Territorial Agression

SMILL3R · 02-17-2012, 05:42 AM

I recently started getting more involved in the breed by volunteering for an advocacy and rescue group so I started doing a little more research because my knowledge was lacking. i'll be completely honest, I was not the best owner to a pit bull type dog when Iggy was a pup. I just always treated him as what one would call a "normal" dog, not really knowing much about the hate towards these breeds. I didn't understand the importance of doing everything the right way as to protect my dog and breeds like him from being ridiculed. That being said, he has been around a lot of people, and I mean a lot. We also have a lab, 2 chihuahuas and cats that he gets along with, but is NEVER left unattended with. He is now 4 years old and just started to get aggressive when people come to our gate, even when we walk them in, but if he is in his kennel and we walk someone in and then let him out he is fine. I'm just wondering if this could be from his upbringing or if someone could have been teasing him over the fence? Is there any way I could work with him to correct this problem until I can afford for a professional trainer to come out and evaluate the problem?

**Celestial88** · 02-17-2012, 06:27 AM

What exactly are you calling aggressive behavior? You'll need to elaborate since folks have a wide variety of what they feel is aggression.

Do you know his breed for fact?

Is the fence a private fence or see through? I honestly would never keep a dog in a fenced yard unattended I prefer kennels and crates. Prevents any bad situations and annoying neighbors from messing with the dogs.

It's normal for dogs to alert when people come onto their property "Hey! Mom! Someone's here!"

If you want him to be less reactive to guests, this could be helpful Look at That! A Counterintuitive Approach to Dealing with Reactive Dogs Dog Training for Dog Lovers Blog

SMILL3R · 02-17-2012, 07:27 AM

His dad was Amstaff and his mom was a beagle mix.

He barks and growls at people coming through the gate, and it never fails to have the one ignorant person (who does not listen when I tell them he is showing signs of aggression like the growling, ears back, very tense state of mind) to just be an idiot and say "dogs love them, blah blah blah" and then he'll give a warning snap when they reach to pet him. I know that isn't his fault when I can clearly see the warning signs, but I'm just trying to find a way to make him more comfortable when people come in our yard while I am out there because he has only behaved this way out in our yard with the gate.

I can admit I leave him out there sometimes unattended, but I will work on not doing that anymore, so that I'm not putting him in a situation set up for disaster. I didn't even think of that, thank you!

And thank you for the link, I've tried finding some but this one seems very extensive to retrain his mind!

**Celestial88** · 02-18-2012, 01:59 AM

Ah, my boy will make a big vocal deal out of someone coming in the house. If they ignore him he shuts up and tries to greet them (or gets super excited and whines/grunts) but every now and then we get a idiot as well and it makes it harder for him to be comfortable with them. I don't blame him one bit though, if a stranger came onto my property despite me yelling at them and started moving for me I'd be freaked. lol

I've been using something similar to this video and its really helped him. It's also helped my dog-dog aggressive Pit mix improve greatly. A modified version could help you
Study in Leash Reactivity -- Video 1 Brandi - YouTube

If you have any good friends that are good at following advice you might want to do a few exercises with them first for a good practice so you get a hang of it and a feel for how she does.

It might just be a good idea to have her in a different area when they first come in, leash her, and bring her out doing something like in the video before letting them meet. Is she usually fine after she meets them?

SMILL3R · 02-19-2012, 01:37 AM

I'm on my phone right now so I'll check the video out when I get to my computer.
He is very good with people after they are introduced, he is also very good with people greeting him and petting him at PetSmart. I have been just putting him in his kennel when someone comes over and I bring him out on a leash to meet them and he is perfectly fine. I truly think someone has been teasing him through the fence, so I am taking your advice and only letting him outside when I am able to supervise.