My dog is a fighter.

[Radar Chief]

How do I cure it? She’s a Catahoula cur.
She’s great with people, very friendly and loving, but get her around another dog and it’s on. This weekend she got in a fight with a buddies blood hound one day and another buddies German short hair the next.
I hate it. I can’t take her anywhere with me if she’s constantly trying to dominate every dog we run across.
So, any helpful hints? How do I tame an aggressive dog without breaking her spirit?

[tooge]

Originally Posted by Radar Chief

How do I cure it? She’s a Catahoula cur.
She’s great with people, very friendly and loving, but get her around another dog and it’s on. This weekend she got in a fight with a buddies blood hound one day and another buddies German short hair the next.
I hate it. I can’t take her anywhere with me if she’s constantly trying to dominate every dog we run across.
So, any helpful hints? How do I tame an aggressive dog without breaking her spirit?

This is gonna sound strange, but it works. Mount your dog. She needs to be dominated so she doesn't think she is the pack leader when you are around. Put her on her back and straddle her and muzzle her face and tell her NO loudly when she does it next, in the presence of the other dog. Or call that Ceasar guy.

[Radar Chief]

Originally Posted by tooge

This is gonna sound strange, but it works. Mount your dog. She needs to be dominated so she doesn't think she is the pack leader when you are around. Put her on her back and straddle her and muzzle her face and tell her NO loudly when she does it next, in the presence of the other dog. Or call that Ceasar guy.

Oh believe me, she knows who the alpha male is. I understand the pack mentality and have worked it with the family. She understands and accepts that she’s at the bottom of the pecking order in our house, but that’s not the problem.
I’ve worked with dogs for hunting and retrieving but have never had a dog as aggressive as she is.

[HemiEd]

OK, Radar, someone has to say it.


Anti Freeze.



J/K, but you knew that had to come when you started this thread.

[Radar Chief]

Originally Posted by HemiEd

OK, Radar, someone has to say it.


Anti Freeze.



J/K, but you knew that had to come when you started this thread.

CP tradition.

[alanm]

Originally Posted by Radar Chief

Oh believe me, she knows who the alpha male is. I understand the pack mentality and have worked it with the family. She understands and accepts that she’s at the bottom of the pecking order in our house, but that’s not the problem.
I’ve worked with dogs for hunting and retrieving but have never had a dog as aggressive as she is.

Are you sure your dog is a she?
It happens I guess, but I've really never been around a really aggressive dog that's female. So I really have no idea how to work on that with her. And I sure as hell wouldn't mount the dog.
It's a good thing you have her though. She would of never make it to adoption in a pound.

[JD10367]

Originally Posted by tooge

This is gonna sound strange, but it works. Mount your dog. She needs to be dominated . . .

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by tooge

This is gonna sound strange, but it works. Mount your dog. She needs to be dominated so she doesn't think she is the pack leader when you are around. Put her on her back and straddle her and muzzle her face and tell her NO loudly when she does it next, in the presence of the other dog. Or call that Ceasar guy.

I'm sorry, but this is awful advice. First - this issue clearly isn't dominance within the household. Second - Ceasar Milan is a cherry picker that looks great because he can train dogs which were raised by absolute Fing reeruns.

If you take a dog with a true chemical issue or legitimately ingrained hostility and try that alpha roll bullshit, you'll end up with an extremely dangerous animal on your hands. You're likely to have a dog that now sees itself in competition with humans rather than just dogs. Or you'll end up with a standoffish dog determined not to slip any further in the pecking order. Sure, he may see you as the dude that can whup him, but maybe not that 7 year old next door. I cannot recommend strongly enough against that thing (and Milan in general).

My recommendation, though frowned on by some, has always been an adjustable shock collar. You'll need one with variable settings and never use more than is absolutely necessary to resolve a situation. You will also need to train the dog on just exactly what it means. I know a guy that got one, slapped it on his dog and proceeded to blast the hell out of the thing anytime it did something wrong. Well the poor dog didn't know what the shock was, where it was coming from or what it signified. All that did was create a nervous animal.

You need to put him in a controlled situation with a 'benign' distraction (like a child with a dog treat or something). Put a long check-cord on him and let him go towards the distraction. Tell him to come, invariably he will not and then you'll activate the shock collar while pulling on the check-cord. As soon as he breaks from the distraction and starts coming back like you said, release the charge. It won't take him long to realize that the shock means that he needs to stop what he's doing and listen for your command. In time you can dial the shock down to where it's just a chirp and no real juice.

The nice thing about the variable power, however, is that if he's in a real mess and won't listen, the option of incapacitating him is always there. I've never needed it, but it's an option worth having. Just remember, to the man with a hammer, the world looks like a nail. Don't go overboard with the juice on those things, it's not designed to hurt but to re-focus.

After a few of those situations arise, the dog will realize that it's the aggression towards other animals that's getting him the shock and if you're discreet enough with the remote, he'll never associate the pain with you, simply the commands. Anytime you're in a situation where he may see another dog, have the collar on him and ready to rock. In time you may be able to wean him off it. If you can't, c'est la vie, but it's still an effective tool for managing the situation even if it can't fully eliminate it.

[tooge]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

I'm sorry, but this is awful advice. First - this issue clearly isn't dominance within the household. Second - Ceasar Milan is a cherry picker that looks great because he can train dogs which were raised by absolute Fing reeruns.

