can come into your home, observe the dogs and all the family members, and hopefully figure out what the problem is so you can correct it.

Emily, I am going to keep this short and simple, if you fear your dog will attack someone in obedience class, then you have two options. 1. Re-home with someone who is knowledged in behavior issues and knows your dogs situation, or 2. He needs to be put down. If your dog attacks some one you could have a law suite on your hands, worse case a manslaughter charge. Do the responsible thing. Get him in behavior modification as well as obedience or face the repercussions. We have given you excellent advice on your other threads. It's do or die now.

Emily, I have a few issues, and I hope you know that I'm saying this because I'm worried and I care about you and your pets.

You have nothing but issues with the pets in your care, and you have an over abundance of pets.

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/training-labrador-81982.html

Here your lab bit someone;

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/other-law/dog-bite-81980.html

Then you get a hedgehog, but don't know how to tame it.

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/other-pets-animals/untame-hedgehog-94664.html

Then you're getting a kitten

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/cats/new-kitten-104040.html

More issues with your lab;

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/bad-habits-labrador-133346.html

Then you decide you want to breed the lab that has nothing but issues;

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/breeding-labrador-137114.html

Then you get a chi with issues;

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/nervous-chi-186409.html

Then you got 2 bunnies;

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/other-pets-animals/bunny-has-become-unfriendly-290709.html

Then you get a new ferret;

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/other-pets-animals/getting-new-ferret-315368.html

Now you have issues with your rabbit being aggressive;

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/other-pets-animals/rabbit-getting-little-more-friendly-332436.html

Then your lab attacked another dog;

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/lab-attacked-boston-terrier-342699.html

Then you got another dog because the lab was put down for aggression;

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/some-puppy-advise-342696.html

Then you talk about getting yet another dog;

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/yorkie-pup-135288.html

Holy! You also have a dalmation;

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/overweight-dalmation-388498.html

Then you get a guinea pig;

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/other-pets-animals/new-guinea-pigs-396473.html

Now your pekinese has aggression issues;

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/agressive-young-dog-405692.html

Oops, you have two guinea pigs;

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/agressive-young-dog-405692.html

Ferret time. New purchase;

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/other-pets-animals/getting-ferret-469116.html

New ferret has issues;

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/other-pets-animals/think-ferret-may-have-just-seizured-472612.html

More dog aggression;

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/dog-agression-468250.html

Then you talk about buying another guinea pig;

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/other-pets-animals/two-male-guinea-pigs-adding-another-463708.html

Now you want a pitbull;

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/am-wanting-pitbull-but-would-love-more-information-487434.html

Lots of fish, and many issues with them. I won't even post all the threads.

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/other-pets-animals/fish-tank-questions-490268.html

Aggression issues with your ferrets;

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/other-pets-animals/deaf-ferret-477003.html

Now you want a bull mastif;

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/bullmastiff-492364.html

Behavior issues with the peki;

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/dog-keeps-jumping-fence-474837.html

More issues with the ferrets;

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/other-pets-animals/ferret-biting-after-has-been-nip-trained-497804.html

Now we want the aggressive dog to be a therapy dog;

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/want-dog-therapy-dog-497866.html

Now your dog is having training issues, pottying in the house;

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/neutered-male-peeing-house-500956.html

Siberian husky? Did you get this pup? I didn't want to read the whole thread;

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/young-siberian-husky-512558.html

Another new puppy;

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/training-new-puppy-517590.html

Now this 8 week old puppy is viciously attacking;

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/young-pup-visously-attacking-519541.html

Yet more ferret issues;

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/other-pets-animals/ugh-ferret-515139.html

Now you get mice;

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/other-pets-animals/new-mice-508993.html

Now you want to get 2 horses;

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/other-pets-animals/wanting-buy-horse-but-only-have-little-expierence-531356.html

And that brings us back to this thread. I didn't even include all your threads about all the issues you've had with your pets.

Emily, you have a lot of pets. I have 2 dogs, 4 rabbits, a bird and fish, and my kids and husband help care for them, and I'm running around ragged. Who is caring for all these animals? You said you're working full time. When do you have the time to train, to clean their cages, to play with them? I barely have the time with my pets and I'm a stay at home mom.

I think it's time to get some help. It seems that every pet you have has aggression issues. It could be because you're not spending enough time with them. How can you? You have too many to spend time with them all, every day.

