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muddymoodymoo
Dogsey Senior
muddymoodymoo is offline  
Location: Sirius
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 660
Female 
 
08-04-2017, 12:29 PM
Confidence can be built up with training. Training anything - sit, down, come, paw, rollover. Using a clicker is even better as the clicker is a clear sound, unlike others (your voice included). There is a selection of clickers available from the old fashioned box type (which I don't like) to clickers with buttons, which have a softer sound than the box type if your dog is sound sensitive. The clicker can also be wrapped in a cloth to make the sound even softer.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=cl...dpr=1.25#spf=1

Google kikopup, she has a wealth of dog training videos, get some inspiration and get training. Start at home, in a quiet, calm environment, then move outside where there are no distractions. and only move training to a place with distractions if your dog understands what you're asking and responds reliably without distractions.

Don't expect overnight success, expect setbacks, but don't give up. We all learn by mistakes, you dog will make them as will you.

Good luck.
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Chris
Dogsey Veteran
Chris is offline  
Location: Lincolnshire
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 8,921
Female 
 
08-04-2017, 01:55 PM
First and foremost, discuss things with your behaviourist. That person has met your dog and yourself and has reached a conclusion that we can only guess at.

Very often, if the behaviourist is a good one, they don't need to see the 'aggressive' behaviours to have a good idea of the problem and what is needed to rectify it.

What you have done in going to the dog park sounds more like flooding than socialising. Remember, your behaviourist should have vast experience whereas the person in the dog park hasn't and what was suggested could have had dire consequences.

It does sound to me as though it very possibly did your dog more harm that good in that it literally terrified him
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vanessamarie
Dogsey Junior
vanessamarie is offline  
Location: United States
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 20
Female 
 
09-04-2017, 01:58 AM
Originally Posted by muddymoodymoo View Post
Confidence can be built up with training. Training anything - sit, down, come, paw, rollover. Using a clicker is even better as the clicker is a clear sound, unlike others (your voice included). There is a selection of clickers available from the old fashioned box type (which I don't like) to clickers with buttons, which have a softer sound than the box type if your dog is sound sensitive. The clicker can also be wrapped in a cloth to make the sound even softer.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=cl...dpr=1.25#spf=1

Google kikopup, she has a wealth of dog training videos, get some inspiration and get training. Start at home, in a quiet, calm environment, then move outside where there are no distractions. and only move training to a place with distractions if your dog understands what you're asking and responds reliably without distractions.

Don't expect overnight success, expect setbacks, but don't give up. We all learn by mistakes, you dog will make them as will you.

Good luck.
Thank you! I will look up those videos. We have a very rigorous training schedule. Currently, we are training his "relaxed-stay." He knows time for potty, sit, come, down, paw, he even knows "chase your tail" His medication has definitely improved his well-being and I just spoke to his behaviorist and she thinks he might need it for the rest of his life. I don't know what I was thinking by taking him to the dog park--I just wanted him to see other dogs play and he really was happy when I took him off-leash and we were running and playing. I think he needs more of that off-leash, open space time. Private of course. Los Angeles is not a good place for a puppy like him but I am doing my best at keeping him away from people--gets lonely but he is worth it.
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Besoeker
Dogsey Veteran
Besoeker is offline  
Location: Dunstable UK
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 1,957
Male 
 
09-04-2017, 04:36 AM
Originally Posted by vanessamarie View Post
Yes definitely giving max time! Thank you for taking the time to reply. Very much appreciated!
You're welcome. Time.
We got ours, also Max and a rescue, when he was about a year old. He wasn't a barker and, for the most part, still isn't.
We've had him now for two years and it is still a learning curve.
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Jackie
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Location: UK
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 13,122
Female  Diamond Supporter 
 
09-04-2017, 08:02 AM
Unfortunately having him neutered at such a young age will have compounded the situation, you have taken away the only natural aid to helping him through any stressful situations, testosterone is not just something that drives sexual behaviour, it is also a natural balancer for life, testosterone fuels confidence, if you take it away and specially from a dog that has a problem with a lack of confidence and stress of life, then he has nothing to back up the much needed boast to get him through any situations.

Regarding the dog park, as it's already been pointed out unfortunately you flooded him with a situation he was not comfortable with and reacted in the only way he could .


Socialisation is good, but you must do it in a controlled situation, i.e.....the dog park,take him but stay outside just let his sit and observe. If you come across an o lead dog that is calm and friendly allow him to meet and greet, but controlled never put him in a position with dogs that are off led and he can't get away from.

Find someone to walk with with a nice calm no reactive dog, hopefully it will build up his confidence.

Good luck
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vanessamarie
Dogsey Junior
vanessamarie is offline  
Location: United States
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 20
Female 
 
09-04-2017, 10:47 PM
Originally Posted by Jackie View Post
Unfortunately having him neutered at such a young age will have compounded the situation, you have taken away the only natural aid to helping him through any stressful situations, testosterone is not just something that drives sexual behaviour, it is also a natural balancer for life, testosterone fuels confidence, if you take it away and specially from a dog that has a problem with a lack of confidence and stress of life, then he has nothing to back up the much needed boast to get him through any situations.

Regarding the dog park, as it's already been pointed out unfortunately you flooded him with a situation he was not comfortable with and reacted in the only way he could .


Socialisation is good, but you must do it in a controlled situation, i.e.....the dog park,take him but stay outside just let his sit and observe. If you come across an o lead dog that is calm and friendly allow him to meet and greet, but controlled never put him in a position with dogs that are off led and he can't get away from.

Find someone to walk with with a nice calm no reactive dog, hopefully it will build up his confidence.

Good luck
Hey Jackie, Ugh you're so right about the age of being neutered. Our landlord was going to evict us because of his excessive barking and she then handed me a full list of requirements that Max needed if we chose to stay here. If Max didn't depend on me so much and if he got along with other people-- things would have been different. They gave me a short amount of time and a foster home would've been ideal but I couldn't put Max in a situation where he would be traumatized. Or where he might hurt another dog or a human. The only people who have been lenient with his aggressive biting are his wonderful vets. They have empathy towards him and know that we are doing our best.


That was goal the night we went to the dog park. For him to just observe. For some reason (and I know there are many books/articles about this so I will have to look it up) Max is much more forceful and aggressive on leash. He is much calmer when I take the leash off. As in, he doesn't lunge anymore, still barks but not much, is more hesitant to react aggressively. I took his leash off that night because the other dog was a very timid dog and max and I stayed on one side of the park (the park was huge) and the other dog stayed close to his owner on the other side. I was able to have Max play fetch and we ran up and down the hill. He was so happy. I seriously think he needs that sort of freedom. To be off-leash more often. We are going to take him late tonight again and hopefully there aren't any dogs there so he can feel safe to just run and play.

You're right, my next goal is to find someone with a calm dog and gradually/organically find a way for Max to befriend this type of dog. Not sure if you read the above posts about his brother--Max's brother lives abut 15 minutes away and their owners want to schedule a playdate next weekend. I'm going to talk to his behaviorist about this and see if she can tell me exactly how to execute everything appropriately.

Thank you for replying and for giving me good feedback. I really am trying to do my best with Max.
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