LAST solution?????
 

Hey everyone~

Some of you may remember when I posted a while back about my dog being aggressive and I have since then, tried every suggestion (except for cesear's video thing) given to me and read everything I could in books and the internet about this. Nothing has helped and it has since got worse.

I can honestly say, I have tried to take her out with me as much as possible to get her more socialized.. but it is not working. And I had people come over to try so I can practice with my dog on how to act when a stranger comes.

She is fine when I take her outside.. she just is very shy around people and dogs... BUT when someone she doesn't know come into our home...

She turns from a VERY VERY sweet loving dog, to a vicious attack dog. NOT KIDDING!!! Her bites are hurting people and she WON'T stop barking. It's not a normal bark, its a very scared and super angry type of bark that actually scares ME when she does it.

AND believe me... I have tried for about 6 months now to get her to stop..!!
It is a bit embarassing to have people over and when they do, I have to put her in the bathroom upstairs to minimize the noise now. I know, some of you may think that is making it worse, but letting her out makes it 10 times worse.. all she wants to do is attack attack and attack! I get very very nervous when I take her out because once in a while she will suddenly lunge and try to bite someone.

She is seriously the sweetest dog and sooooo adorable when she is around people she knows, but around strangers, it is like a split personality!!

People have said to do like Petco's dog obedience thing which is like 4 weeks for $99.. but the main problem is how she acts at home not outside..

SO... I am asking for opinions here.. I have been researching for private in home training dog behavior specialists.. they are usually about $100 per hour..

This one woman called and she said she will do it for $110 an hour.. and she will usually come once for an hour, then come back in a week for an hour and she said if I do my "homework" then Princess will be "cured" =P I asked.. "what if she stays the same, or shows little to no improvement? will i get a refund?" she said, "no, if you do your homework, then she will be fine, the only reason why she would show no improvement is if the owner does not do their homework and continue with the training".. I mean she sounds legit and obviously not some scammer, but is this worth "trying"?

If someone said they know FOR SURE that she will stop this aggressive behavior, then of course I will pay the $200 with no hesitation... I know I will do my "homework", but WHAT IF it doesn't work?? I can only afford to do this ONCE!! ( I don't want to ask family members for help in paying because she is my responsibility)... So... what do you guys think?? Give this a try? Or try and find another solution??

Please.. any opinions would be GREAT!!! :rolleyes:

well my scampi was like this, he was kind of ok with woman but didnt like very many men and would try to protect me, i would have to hold him if someone came in the house then once they sat down he would watch them and if he didnt mind them they could move slowly but not quickly or he would bite them, if he didnt like the person he wouldnt let them move at all they had to sit still, the funny thing is he had good taste and the ones he didnt like much he was quite right about:D i just lived with it it was part of him. as for stopping her if its that bad and you cant live with it then give it a go.:)

I would try to get a private lessons, but I would ask for ref...and call and talk to the people they have worked with...some trainers are really good, and some are not.. at that kind of money I would want to make sure I got one that knew how to help....:)

ask for ref...and call and talk to the people they have worked with...some trainers are really good, and some are not.. at that kind of money I would want to make sure I got one that knew how to help....:)[/QUOTE]


But they said they don't do refunds! :(

So do you think that only good trainers do refunds? :confused:

grr oops, i meant to quote you from above but it got erased..

but yeah do you think only good dog trainers will give you a refund?

At that price, I would want a guarantee too. It sounds to good to be true that a trainer could fix the problem in an hour or two (unless they're Cesar, of course).

I hope you decide to watch the Cesar Milan video, or catch him on TV tonight at 9 ET. I have no idea what method this trainer woman uses, but if it is anything like Cesar, she will tell you, that YOU are the problem, not the dog. That is why YOU must do your homework, because it is YOU that has to change. The dog does not feel that you are in charge, so she has taken over as the pack leader, and you need to take back the job.