It's time to stop purchasing pets and concentrate on training the ones you have.

I didn't do this to be mean, but as a wake up call. I hope you understand why.

You can try enlisting the help of a behaviourist... not just getting them to come to your home and visiting but actually getting them to take the dog away for several weeks for bootcamp.

But really, and I know this may sound harsh to some, I believe dogs that are that aggressive towards people should be euthanised.

I thought I would update you all on Hunter.

He is a great young man now, Im hoping it was just a "stage" and he grew out of it. WOW has he come along, we have been doing A LOT of dominance training (I walk through the door first, I eat first, he has to sit and wait for his food while I eat, he only get toys/bones when I give them to him, he walks behind me on a leash all that good jazz) and it has made a world of difference. You can now rough him up and the worst you can get out of him is a "mouthy" bite (He covers his teeth with his lips), he absolutely adores children and will roll over and lay for hours while they pull his ears and drag him around by his legs (He is on a leash and muzzled when near children though, but he hasn't growled or anything, but I'd rather be safe). He sometimes still acts up when it is kennel time but were slowing getting over that speed bump by giving him a treat when he goes in his kennel nicely. He doesn't learn like most dogs, I can't train him like I did Duke or Tosha, He won't learn if I just say "sit" "stay" over and over. I have learnt that if he is sitting I say sit and give him his treat is working great. Now if he is half way across the yard and I yell sit he plops his little bum right down (were still working on the lay down and come.. but there getting there) He is about 40-45 pounds (But he is still getting wider, but I think he is done growing height wise, he is about 20in at the shoulder) and is getting neutered here shortly...

He gets along great with the ferrets, cats, and other dogs. He isn't scared of anyone, he'll trot right on up and sit and wait for a pat on the head. Looking at him now you would have never guessed the damage he had once done, the scars he has left many people with, or that my mom (as well as many others) had told me it was time to put him down due to severe aggression.

We think he is an american fox hound, and now that he is almost done growing this is the guess our vet, the local rescue, and many other people have guessed. He is about the same height, weight, and tempermant.

Ive uploaded 3 pictures
Hunter as a pup
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Hunter as of a couple weeks ago
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And an american Fox Hound (which we think Hunter is)
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Okay.. So I had to add more photo's.
He's adorable :)
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35385

If you fear your dog, your dog will act out and be terrible

If you think your dog is going to bite someone, you are going to have more issues.

If you tense up when you react to your dogs aggressive reactions, the issues will only become worse and your dog will react more.

If you honestly don't know what you're doing Don't GET ANY MORE DOGS!

I agree with Alty, nothing but aggressive issues with you and your pets. Obviously you are doing something wrong. Obviously you aren't doing the right training techniques.

Or... maybe you've never seen aggression. Your dog is biting you because it doesn't respect you as "pack leader" Your dog doesn't see you as "alpha" and therefore its OK to be mouthy with you and put teeth on skin.

Here comes my Caesar Milan... If you have an unbalanced life (psyche) then your dog is going to be unbalanced and confused. If you are not "top dog" for Everything, your dog is going to see a huge gap within the pack and take over. Your dogs are obviously pack leaders.. You (possibly your parents and other people living in your home) are below them. If you were pack leader, your dogs would not challenge you, nip, bite or be obnoxious in any way. They would not lunge at people, growl at people or threaten to bite people.

ITS YOU!

Animals are not born vicious or mean. They do not bite for the hell of it. All behaviors seen are the result of human beings not knowing what to do. We send off strange body signals and are unsure of specific places. Dogs pick up on that. They run based off energy. If you are nervous and unsure, your dog is going to be an idiot. If you're confident and bold, your dog will patiently follow you. If you have no idea what's going on, your dog will take over.

Unfortunately, it is hard to reverse this. You would literally have to get up one day and change EVERYTHING in your routine, from how you brush your teeth to how you mow the grass. And unless you're willing to change how you are presenting yourself to your dog, this issue will never end and you will continue to have aggression problems with your animals.

Sorry if that was harsh, but its true.

Did you read my post?

