Fear of men, agressive with dogs

sargboxerluv · #1 04-02-2009, 06:54 PM

I rescued a female boxer about 5 months ago, and she's around 1 and half years old. I have two questions about socialization.

She is terrified of men. I'm certain she was abused. How do I go about socializing her with men if she runs from them? And no, I don't have any male relatives/friends close by. We just moved here. I feel bad cause some of the guys around here want to come up and pet her, but she runs away. A few times she even peed on herself.

Also, she can be agressive with other dogs. I fostered a male for two weeks with the hopes of keeping him, but she was very mean to him. If he was sitting down she was fine with him. I even have pictures of them laying together. But the minute he got up to run around or play with toys, she would freak. She even took the rubber balls from him that she never even looked at for the 5 months they were sitting there. She never actually tried to bite him, but she would get nasty like she was gaurding a bone. She did lunge at him and sound as if she would kill him. It got worse as the two weeks went on instead of getting better. And it was not him. He was submissive to her - he had his own issues. But he never tried to fight with her, he would do that whining reach in to paw at her to entice her to play. I guess I wouldn't have cared in the past, but now I live in an apartment community that has dogs everywhere. She always wants to do a meet n greet, but if the dogs are to hyper or jump on her she gets mean.

I don't know where to start with her.

LILYLARUE · #2 04-03-2009, 09:32 AM

Wow, you have two major problems to work through.....fear of men and dog aggression. Both are probably reactions to her fear from the past.

With men, the best thing to do is to re-introduce men as a treat machine. Have them toss her treats from a distance, rapid fire. Do this as often as you can. Even ask passersby to through them as they walk by. No need for them to even stop. Just toss and keep going. Then you will have them move closer and toss. Keep their hands full of treats. Even set a can of them outside so they are at the ready for a man to pass by. Eventually you can have the men come closer and kneel down while tossing treats. The men will seem less invasive if they are on the level of the dog and not towering over him. This will take lots of time and patience since you don't have access to men at will. So you will have to suck up looking like a nut and ask any man that is available at the time. The more different men that toss those treats will help the pup get over the fear and associate the men with a positive experience.

Now with the dog aggression/fear aggression, I would suggest a behaviorist. They can work one on one with the pup and train you to read the body language and tell if it is fear based or aggression based. Since it is a rescue, the history is not known, so you will have no idea which issue it could be. An alternative is a group training class where you have already discussed the issue with the trainer and they are aware of any issue that may come up during class and be able to work it into the training. Your vet may have such classes and they are probably more educated in this particular issue as opposed to basic training that other pet stores offer.

I have a girl that is fear aggressive due to an attack at age 1. It took some time and lots of re-socialization and she doesn't react so aggressively any more. But there is still some fear based reactions I have to watch for. Without a proper training course, I would never have known what to look for or how to properly react to the situation. It was well worth the money to take the classes and now I feel more in control when the situation gets out of hand.

ehayes21 · #3 04-03-2009, 09:48 AM

Great advice above regarding getting her used to men. But for the other issue I suggest you seek the help of a professional experienced in the dept of behavior modification. There is a sticky at the top of the behavior forum that you might want to check out on how to find a good behaviorist. You need hands on help that unfortunately an internet forum cannot provide. Good luck.

sargboxerluv · #4 04-05-2009, 06:58 AM

I thought about having men toss her food, but she only sees a man like every other day. It seemed like a long shot, but it's worth a try.

Hiring a behaviorist is out of the question, it's way too expensive. I really just need to know what I should do when she starts becoming aggressive. I already know how to read her, I just don't know what I should do about it.

Im pretty sure it is fear based aggression. When we are on walks she is fine with other dogs. She likes to go see them. Until they come into her space too fast or try to get her to play by nipping at the air. That is when she starts growling. If the other dog continues into her space like that, that is when she gets loud and I'm concerned that she might attack the other dog.

ehayes21 · #5 04-05-2009, 07:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sargboxerluv

I thought about having men toss her food, but she only sees a man like every other day. It seemed like a long shot, but it's worth a try.

Hiring a behaviorist is out of the question, it's way too expensive. I really just need to know what I should do when she starts becoming aggressive. I already know how to read her, I just don't know what I should do about it.

Im pretty sure it is fear based aggression. When we are on walks she is fine with other dogs. She likes to go see them. Until they come into her space too fast or try to get her to play by nipping at the air. That is when she starts growling. If the other dog continues into her space like that, that is when she gets loud and I'm concerned that she might attack the other dog.

Honestly you should learn HOW to stop her behavior and if you can't afford a behaviorist then read a book or two - here are a few books that might help you out:

Fight! Jean Donaldson
Aggression in Dogs Brenda Aloff

Each time you let her aggress it's going to make your problem worse, so I would read and do what you can to get this behavior under control.

EAO76 · #6 04-05-2009, 10:44 AM

At 1.5yrs the socialization period is long over. Now you are dealing with behavior modification.

Regarding books there is also Click to Calm (can’t think of author) or Aggression in Dogs by Brenda Aloff (very thorough big book that covers every type of fear & aggression with specific steps on how to change it with exact instructions. It’s expensive [between 40 -60$] but worth it if you cannot hire a trainer). I highly recommend this book. You can get it off Amazon.

Good luck

ehayes21 · #7 04-05-2009, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EAO76

At 1.5yrs the socialization period is long over. Now you are dealing with behavior modification.

Regarding books there is also Click to Calm (can’t think of author) or Aggression in Dogs by Brenda Aloff (very thorough big book that covers every type of fear & aggression with specific steps on how to change it with exact instructions. It’s expensive [between 40 -60$] but worth it if you cannot hire a trainer). I highly recommend this book. You can get it off Amazon.

Good luck

Click to Calm is a good one, too. Amazon is where I got Brenda Aloff's book - it was 35 bucks, but so worth it.

sargboxerluv · #8 04-06-2009, 07:05 AM

Thank you for the book titles! I will look for them ASAP.

LILYLARUE · #9 04-06-2009, 07:05 AM

Great reads for you to start with!!!

Until then, don't set her up to fail. If she approaches another dog, be quick to react and move on at the right time. Let her get a sniff and then take her away and praise her. Let her succeed with her positive behavior. If you stay too long, the energy between the two will change and then a reaction will happen. You gotta get her BEFORE any reaction other than a quick sniff. Let her get acclimated to other dog's smells before you let her stay long enough to do anything other than what a dog should do. Eventually, she will learn that it will be a quick hello and she may want more time to say hi. Once she stiffens a bit or stares for a second longer than normal, take her away immediately. Don't let either one react to the body signals. Go back to quick hellos and a quick sniff for a while longer. Make sure you also have a relaxed lead (not too loose, but not tight at all). A taught lead may cause leash aggression due to the stress on and through the leash. Have in your mind that it will be a positive experience but be ready to remove at the right time. This is only a beginning step until you gain more knowledge on training an aggressive dog. Only a small piece to the pie but will help you for now.

Read the above mentioned books. They will be a great source for you to gain the confidence to instill in her. You can do this, but only if you stay calm and assertive and take action before any reaction happens. You both have some learning and re-learning to do. I wish you the best of luck in creating a well balanced girl.

sargboxerluv · #10 04-06-2009, 12:11 PM

Lilylarue that is exactly what I didn't know. I didn't know if I was supposed to stop and stay and see how they interact or just move on after a quick sniff. I bought the book by Brenda Aloff online, so I should have it in a few days. I will do the quick sniff only until I am able to read through the book to get more insight.