So I believe that if the woman guarantees her work as long as YOU do your homework, then she is pretty sure of herself. Just keep in mind it is not the dog she is going to train, it is YOU, and you could get the same advice by watching Cesar Milan.

Good Luck

Hmm I don't know about him...

Oh believe me, its not like im letting my dog take control.. like when she makes "accidents".. she gets put into her cage and yelled at and she totally shows that she is not the "leader" but getting on her back doing that "i give up" position. But for some reason, me yelling at her and putting her in a cage does not work when a person she does not know comes..

Cesar will tell you that dogs do not understand yelling or time outs. That is not the way they communicate. You need to remain calm and assertive.

And potty training and being the pack leader have nothing to do with each other. She does not respect you as the leader. She doesn't think that you are in charge because you are not behaving in a clam asserive manner.

It is all in the body language and the mental attitude. It has nothing to do with dominance, punishment, yelling or time outs.

She feels that she has to protect you because you are not giving her the message that you can handle the situation. Because after all, you obviously can't handle her.

I'm not putting you down. I'm telling you that this is what the trainer is going to tell you and if you are not willing to change then you are wasting your money.

Watch Cesars video. Do what he suggests, and see if it doesn't work. If it doesn't then call the trainer, If it does, you have saved yourself $200.

But if you aren't prepared to chnge than nothing is going to work, because the problem is with you not with the dog.

Hey... thank you for your advice, and please don't get me wrong. I have tried being very calm... and not saying anything except for a "no".. and I have even tried ignoring her.. nothing has worked..

I don't know about Cesar.. I know a lot of people here respect him which is fine with me, but the things I have heard him saying doesn't sound right to me which makes me skeptical..

For example when he said the reason a dog goes crazy after you leave (which I think every dog does) is because they are unhappy and trying to show dominance.. etc.. that is so untrue.. we all know it is because they are excited and happy to see us! So I don't know about him..

Honestly, I believe that yelling at a dog will not yield the behavior that you want them to exhibit. Over the years, I have learned that speaking in an understanding and kind, but authoritative, voice will get their attention. You don't want to cause them to be fearful of you. You want them to trust and respect you and look to you for direction. I know you've got a tough job there. I wish I could help more.

In my experience, whispering gets their attention quicker than raising my voice.

In her "attack mode"... she won't hear me whisper.. trust me =P

I understand that your dog is loving, sweet and kind the majority of the time. However if she goes into attack mode when people come to your house, then you have a problem that needs the help of a professional. All it will take is for her to bite the wrong person one time and you could very well lose your baby and face serious criminal charges.

Believe me, Yorkie bites can be quite serious. I have gotten my hand in the way while trying to break up a fight between two Yorkies and the bite went down to the bone.

im sorry you are going through this!!

Thanks everyone for your input..

Even though no one really said it, I guess the best thing to do would be to hire the trainer? I just really am worried that two 1-hour sessions won't work and then my $220 will go down the drain..

Hmm.. this sounds more like fear and confusion than the typical "agression" people think about. Personally I would not recommend Cesar. I think his methods would make the problem worse.

The trainer sounds like a good idea, but make sure she has a background and/or degree in animal behavior. And make sure that she does all positive reinforcement (rewards) and negative punishment (ignoring behavior) Make sure there is NO positive punishment (which means leash corrections, neck jabs, all that CM stuff.) PP will make the problem worse. Definately ask these questions ahead of time before she comes over.

I think you should ask more questions. I haven't done an in-home consult but I've asked about them (always looking to improve Loki's behavior!) and my trainer (who I trust, and has a degree in Animal Behavior/Psych) would suggest something similar. She comes over for an initial consult to observe the behavior, then suggests a plan to improve the behavior. If you do your homework correctly, you will begin to see an improvement. It takes a LONG time. I'm sure that's why she said no refunds - because it's up to you to do the homework and because you will not fix the problem immediately. I'm sure that if you encounter a new problem or need advice on how to proceed - that the trainer will help you with that as well. So, unless she comes in and tells you to use physical force on your dog, I think it sounds OK.

