Question about aggressive dog?

Question

My boyfriend has a year old Aussie doodle (Australian Shepherd Poodle mix) who has, as of late, become increasingly aggressive with strangers. I've only known the dog for about 4 months. I know that he did not have the proper obedience and socialization done when he was a puppy. He lived with my boyfriends parents until he was about 6 months and they did not do much with him. Neither did my boyfriend after he took him home, until I started to work with him a few months ago. I noticed his aggression right off the bat, but it was more of a fear response then outward aggression at first. He would bark loudly warning strangers then run away or hide behind me or my boyfriend. It seems like the 'fear' is dissipating and he is going up to people now and barking and growling. I know that dogs start to build their real self confidence between their 1st and 3rd year and with his herding and guarding instincts due to his breed I am afraid he is getting too self confident lately. 

We had an incident at the dog park the other day. He plays great with other dogs and is not aggressive there, maybe just a bit intense with the chasing if the other dogs are running but that is in his nature. There was an older gentleman walking around who Dexter (the dog) started to bark at. It was that 'warning' type bark and he went right up to the guy and barked at him. He also barked like this at a few others, but after a few good barks walked away from them. It seemed like he had targeted this guy as a threat. The man stared him down and kept walking towards our dog (which I thought was idiotic) and when the man walked away Dexter ran up to him and nipped at his hand. He did not bite him, but very well could have. 

I have experience with working with dogs but it is limited and I don't have the knowledge to handle an aggressive dog. We have contacted a trainer that lives in our area who says he will evaluate Dexter and give us his opinion and try to help. He won't be able to come out for a few days though. I guess my question here is, from those of you that have experience with such a thing, how have you handled it and was it successful? 

Neither my boyfriend or I want to go to the extreme of putting our dog down, but if he were to be aggressive with a child or  even bite an adult I don't know how I could live with myself. He is an extremely intelligent dog and with his family is a love bug. But with anyone else I cannot trust him at this point.

hypur_lil_one · Accepted Answer

You will want to take proper steps while training him. Make sure you keep him on a leash at all times so you can control him. Read his body language and look for cues that let you know when he's going to act up. You should also use a martingale collar. This type of collar doesn't choke the dog when tugged and helps make a small snapping sound that helps the dog associate it with correcting his behavior. When he acts up make a sharp vocal noise along with a quick tugging motion on the leash and continue until he stops that behavior. Don't be afraid to pull the dog's body toward yours while doing so. If he's a bit strong and determined use a gentle lead with the collar. Dog's lead their head, then chest, then body. The gentle lead helps you control them easier. If you're having difficulties with training always ask a licensed pet trainer and make sure they use positive reinforcement when they train. Never use aggression or seek help from someone who does as it puts fear into the pet, not trust or respect.

metalchick&lt;3 · Answer

Well your dog could very well be acting like this because he has not been around people. My boyfriend and i got a dog a while back and just recently family has came over and when they got near him he would growl bark and nip at all of them. I was very upset because he always acted so well, but what i didnt realize is hes about 9 months now and hes always been in the house with us. he never really got socialized properly. So just what i did it seems like you have a similar situation... you need to start introducing him to strangers more. walk down the street with him and have a friend he doesnt know walk by and introduce them so he learns they're okay. The whole problem is not being well socialized when he was kept at his parents house for that long. Another thing is if you went to the dog park and he was off his leash when he tried to nip at that man its because your dog is on a leash when you take it somewhere right? so when you take him off (just like at home) its his territory. With a guy he doesnt know in his territory it doesnt go well. well good luck, hit me up if you have other Q's

Kevin · Answer

Watch the Dog Whisperer on History Channel to learn about  how to control your dog.  (You can find the show on the internet).  It's a USA TV show.

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Question about aggressive dog?

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