dog agression issues, need advice!

elgu3ro88 · 12-14-2009, 12:58 AM

hey so i have a 6month old male husky who im having serious agression issues with. anytime i give him his food he growls if i try to come close to him. ive read several articles online about how to fix it and have tried to pet him while hes eating and talk to him nicely. hes gotten to the point where he has bit me a couple times and is not getting any better. when my roomate gives him a bone he will bite you if you even try to pet him. ive tried hand feeding him his food but he will even snarl when hes eating it out of my hand if i try to pet him. i tried smacking him with a rolled up newspaper and telling him no but he just gets meaner. hes getting worse and worse and will even snarl if we try to pet him when hes laying down. i need help, im scared he will bite my little niece or some other person. what do you guys suggest i do to fix this problem?

Mikey · 12-14-2009, 01:40 AM

Quote:

what do you guys suggest i do to fix this problem?

Hire a professional trainer-period. IF the dog is biting you need help, and your not going to be able to do it by searching online.

If you can let us know what city/state or area you are in we can certainly help recommend someone-but once a dog is biting this is no longer a 'fix at home' this is a 'serious business hire a pro' thing.

**fawkese1** · 12-14-2009, 02:28 AM

ditto what mikey said... at this point, you need a professional to guide you with this... me best recommendation is a professional behaviorist... you may be able to find a professional PR trainer to help you as well...

**alfi** · 12-14-2009, 06:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elgu3ro88

i tried smacking him with a rolled up newspaper and telling him no but he just gets meaner.

Don't do this! It is not going to work or solve the problem...in fact you make it worse. And yes it sounds like you need pro help.
Although your dog is quite young and you may be able to solve the problem yourself...you need a pro to show you the way if you don't want to have any serious injury

shihtzusandwich · 12-14-2009, 06:45 AM

I agree with the others on the training thing..However, I did have a similar(on a smaller scale) issue. Payslee was about 4 months old and started 'claiming' all her treats/chewies, etc..when I brought Sawyer home. If I would throw down 3 bullysticks..she would race around and hoard all three, then if the other dogs tried to come get one she would chase them off, and bite at them (Keep in mind Payslee is 6 pounds, and my boys are both well over 10 pounds) but she is the Alpha, so thats what she was doing..I found that if I 'Claimed' the bones/toys, etc, by standing on them, and making her back off..(Not with force, or mean-ness, or shouting..just by claiming it and standing on it, and asking her to backup..I had to do this several times before she quit acting ugly about the whole thing, but she eventually did, and quit stealing all the other dogs toys. I have to watch her though, because she will quickly go back to it if I don't keep an eye on her..I think your situation is already past this point, as Payslee never bit me, but I was just sharing..

Brittany · 12-14-2009, 08:46 AM

I agree with everyone. You need to hire a professional. There is also a book that CRIO recommends. It is Mine! A Practical Guide to Resource Guarding in Dogs by Jean Donaldson. But I wouldn't try to this on your own. You Husky is only 6 months old and is only going to get bigger and harder to handle if this isn't taken care of very soon. The fastest and safest way (for you AND your dog) is to hire a professional to help you with this. In the meantime do not leave your dog alone with children (you should never do this anyway if the dog doesn't have a problem) and make sure everyone knows not to try and take her food or treats away.

Here is a quote from this link:

Dog Tip: Resource Guarding

"We do NOT recommend:
Going to battle over a squeaky toy. Your dog, no matter how small, can injure you. When a dog shows he is ready to battle a human, we already know that he is misinformed and confused. We need to straighten out that confusion prior to discussing that unwanted aggression. If you attack him for threatening to attack you, you may well escalate his aggression. And, even if you "win" he may decide to fight sooner and harder next time. What he needs is education, not attack.
Anytime -- ANYTIME -- your dog threatens you, hands-on help from a qualified professional is the best next step. Aggression is complicated and, if it isn't dealt with quickly, can get worse. In the end, it can lead to the death of your dog assuredly as any disease."

Brittany · 12-14-2009, 12:12 PM

Unless the OP has experience with aggressive dogs I think the only solution is for her to find a professional that can help. If there are kids in the house she can't risk one of them trying to pick up a bone and the dog attacking because she wanted to try things on her own first. It is also possible for the dog to think that something of the child's a stuffed animal or something belongs to the dog and attack when the child picks up. The best and safest thing is to find a professional ASAP.

Mikey · 12-14-2009, 12:27 PM

This Thread is CLOSED

For the original poster-you need to take your dog to a professional before someone ends up hurt or worse.

You could be legally responsible for that-and your dog could be ordered to be destroyed.

If you cannot afford a trainer-talk to your vet about options. Otherwise work with the local Humane Society or SPCA to rehome the dog.