Most of his aggression is gone, he only gets mad when he has to go in his kennel, but he doesn't bite, he just growls, but he goes in. I haven't been bitten in over 3 weeks (compared to be bitten daily), yes he "bites" when your playing rough with him (which it isn't me doing that) but he covers his teeth with his lips and does not bite hard at all. His listening skills are better than a lot of dogs I see, if he is across the yard and I tell him to sit, he stops everything he is doing to sit, now I've never had a dog listen like that, usually if there playing they won't just sit down and look at you and wait for the next ocmmand. My update was to say that he is not aggressive, we have been working very hard to fix it and reverse what ever we had done to make him like that, which we are assuming we just didn't establish a pack, but it definantly isn't like that now. We talked to a behaviourist about him, she said that she didn't have time to take him in, but coached us over the phone and gave us tips and techniques to be the pack leader.

Now both Hunter and Duke seem to be cured of there aggression (duke only gets mad at Hunter when Hunter is in his kennel, but other than that Duke hasn't gotten mad at another dog in along time, even if they take his toy or I am playing with them)

Your dog should never bite you under any circumstance. If he is mouthing you during play, then guess what? Play time is over and done with until further notice.

You let too many bad behaviors slide by as "not that bad". Your dog is horrible. He may not be the holly terror he once was, but the fact that he still is mouthing you and GROWLING at you is a bad sign. Its not going to be long until this dog breaks and someone gets hurt.

That's BS that a behaviorist "doesnt have time for your dog".

Just because your pup sits when you tell him to doesn't really mean much. That just means that there isn't anything else to do. Hes tolerant of you. My dogs would never growl, mouth or nip me. They go to their kennels without a fuss and follow me willingly. I don't use treats for anything, they do it. If my dogs bit me, there would be a heavy consequence to pay. Biting is NOT ACCEPTABLE.. either playful or serious. Growling is just a warning that the dog is getting pissed and if you push it, they will bite and mean it.

Like I said.. Your entire lifestyle needs to change in order to impact the dogs psychological needs. Getting him to sit isn't enough.

No the behaviorist didn't have time, it is exactly what she told me, she said she was to booked up (which is the only one in my area, and I'm sorry I don't have $700 to send him away for a week or two). He doesn't bite me, even mouthing, it is only people who get rough with him , and that doesn't happen when I am at home. I can play with him with his toys and he doesn't bite or growl, I can pull his ears, tail, anything, and he doesn't get mad. But when certain people (like my moms friends) come over, they think it is hilarious that he gets mad, so they throw him around and growl in his face. Usually I'm home and put him in my room, but honestly I'm living under her roof and can't really tell her friends off. Trust me, my lifestyle changed, I quit my job to spend time with him (Which he really wasn't getting too much of), I'm doing 3 classes as correspondence so I'm not at school 8 hours a day and leaving him here and neglected, I have emailed and phoned many people, one person was an ex police dog trainer, his tips helped a lot. I am doing everything I can to change this, yes it is happening slowly, but its happening. At least we can play for hours without blood being drawn. Him sitting is a big accomplishment considering he wouldn't listen at all in the past.

Whoa.. wait a minute.. You're finishing school at home because of the DOG?

Who's ruling the roost? NOT YOU!

You have ever right to tell someone to not tease and taunt your dog. But, once again.. It shouldn't matter what is going on, that dog should never get ugly. My dog, for example, will leave if she feels uncomfortable.

I would love to see how you interact with your dog and now your dog works... It would be very interesting.

Too bad you live in Canada.. I would suggest the Prison training program for you. Its relatively cheap considering the dog will be gone for 6 weeks or more.

Yes I am finishing the majority of my schooling at home so he isn't home alone for 8 hours or more. When I'm home they didn't tease him because I take him away, what they do when I am not home I really can't control, I thought my mom would control her friends, but I guess not. I took him out to my Aunts house (Who has four kids ages 5-12) and they taunted him and dragged him around and he never growled or tried to bite them (and he wasn't muzzled as we were there for a week) , so whatever my moms friends were doing they asked for it, I believe a dog can only take so much, and with Hunters previous aggression, I'm not going to push how far he can go. I agree, I think you need to meet Hunter to understand the situation, if you ever come to Manitoba we can take a trip to the dog park :)

I'm still looking for other places to take him, but at the moment the only places I can find even around here (Which in Manitoba there isn't much), are very expensive, I'm going to start looking in other provinces.. but again I don't have all the money in the world.

