8 month old female pup difficult to sociaize

[zstevens]

I have an 8m old female pup who despite my best efforts is hell to take for a walk. Other dogs are completely out of the question as she gets extremely aggressive even if the other dog is on the other side of the street. With people her aggression is less pronounced but at times she barks, growls and stares. If surprised by an opening door or a jogger coming behind her she gets super aggressive.

She often stops and stares at people and I have to tug at her leash to get her to move along. I wonder if I should just stop taking her out ? I thought I could desensitize her through repeated exposure and although I'm sure it has helped some she is still very aggresive. She wears a muzzle if need be and accepts car rides. I don't want a bad reputation where I live.

Has anyone had a similar experience?

 

[danielleconn]

I don't know what breed you have but I can honestly say tugging as she stares is one of the worst things to do, trust me, I know, I used to do it. But don't stop taking her out. Just take a new approach. I have a Cane Corso, it's in her to stare, watch her surroundings and take it all in. I have also learned she is a slower, stop and smell the roses girl, it's not about the walk for her. It's about a slow pace and checking things out & I am okay with that. Best thing that worked for her reactivity to whatever was to give a treat the second she caught sight of the target. Over time, I would ask for a sit in the presence of target. We then would take some steps closer but not so close she would react and treat.

Best thing for you to do, keep a loose leash, don't tug along, allow them to absorb what's going on & keep a good distance. Over time you can get closer and closer. If she is reacting to everything, keep your destinations mellow for now. Find a friend to work with you that may have a bike or a calm dog. Going to many parks, things are unpredictable and overwhelming, you might set yourself up for failure.

Keep practicing but biggest thing, don't tug the leash, keep it loose, lots of treats & lots of distance. Slow and steady wins the race!

 

[season]

Your "best efforts" aren't working. Your dog is leading you.


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[HeaveToo]

Time to hire a trainer. Get this problem solved now before it gets to be a big one.

 

[Hector]

This is not meant to be offensive, but if you feel like the best thing is to stop taking the dog out then the dog may be too much for you to handle.

Consider hiring a professional trainer.

I think the problem here is that the dog is completely disconnected from you and she sounds like a nervous dog with low thresholds (easy to react).

 

[zstevens]

I don't know what breed you have but I can honestly say tugging as she stares is one of the worst things to do, trust me, I know, I used to do it. But don't stop taking her out. Just take a new approach. I have a Cane Corso, it's in her to stare, watch her surroundings and take it all in. I have also learned she is a slower, stop and smell the roses girl, it's not about the walk for her. It's about a slow pace and checking things out & I am okay with that. Best thing that worked for her reactivity to whatever was to give a treat the second she caught sight of the target. Over time, I would ask for a sit in the presence of target. We then would take some steps closer but not so close she would react and treat.

Best thing for you to do, keep a loose leash, don't tug along, allow them to absorb what's going on & keep a good distance. Over time you can get closer and closer. If she is reacting to everything, keep your destinations mellow for now. Find a friend to work with you that may have a bike or a calm dog. Going to many parks, things are unpredictable and overwhelming, you might set yourself up for failure.

Keep practicing but biggest thing, don't tug the leash, keep it loose, lots of treats & lots of distance. Slow and steady wins the race!

This was helpful for me thank you. I will go slower when I take her around people. I don't like my dog making other people feel uncomfortable. When I say staring, I"m talking about stopping and staring for a minute or so sometimes barking/growling. With other dogs my dog it is an absolute nightmare it's just genetic, so I will completely avoid those encounters.

 

[season]

There are plenty of resources out there that are free if you're willing to put in the work to look for it. No need to spend money on a trainer. You should be the trainer. I see so many ppl get dogs who aren't prepared or aren't willing to do the work. In today's world with so many resources out there that are at your fingertips for free all u need to do is do the work.


