help! aggressive toward strangers :( - YorkieTalk.com Forums

steph_bella · 05-17-2011, 07:51 AM

my bella just hates strangers and i dunno what to do about it she walks past them fine but its when they do to touch her so annoying beacuse shes so cute people just want to stroke her and when they do she growls and snaps

sad because i just dunno what to do im scared she bites someone and then we get her took off us

i rang a trainer but its sooo expensive

anything i can do ? thanx shes also arrgessive to other dogs she dosent know

chachi · 05-17-2011, 08:26 AM

Isnt your pup pretty young? She just may not have been exposed to alot of different situations yet. As soon as shes done with shots it would be good to socialize her with other dogs. A Petsmart training class is a good start. As far as strangers you just need to expose her to more different people and have them give her treats so she can learn strangers are okay. She just needs to be socialized

Ringo1 · 05-17-2011, 08:42 AM

I agree with the above post - but, for now, do not let anyone pet her while you are out in public. No need in letting her bite someone this young.

Whilst you are beginning to socialize her, as mentioned above, you could also try having some friends come over to your house.

Before they try to pet her - have them greet her with a treat. Soon, she (hopefully) will begin to associate strangers with GOOD THINGS like a treat.

Good Luck.

steph_bella · 05-17-2011, 10:22 AM

thanx for the help shes ten months so fully grown now, we took her to socialization classes but they didnt help and she wasnt allowed to go after 6 months old so now we have to pay loads to take her to these sort of things just have to tell people not to stroke her lol

GAFLBOY · 05-17-2011, 02:20 PM

Try staying calm when you see strangers or other dogs because it's sounds like she is becoming aggressive to protect you. If you see her getting alert give her a little tap to snap her out of the behavior. Remember you have to be her pack leader handle each situation calmly yet assertively. Also go to the Dog Whispers web site Cesar Milan has some great things you can do to help fix the behavior. It worked great with all the pitbulls I use to train.

ArmaniMan · 05-17-2011, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GAFLBOY

Try staying calm when you see strangers or other dogs because it's sounds like she is becoming aggressive to protect you. If you see her getting alert give her a little tap to snap her out of the behavior. Remember you have to be her pack leader handle each situation calmly yet assertively. Also go to the Dog Whispers web site Cesar Milan has some great things you can do to help fix the behavior. It worked great with all the pitbulls I use to train.

Do NOT do this! You do not want to correct her in any way and start making her associate people with bad feelings. Start carrying tons of treats- if someone wants to pet her, ask them to put their hand out, place and treat in their hand and let her take the treat from them. Then thats it- do not have them actually touch her. You want her to slowly start associating people with good things (yummy treats)- eventually when she starts to get more comfortable you can work up to people gently stroking her after she has taken her treat, but for now just focus as much as possible on having her associate every person with a "good thing".

GAFLBOY · 05-18-2011, 05:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArmaniMan

Do NOT do this! You do not want to correct her in any way and start making her associate people with bad feelings. Start carrying tons of treats- if someone wants to pet her, ask them to put their hand out, place and treat in their hand and let her take the treat from them. Then thats it- do not have them actually touch her. You want her to slowly start associating people with good things (yummy treats)- eventually when she starts to get more comfortable you can work up to people gently stroking her after she has taken her treat, but for now just focus as much as possible on having her associate every person with a "good thing".

Giving her a treat will only reinforce an unwanted behavior. These methods work and the dogs do not associate people as something bad. The key is to have a calm well balanced dog.

Ringo1 · 05-18-2011, 08:09 AM

I like both Cesar and Victoria Stillwell but Victoria's method of 'distraction and treating' worked best for me with my Westie. He would go crazy when he saw another dog approaching on a walk. I tried the treat/distraction and it worked really well for us.

ArmaniMan · 05-18-2011, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GAFLBOY

Giving her a treat will only reinforce an unwanted behavior. These methods work and the dogs do not associate people as something bad. The key is to have a calm well balanced dog.

Not at all- by having strangers give her treats- you are allowing her to make "good" associations with strangers- rather than hitting/ tapping/ whatever them and creating negative associations with strangers.

mscat · 05-18-2011, 02:39 PM

Anther thing I have seen , is to place your dog in the sit position and make sure the dog is paying attention to you. Then reward her with a small treat. If she starts getting aggressive or lunges towards strangers, simply turn around with her and walk the other way. I really do not think a stranger should try and pet someone elese's dog. Maybe your dog has had a bad experience or just has not learned propper social skills yet. Only 10 months old, many people would consider your dog is still a puppy. I would only use positive reinforcement . Never anything negative , and the tapping or using ones hands on your dog IS negative.

ArmaniMan · 05-18-2011, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mscat

Anther thing I have seen , is to place your dog in the sit position and make sure the dog is paying attention to you. Then reward her with a small treat. If she starts getting aggressive or lunges towards strangers, simply turn around with her and walk the other way. I really do not think a stranger should try and pet someone elese's dog. Maybe your dog has had a bad experience or just has not learned propper social skills yet. Only 10 months old, many people would consider your dog is still a puppy. I would only use positive reinforcement . Never anything negative , and the tapping or using ones hands on your dog IS negative.