This is what the behavorist emailed me, it is hunters "Domincance" plan. After he gets this down, then it is time to move on to the next level, which is basically just his aggression (Yet this has already helped a lot)

When you walk through a door, be it bathroom, bedroom, outside, whatever, YOU WALK OUT/THROUGH FIRST. If he goes to run ahead get in his way and continue through the door like nothing happened. This means, yes if he is going for a pee, you HAVE to take him outside, and for him to come back in you have to go out and let him follow you in, no more just calling him in.

-SPIT IN HIS FOOD. In the wild pack leader eats first, therefore saliva and scent will be all over it.

-MAKE HIM SIT FOR FOOD AND MAKE HIM WAIT. Pack leader says when there allowed to eat, not when they want to, so no longer leaving food down. He gets fed at 7:30am, his food sits for 15 minutes and then is taken away, He is fed at 4:PM, his food sits for 15 minutes and then is taken away, he is fed again at 9:PM, food sits for 15 minutes and then is taken away.

-If Hunter is not supervised 100% he is kenneled, when he isn't kenneled he is watched and told what he can and can't do, and if your just to lazy to watch him or kennel him leash him to you, but DO NOT LET HIM WALK IN FRONT OF YOU EVER!

-If Hunter bites, chews something he shouldn't, gets into something, or does anything he shouldn't you say NO, if he continues lock him up for 30 seconds, but don't talk just grab him lock him up, stand around the corner and wait.. if he whines/barks the time out is longer, and then is 30 seconds after he calms down.

-When you come home, DO NOT TALK TO HIM, don't even look at him, just ignore him, until your ready to play (At least 10 minutes). EVERY TIME YOU COME HOME WAIT!

-You have to eat before hunter, even if it's a snack, he has to see you eat before he gets fed, and he is locked up during meal times, no ifs ands or buts, pack leader gets meal time ALONE.

-If he bites yell, and yell really loud and really high, make him think he hurt you really bad.

-He only gets toys and bones when you give them to him, no more getting when he wants, you take them away when you want, not when he is done with it (so take it away before he leaves it)

I am not meaning to step on peoples toes with this comment it is just my opinion.

When I read this post I see someone is willing to do anything to help her dog. She has taken advice and followed through. There have been changes in the behavior of the dog and like all changes it is slow. I do realize that Hunter is not at the level he should be and I think Emily realizes that as well.
I am a bit miffed that she came on here to show others how hard she has been working with Hunter and to brag out how he is changing(which is something to be proud of). I don't see any good work, keep with it, have you tried this, etc. I also am not a dog expert by far as most of you know I post lots about my dog but I do love my pets so the responses scare me. What if I have problems like this with Owen and I post for help? Will I get the same reaction? I am lucky in a way I have my niece to give me advice as well.
Emily no advice for you as I am not that knowledgeable but wanted to say good job with your accomplishments with Hunter. I wonder if you could let your mom know that her friends are being abusive to Hunter and not helping his growth. Have you thought of emailing Caesar to see if he would like to have him for his show? I am not sure how that works but it is an option.

GREAT JOB HUNTER AND EMILY
Susan and Owen

Ha ha Honestly I live off Cesar's shows since I heard about them. At the beginning I would have (should have) emailed him, but now there is only a few little speed bumps we need to get over (and most of them are not even Hunters fault) And I know what I have to do to change them, I just need to remember to do them (Like the kennel thing, standing my ground when he's growling and throwing a fit).

Trust me Ive tried talking to my mom, and she's like "You don't say anything when they do it to Duke", she doesn't understand that Hunter's aggression will never be gone, no matter how hard I try, he will always be an aggressive dog who isn't trustworthy, just because of his past. But since he doesn't act out over little things she thinks he is cured... Sadly she needs to go do some research.

I am not meaning to step on peoples toes with this comment it is just my opinion.

When I read this post I see someone is willing to do anything to help her dog. She has taken advice and followed through. There have been changes in the behavior of the dog and like all changes it is slow. I do realize that Hunter is not at the level he should be and I think Emily realizes that as well.
I am a bit miffed that she came on here to show others how hard she has been working with Hunter and to brag out how he is changing(which is something to be proud of). I don't see any good work, keep with it, have you tried this, etc. I also am not a dog expert by far as most of you know I post lots about my dog but I do love my pets so the responses scare me. What if I have problems like this with Owen and I post for help? Will I get the same reaction? I am lucky in a way I have my niece to give me advice as well.
Emily no advice for you as I am not that knowledgeable but wanted to say good job with your accomplishments with Hunter. I wonder if you could let your mom know that her friends are being abusive to Hunter and not helping his growth. Have you thought of emailing Caesar to see if he would like to have him for his show? I am not sure how that works but it is an option.

