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For those of you who don't know. We recently picked up a 6 month old BC from a breeder/petstore. His name is Storm, and he was so friendly and excited to see us for the first time. When we got him homed, he completly changed into a dog that always seemed to be frightened. Alot of people said it would take some time to adjust to his new home. Its been two weeks now, and today he bit someone, and drew blood. Storm was in our backseat of the car, and someone reached in to pet him. He was sitting beside a child. Im just wondering if maybe this is something to do with him still adjusting, or if this behaviour will stick? What can I do to correct this? As I am at the point of giving him up, because I will not tolorate an aggressive dog!

 

Thanks,

 

Shane

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I would never reach into a car or even a the bed of a truck to pet a strange dog or even one I had only met a few times. IMHO the person he bit is partially to blame.

 

My previous dog was very timid and would bite out of fear, she was like this since we adopted her at 13 weeks. I made sure my co-workers and friends knew this. We did train some of it out of her but still could never fully trust her around new people.

 

Once she warmed up to us (which seemed to be after we bathed her) we brought her to a trainer and she seemed much more at ease around other dogs and even friendly to their owners. The trainer taugh us some things we were doing that we thought was protecting people, but actually making her more afraid/aggressive to them.

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As I am at the point of giving him up, because I will not tolorate an aggressive dog!

 

 

First of all, it does an injustice to the dog as a species to say you will not tolerate an aggressive dog. '

 

Aggression is normal behavior which humans find unacceptable. Aggression can be used to increase space between the dog and what the dog perceives as a threat. This would be beneficial for a dog surviving in the wild, and we praise the trait lavishly if the dog "protects" us from an intruder (yet flinch when it occurs to someone the dog should somehow intuit is a friend).

 

To think you will NEVER encounter aggression from a pet dog is naive, and severely limits your pet enjoyment.

 

There are many reasons aggression occurs, and dogs have no way of knowing that we consider it to be improper. Aggression is a key element of communication for them. Storm was probably shooting off a ton of warning signals to the person reaching in to pet him: stiffened body, hunched over topline, wide/dilated eyes, tightened facial muscles, raised hackles, direct stare. Notice that none of these involve any "overt" aggression, such as barking or growling, yet these are all pleas/warnings to "stay away". The person, unknowingly I'm sure, continued approaching, and Storm likely felt cornered and bit.

 

Sure, some dogs will freeze up rather than bite, but there are MANY, MANY wonderful dogs who would still bite in a situation like that.

 

Your dog came from a pet store, so his beginning socialization is questionable. You may have more of an uphill battle because of that. Please consider that the next time you go to choose a pet.

 

The next step is to get yourself to a qualified veterinary behaviorist, or at LEAST a good trainer (one who uses positive methods, has their CPDT through the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, has a lot of experience with aggression, and does not use punishment to deal with aggression). Your puppy is still very young, and at this point, it would be extremely dangerous (as well as a liability) to rehome him. Yes, this is a behavior that will stick unless you do something proactive about it.

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I agree that the stupid person sticking his hand in the car caused the bite, however, the dog now knows that if someone approaches it and the dog dosn't want them too, it is capable of making that person go away, therefore if the behaviour is not treated correctly, it is likely to stick. You need to see a professional canine behviourist who can help you fix this problem. Many people here can and will offer you good advice, but there are so many factors that can cause biting that it really is difficult for anyone to diagnose and treat without seeing the dog in person. I might be wrong, but you say your at the point of giving him up so it dosn't sound like you are prepared to put in the time it will take to fix and prevent this problem from re-curring.

 

I don't know your history/experience with this breed, but as you have 74 posts, I assume you have read many of the posts here about why to go through rescue or a responsible breeder? As you got the pup from a petstore do you have any idea what the parents are like (behavioural/temperament problems can be inherited). Do you know how the pup was raised for the first six months of its life? He obviously has not been taught bite inhibition.

 

At six months he's probably starting into another fear period (my six month old is) and if his first six months was less than optimal, he probably has not been taught bite inhibition - certainly not his fault, but a MAJOR issue now that he has bitten someone and drawn blood. It very well could be a settling in/simple training issue because the dog dosn't know any better, but the only way to determine that is with professional help.

 

If you have only had him two weeks and you give him up now to the majority of shelters/pounds, well that would be a death sentence for most dogs.

