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Mother's aggressive dog

joannem87

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Hello everyone,

This is my first post. I would like to start off by saying I know I have made mistakes with this dog. I am looking for some advice please as this is a very stressful situation. 

I live and work in Asia and my parents live in Europe. I visit home around once a year. My parents got a new, male Jack Russel around 3 years ago. I met the dog when he was 6 months old. They had not trained him. Within 6 weeks I had toilet trained him, trained him to walk on a lead, basic commands and basic behavior (no jumping up, no getting up on the table etc. etc.) We really bonded. 
After 8 weeks together I returned to Asia and then visited home 14 months later. I thought the dog had remembered me, but I'm not sure. Anyway, while I was gone my parents had trained him on a shock collar to keep him inside our property (I was highly against this). They did this because we had lost another dog on the busy main road. I feel that this made the dog a bit unpredictable. My parents did not upkeep my training, they allowed him to jump on guests and get up on the table etc. etc. The dog did not like to be told what to do. He would snarl at my father when he tried to put him to bed. 
When I returned I was not aware of the snarling or that my parents were not keeping up my behavior training. So when I saw the dog doing these behaviors I told him 'no'. The dog snarled at me numerous times, which really shocked me. I let him know with a stern voice that he was not to do this to me. Then he would see me later in the day and want to play fetch etc. 
I came into the house quickly one night and I startled the dog. He became very aggressive and bit my leg (I was wearing thick boots so I wasn't hurt). This obviously really upset me and I felt unsafe in the house. I left to go to Asia the next day so this behavior was not corrected properly.
I returned the following year. The dog was so excited to see me (as he is with all guests). But the dog continued to snarl, growl, crouch down and bare teeth at me every time I came down the stairs or came near my mother quickly. He is very protective of her. I was afraid of him so we put the dog into a boarding kennel. I missed the dog, so on my last day we brought him back to our home. I collected him and he was so happy to see me. Back at the house I lifted up my mother's crutches and the dog became very aggressive again. He was afraid I was going to hurt him or my mother. I lowered the crutches and tried to talk to him in a calming and friendly voice. He was snarling, baring his teeth and wagging his tail at the same time.... this was very unusual to me. He would not stop and I ended up having a panic attack before I left for the airport.

I am returning to my parent's house in a few weeks for a month. I really want to get along with the dog. I understand that the dog is wary of me as I am practically a stranger to him. He was confused because I was giving him orders. I removed him from his home, which upset him further. However, he still snarls at my father when he tries to put him to bed. They have removed his shock collar thankfully. My family have kept and trained jack russels for over 20 years and this is the first time we have had an aggressive dog. 

I am planning to not correct the dog's behaviour (jumping on guests etc.) I will give him treats when I enter the kitchen area where he sleeps/lives so he is getting positive reinforcement when he sees me. What should I do when/if he is aggressive towards me? Is there anything my parents can do to prepare the dog for my return? All helpful advice is welcome. Thank you for reading my long post.


 
 
I think you have a very difficult situation. All you can do is manage it; in brief visits you can't resolve the issue. I would ignore the dog, but as you pass drop, don't toss, super tasty treats. If he comes to you don't face him head on, this can be interpreted as intimidating. Make sure he has somewhere safe to retreat to. Can you get Adaptil? Is comes in various forms including collars and diffusers and mimics a calming hormone produced when bitches have pups. If your parents are willing to work with the dog in your absence that would help a lot but please ask them to find a behaviourist who uses positive methods.
 
Aggression is an instinctive reaction, not a conscious decision.

From your description the dog is in conflict. Any dog that is subjected to a shock collar will be in total confusion as to why it is feeling this pain. The pain will often come when owners are upset or angry and that adds to the dog's confusion around people.

It is almost impossible to train a dog for other people. This is where your relationship with the dog broke down. He has no bond with you. You can extend any training that the dog is given to include you.

I think a behaviourist is almost essential before the dog does some real damage.

Remember it is not his fault. He is behaving instinctively not with malice.
 
I don't entirely agree that "U can't train a dog for other ppl" - since trainers do that often, as owners, especially in B-Mod situations where the dog has an established habit of unwanted behavior, are out of their depth. :)   Trainers do lots of "training for other ppl", & sometimes i'm training the dog to do things that i would not want my dog to do, LOL - as in, bark to go out & potty.  :p   But the dog is not my dog, the household isn't my home, & i'm training to someone else's goals.

