Dog Training World Forums Aggression Problems Fear Aggression When to put down… Reply To: When to put down…

  • Judy B.

    Member
    April 23, 2016 at 12:36 am
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    Hi Tina, thank you for building up Rockys profile. If getting started on a plan is what you’d like to do here is what I would suggest. I would not suggest having strangers come give Rocky treats right now. This is dangerous and can put others at risk and would also be a liability to you. You need to manage the situation as safely as possible for your own protection as well as the protection of others and also Rocky. You’re going to need to work on control with Rocky. As far as the E-collar you need to do things step by step before you can start using this correctly and appropriately. I would not suggest you go straight to the collar when he is in an aggressive or fearful state as this can often back fire, sometimes firing the dogs up more and sometimes even causing them to redirect their aggression on the owner. We want to keep you and others safe and also don’t want to hurt the relation ship you have with Rocky either by skipping steps or not doing things appropriately.

    The first step is going to be reviewing the “leadership” section thoroughly. This is the first and most important step. One red flag that was in your post was where you mentioned Rocky bringing the ball over to the trainer pushing it into him to play. This is demonstrating bossy behavior of him wanting to control the game. Without the proper leadership these things that may seem small like bringing a ball over to play, can actually lead to bigger and more dangerous issues that you may not even be aware of. There are 3 categories in the leadership section. Provided for, Entitled and Unprovided for. We want rocky to fall into the “Provided” category for ALL things listed there. Leadership needs to be clear black and white to him.

    After reviewing the leadership section please let us know where Rocky falls for each category listed. Let us know ALL the places where Rocky rests. Does he let you know when he needs to go outside or do you have a routine? Does he have free access to food or does he eat at certain times? Does he let you know when he wants to play and does he have toys around that he plays with or bones around that he likes to chew? Does Rocky come over to you for affection and do you give it to him? The leadership is the most important and yet the most overlooked step. Please remember to disclose all info honestly and remember we are never here to judge you or anyone else. We are here to help and guide you onto a safe path.

    This will be your starting point. 🙂