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[Hector]

There are plenty of resources out there that are free if you're willing to put in the work to look for it. No need to spend money on a trainer. You should be the trainer. I see so many ppl get dogs who aren't prepared or aren't willing to do the work. In today's world with so many resources out there that are at your fingertips for free all u need to do is do the work.


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Can you give some useful advice as to handle some of these issues?

 

[Lorrainelola]

You need to go to a trainer who specializes in this area. I had to bring my now 9 year old bullmastiff to a trainer who specializes in dog aggression when she was 2. It helped immensely. You need to be able to take control of the situation and lead her. You are walking her, you are in control, not the other way around. A reputable trainer will help you with this. Xx

 

[PrinceLorde13]

Don't allow her to stare at anything that long, you need to start breaking the cycle before she actually becomes reactive. The moment her body tenses and she begins to " lock on" to anything bring her attention back to you either with correction or treat, praise her for focusing on you and if she is food responsive lots of treats for proper behavior. What breed of dog do you have, this may be able to help us in guiding you through this. Work on focus training when not on walks, you want her to focus on you and your reactions to guide her, it seems she thinks she needs to make the decisions on what is a possible threat when she should be looking to you for that information. It's not an impossible task but depending on the level your dog has reached and your confidence in your ability to train with her, bringing in a professional that has experience with your breed and situation may not be a bad idea even to help show you in real time ways to help your pup and you through this

 

[PrinceLorde13]

There are plenty of resources out there that are free if you're willing to put in the work to look for it. No need to spend money on a trainer. You should be the trainer. I see so many ppl get dogs who aren't prepared or aren't willing to do the work. In today's world with so many resources out there that are at your fingertips for free all u need to do is do the work.

I so fully agree but also remember with everything in life different people have knacks for different things, while you may be able to watch a video and do some reading and turn it into real world application others may not have it come so natural to them. Hiring a professional to not just train the dog but also to train the owner in the practices of proper dog training isn't a cop out to me, it's someone trying to bring themselves to the level their dog deserves. Yes too many people just want to hire someone because they don't want to do the work, but some just need a little more help then others to be able to do the work properly.

 

[tmricciuto]

Amen to that. I don't feel bad at all hiring a trainer because my pups and I don't speak the same language. I need guidance and that's what the trainer provides. They help me see where my training may be lacking and where to make adjustments.


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[season]

Can you give some useful advice as to handle some of these issues?

Yes. Go to YouTube and look it up. Then watch. Then learn. Then practice. Find a book. Read. Learn. Practice. I do it every day. Learn new things. Learn new philosophies. You can also search for things on here and do the same. Everything I've ever done with my dog and other dogs is through the same steps I've just mentioned. Too many ppl want to be spoon fed. I'd rather feed myself. And I've never spent a dime. That's me. If ppl want to spend money that's great.


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[Hector]

OP, I am curious, but is your Caucasian shepherd a working dog or a pet?

 

[zstevens]

Don't allow her to stare at anything that long, you need to start breaking the cycle before she actually becomes reactive. The moment her body tenses and she begins to " lock on" to anything bring her attention back to you either with correction or treat, praise her for focusing on you and if she is food responsive lots of treats for proper behavior. What breed of dog do you have, this may be able to help us in guiding you through this. Work on focus training when not on walks, you want her to focus on you and your reactions to guide her, it seems she thinks she needs to make the decisions on what is a possible threat when she should be looking to you for that information. It's not an impossible task but depending on the level your dog has reached and your confidence in your ability to train with her, bringing in a professional that has experience with your breed and situation may not be a bad idea even to help show you in real time ways to help your pup and you through this

Thanks for advice. The dog is a Caucasian Shepherd. One school of thought danielleconn posted is to let the dog take it all in and get comfortable seeing that not everything is a threat. You recommend correcting and refocusing her immediately once she starts to stare, I will try both.

 

[zstevens]

OP, I am curious, but is your Caucasian shepherd a working dog or a pet?

The dog is was graded and sold as a working dog.

