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Update on Enzo's aggression issues !

Nitrojedi

Well-Known Member
So as a few here may remember I was at one time having some issues with Enzo acting aggressively which I discussed in this thread here Having some aggression issues with Enzo - Mastiff Forum Well a couple months have passed and very fortunately I have some very good news to report ! It seems that Enzo has done a complete 180 and is now acting quite submissive, far more then I could have ever expected... Just seems like something clicked and all of a sudden he's back to goofy happy puppy again....Even in his play with other dogs he's acting quite submissive..At the dog park he can get overwhelming to smaller dogs and from time to time the older dogs have to discipline him and he immediately goes submissive.... its quite funny to see this 160 lbs bear of a dog getting Alpha rolled by a 35 lb Sheltie LOL ... ENzo has absolutely zero interest in fighting with any dogs of any size...he is possibly the least Alpha dog in the dog park, just this big happy slobbery marshmallow ! So my guess is that Enzo was going thru hormone spikes as he developed and it was causing some teenager like emotional issues...I was reading that during development a dog can have as much as 10X elevated testosterone levels as to what he will have as a full adult.. And I have to say that very recently we have seen a fairly dramatic increase in Enzo's muscle mass density that would time out perfectly with the behavior issues we seen .... We have even had guests back at the house and Enzo has behaved just like he used to...happy and friendly and totally calm... One thing we have done is taken Enzo many times to the dog park where he has the ability to openly socialize with other dogs and people, we have pretty much taken him every second day weather permitting .. This has worked wonders for him and he's now so much happier and friendlier, i believe that taking him to the park was the best thing we have done with him..it seems it has given him something to live for and now he's behaving better then I ever could have expected..its amazing , it truly is...Enzo went from being the most insubordinate puppy you could ever imagine to becoming possibly the best behaved adolescent I have ever seen..As long as we go the dog park ever odd day he's an angel and seems to actually try to please us... seems he has forgotten all about being a big tough angry dog and taken more towards the socialite marshmallow that can mooch free food ....... Enzo is very smart and willful and its apparent that he's highly social and loves being around other dogs..my previous dogs thing was chasing my RC car, and once we had that figured out he was a dream to live with...it seems Enzo's the same way his thing is the dog park... Myself I am happy Enzo's taken towards being more submissive, people at the park get a laugh at the poor guy sometimes but its much better then having him go the other way ....
 

season

Well-Known Member
Glad to hear he appears to be doing better. I will add this. Be careful with dog parks and I would also say be careful with how you use them. Your dog's "aggression"/issues/energy and whatever else you want to add should be controlled by if or if you don't take your dog to a dog park. Your dog's behavior, at the end of the day, should be dictated by you as it's leader/owner. Again, this is my opinion, but a dog park is not the place to "socialize" a dog. In fact, in my opinion, the dog park is the last place I would go if I wanted to socialize my dog. So again, I'm glad your dog is doing better.
 

vizcarmb

New Member
So other than taking your dog to the dog park and finding out the elevated hormone levels in the teenage phase, what else did you do? It look likes it just needed to just release its pent up energy.
 

Sinnister

Well-Known Member
I agree with season. Our dog breeds cannot be measured by how they interact at dog parks. Its not a accurate barometer of behaviour.
 