GREAT JOB HUNTER AND EMILY
Susan and Owen

I understand where you're coming from Mogrann, but I also see where Lucky is coming from, and I have to say, I'm not being supportive yet because of past history with Emily.

I don't know if you saw the list I posted of all the pets Emily has had, every single one of them with aggression issues. That's a major red flag. It's impossible to get animal after animal, different breeds of animals, and all of them have aggression issues. It's just no possible that you're that unlucky. That tells me that the aggression issues are due to environment.

I'm glad that she's following our advice, I'm glad that she's working with Hunter. I'm not huge on Cesar Millan, but to each their own. I hope it all works out, but I'm weary. As long as the environment is the same, I'm afraid that Emily will continue to have animals with aggression issues. I'd bet money that it's just a matter of time before Emily starts another thread telling us that hunter is having issues again.

Don't mean to be a downer, but looking back at previous posts, there's an obvious pattern. Until I see that this pattern has changed I'm going to go by what I've seen in the past. I've heard this "Everything is going well" from Emily before, only to have it all fall apart days or weeks later.

Thank you Alty that helps explain the negative aspects of these posts. As I said I am no dog expert just an animal lover. I am glad that things are changing and do hope it is different.
Thank you for not jumping all over me as that was a fear of mine in posting. I am working on skills to deal with that in DBT but that is another issue.
Susan

Thank you Alty that helps explain the negative aspects of these posts. As I said I am no dog expert just an animal lover. I am glad that things are changing and do hope it is different.
Thank you for not jumping all over me as that was a fear of mine in posting. I am working on skills to deal with that in DBT but that is another issue.
Susan

I would never jump on you for voicing your opinion. I know where your heart is, how much you love animals. It shows in ever post about your little boy.

I know Emily loves her animals too. I don't doubt that she does. I just think she takes on more then she can handle. I also think that until she can control her environment (moves out) she shouldn't get any more pets. I don't know for sure what the issues are in the home, but it's very obvious that all these animals with aggression issues are being affected by the environment.

If it was only dogs I'd say it was a matter of training, but rabbits, ferrets, guinea pigs, even her fish have issues. Something is going on here. Either it's something in the home, or something with the people in the home.

I just remember the last dog that Emily told us was doing fine, and then he ended up having to be put down because he attacked someone. I don't want to see that happen again, but it's always in the back of my head.

Every animal I post about on here is not specifically mine... Chip was my moms, the hedgehog was my sisters, the kitten was my sister's, The chi was a gift that I didn't ask for, the rabbits were my brothers and mine. When I was looking for a dog (After Chip died, and after my sister moved out) yes, I asked about bull mastiffs, pit bulls, and a husky, no I did not want to get one of each, it was just my way of researching the breed. The ferret was aggressive because she hadn't had ANY human contact until 3 months of age, and then after that it wasn't much, when we got her at 6 months she barely knew what a human was, that wasn't my fault.

Now you think all my animals have been aggressive but..

Tanner my one ferret is far from you can do whatever you want and he wouldn't think about biting you, my guinea pigs were never aggressive, I've had rabbits in the past that weren't aggressive, I've had cats none of them were aggressive, chip wasn't aggressive, Taz (which is a dog) (who I've never posted about I don't think, but died in 08) wasn't aggressive either.

The only aggressive animals are Chloe the ferret (which I explaned above), Duke (Which is only aggressive to other dogs, and had been since I got him at 4 months old), My rabbit (which is supposivly very common if there not spayed, which I didn't know), and last Hunter, which if you haven't noticed I've been dealing with.

Yes I have owned many animals, but a lot of the previous ones were given to me as gifts, or brought home by someone else in the family, and when they were in my care they've always had vet care when they needed it, they've always had food water and shelter, the dogs go on at least an hour walk a day, they go to the puppy park almost everyday in the warmer months, the ferrets get to go outside in there playpen in the summer for a couple hours depending on the weather and so did the guinea pigs and rabbits. Now I only have 2 ferrets (which niether are aggressive anymore), 2 dogs, and my fish. By the way, and time I talked about the goldfish that was my moms fish, not mine, just clearing that up.

