Davida Grayson
Forum Replies Created
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Very nice Allie. The video was well done. I liked it. I had my sister watch it and she was able easily follow the directions. Your training template was very good. I hope you don’t mind me plagiarizing part of it. 😁 Organization is not my strongest ability.
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I wish there had been more details. Actually, the officers first on the scene shot the dog after the dog charged at them. Why she couldn’t get to her firearm is not clear. Either she must have been quickly attacked or wasn’t sure about the situation being that serious at first. One of the things I noticed is she had three other dogs in her home all pit-bull type dogs (so they say). From other sources, she died protecting her son. She was described as tiny in stature
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Update: <font color=”rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)” face=”inherit”>I agree there is some leadership issues. I may have become more dependent on her emotionally too.. Not good for her. I have shifted my behavior. She is has improved on walks. Mike said let her be a </font>Doberman<font color=”rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)” face=”inherit”> and I stopped yelling at her to shut up. It seems like she is barking less in yard now. I will tell you, that on walks and she sees another dog she doesn’t growl much and a split second later she’s ready to attack. Her tail is docked but her ears are not cropped. Her ears are up. Hackles up. Her Target is about 10-15 yards from her.</font>
At home when she is in the yard she vocalizes. She growls in the yard that leads to a bark but it is brief. That varies between a bark that sounds like dying rooster. That is the only way I can describe it 🙂 Then she has the guard dog behavior with a low tone growl. If someone is in the yard she doesn’know she runs toward them with teeth bared. If the person is outside of the fence she likes to what I call “sport barking”. She saves this behavior mostly for the UPS guy. She has a little fun barking at him while running along the fence for a short while. Funny she loves the FedEx guy. Trying to get that video. The only person I could use is my brother who is out on tour with his metal band or whatever. But as soon as I can I’ll post one. I would love to get everyone’s opinion.
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Thank you, Allie and Dustin, for taking the time to give me suggestions and insight into Athena’s behavior. You both have compelling answers. I agree it has to do with leadership issues. I just didn’t think of it since I had success with my foster dogs over the years. It’s very embarrassing that I can’t “fix” my own dog. To answer your questions. She doesn’t growl. She immediately attacks or tries to attack. Her hackles do go up and she lowers her head slightly before she begins her “Attack” behavior. She hits the end of the leash as though she is protecting me. It happens very, very fast. The opposing dog can bark at her or not. Her reaction is the same. I agree with you that it is a kind of barrier \ leash frustration. Though recently she has stopped barking so much at the dogs in the neighborhood as they walk by. Either she has gotten better or she has just become used to them. Truly I am amazed at her friendship with the neighbor’s 11-month-old puppy. I always thought that Athena did not like bouncy, high-energy dogs but the neighbor reported that she thought it was a joint digging project to get under the fence. And they were playing chase and Athena shared two of her toys. I was nearly in tears. One factor is that Finn is an unaltered male dog. I have taken your advice and have gone through the website. Allie, it is funny that you suggested that video. I saw it years ago on YouTube. It was worth reviewing it again. I will try to get a video of the behavior. But I’ll need to set that up somehow. Thanks again to both of you.
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Sounds to me that they praised her a little too much after biting the criminals. She learned that the territory, which includes the house, was hers to protect. These dogs were bred to be territorial so you are having an uphill battle with her DNA. Considering her strenght, try having people give her a treat at the threshold and and another one inside the living room Not just any treat but something high value like a hotdog. I mean let them feed her a whole hogdog. Hopfully, she’ll begin to accept your guests. It would also be extremely helpful to teach her the PLACE command so she has a place to go when you have guests.
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This seems to be case of territorial aggression in my opinion. Several factors seem to be an issue.
1) The dog was a rescue covered in cigarette burns. So it had a history of human abuse,the extent of which was impossible to know.
2) She brought a new puppy home and did not properly introduce the dogs to each other.
3) She let the dog sleep on the bed with her. This seems ok for some dogs but could also be a sign that the dog did not regard her as the alpha in the relationship.
4) Her friend told her dog to get down. With the new puppy there her pitbull was already on edge. So he lunged at her friend, saying, “you are not the boss here. I am!”.
5) it is shocking that the woman didn’t seem to pick up on the warning signs that her pitbull was having issues. I don’t believe the behavior just came from now where.
6) It seems the dog attacking her was a re-direct because he couldn’t get to the friend (target).
7) She noted that Hercules was beginning to display “food aggression”. Another sign that maybe a new puppy was not prudent.
It is regrettable that the woman went through this situation. I think there is more to know about this story.