 

Michelle

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You said that a lot of people told you there would be time before he settles in. Two weeks. Its been TWO WEEKS. And from his point of view, he's in the back with a kid I'm going to assume he knows somewhat well, and a complete stranger plunges their hand into the car...from his point of view, his security and the security of that child were compromised. How would you feel as a kid, to be sitting in the back of a car and some complete stranger comes up and reaches in at you? Scary huh???

 

Again, its been two weeks. Mot dogs take MONTHS before their true colors start to show and they become more relaxed at home. You dog was most likely freaked out by the stranger reaching for him, and it could have been because of a whole slew of reasons...perhaps that stranger was hunched over, wearing a hat, a bookbag, something that freaked Storm out to begin with and made him wary before he was reached for. Your friend was to blame, and YOU were to blame for not doing introductions properly. Your dog should be allowed to greet people on neutral ground, not where his space is getting invaded. My dogs have never so much as bared a lip at a human, and even I wouldn't be surprised if they bit some stranger reaching in through the window of my car to get them.

 

I'm not saying you should tolerate his biting. But you can condition and train him to accept people reaching in through the car windows, if thats what you plan on doing. This is not the dog's fault. Don't blame the dog. He's a puppy, he was scared, and you can learn to teach him to handle that fear otherwise, but in this scenario, he didn't know better and he called upon his instincts to protect him.

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It hasn't already been two weeks. It has ONLY been two weeks. For 6 months he lived elsewhere. That's a huge difference.

 

I'm sorry, but I cannot blame him for biting someone who stuck their hand through a window to pet him. If a hand came reaching at you through a window, wouldn't it freak YOU out?

 

I don't know why you are ready to give up - you haven't even given him a chance or TIME.

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It hasn't already been two weeks. It has ONLY been two weeks. For 6 months he lived elsewhere. That's a huge difference.

 

I'm sorry, but I cannot blame him for biting someone who stuck their hand through a window to pet him. If a hand came reaching at you through a window, wouldn't it freak YOU out?

 

I don't know why you are ready to give up - you haven't even given him a chance or TIME.

 

First off, I actually hesitated to write I will not tolorate aggression. I just wanted to make it clear that I really am paranoid about having an aggressive dog. I think not tolerating it is a little harsh. Im posting, and reaching out for opion because I had a BC before, who actually was aggressive, hence the 74 posts. And Im very worried that it may happen again, and Im just looking for ways to prevent it before it gets too late. I know its apart of being a dog. I was not in the car at the time, my better half was, and I have told her that it was stupid for this person to reach into the car. I actually found out moments ago that Storm snapped two or three times before it happened.. and I asked why the heck did he continue to try to pet him?! Basically, Im not willing to give up, it was just a freaked out post from myself, and needed help on how to deal with him. I love this dog to death already! He has his first class next wednesday for school, and Im excited about it. I really like what everyone posted as a reply, and I hope no one misunderstood me!! It can just be frustrating sometimes trying to do whats best for your dog, when everything seems to be going in the opposite direction. He's actually in his crate right now, cuz its bedtime, and hes barking up a 'storm'. Thanks again for your input, please keep it coming.

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Good, I'm glad your not willing to give up on him, he's a baby and needs understanding, patience, training and time:)

 

Despite the severity of the bite, it sounds like poor Storm was just plain scared (and/or protecting the child) and the person was just plain stupid. Over here, that would be enough to have him declared a dangerous dog (despite the provocation), and possibly euthanaised (definitly if he did it again). On the other hand, if a stranger was reaching into the car to kidnap the child, Storm would now be a hero.

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Compared to Ruger, our Springer is a much sweeter dog. However, she is very protective of any vehicle that she is in. I remember sitting in our church parking lot one summer night waiting for my son to come back from a concert. The pastor made the mistake of walking up to the van and sticking his head through the open passenger window. Casey came unglued. I didn't really expect that type of reaction.

 

Anybody that is dumb enough to approach a dog in his territory without using caution takes the chance of getting bit. Both our dogs are territorial in their own way. Casey the Springer is protective of the house and vehicles. Ruger is very protective of the yard.

 

In this instance, the person is at fault. However, you need to do your part with Storm. You will know what to do next time when someone tries to pet your cute doggie.

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What have you been doing with him the past two weeks? I believe in another thread there was alot of good advice about just taking it easy and letting him become comfortable with you and his new home before getting him out and about.