Nitrojedi

Well-Known Member
Glad to hear he appears to be doing better. I will add this. Be careful with dog parks and I would also say be careful with how you use them. Your dog's "aggression"/issues/energy and whatever else you want to add should be controlled by if or if you don't take your dog to a dog park. Your dog's behavior, at the end of the day, should be dictated by you as it's leader/owner. Again, this is my opinion, but a dog park is not the place to "socialize" a dog. In fact, in my opinion, the dog park is the last place I would go if I wanted to socialize my dog. So again, I'm glad your dog is doing better.
Well if you think about it I am the one who took the actions to resolve the issues we were seeing with Enzo... I believe my issues were a combination of hormones and not enough socialization ..I live in a climate with long cold winters so its difficult to to find proper ways to socialize a large puppy like Enzo.. The dog part provided us a great place to socialize and it has done wonders for my boy, he is better behaved with other dogs and people because of it.. Now on a personal level I can see my boy loves the dog park, he loves being with his own kind.. I believe that it would be cruel and unjust of me not to respect Enzo enough to take the time and do something with him that he likes so much.. I don't believe his sole purpose in this world is to please me and that there needs to be a more mutual relationship.. In the end the dog park is the bomb for us...we have a gorgeous fenced in partially treed 5 acre off leash park about 5 minutes from my house...I believe that me taking the time to socialize Enzo in this way was the most responsible thing I could do ...Being around that many different dogs and people has given Enzo a whole new level of confidence and poise he never had before...I live in a city where 20% of the population owns a dog so have a well socialized dog is critical...I do a lot of outdoor activities during the summer and I need to have a dog I can trust leashless around people and other dogs...We are at the beach, at the cabin, at the swimming pits at the RC track...I just couldn't have a dog that was unable to function around people and dogs....
 

season

Well-Known Member
Well if you think about it I am the one who took the actions to resolve the issues we were seeing with Enzo... I believe my issues were a combination of hormones and not enough socialization ..I live in a climate with long cold winters so its difficult to to find proper ways to socialize a large puppy like Enzo.. The dog part provided us a great place to socialize and it has done wonders for my boy, he is better behaved with other dogs and people because of it.. Now on a personal level I can see my boy loves the dog park, he loves being with his own kind.. I believe that it would be cruel and unjust of me not to respect Enzo enough to take the time and do something with him that he likes so much.. I don't believe his sole purpose in this world is to please me and that there needs to be a more mutual relationship.. In the end the dog park is the bomb for us...we have a gorgeous fenced in partially treed 5 acre off leash park about 5 minutes from my house...I believe that me taking the time to socialize Enzo in this way was the most responsible thing I could do ...Being around that many different dogs and people has given Enzo a whole new level of confidence and poise he never had before...I live in a city where 20% of the population owns a dog so have a well socialized dog is critical...I do a lot of outdoor activities during the summer and I need to have a dog I can trust leashless around people and other dogs...We are at the beach, at the cabin, at the swimming pits at the RC track...I just couldn't have a dog that was unable to function around people and dogs....
Again, as I said, I'm glad your dog is better. I just have a different definition of what socializing a dog is. But again, that's my opinion. I don't take Solo to dog parks. That has nothing to do with his ability to be well behaved and function around other dogs and people. Having a well socialized dog is critical anywhere. I think you missed my point and got defensive. Go ahead and take your dog to as many dog parks as you want. That is great. As long as he's good and you're good. I'm simply saying don't get fooled or let your guard down and think that whatever issues your dog had before are now magically gone because it gets exercise and "socialization" at a park. Again, glad he's doing better.
 

season

Well-Known Member
I'll also add that I too live in a place where winters are LONG and COLD. In fact I also got my dog two years ago in the middle of winter. There are many ways to socialize a dog. But that's because I don't go with the common knowledge that in order to socialize your dog it has to be taken to dog parks. Or to have my dog "get along" with other dogs. I honestly could care less if he does. That, to me, isn't socializing. Socializing, to me, is taking my dog to as many different place so he can experience different smells, sights and sounds all the while being engaged with me. I want my dog to view everything else as a part of the environment. People and other dogs included.I don't rely on dog parks for all that stuff. Some people do. And that's great. I also don't buy into all the hormone thing when it comes to behavior issues. In my opinion, that's an excuse. Take the ownership off of the owner. I'll say this because I believe it to be very very true. 99% of behavior issues from dogs are the owners fault. Yes, that puts A LOT of ownership on me but I like it that way. I wish you the best with your dog. Have a great weekend!
 