Also, in this instance,  it isn't so much "teach cued behavior" [train] but "reduce defensive feelings in the dog", & make him more comfy with the daughter of the household, who is a regular but not frequent visitor; this dog may live to be 16-YO, & no one wants to be anxious about potential aggro for the next decade-plus. :(

Before i even entered the house, i'd apply DAP pump-spray [Adaptil, Comfort-Zone for Dogs - it's a pheromone, not a medication, & goes on objects in the environs, not on the dog's skin] to my shoes - one at the toes, & a spritz on each outside ankle - even if i will be taking them off once inside, & i'd spray my PANTS on the outside seams - a spritz at either knee, plus a spritz at each ankle.
DAP / Dog Appeasing Pheromone works biologically, it lowers BP, pulse, respiration, secretion of cortisol, etc; lactating bitches secrete it, & it helps pups to avoid wasting time grizzling & whining when Mum returns, & settle quickly to contented, focused nursing while she's there. Even dogs who were bottle-fed will respond to it; there is no need for puphood exposure, it's not "learned" but built-in.
http://www.allivet.com/p-921-adaptil-spray-20-ml.aspx
 

I'd also use Dunbar's 'Treat & Retreat' tactic, tossing a high-value tidbit past the dog so that he moves away from U to find & eat it, then he'll turn about, U toss another [again, past the dog], etc. Over the next minute or 2, he'll become less anxious & move closer; DON't make eye-to-eye contact, especially do not stare, as this is rude & intimidating - just as it is in humans.  Try to be very conscious of a soft gaze, relaxed face, & a smile that reaches Ur eyes - but doesn't show teeth, as some dogs get defensive / aroused by bared teeth, even in a smile.
http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/retreat-treat

Putting a drag on the dog in the house [a lightweight 8 to 10-ft long piece of sash-cord is good, with a small brass spring-clip square-knotted on the end, so it won't fall off] makes him easy to move WITHOUT cornering or grabbing a collar, etc - walk up easily to the END of the cord, tread on it, then bend to pick it up, facing away from the dog. [If U try to bend over & simply pick it up, he'll learn to take a couple quick steps to get the end out of reach; that's not a game U want to teach, LOL.]
Then pat a leg, turn in the direction U wish him to go, & move off - he should follow, tho he may give U a wide berth; that's OK. Tossing a treat along the floor ahead of U is fine, if U think he will dart in & grab yer leg - safety first, this isn't about demanding obedience, but reducing his distrust & stress.

Sadly, aggro is a common side-effect of shock collars - including the automatic type that work with a so-called "invisible fence", actually a buried boundary cable that's connected to a transmitter & sends an electric shock when the dog gets too close to the buried wire. :(   The painful zap gets associated with the innocent passersby, so that months later, a formerly sociable dog may chase a bicyclist, barking furiously, or bite their legs, or charge at strange dogs while on leash - s/he's been patrolling the boundary & being punished for getting too close, & BLAMES the ppl or the dogs who went by, for the pain.
Dogs do not logically connect cause & effect -  they just experience an antecedent [happens 1st] & a subsequent event [happens 2nd]. They can be total coincidence, not related in any way, but the dog now has a superstitious belief that one PREDICTS the other.  Ex, the puppy is on the vet's exam table for the very 1st time; he slips on the S/S surface, no one is standing by to block his fall, & hits the tile floor painfully on his backside. No damage is done, but it bl**dy well hurt.
From then on, put him on the exam table & he freezes, shaking like a leaf in the breeze, ears flat to his head, drooling & swallowing nervously, his tail clamped to his bum & the tail tip under his belly. He's terrified before the vet even touches him. :(

If U really think he is liable to bite, pre-condition a BOX muzzle [not the tube type groomer's muzzle, which is actually dangerous & can cause a dog to overheat quickly - they cannot pant with a wide-open airway, & when stressed, they quickly can develop high body-temps & even seize].
Here's a terrific how-to video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_I3c-J7HNxs

Note that the dog, an ACD, is very suspicious of strangers & gives the trainer the evil eye a number of times; however, the trainer's timing is spot-on, & the dog is confidently approaching or touching the muzzle for a reward without hesitation, while still giving stink-eye to the trainer, LOL - tho she takes the goodies quick enuf!  :lol:

I agree that the JRT is seriously conflicted - he wants to interact, but his past experience of pain from ppl that he couldn't predict - pain that seemed random & was deeply startling as well as hurtful - has made him paranoid. :(   It's not impossible to turn this around, & yes, it can be done in brief visits, tho it won't happen in a day or 2. // Repeat visits, even if 6-mos apart, can still make headway; he will not forget, but may regress slightly, then recover & move further in improvement on the next visit.
Don't give up - this young dog is recoverable, he's had a bad puphood, but he can have a long, happy adulthood.
 - terry

Terry Pride, member Truly Dog-Friendly
'dogs R dogs, wolves R wolves, & primates R us.'  -  (™ 2007)
 

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