PS I think your instincts are right on about Cesar. Many experts in the field disagree with his methods. Have you read "The Other End of the Leash"? I know you said you've read some books, but I have a whole bookcase at home of training books so if you need a recommendation please let me know!

I agree with you. I don't buy into this Cesar guy at all. I've had dogs all my life, and from that experience alone I don't agree with him. But to each their own, if others want to go by him that's fine with me.

I don't have an answer to your problems. I just want to wish you luck. :)

No offense, but maybe you should rethink that, maybe that's the source of your troubles: looking as your dog as a human, what they are NOT!

I don't think she's doing that. I think people make a mistake when they assume their dog is being "stubborn" or "trying to show them who's boss" etc. Dogs don't plot against us. They don't try to get revenge or anything like that. But I think that remembering that dogs have basic emotions like fear, anger, and happiness is vital to understanding our dogs. I think her dog is fearful and she needs to address that in a kind, loving way that will reassure the dog and help lessen her fears.

The difference in all those feelings is that we look at them in a human way. Ceasers way is you look at them in the wild with a pack mentality. They don't understand human. No matter how many dogs you have they will never understand human mentality....Don't knock it till you try it. I have a female a year old. She is the perfect dog. I have used Ceasers techniques that have applied to issues with her. (not everything he does because it does not apply to her) I wish you the best of luck. I hope whatever you decide works for you.

I hope you find a solution to your problem. I am sure it is not easy. keep us updated on her progress if you decide to try the personal trainer.

I would talk to my Vet. They must have someone that they could recommend as a trainer.... Good Luck to you!
I have mixed poinions on Dog Whisperer too but I did SEE him work with a dog like yours and was amazed with what he was able to do!
Best Wishes
d

I just called the Vet office... they don't know anyone who can help for private in-home training.. they gave me this one place which I already researched and that place got bad reviews. Someone on the review said that place squirts like sour lemon juice onto the dogs mouth when they are being "bad".. I don't know if that's right..

But anyway, thanks once again for everyone's input!

My vet recommended me the water bottle technique w/ Rocky's barking, and said to add lemon or citrus to it, but don't squirt in the eyes of course. Rocky just gets even more pist w/ the waterbottle, then tries to attack it so that method is out the door for us!

LOL! :p

Yes! Catrina, keep looking for a positive trainer in your area. I really do believe that this problem can be managed with the proper help. Make absolutely sure that the potential trainer will use no punishment.

In the meantime, could you give me a little more information? At what point does her behavior change? Not when does she go ballistic, but when does she first show signs of stress (rigid posture, loss of focus on you, etc)? When a stranger comes into the house or is it before that? When the doorbell rings? When someone approaches the door?

In other words, can you describe the sequence in a bit more detail?

Autumn goes bonkers when she hears a car pull up the driveway, and she and Gizmo bark until the people are in the house. Then once she has sniffed them and we have told her that they are ok, Autumn will go lay down (well most of the time she does! LOL) A lot of the time she wants center of attention and tries to get extra pats from the visitors.

Gizmo freaks everytime we have company. She growls and barks if it is someone she doesn't really know. She gets scared and nervous with people she doesn't know. Never have I had them turn aggressive and bite though so I am not sure how to help or offer help with your problem. :confused:

Hmmm, her behavior changes the second the doorbell rings or if she sees/hears a call pulling in. Then in that split second, she turns CRAZY!! And even more so when she actually sees the stranger! Sometimes I have to "plan" when she goes potty if I know someone is coming, otherwise she will pee all over me.. (not kidding..gross!) One time since this has worked couple of times.. is when someone she doesn't know holds her right away (its usually people who aren't scared at all).. she will stop but with most people who get scared of her barking and "try" to hold her she will pee all over them while trying to bite their face.