8 month old St Bernard- need help

by Jeremy
(Alaska)

I have an 8 month old St. that is getting aggressive toward other dogs. I feel it's a dominance issue because we have a Boston terrier and they are great together. She was a rescue and grew up with other dogs which is a bit of a surprise.

I recently had a friend dog sit with two Nuefanlands and she was aggressive at first until she was put in her place then was fine. Another time I came home and she was outside playing with a friends malamute. As soon as I stepped out of the car she got protective and got agressive, the malamute pinned her and she was fine after that.

Today when I came back to pick her up from the friends house with the two Nuefanlands, she got loose and immediately tried to attack the neighbors dog. It was broken up by the owner and she put her tail between her legs and came back to me. Any help would be very useful. She is doing well with obedience but I want to fix this before she gets too big and hurts or kills another dog.

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Jul 01, 2013
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reponse
by: Jeremy

Thanks Adam, I don't think that she is aware of the aggression issue. Once she is scolded for it she will back away for a moment. But it doesn't take long for her to get back at it. I feel I have definitely established myself as the alpha leader in the house, but when around other dogs is the time where she shows her aggression. She does a great job of listening to commands....sit, lay, come, and stay. But if I need to do more I definitely am able. I guess Id like to understand how to humanely use a prong collar. I want to make sure that I don't cause more damage than good.

Jun 30, 2013
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You have a respect issue with your dog
by: Adam G. Katz

Hi, Jeremy:

You'll need to start by asking yourself two questions:

1. Does the dog understand that the dog aggression is unwanted behavior?

and

2. If she understands that she shouldn't be aggressive, then she's choosing to ignore me. In which case, you have a respect issue.

Get a prong collar and a six foot leather leash and learn how to correct your dog in a safe and humane manner. I can guarantee that you'll see an almost immediate, dramatic improvement. Check out DogProblems.com to learn more. (You can click on the banner, at right).

And finally: Employ the "Nothing In Life Is Free" approach, so that your dog starts to view you as the "pack leader." If your dog doesn't see you as the leader, then your corrections will be meaningless. So, if you're doing subtle things (inadvertently) to undermine your leadership role around the house-- it will be counter-productive.

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All the best,
Adam

Adam G. Katz is the author of, "Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer!" -- which you can find at DogProblems.com.

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