 

He is still young, stressed and unsure. You also need to be protecting him from stupid people who will stress him out further. I'm not trying to sound harsh here, but you were the ones who dropped the ball and allowed him to be put in a situation where he felt threatend. If you keep putting him in those type of situations, you can end up with a fear biter on your hands - because he doesn't know what else to do to protect himself!

 

Let him adjust to life with you and give him an opportunity to learn to be secure with you. Keep him on a low key consistent scheldule for several weeks so he can get his new world figured out.

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I haven't seen the dog, but from all you have written, I am getting the impression that this is a fearful dog. We have all had new pups, and while some take a little longer their shell, most do not respond like this pup is to novel things. You can live with a fearful dog, but you cannot bombard it with novel/scary things. It is a life time committment, and this pup may or may not come around. I doubt that this pup had much socialization in the important periods in his life. I have a dog who was exposed to everything, yet, she is still a "spooky lukey"- she has gotten better, but she is no social butterfly. My suggestion to you is to see a qualified behaviourist about this pup. Remembering to keep your mind open. Also, be the protector of your pup, that is, don't just allow any T D or Harry to bother/touch your dog, and let him watch from the sidelines.

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My Whisper is a fear-biter. Any stress at all and she will try to nip. Whisper has drawn blood and has bitten people (putting this in context: she only bit when we tried to separate her from the Pit she was fighting with, and we humans went about breaking up the fight in the wrong way. You stick your hands in the middle of a fight you are going to get bit. And to my stepson who tried to put Whisper in a choke hold to get her to stop fighting, I can only say serves you right. If all I had to defend myself was my teeth and someone was choking me, well I would bite to. But I digress).

 

I am very careful about exposing Whisper to new things. If it's quiet and there are not a lot of people around, she is usually okay. If there are too many people and it's noisy, I know better than to ask her to accept anything new. I've only had her three years, and she was at least 10 when she came to live with me. I am not going to "cure" her of this. I can only be vigilant about who and what she is exposed to.

 

I've met one person who knew how to deal with a fearful dog. He approached me(He was an electrician and were we both waiting to get into the locked building), asked about her (he had a BC/Newfie mix) and I told him what I knew of her background (I consider her an ex-street-dog) and told him that she was a fearful dog. He immediately hunkered down into a squat, faced away from her, but watching her out of the corner of his eye and continued to talk to me. Sure enough, she came up to him, gave him a sniff and then cowered away. She did that three times before she stopped her cowering, at which point he held a out a hand towards his side (not towards her) and she gave it a sniff. Then she decided he was okay and he was allowed to touch her.

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I think everyone has given you some good advice so far but I just wanted to let you know your not alone in your concerns/fears/feelings on this matter. I've been in a situation somewhat like yours w/ a dog biting out of fear and its a scary feeling knowing that if you don't control the situation you and especially your dog can pay a huge price. I will assume that after this incident you have learned that you can't count on people to use common sense/knowledge of how to interact w/ dogs and YOU have to be the smart one for your dog to count on.

 

It's going to take patience on your part along w/ making sure that you never put your pup in a situation to feel like he has to bite out of fear. It can also be alot of work and effort on your part. You MAY even have to make some changes in raising him in ways that you normally wouldn't do if you had a normal social puppy. I.E. not taking him EVERYWHERE you go and being cautious when you do take him w/ you. I know the paranoid feeling that you are experiencing, but over time it CAN get better. Just remember, the calmer you are about any situation the better.

 

Hang in there and don't lose hope. You're doing the right thing by learning how to correct the situation before it escalates to the point that you have no control at all. You can still give you and your dog a happy fulfilling life even if he partially or never gets over whatever fears are going on in his little head. :rolleyes:

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On the other hand, if a stranger was reaching into the car to kidnap the child, Storm would now be a hero.

 

Good point. :rolleyes: Where I live, the owner would be more likely to get upset if someone reached into the car and the dog didn't try to bite. Seriously.

 

Anyway, mudthirsty, if the person reached into the car two or three times and the dog snapped each time, I have a hard time blaming the dog. I think of it this way - suppose I (forty-something female) were in the backseat of a car with people I'd not known very long, and some guy I never met began pawing at me through the window? I'd probably say "Hey! Cut that out!" If he continued to reach for me, despite knowing I was upset, I might very well pull out my lockblade and give him an extra piercing next time that hand came through the window.

