I adopted an Australian Shepherd mix thought to be around 2 years of age in November of '07. When I got him, he showed no signs of aggression and was calm and playful. After a couple weeks, we started to think he had been abused by his last owner because he would cower his head when my husband would pet him and when we would correct his behavior, he would go and hide in a different room. He never showed aggression towards us, he isn't food aggressive and he has never been anything but playful towards my 5 year old stepson. Last week, the dog was outside by our other dog playing like he has done pretty much every day. Our other dog is a 13 yr old female who is not spayed, she was a breeding dog. The Shephard mix is not neutered.

Well, last week, I called the Shephard to come in the house and he would not come. I went out by him to hook him to his leash to direct him inside the house, and when I was walking out to him he laid down flat on his belly. I
Reached down to attach the leash to his collar, and he jumped up and started barking violently at me. He did not try to bite me, but I didn't stay out by him to find out if he was going to bite. When my husband came home, he tried to bring the dog inside and the same thing happened, except my husband instead of running away like I did, grabbed a cookie sheet that was on the grill and hit the dog with it because he thought he was going to bite. When he hit the dog, the dog stopped barking and came trotting back up to come in the house.

My husband now wants to get rid of the dog because I am 6 months pregnant and he is worried about another incident or one of us getting bitten. Will getting him Neutered make any difference or will the female protectiveness still happen? We plan on getting one or two more female dogs for breeding so they will not be Spayed. Is this behavior what I should expect from not on, or can I do something to help the dog? I had two dogs die this year and would hate to give this one up since he is such a good dog the rest of the time! He hasn't showed any other aggression ever in the last 5 months that we have had him and has shown none since we have kept him away from the other dog. Please Help!


Casey

Hello Casey,

First, it is essential that you get him neutered. He's not a purebred dog, and as a responsible breeder you certainly don't want to accidentally create any mixed breed puppies when you know the shelters are full of unwanted dogs already. We can't predict exactly how much his behavior will change, but it Will Change and it Will make him a better pet.

Second, have him checked for a medical condition. Sometimes a thyroid condition can cause increased aggression. The vet can do blood tests at the same visit as when you have him neutered.

Third, when your dog "cowers his head" don't "correct that behavior" - you can't correct a fear response with any type of negative reinforcement or punishment. You can only correct by asking for the positive response and then rewarding "what you want". Adding any type of "correction" or "punishment" when the dog is fearful will simply lead to more fear.

When you walked out to him to attach the leash and he went down on his belly, that was a fear response. He knew he was "in trouble" for not coming when you called, and he feared that he was going to be punished. One way to address this type of reaction is to stop a few feet away, and call him to you with a kind voice. Give him a chance to redeem himself from not coming when you called from the door. Give him a chance to "do the right thing" when it is easier to do it (you are right there, and making it "easy" for him to comply) and then receive a kind word for his good behavior. Build on it by rewarding steps in the direction towards the behavior you want, and he should quickly return to a well behaved dog. This is a positive reinforcement training system, and it works wonders when used with fearful and previously abused animals. See Clicker Training for more tips. Clicker Training is not a lifestyle - you don't need to carry a clicker all the time. You use this to train new behaviors. The primary benefit of this program is that it changes the dog's outlook on dog/human interactions. The dog stops being afraid of punishment, and cowering from people when he fears he has done wrong. Instead, the dog starts looking for the "right thing" to do to earn praise/rewards. Once the dog "gets" into the positive reinforcement program, you can simply praise him with a kind word or a pat on the head, you don't need a "clicker" or "food treats". You use those in the beginning to clearly mark the behaviors you are rewarding and give clear "treats" as rewards.

Finally, I suggest you put the dog on the Nothing In Life Is Free program. In this training program the dog has to earn everything. When you set out his dinner, he must sit first, before you put down his bowl. When you want to bring him in our let him out, first he must sit. Etc. He always has to obey you before he gets anything. Do not let him on furniture (the couch, the bed) - those are reserved for the Alpha members of his pack (the two-legged members of the pack/household, i.e. people). This helps drill into his head that the two-legged members of his pack are always Alpha over him. When he clearly knows his place in the pack he will not threaten the Alpha members of his pack. The NILF program works hand-in-hand with Clicker Training. Both bring "rewards" to the dog when he does what is asked of him and help him become a better member of his pack (household).

Good luck!

Jc