So as you can see, there not only MY animals, yes some are mine, but some I don't get a choice whether they get brought home or not.

So what happened to your dog that is in your profile picture?

I think what you are doing is playing the blame game. "Because this animal is a rescue, it has a reson to be upset with me".

NO! WRONG!

I deal with rescue dogs on a daily basis.. None of them show aggression towards me or any other person here. Why? BECAUSE I AM THE ALPHA *****!

All of your new pets are showing questionable behaviors which you are terming as aggression. I think in order for you to understand how to treat a dog, you have to understand dogs first.

Humans, create all problems associated with dogs. We allow them to jump on us, bite us and eat our food. We think its cute. I find it adorable that my dog jumps on me when I'm revving her up.. Does she do that to other dogs? NO WAY! Why? Because she would get her butt handed to her.

Dogs owned by humans are classified as sexually mature puppies. Feral dogs and wolves do not act the way our dogs do. They are true Male Dogs and *****es. Only the top dog in charge is allowed to breed, they come into season at specific times throughout the year. Human owned dogs breed whenever they want and any time during the year. That is abnormal in the canine world.

I am not a fan at telling people they need to establish dominance with their dog. People do strange things when they try and get the upper hand. Becoming the dominant dog in your household is not a training issue. Packs do not work the way we think.
"because I'm Alpha, you will sit and obey"

NO! They don't think that way. Sitting is courtesy in our world and gives us a bit more of the upper hand. To become alpha, you do a lot more then just walking out the door first and making them wait to eat. It's a mind set. And if you don't have that mindset you will never be in charge.

Maybe its not your fault these animals are showing a different side for you. Maybe you are just not an assertive person who is selecting (or getting stuck with) a more assertive dog. Before, it didn't matter, because you were younger. Now you are becoming older and are asking more from these pets then you have in the past. You asking more from a dog that is in charge of you, is going to create these problems.

Alpha dogs are not happy because they constantly have to deal with us humans that do nothing the dog wants us to. You are not leading your dog, there is a huge hole in your pack that the dog recognizes and feels that "Hey! There is no order here, I guess if youre not going to to do it, then I will."

Example: If your dog wants to go eat, and your not moving off the couch, the dog is going to stand and bark at you like, "What are you doing? We need to get going". When the human does nothing and tries to correct the dog, or put it in a kennel, that's when the growling and biting happens. "What are you doing? I said we are suppose to go to do this!" Make sense?

I agree with Alty, you need to stop getting animals. If they are given to you, find a home for it. You cannot handle all these animals. I don't even think I could (or would want to) deal with all those animals in my house. Whether its your dog, your sisters dog or your aunts dog.. If the animal shows aggression towards you or anyone else then its ENVIRONMENTAL! Something is happening in your house to create this high tension.

I have a hard time believing that your mom would stand by and let her friends abuse your dog. Your dog doesn't do good with strangers in his house. That order needs to change. This is YOUR house and he is not to tell you who can and can't enter your house. Your moms friends might be a bit rough with him, but that is not abuse. Abuse is much more indepth. And unless you can actually prove that her friends abuse and torment your dog, then I'm sorry, you don't have a case with me (at least).

Get control of your dog. Its not training techniques and its not any one persons advise, its finding that happy spot between you and your dog.. with your dog being secondary to you.

ERROR: You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Lucky098 again.

Darn spreading the rep.

I agree 100% with Lucky. Emily, I like you, I don't want to hurt your feelings. I think it's great that you love animals as much as you do. Get ready for the but. You take on more then you're capable of handling.

I will go back through your posts again, but as I recall your animals all had issues, not just the few you mentioned. I'll go back and check, post my findings here.

The bottom line is that you tend to have aggression issues with animals in your care, especially your dogs. Like I said before, no one is that unlucky. It's something you and your family are doing. It's time to figure out what you're doing wrong and fix it. You'll never get a dog that doesn't have aggression issues until you fix the environment and the people in it.

I'm stepping out of this one. I feel that I have given every amount advice that I can offer. Not only on this post, but on many of Emily's other posts. If you aren't willing to take the advice that is given, then I have nothing left to give. Alty and Lucky have also repeatedly given good advice. Although I do NOT agree with Milan's techniques at all. But I just don't have the will power atm to start this argument all over again. I am also at my wits end with a foster/rescue who will not conform to me being alpha.