 

But, suppose I were in the same situation, only my brother was in the car with me, and it was a guy my brother obviously knew. I might complain to Bubba that he has a jerk for a friend, but I'd know Bubba would get out of the car and pound the guy before he'd let him hurt me. So I wouldn't be quite as quick to react violently.

 

Which is to say, I bet Storm will calm down as he gets to know you and trust you more. I'd do everything I could to make sure he had pleasant experiences with people and I wouldn't hesitate to get between him and somebody that's scaring him. That way, he'll learn he doesn't have to take all the responsibility for protecting himself, cause you'll do it for him. :D

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Sally,

Your illustration reminds of the time I was by a policeman with Willow in the car. This was back in the early days and she came to me extremely people shy (no one could approach her but me and my vet--she was placed with me through a rescue because they thought I had the means to work her through that--in case anyone was wondering why rescue would release an overly shy and somewhat reactive dog). Well, you can bet it doesn't do the human's case any good when the policeman leans over to ask for license, etc., and the dog turns into a ravening beast that apparently wants to eat him! That said, I don't remember why I was stopped, but I don't think I got a ticket that day, so the policeman must have been the forgiving sort. :rolleyes:

 

Mudthirsty,

Your dog reacted naturally to a threat (I would not be surprised if Willow, the dog described above, wouldn't do the same thing, and people who know her now would never guess what she was like when I got her nine years ago). You didn't say who the clueless idiot was that got bitten, but you need to impress upon your girlfriend that it is your and her responsibility to protect Storm from such obviously improper behavior toward a young and reactive dog.

 

I said this before and I'll say it again. If you don't start being very careful about the situations you put him in NOW, you could be responsible for creating in him the very type of dog you say you absolutely don't want to have. Kudos on you for coming here and asking, but please believe that when we give advice, like allowing him to settle with you before putting him in stressful sitations, we say this from experience. As others have noted, he could be going through a fear period now as well, and when pups go through fear periods, things that never bothered them before suddenly become very frightening. I'm not saying he bit because he might be in a fear period--I think the story you described was entirely the fault of the humans involved and not the pup's, BUT it's helpful to recognize that you've had him just a short while, he needs to learn his place in his new world, he needs you to protect him from the idiocy of others, and he needs you to understand what his needs are (and that's where the folks on this forum are trying to help).

 

It's hard to get a cute youngster and not want to take him out and about and show him off to your friends and so on, but in this case I think Storm is telling you very plainly that it's TOO MUCH for him. Learn to read his signals and what he's trying to tell you and pay heed to them. Take things slowly with him and always err on the side of caution. Yes, it's a two-edged sword because of course you want to socialize him, but you need to do it in a way that meets his needs best, and he's clearly not (yet) the outgoing, everyone's-friend sort of dog. If you try to force him to be that dog or just simply treat him as if he were that dog when he's not, then you're setting him up for failure.

 

J.

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First off, I actually hesitated to write I will not tolorate aggression. I just wanted to make it clear that I really am paranoid about having an aggressive dog. I think not tolerating it is a little harsh. Im posting, and reaching out for opion because I had a BC before, who actually was aggressive, hence the 74 posts. And Im very worried that it may happen again, and Im just looking for ways to prevent it before it gets too late. I know its apart of being a dog. I was not in the car at the time, my better half was, and I have told her that it was stupid for this person to reach into the car. I actually found out moments ago that Storm snapped two or three times before it happened.. and I asked why the heck did he continue to try to pet him?! Basically, Im not willing to give up, it was just a freaked out post from myself, and needed help on how to deal with him. I love this dog to death already! He has his first class next wednesday for school, and Im excited about it. I really like what everyone posted as a reply, and I hope no one misunderstood me!! It can just be frustrating sometimes trying to do whats best for your dog, when everything seems to be going in the opposite direction. He's actually in his crate right now, cuz its bedtime, and hes barking up a 'storm'. Thanks again for your input, please keep it coming.

 

classes will be great for this dog...maceo had a confidence issue, that made him very shy and fearful...after classes, he is like a new dog..! it will build confidence which in turn will help with his fear issues...mho

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I said this before and I'll say it again. If you don't start being very careful about the situations you put him in NOW, you could be responsible for creating in him the very type of dog you say you absolutely don't want to have. Kudos on you for coming here and asking, but please believe that when we give advice, like allowing him to settle with you before putting him in stressful sitations, we say this from experience.