 

[PrinceLorde13]

There's a big difference between a dog taking in its surroundings and beginning a predatory stare down, absolutely allow her time to take in her surroundings, if she's more comfortable at a slower pace then go with it till she gets better.nwhat I was talking about correcting and then praising for is when she begins to lock on to any one thing, danielleconn was touching upon the same thing when her girl would begin to "target" something. You need to break that hyper focus on something negative and bring it back to you and reward her for doing so. I would even suggest if you have a friend with a dog go to a neutral place and have them be a very good distance away, enough so your dog shouldn't even notice them, begin to walk in their general direction but not directly focused on them, the moment your dog starts to show any negative signs get her to focus on you and praise her for any moments she is good, once she becomes comfortable at that distance move closer and repeat. This is most likely not going to all happen in one session you're looking for small steps in the right direction trying to force too much at once can push her backwards

 

[danielleconn]

Yes totally agree with PrinceLorde too...you want to teach the dog to watch you & pay attention to your for guidance. Zoe has a watch me command that is so easy to teach it's not even funny. But again you must take it slow, inside with no distractions is the best place to start. Take a treat towards your eyes and their eye contact will follow, immediately say good, yes, whatever & give the treat. Over time you can expect longer eye contact and eventually you won't need the treat. Most dogs find eye contact as threatening or dominant, so by practicing this with your dog she learns it's okay with you and in time she will look to you. This is very important because it breaks that focus on a target. But I learned that tugging if Zoe was just taking something in, would make her react more as if I was taking her away from something exciting. As long as she stays calm, I allow her to check it out. Then once I say let's go, she is much more compliant without force because she got to see what's going on. With the method of treating that I stated earlier, now Zoe sees something exciting & looks to me right away. I don't always carry treats anymore but she generally can handle most surroundings now. It was something that was taught that I didn't even try, she automatically gives me eye contact now. If she does get caught up in something exciting, and it's too much for her we simply turn, go the other way and start at a farther distance. Again, good luck. At least these are easy pointers you can start on your own. If it gets too much, a trainer is always a different set of eyes to teach you!

 

[Hector]

The dog is was graded and sold as a working dog.

Does work = live stock guardian or like a protection dog? If used as a livestock guardian, then let her be or maybe I'm totally thinking wrong? I guess I don't see the need to put in the work in those areas if the dog will be on the property working. The only concern is when it comes to vet visits.

Caucasian shepherds are strong minded and hard to motivate and can be super aggressive, aren't they?

 

[Liz_M]

I've only ever met two Caucasian Ovcharkas and both were extremely impressive dogs that no stranger could get close to. One was at a dog show, the other is a working LGD at a llama farm near where I live. My impression is that they are not dissimilar to Filas in their general demeanor?

I've nothing to add to the good advice already given...I've had a couple of DA and generally pissy (and one fear-biter) dogs in the past and what worked was what others are saying...work daily on attention and "watch me" exercises and do lots and lots of desensitizing at a comfortable distance. I always figured my dogs didn't have to like strangers or other dogs, they just had to behave in a civilized manner, and that meant paying attention to me and learning to be relaxed when out in public. It did take really a lot of ongoing work though. Obedience/agility/tracking classes, lots and lots and lots of walks, lots of training sessions, etc.

It sounds like this dog has weak nerves and is reacting out of fear, but I am not familiar enough with the breed to be certain of that. It could be correct temperament for this breed, although I read that "viciousness" is considered a fault. My GSDx (RIP) was an adult and a fear-biter when I first got her through rescue, and I actually considered having her PTS; I was not at all experienced with that then. I set up a few meetings with a really good behaviourist and he helped me understand how to deal with it, and how to protect her from stressful situations. He literally saved her life and she ended up being a fabulous dog who lived to 14 or 15 years old and had quite a social life.

Has this pup had exposure to other dogs, obedience classes, frequent interaction with strangers and new places since she was small and this is new behaviour? Or is she new to you/just now getting out?