Nitrojedi

Well-Known Member
Again, as I said, I'm glad your dog is better. I just have a different definition of what socializing a dog is. But again, that's my opinion. I don't take Solo to dog parks. That has nothing to do with his ability to be well behaved and function around other dogs and people. Having a well socialized dog is critical anywhere. I think you missed my point and got defensive. Go ahead and take your dog to as many dog parks as you want. That is great. As long as he's good and you're good. I'm simply saying don't get fooled or let your guard down and think that whatever issues your dog had before are now magically gone because it gets exercise and "socialization" at a park. Again, glad he's doing better.
Sorry to come across as defensive LOL.... trust me when I say I am as thick skinned as a Rhino ! I did however hurt my sciatic on Monday and I am having issues sitting at the computer... LOL...so my words may not have flowed as they were intended LOL ! We're all good here buddy, no worry to be politically correct, call it like you see it its all good with me !
 

season

Well-Known Member
Sorry to come across as defensive LOL.... trust me when I say I am as thick skinned as a Rhino ! I did however hurt my sciatic on Monday and I am having issues sitting at the computer... LOL...so my words may not have flowed as they were intended LOL ! We're all good here buddy, no worry to be politically correct, call it like you see it its all good with me !
Good to hear. I usually do call it like I see it. I've had to learn to be more cautious of how I word things as I can come off too hard for some.
 

Nitrojedi

Well-Known Member
So other than taking your dog to the dog park and finding out the elevated hormone levels in the teenage phase, what else did you do? It look likes it just needed to just release its pent up energy.
that is about it...a little more training time, more socialization and more exercise ...seems he's mellowed out quite a bit ! acting far less reactive now then he was.
 

Nitrojedi

Well-Known Member
And some thoughts on dog parks. Again, these articles simply go along with my thoughts on them. Plus he puts it a lot better than i do.Leerburg | Dog Parks: Why They Are A Bad Idea
I can appreciate what he is saying, and the videos he shows sure do look bad however that is not what I am seeing at the dog park when we go.. no dogs tend to act in a pack manner but rather the dogs tend to satellite around their owners as they walk around the park, as each group of people approach each other the dogs go ahead and greet each other, often times forming into little bubble that quickly burst... from what I see the dogs seems to want to meet as many different new dogs as possible and there is no dogs acting in a pack manner other then to their humans....
 

season

Well-Known Member
That's good. My whole point is don't rely on only a dog park and exercise to change your dog's state of mind. That happens with you and the way you live with your dog. What you allow and don't allow. I love taking Solo out to run and "be a dog" but I also know if we are snowed in for a week Solo's behavior won't change. His behavior changes if I stop doing what I do as a leader.


Carpe Diem
 

karennj

Well-Known Member
I would assume the major increase in exercise is helping drastically with his behavior. A lot of behavioral issues can stem from lack of exercise.
 

season

Well-Known Member
I would assume the major increase in exercise is helping drastically with his behavior. A lot of behavioral issues can stem from lack of exercise.
I agree exercise is great but it isn't the end all be all for calming your dog. In fact it's temporary. Because they recover. And it doesn't do much for trading them to be calm. To me that's done through training the mind with duration work, impulse control. Place for example. Also limiting excitement and arousal. To be calm when u need it. Not just when you've exercised your dog to exhaustion. I'm not saying don't exercise. But that's not the most important part of the equation in my opinion.


Carpe Diem
 

karennj

Well-Known Member
A dog will have much better focus for obedience training and "place" type exercises if you can take off that edge through exercise. Of course it is not the only piece of the puzzle but it is absolutely an important one. You can put a dog in place all day but if the dog never gets a chance to run and play, your doing it a huge disservice. I don't see the point of quoting my opinion on this specific case. The OP said the dog turned a corner and the major difference was the visits to the dog park. I think it is safe to say in this case the dog needed that exercise.