Selective Aggression – how to fix the fixation
Shannon writes: I purchased your online book ‘Secrets to Dog Training’, last year I think it was, and have found it excellent. Hope you can help with this problem that has arisen. I adopted my son’s Dalmatian, Edie, last summer and she is now 5 years old. When we first got her she was a real wild child, but now she is a lot calmer and obedient and is really good off lead.
Our problem is that we live down a lane and there is one house next to us and they have three dogs. Edie gets on ok with their older dogs - a male cross which is 11 years old and a female cross of 13 years. The problem is with our neighbor’s young Springer Spaniel who Edie really seems to dislike and who is only 2 yrs old.
Edie goes for her and of course the poor dog is now absolutely terrified of Edie. Living so close but separated by an alley way, it is inevitable that the dogs meet occasionally. Any suggestions on how we and my neighbors can remedy Edie's behavior?
Kingdom of Pets Replies:
There is no quick fix to this problem. The best way to resolve it is by training Edie to be around the dog, following your commands and relaxing. You can achieve this by rewarding the behaviors that you are wanting from her.
Being the leader and desensitizing your dog to the other dog.
Step 1: Read over the Alpha dog section in your book to ensure Edie sees you as her leader.
Step 2: Practice the basic obedience commands and practice over and over both at home and in public areas. Praise her good behavior.
Step 3: Get together with the owner of the Springer Spaniel and arrange for them to have their dog far in the distance in a neutral area e.g. a park or field (it is important to begin with the two dogs far apart because, if they’re close, your dog will be too distracted to follow your commands). Have Edie wearing a head collar such as a halti or gentle leader and run her through her basic commands. Praise and treat her for following her commands and ignoring the Spaniel. As soon as she becomes distracted and misbehaves, however, completely ignore her. When she is calm and focused again, immediately praise her warmly and give her a treat.
Over the next 3-4 weeks, practice the same commands regularly in short sessions, and gradually bring the dogs closer together. If your dog gets too distracted then move further apart. The aim of this step is for your dog to get used to the presence of the other dog, while at the same time realizing that ignoring it and listening to you is much more profitable for her.
This step is quite demanding and may take a long time, depending on her level of aggression towards the Spaniel.
Step 4: Once the dogs can be together in a neutral venue with Edie calmly following your commands, then it’s time to continue this training work on your own property and shared driveway.
Finally – it is important to remember that your own behavior can influence how Edie responds too. If you tense up when you see the Spaniel, your dog will recognize this and respond as if there is a problem. The best thing you can do is pretend you haven’t even noticed the other dog.
I hope that these suggestions help you. It’s probably a little more work than you might have been expecting but unfortunately, as I said at the start, there is no quick fix to these sorts of problems.
All the best,
Daniel Stevens and the Secrets to Dog Training Team
"Secrets to Dog Training - STOP Dog Behavior Problems!"
http://www.kingdomofpets.com/dogobediencetraining/
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