Good Post- this is similar to the "look at me" game- which is often recommended in these types of situations!

GAFLBOY · 05-19-2011, 10:21 AM

Let me go on the record by saying when I say tap I am not in any form, shape, or fashion saying hit the dog. That would be abuse and I do not and will not tolerate the abuse of an animal especially a dog. I have seen first hand what abuse does to a dog. I have train and help to break a lot of aggressive behavior with abused fighting pitbulls using the methods that Cesar uses. The tap is just a light touch to snap the dog out of its behavior and bring the attention back to you. Which ever method you use I wish you the best of luck in training your pup. There is a lot of good advice in here so happy training. The only end result I wish to see is a happy owner and a happy pup.

05-17-2011, 07:51 AM	#1
steph_bella YT Addict Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Middlesbrough, UK Posts: 274	help! aggressive toward strangers :( my bella just hates strangers and i dunno what to do about it she walks past them fine but its when they do to touch her so annoying beacuse shes so cute people just want to stroke her and when they do she growls and snaps sad because i just dunno what to do im scared she bites someone and then we get her took off us i rang a trainer but its sooo expensive anything i can do ? thanx shes also arrgessive to other dogs she dosent know __________________

05-17-2011, 08:26 AM	#2
chachi I Love My Yorkies Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Indianapolis, Indiana Posts: 37,147	Isnt your pup pretty young? She just may not have been exposed to alot of different situations yet. As soon as shes done with shots it would be good to socialize her with other dogs. A Petsmart training class is a good start. As far as strangers you just need to expose her to more different people and have them give her treats so she can learn strangers are okay. She just needs to be socialized __________________ Chachi's & Jewels Mom Jewels http://www.dogster.com/?132431 Chachi http://www.dogster.com/?132427

05-17-2011, 08:42 AM	#3
Ringo1 Ringo (1) and Lucy too! Donating Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: On the Edge of Glory Posts: 3,447	I agree with the above post - but, for now, do not let anyone pet her while you are out in public. No need in letting her bite someone this young. Whilst you are beginning to socialize her, as mentioned above, you could also try having some friends come over to your house. Before they try to pet her - have them greet her with a treat. Soon, she (hopefully) will begin to associate strangers with GOOD THINGS like a treat. Good Luck. __________________ Mommy to Lucy, Ringo, and Matthew

05-17-2011, 10:22 AM	#4
steph_bella YT Addict Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Middlesbrough, UK Posts: 274	thanx for the help shes ten months so fully grown now, we took her to socialization classes but they didnt help and she wasnt allowed to go after 6 months old so now we have to pay loads to take her to these sort of things just have to tell people not to stroke her lol __________________

05-18-2011, 08:09 AM	#8
Ringo1 Ringo (1) and Lucy too! Donating Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: On the Edge of Glory Posts: 3,447	I like both Cesar and Victoria Stillwell but Victoria's method of 'distraction and treating' worked best for me with my Westie. He would go crazy when he saw another dog approaching on a walk. I tried the treat/distraction and it worked really well for us. __________________ Mommy to Lucy, Ringo, and Matthew

05-17-2011, 02:20 PM	#5
GAFLBOY YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: May 2011 Location: orlando fl Posts: 6	Try staying calm when you see strangers or other dogs because it's sounds like she is becoming aggressive to protect you. If you see her getting alert give her a little tap to snap her out of the behavior. Remember you have to be her pack leader handle each situation calmly yet assertively. Also go to the Dog Whispers web site Cesar Milan has some great things you can do to help fix the behavior. It worked great with all the pitbulls I use to train.

05-18-2011, 02:39 PM	#10
mscat YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Hanford, CA Posts: 4,895	Anther thing I have seen , is to place your dog in the sit position and make sure the dog is paying attention to you. Then reward her with a small treat. If she starts getting aggressive or lunges towards strangers, simply turn around with her and walk the other way. I really do not think a stranger should try and pet someone elese's dog. Maybe your dog has had a bad experience or just has not learned propper social skills yet. Only 10 months old, many people would consider your dog is still a puppy. I would only use positive reinforcement . Never anything negative , and the tapping or using ones hands on your dog IS negative. __________________ "No matter how little money & how few possessions, you own, having a dog makes you rich."

05-19-2011, 10:21 AM	#12
GAFLBOY YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: May 2011 Location: orlando fl Posts: 6	Let me go on the record by saying when I say tap I am not in any form, shape, or fashion saying hit the dog. That would be abuse and I do not and will not tolerate the abuse of an animal especially a dog. I have seen first hand what abuse does to a dog. I have train and help to break a lot of aggressive behavior with abused fighting pitbulls using the methods that Cesar uses. The tap is just a light touch to snap the dog out of its behavior and bring the attention back to you. Which ever method you use I wish you the best of luck in training your pup. There is a lot of good advice in here so happy training. The only end result I wish to see is a happy owner and a happy pup.