Emily, I hope Hunter is making great strides, and I wish you guys all the best.

Just a reminder that Duke is the dog in Emily's avatar. He is a Peke/Jack Russel mix. :)

I have no idea who the dog in the pictures with Hunter are.

Thank you Cat for clearing that up about Duke :)

The dog in the pictures with Hunter is Mia, which is my moms friends dog.

I took the advice given, every single time it was given. I changed my lifestyle, I changed my dogs lifestyle. I dealt with the ferret aggression. ALL OF THE ADVICE I TOOK!

And by the way... this is a question and answer site... so yes I am going to ask questions about problems. Why would I ask a question about something that I know and can deal with?

Lucky, I think your not reading through my posts very well at all. I have said something in a post, and then you question it in the next. Like for example the Duke thing I said I had 2 dogs still (which is Duke and Hunter) but then you ask "So what happened to your dog that is in your profile picture??"... Im guessing you assumed that the bull mastiff was mine, but if you read through any of my questions/posts you'd know I didn't have a bullmastiff. Maybe you don't know me or my life as well as you think. Not once did I play the blame game, I know Hunter is aggressive, I know he will always be a risk to anyone who comes near him, aggressive dogs can never change 100%. Honestly, I don't know what caused this, I don't hit my dogs, I don't play rough, I can easily make Duke do exactly what I want, he will go to the end of the earth and back to please me, his aggression with other dogs started before I even owned him (He was my cousins dog since he was born since he was born on the farm, and then he became aggressive with there dogs so they gave him to me since we didn't have any). He gets along with every dog I put in front of him as long as it is one on one, but the moment he is surrounded by 4 or more dogs he gets mad. It used to be any dog, but now I have taught him that when a dog comes up to him he is to sit and wait and that dog goes around and smells Duke, if I notice Duke is starting to tense or he starts to show teeth I hook on his leash and leave, play times over if he wants to be like that. If he seems just fine with that dog I say "Okay" in my happiest voice and he gets to go play... this works great since he is only aggressive when he is around me, if he is around me I can give him the commands... plus it takes his mind off the dog in the first place. So yes, I own aggressive dog, one that might be completely my fault but I honestly don't know what I did wrong, and Duke, who now is barely aggressive if I don't put him in those situations, why would I set him up for failure by putting him in that situation (First thing I learnt in puppy school)? Now someone is probably going to say " Whos ruling the roost"?like someone did when I said I'm doing school from home. Guess what, MY DOGS Don't KNOW. They don't know I'm doing home schooling for them and they don't know I avoid groups of dogs because of them.

Honestly, I had a dog who literally sent me to hospital more than once, he sent my mom to hospital, and I have scars to prove it. You couldn't touch him without getting your hand bit, you couldn't feed him without him attacking, trying to kennal him was just a nightmare, then there was the random attacks... you could just be walking or sitting and the next thing you knew Hunter was latched on to you, no growling nothing, just bit and wouldn't let go.

Now, I can pull his ears, take his food (and he sits nicely for it back), drag him by his tail, get him all rialed up and he still won't bite, but also, before he wouldn't do a thing I told him, I knew he could sit, but hed basically look at me and say ummmm no, and walk away. Now it doesn't matter what he is doing his attention is still on me, because the moment I say sit he is sitting.

Obviously he is getting better, I obviously changed my lifestyle, why? Because Hunter is getting better! No he definantly isn't close to what I want him, but he isn't the little terror he was, I thought you guys would be proud that I changed that, even if he isn't better yet, were working on it, everyday me and him try to get over another little speedbump.

Trust me, I am trying to help him, I am trying to change everything, but it isn't that easy to do overnight! Hour upon hour upon hour a day, please, you try that... everyday. I get home from school at 12:25 pm, I am outside walking the dogs till 1:30, no matter if it is -40 C, then we get home and play in the yard for a good 30 min (Usually fetch). Then we go inside and I have some lunch, then the dogs get lunch. Then we have a little bit of training time, sit *treat* down *treat* roll over *treat*... Then its back outside for more play time. By this time its usually 3 or so, so dogs are kenneled and I do homework till about 5-6, then dogs outside, then dogs in kennel's while I make food, we eat, then the dogs eat there supper. Then it is another walk (usually) and then when we get home they get to chill out and be dogs for a bit in the yard. Then it is bedtime.

