Archive for the tag 'aggression'

Ask the Frenchie Trainer - Barking Bully Boy

gollygear July 17th, 2008

I have a 5 year old male frenchie who is very aggressive with other dogs.  I am having trouble with him even seeing another dog on walks in parks etc.    He will bark and lunge and get very upset.  It is really hard to stop this behavior  We live in the country  and he does not routinely play with dogs a lot but he does like dogs he knows a bit.   We travel a lot and so he does meet a lot of dogs and he is more and more aggressive toward them.      In every other way he is such a wonderful dog.

I am considering getting him a bark collar so he will at least not bark at dogs when he sees them but wonder if even that would work.

Thank you for any advice you can give me.

Hope writes -

From your description, it’s hard for me to tell if your boy is truly being aggressive, or just trying desperately to “meet” the other dogs. Either would fit the “barking and lunging.” Since you call it aggression, I’ll assume that’s what we’re dealing with.

There are several exercises you should practise with your boy. The first is “Leave it.” This one will apply to anything you want it to - delightful smells/trash on the ground, other dogs, people, etc. Sit with your dog in an area without distractions. Have a bunch of yummy treats. One at a time, give your dog the treats, saying “take it” as you give him each one. After a few, close your hand around the treat and say “Leave It.” He  will probably sniff, paw and perhaps nibble at your hand. Be patient. As soon as he looks away from the “cookie hand,” even if it’s just for an instant, tell him “Good Leave It!” and give him a different cookie. Randomize the “take its” and “Leave its” and practise a couple of minutes, a few times a day. When you’re sure he has the idea, you can broaden “Leave it” to anything he’s fascinated by. Be sure you do have a reward handy when he turns his attention away from the object, person, or dog.

Another good exercise is “watch.” Again, find a couple of minutes in a distraction-free zone with your dog. Have him sit in front of you. When he looks up at your face, say “Good Watch!” and give him a treat. We want him to learn that looking at your face will always be a good thing and deserves a reward.

When you’re out and about with your boy, try to be aware of your surroundings and situations that may trigger his aggressive behavior. Before he even knows there’s another dog approaching, have him sit facing you (away from the other dog) and watch! Be prepared with treats. Be sure that your dog is safe - you absolutely don’t want the other dog coming up behind yours. When you ask him to behave, you are asking him to trust that you’ll keep him safe.

The key is to be in control of the situation and to head off problems before they start. If you are fearful, nervous, or apprehensive, that emotion will travel straight down the leash and may cause your dog to become protective and aggressive. Know that you are in control and that your dog will behave. Make it happen.

If these simple, distractive techniques don’t work to control the situation, do seek help from a professional dog trainer in your area. Ask local dog clubs and dog professionals for referrals. Be sure the trainer is right for you and your dog - ask for references and, if possible, watch the trainer in action.

Good luck!
Hope

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Ask the Trainer - Agressive Frenchie Girl

gollygear May 17th, 2008

We have two female French Bulldogs, about two years old, both spayed. Told by the breeder that they were sisters, but not sure if the breeder was being honest. Sophie who has the more English bulldog type body, is totally laid back and non-aggressive. Her sister Daphani  is lean and smaller, and very aggressive and territorial. Daphani was orginally to by my Son’s dog (27 yrs old), but always put up a fuss when he went to work, and after a few months started to get very aggressive toward other dogs at the dog park, where she had to go for exercise, so she is at our house with her sister, and has been for more than a year.

Walked on her own, Daphani is fine, though will growl and give other dogs the evil eye in passing. With her sister along, she is off the charts and way more aggressive, with both people and other dogs, going into charge/attack mode at the drop of a hat, whining and growling and nipping. At home Daphani will guard the kitchen if food is being prepared, and will guard the room her bowl is in, if she has decided not to eat all her food.

Female Frenchie’s are not supposed to be aggressive, what’s the dea with this one??? She has been to obedience training with several trainers, and gets a bit better, but not much, and the trainers throw up their hands after a while and give up on her.

Hope writes -

Hello!

We never give up on training a healthy dog. Daphani may never be mellow and relaxed, but you can, with patience and consistency, help her become a pleasant companion.

It sounds like Daphani is convinced she’s in charge. Our goal is to convince her that’s not true and that she can trust you to make the decisions. It’s not her job to protect everything and everybody all the time.

When you go for a training walk with the two girls, bring a pocketful of incredibly yummy treats. Soft, small and smelly is the rule; bits of cheese or hot dog usually work well. Take a few steps, then stop or back up a step and call them to you. Whoever gets to you first gets a treat. If it’s a tie, both get treats, but try to feed Sophie first. They will learn very quickly that coming to you and paying attention to you is a wonderful thing. Call them to you randomly, every few steps.

If you’re walking Daphani by herself, do the same thing. Make paying attention to you a fun game. As long as she looks at your face, she gets treats. Dogs place more value on single treats given one at a time than a handful at once, so make a point of giving her individual treats, keeping her attention on you.

When you see another person or dog in the vicinity, have your treats ready. Call Daphani to you and treat her, one at a time, until the stranger has passed. If her attention wavers, take a step so that when she comes to you her back will be to the stranger when she comes. Call her and keep her attention.

You won’t get very far or go very fast walking this way. But you will help Daphani figure out what’s expected of her.

Play attention games in the house, too. Again, get the treats ready. Call Daphani to you and give her a treat when she looks at your face. Looking at your hands or the treats doesn’t count. Be patient. She will, eventually, figure out that the “payoff” is looking at your face.

As for Daphani’s food issues - she gets five minutes to eat. If she hasn’t finished, too bad. The bowl comes up and there will be another meal another time. If she guards her bowl, instead of taking it away right away, let her see a hand coming by her bowl to drop treats into it. Then, when she’s eaten the treats in the bowl, “trade” her the bowl for another treat.

To address her guarding the kitchen, you’ll need some help from another person. While one of you prepares the food, the other will practise attention exercises with Daphani. Other exercises would also be great - sit, down, stay, etc. Ideally, you’ll work on “down, stay.” As she improves, you’ll be able to keep her in a “stay” while you’re working, reminding her to “stay” as you move around the kitchen.

Training should be in short sessions, no more than five to 10 minutes a few times a day. It should also be part of everyday life around the house. If one of the girls is acting up, give her something to do. Dogs like knowing who’s in charge and most are happy to know it’s not up to them!

-Hope

(Editor’s Note: In my experience, the girls are almost always the worst in this breed when it comes to aggression.)

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