If you take a dog with a true chemical issue or legitimately ingrained hostility and try that alpha roll bullshit, you'll end up with an extremely dangerous animal on your hands. You're likely to have a dog that now sees itself in competition with humans rather than just dogs. Or you'll end up with a standoffish dog determined not to slip any further in the pecking order. Sure, he may see you as the dude that can whup him, but maybe not that 7 year old next door. I cannot recommend strongly enough against that thing (and Milan in general).

My recommendation, though frowned on by some, has always been an adjustable shock collar. You'll need one with variable settings and never use more than is absolutely necessary to resolve a situation. You will also need to train the dog on just exactly what it means. I know a guy that got one, slapped it on his dog and proceeded to blast the hell out of the thing anytime it did something wrong. Well the poor dog didn't know what the shock was, where it was coming from or what it signified. All that did was create a nervous animal.

You need to put him in a controlled situation with a 'benign' distraction (like a child with a dog treat or something). Put a long check-cord on him and let him go towards the distraction. Tell him to come, invariably he will not and then you'll activate the shock collar while pulling on the check-cord. As soon as he breaks from the distraction and starts coming back like you said, release the charge. It won't take him long to realize that the shock means that he needs to stop what he's doing and listen for your command. In time you can dial the shock down to where it's just a chirp and no real juice.

The nice thing about the variable power, however, is that if he's in a real mess and won't listen, the option of incapacitating him is always there. I've never needed it, but it's an option worth having. Just remember, to the man with a hammer, the world looks like a nail. Don't go overboard with the juice on those things, it's not designed to hurt but to re-focus.

After a few of those situations arise, the dog will realize that it's the aggression towards other animals that's getting him the shock and if you're discreet enough with the remote, he'll never associate the pain with you, simply the commands. Anytime you're in a situation where he may see another dog, have the collar on him and ready to rock. In time you may be able to wean him off it. If you can't, c'est la vie, but it's still an effective tool for managing the situation even if it can't fully eliminate it.

Um, that was mostly a joke. I am guessing by all the previous Radar posts that he already knew about pack behavior. Let me be less subtle. Put a bunch of peanut butter on your nuts. Dog wont want to fight. You wont hate dog so much.

[JD10367]

Originally Posted by tooge

Let me be less subtle. Put a bunch of peanut butter on your nuts. Dog wont want to fight. You wont hate dog so much.

And if the dog does want to fight, he's gonna play rope-tug with your nads. No thanks, I think you're safer with The Stranger. Or a cat, maybe. They have those nice rough little tongues. So I've heard.

[MOhillbilly]

once they 'turn on' there aint no rehab. buy a parting stick, learn to handle, and keep your dog outta those situations.

This is as sound advice as i can give you.

Edit- you own a 'catch dog' plain and simple. invest in one of these.

http://catchdogreleasetool.viviti.com/

Good rep. for being a sound product.

[Stewie]

Originally Posted by MOhillbilly

once they 'turn on' there aint no rehab. buy a parting stick, learn to handle, and keep your dog outta those situations.

This is as sound advice as i can give you.

Edit- you own a 'catch dog' plain and simple. invest in one of these.

http://catchdogreleasetool.viviti.com/

Good rep. for being a sound product.

Yep. I had a female Airedale Terrier that was really aggressive with any other female dog. I don't just mean aggressive, but she would have killed other females given a chance, I'm pretty sure. It really bothered me because she was the best dog. I just had to pick and choose the places I could take her and who/what dogs would be there.

[Radar Chief]

Originally Posted by MOhillbilly

once they 'turn on' there aint no rehab. buy a parting stick, learn to handle, and keep your dog outta those situations.

This is as sound advice as i can give you.

Edit- you own a 'catch dog' plain and simple. invest in one of these.

http://catchdogreleasetool.viviti.com/

Good rep. for being a sound product.

Interesting, how do I use it?
Sounds like it’s to break their grip once they’re clamped on. I’d like to stop the problem before it gets to that point.

[MOhillbilly]

Originally Posted by Radar Chief

Interesting, how do I use it?
Sounds like it’s to break their grip once they’re clamped on. I’d like to stop the problem before it gets to that point.

you take the dog by the back of the neck pulling back and insert the stick between the back of the jaw and twist.
might take a few times but it will part a dog. Id let em swap it out for a minute just to burn abit of energy then part em. wost thats gonna happen is theyll need acouple days of pen-g.
(PM me up if you need the dose)
Im telling ya radar, once they turn on to other fur its an impossible task to turn em off.
Ive never ever had one that i could 'turn off' once 'on'.

[Radar Chief]

Originally Posted by MOhillbilly

you take the dog by the back of the neck pulling back and insert the stick between the back of the jaw and twist.
might take a few times but it will part a dog. Id let em swap it out for a minute just to burn abit of energy then part em. wost thats gonna happen is theyll need acouple days of pen-g.
(PM me up if you need the dose)
Im telling ya radar, once they turn on to other fur its an impossible task to turn em off.
Ive never ever had one that i could 'turn off' once 'on'.

I was kind of afraid of that.
Maybe if we had her as a puppy we could’ve socialized her more but it’s probably just too late for that now.