Now where in there did I mess up and create a monster? What am I doing so wrong? Please, since everyone has the opinion I am some kind of monster who likes to ruin animals and cause them to become aggressive and bite every moving thing, what is soooooo wrong with the way I raise my dogs, what part caused this? Everyone thinks they know me and my life perfectly so you must know where I went wrong.

I'm not claiming to know your life. I forgot about Duke, and I am sorry.

No, you're right, you're dogs don't know that you are sacraficing your life to better suite the dogs, and that is a good thing that you are going that extra mile to do so.. But, look at it this way.. You cannot go to school because your dog is aggressive and is unpredictable. You lead an, I don't want to say abnormal lifestyle, but along those terms because of your dog. You are walking on eggshells to prevent anything from going wrong. No, the dog doesn't get it, but look at what your doing to yourself due to problems with your animals. You can't do that, FOR YOUR SAKE!

I realize you are working hard with this dog and I realize you are asking for help. But you have to see it from our side. Every post is a MAJOR problem. Its not just potty problems or anything minor, its big! A dog biting a person is a HUGE PROBLEM. Other dog aggression is avoidable by not going to dog populated places. Its actually abnormal for dogs to accept other dogs like that, so dog aggression, I would say, is quite normal. Some people just luck out when they get the overly happy dog that loves the world. But a dog biting a person, that's bad. A dog biting its own handler, that's even worse. That means the dog is not afraid to stand up to you and make YOU back down.

I wish I could refer you to a good trainer that I know works, you being in a completely different country (and from the seems of it, the middle of no-where) makes it hard to help you find help.

You just can't put your life on hold because of unpredictable dog. I love animals, they are my world and everything I do, they are considered, but I don't think I would ever not go to school because of my dog, or not have friends over because of my dog, or do the things that I love, because of my dog. I think I would just put a muzzle on it, possibly a training collar (depending on how bad it is) and make the dog deal with the situations alone. That's the wonderful thing about dogs. Each day is a new day. They don't remember the bad. If your dog is acting like an idiot in public, its because you (hypothetically) are nervous. If you walked your dog down the road with confidence and didn't flinch once when he lunged at another dog.. You'd never have any issues.

Maybe it is the dog, but I think you're not helping the situation. Like I said, maybe its not even your fault... Maybe you aren't doing anything directly, maybe you are just a very submissive person that gets saddled with Alpha-type dogs. Not every person is a leader, just like not every dog is a leader.

Keep asking questions, Emily, it's the only way you will learn things. But please take a step back and read your own posts and see the pattern that is being created. And if all your animals are rescues, stop treating them as a rescue. It happens to the best of us so don't feel as if I'm scolding you on that part, but animals can sense when you're not treating them respectfully (no other better word). So what if the dog was dumped on you because he was a jerk, he is your dog now and you want to live your life... He is going ot have to follow you and behave himself. The biting needs to stop. If it really makes you worried, buy a greyhound muzzle. He still has the freedom to eat, drink and pant, but no one can get bit. Give your mom strict rules with him.., Like.. He isn't alloud out his crate unless you are physcially doing it. Your dog is not a baby anymore, he can handle it. It'll be good for him to be alone. Let him earn his freedoms within your family. Its not right that you, your family, your moms friends, your friends, etc.. Have to walk on eggshells around him because he might not like something. Get what I'm saying?

I'm sorry if I sound like I'm telling you you are doing everything wrong, I don't mean it that way.. but the aggression from all your new pets, history of aggression problems in your family pets, the worry that your moms friends are being mean to him or vise versa.. it just can't be any fun.

Watch lots of dog training videos! Just go out and do it! If you think you know how to solve the problem so the behavior goes away, try it. You can't go wrong. Every dog responds differently, not all dogs do the Caesar Milan miracle make over in 24 hours.

If anyone was still wondering about Hunter...

He is getting neutered sometime this month (or very early April), he is registered into a training course so that he can be my new hunting partner, he has shown great natural instinct (He caught a Prairie Chicken the other day), and he LOVES fetch and actually brings whatever it is back. He still hasn't bitten anyone, and he is starting to listen even better, right now were working a little more on stay.