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QUESTION:
I have a problem and would like some advice. My 2 year old male Rottweiler is very aggressive towards other male dogs, growling and lunging at them, at times it gets very frustrating. He was beaten up by another dog when he was 7 months old. Completely unexpected – they had been playing together for ten minutes when the other dog suddenly attacked my puppy leaving him terrified, shivering in a corner. What I am wondering is whether this incident have taught my dog that attack is the best defence, if you know what I mean. And do you have any tips and suggestions, as well as book recommendations so that I can learn more? Thanks in advance.
ANSWER:
You dog suffers from the most common problem amongst dogs these days. I will answer your questions, but I also suggest that you get help from a behaviorist/trainer who knows how to deal with this type of problems using positive methods. Preferably this is someone who can help you work out a complete training programme, be present during training, and also look into possible causes for your dog’s behavior.
Possible causes may be:
- Learned behavior? (Dog owners have a huge influence when it comes to teaching our dogs bad habits by mistake)
- Fear? (An attack by a dog at an early age may result in fear, but usually it gets better with socialization with other dogs after the attack.)
- Hormonal changes associated with puberty and reaching maturity?
- Insecurity? (Haven’t spent enough time with other dogs)
- Redirected behavior? (I hope not, as it may mean that you are strict with him and he replies by taking it out on others.).
There are many possibilities, and as we don’t exactly which is the right one, it’s very difficult to give advice. You need someone to see you in person. It’s much safer than for me to tell you what the problem is and what to do about it.
A bit about dog dog aggression:
It’s usually directed at same sex dogs, and with males the aspect of competition is typical – I am bigger and stronger than you. It’s usually an act more than real aggression. If his sexual drive is too high, I wouldn’t think twice about having the dog neutered. Most of the time aggressive behaviors are learned and can be unlearned, but in many instances neutering help calm the dog down so that the dog learn more effectively. All dogs can learn to behave acceptable around other dogs to a certain extent. Some will never be friends, but that’s the way it is with people too. Those we just stay away from.
The training starts by being so far away from the other dog that your dog remains calm, and we get to praise and reward the dog for his good behavior. A trainer or behaviorist will be of good help to plan this training. We avoid close encounters, and remain at a distance. Each time your dog “flip out” the behavior will only be learned even better, which is exactly what we want to avoid. Never walk directly at another dog, go to the side in an arc so that you walk away from the other dog as you pass it. You can read about this is my book and see it in the video – They calm down so much better when they are allowed to pass this way. Notice how dog who are social do this when they meet another dog off leash: They slow down, move in an arc, and avoid going directly at each other. Dogs who master these meeting situations have had a lot of social training with other dogs, or they have never had any unpleasant incluences from or experiences with its owner or other dogs. Young dogs are interested in other dogs, and they can often lunge at other dogs just out of curiousity. If you jerk the leash, scold the dog, become aggressive yourselv, punish, or something like that, the dog will soon learn that other dogs are dangerous – dad (or mom) get aggressive, the neck hurts, frightening things happen.
How to train:
Teach your dog to associate other dogs with good things. At first we create training situation from a distance to get a chance to reward calm behavior. Then we make sure to change direction, walk in an arc, away from the situation rather than into it. We make sure that we don’t influence the dog negatively by jerking the leash, yell, etc.. We also use this method often when walking with another dog. Keep both dogs leashed, and keep enough distance between you. Simply let the dogs look at each other while walking. You can use a physical barrier between the dogs, either by walking between the dogs so that they are on the outside of you, or a helper to walk in the middle. By walking parallel so that both dogs walk in the same direction, the dogs will usually learn to accept each other during a couple of walks. If they accept each other well enough to want to greet each other, let them, but with leashes loose and max. 3 seconds in the beginning. Lure them away from each other. If they are allowed to greet for a longer time than that, their stress level will rise, the situation get tense and end with them lunging at each other.
Don’t start with the worst enemy. Instead, someone of the opposite sex is a good idea, so that the dog can learn the procedure with someone he is unlikely to lunge at. Make these walks gradually more difficult.
In this period you need to stay away from classes, practices and other situations where there are other dogs nearby, where there may be yelling and scolding, other dogs who are acting out, too long sessions, and other things that may have a negative impact on the dog. Classes and obedience traning is irrelevant in the training to get your dog to behave acceptable when seeing other dogs. His behavior is caused by feelings, and feelings can’t be ordered away. Thus it calls for a different type of training.
I hope I have given you some ideas of how to go from here. I’ve had many, many Rottweilers in training, and all the cases I have worked with are dogs who have been trained to rough and strict. By nature, Rottweilers go easily into defence – which is why we need to avoid placing them in situations where they are forced to do so. A calm and relaxed owner results in a calm and relaxed Rottweiler – and those who are, are the most wonderful dogs!
Turid Rugaas
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