 

Thank you, Julie, for saying this.

 

Mudthirsty - As pointed out by several posters, for a number of reasons, Storm's behavior was very predictable in that situation and, had the "invader" been an aggressor, he would have been a hero.

 

Many dogs can be reactive when in cars or crates or other confinement. It's all about fear, about being where the animal should feel safe, and about being your dog's advocate so that he can feel safe and be safe, and therefore not pose a threat to someone else, idiot or not.

 

We all make mistakes of one kind or another with regards to the training and handling of our dogs. A smart owner will not only train their dog but, just as importantly, manage the situations that the dog is placed in (look at recent threads concerning dog park problems, problems with neighborhood dogs and people, etc.). We make honest mistakes but we also need to be proactive and avoid situations with a high potential for posing problems.

 

Give your dog some time and space to adjust, and avoid situations that are not fair to him, like allowing strangers to reach into his "safe" places (especially when there is a child or other individual for whom he might feel protective). Do not encourage his fears but be matter-of-fact about new situations (that you put him in only when he is ready and prepared to face something new).

 

I, too, am very guilty of expecting too much of my dogs at times and making assumptions about what they can and should handle. Best wishes!

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Sally,

Your illustration reminds of the time I was by a policeman with Willow in the car. This was back in the early days and she came to me extremely people shy (no one could approach her but me and my vet--she was placed with me through a rescue because they thought I had the means to work her through that--in case anyone was wondering why rescue would release an overly shy and somewhat reactive dog). Well, you can bet it doesn't do the human's case any good when the policeman leans over to ask for license, etc., and the dog turns into a ravening beast that apparently wants to eat him! That said, I don't remember why I was stopped, but I don't think I got a ticket that day, so the policeman must have been the forgiving sort. :rolleyes:

 

You apparently inspire protective instincts in dogs. :D Remember the night we picked Scot up from the transport, and Walt came to your window to ask directions? Scot was sitting behind you in his little doggie seatbelt. I heard this low rumble and looked back to see Scot staring at Walt, so I put my hand on Scot and told him it was ok (like he'd believe me, having known me all of ten minutes at the time :D ), but Scot kept vibrating till Walt walked away. :D

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I remember years ago I was working at a veterinary hospital that also recruited and trained therapy dogs. One person had brought in their dog for evaluation as a therapy dog. The dog was a rottie, a very sweet one. The dog was in the office of the evauator, with another of my officemates sitting on the floor next to him and cooing over how sweet he was. The owner and the evaluator were sitting in chairs in the office. I peeked in the doorway and the dog growled at me. Not a little "grrrr" either - he meant it! The person who had been sitting on the floor next to him suddenly felt threatened and eased away.

 

We were all astonished. The owner was bewildered - the dog had been in many situations involving children, strangers, crowds. It was absolutely atypical for this sweet dog. We thought, well, maybe it was because he was feeling protective of the person sitting next to him, or because he found my head popping in the doorway threatening. So, we tried again, later, with the dog and owner in the office and me just walking by the open doorway. The dog still emitted a menacing growl. We tried other variations to determine what the trigger was (me.)

 

The dog was rejected as a therapy dog because of the incident, of course. I felt very bad that my peeking in the office led to his being booted out of the program.

 

Your description of the incident with Storm reminded me of it.

 

Anyway, I completely empathise with your not wanting to encourage aggression in your puppy. When Seelie was displaying "protective" tendencies, I would put myself between her and whatever she was protecting me or herself from so that I was the protector and she was the protected one. (Of course, I had additional motivation to protect her because she was also a fearful peer and people always seemed to want to stare at her, loom over her or reach out to pet her to "reassure" her as she growled and backed away :rolleyes: ) Even now, I constantly police myself to prevent doing something stupid which fosters "protection" behaviour.

 

FWIW I believe this has already been said by others, but my advice would be:

 

Protect Storm from feeling "cornered." Always, you are the soldier and Storm is the non-combatant. Strangers reaching out to pet him or interact with him are potential threats and should go through you, first. He's a cute puppy, so they won't. Intervene on his behalf.

 

Encourage play behaviour with people outside the family - the vet, everyone. If he can come to think of new people as new playmates, GREAT!

 

Learn his cues that he is being overstimulated and respond to them. Give him a way to discourage contact he's uncomfortable with that doesn't involve teeth - allow him to back away or hide (preferred), or even growl, if it provides an intermediate step to prevent biting.

 

Be very alert to and discouraging of resource guarding behaviours, especially where you, your better half, or children are the resources.

 

If the child is old enough, encourage the child to train the puppy in simple obedience behaviours.

 

Wow! This is a long post. Sorry.

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Sally,

Your illustration reminds of the time I was by a policeman with Willow in the car. This was back in the early days and she came to me extremely people shy (no one could approach her but me and my vet--she was placed with me through a rescue because they thought I had the means to work her through that--in case anyone was wondering why rescue would release an overly shy and somewhat reactive dog). Well, you can bet it doesn't do the human's case any good when the policeman leans over to ask for license, etc., and the dog turns into a ravening beast that apparently wants to eat him! That said, I don't remember why I was stopped, but I don't think I got a ticket that day, so the policeman must have been the forgiving sort. :rolleyes:

 

Julie, this reminded me of the time when I had my previous two - loose in the car in those days - and I was stopped for a random breath test. Since I had wound down the window, the policeman stuck his hand with the breathalyser into the window towards me, as he was talking to me. The dogs went ballistic - fortunately only verbal - and of course I apologised, but was delighted when the policeman just smiled and said "Don't worry, they're only doing their job" - bless dog-savvy policemen :D .

 

 

Mudthirsty -

 

You've had great advice about dealing with what does seem to be a fear-biting incident. I'd agree with the advice about managing the situation so that Storm is never over-faced, but gradually gets more comfortable in a variety of situations.

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Here's an update. Since the post, I have had a few family members stop by, as well as the people who live next door. Everyone has come thru the door, and has talked with myself or my girlfriend. Storm will walk up on his own, and check out whats going on, followed up with a sniff or two. By the time they come into the living room, they are feeding him treats that I had given. Eventually, he's on his back getting his belly rubbed.. and we're all tossing the ball around while he chases it. Same goes for the backyard. Im still keeping him out of the public, except for walks around the block and car rides, and he seems to be getting better. He will actually walk around the block now, rather than try to hold back! Wagging his tail most the way!

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Wow - I just finished reading all the responses that you got from your initial post and you are getting some really great advice!

All I have to add is that:

1. Since your previous dog was aggressive and you are scared that it might happen again, you may want to think about the things you did with this dog that may have allowed him/her to develop this characteristic. I am only saying this from experience. When we got our puppy Skye, my first dog had become so much a part of our routine I initially had no clue about how to ensure this puppy didn't develop the same traits. I know that all dogs can be wired differently but I also know that, with some training help, I made some conscious choices with her that I didn't with my first dog, i.e. de-sensitizing re: strange (and not-so-strange) people and socializing with other dogs. Hence my first dog wanted to kill the mailman and avoid most other dogs (granted she was a rescue at an older age). My present dog wants to kiss the mailman (or any stranger for that matter) and enjoys playing with other dogs.

2. My first dog was crotchety but never bit or barked when she was in the car. Except -- one day we were stopped at a light and there were a bunch of kids on skateboards around us going in and out of traffic. One of them looked into the car at Riley (my dog) and made a really scary face. Well she went ballistic barking and would have bitten him if he had reached in! I said, "Good on you!" She expressed what I was thinking...so you never know.

3. When Skye was a puppy she would freeze at the entrance to the park at the end of our street and look to see who was there. If the bully dogs were there, she would hide between my legs until they left. Soon afterwards she started to join in the fun when her confidence grew.

4. After having an older dog for so long, it can be a real paradigm shift to get used to a puppy again. Just keep asking questions, get some training for the both of you and life will settle down.

 

Congratulations on the headway you've made with Storm in your update!

Ailsa

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One of my hundreds of little silly exercises (to some people) is to counter condition strangers approaching and eventually petting my dogs. I try to do every little scenarios to cover the ground to prevent any human agressions/fears. They never growled at humans before but when they were still puppies, I took them for a ride and they encountered a homeless person approaching for a change. Cooper barked at him (with a wagging tail). He's a natural barker so I was sure he wasn't barking to guard. But just in case, I had people approach the window and treated. I also took them whenever I go to drive through. They didn't get any treats but they always smelled food!

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