Correcting Puppy Excitement/Agression

[Lincoln]

We have a puppy that is 5 months old have started obedience/socialization training last week. My wife and our dog attended their first class and our dog was apparently being very aggressive, barking and pulling on away from my wife. He also does this sometimes when we come across other dogs while on a walk. The instructors were not very helpful and basically were confronting my wife on our dogs socialization. We have tried socializing him with other dogs, and for the most part he does well, but what we would like to know is the proper techniques to stop this behavior while it is happening in the moment. We have class tonight and I would like to try some new techniques at class. Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks

[Harley0312]

it depends on where you go for training we have been using a prong in our training and it has worked very well. when you are correcting with a prong when he is pulling away give a sharp snap and say heel and pat your leg. when he barks give him a quick snap and say no.

what works for our dog doesnt mean it will work for yours, ask your trainer. and if your trainer is not helping find a new trainer asap.

[Kayla's Dad]

I think 5 months is too young to be using a prong collar. I do use a prong, but I did not start using it with Lancer until he was around one year.

There is a lot unsaid about the training class here so I'll talk a little about the beginning classes I work with at our training club. When we have people starting out with young dogs, it's more about the dogs being under socialized an/or the handlers' confidence or not reading their dogs or others around them. Depending on how the dog is reacting, we may have the dog handler sit or the perimeter of the class, by the door (usually these dogs are older than 5 months, showing more aggressive/reactive responses) in the center of the class while the rest of the class is doing heeling exercises around them. We have the handlers give positive reinforcements when the dog is non-reactive and/or looking back at their handlers when the other dogs are walking by. When the dog reacts, we have the handler give a correction or turn away from the "action" or walk out the door. The type of correction varies depending on the dog's reaction. It may be a verbal, leash/collar correction, turning from the action, which in our training room means they may now be looking at a boring wall. This usually may go on between one or two sessions and we can get the dogs participating with the rest of the class. We would try to work as much with the handler reading and responding to their dogs and catching behaviors before they manifest.

I do not care for the comment about the trainers "confronting" your wife about a 5 month puppy. At that age you are probably dealing more with excitement than aggression. Does not sound like a supportive environment and more about trainers with preconceived notions-JMHO. I would be more inclined to look for other alternatives for classes and trainers.

Hope some of this helps you with your class tonight. Good luck.

[gsdraven]

Kayla's Dad summed it up very well. It is not likely that your dog is being aggressive at 5 months old, just over stimulated by everything going on.

What you need to do is make yourself WAY more fun than all the other dogs and smells. Get to class early, walk around outside and let your pup take in all the smells and watch all the other dogs arriving/leaving. Let him look at the other dogs and then call his name happily (a little sing-songy but not too excited) and when he looks back at you, praise (click) and treat. For beginning training classes, you want to use to best darn treats you can think of - boiled chicken, natural balance rolls, cheese - really high value stuff that he only gets at training class. You have a lot of distractions to compete with so act silly and just generally make yourself the most interesting thing there.

[kiya]

Be careful with "corrections", you don't want to create a reactive dog. My trainer explained it like this...Imagine your in a room with a group of different people all around. Your so happy and you want to go say hello to the other people, but everytime you do your friend taps you on the shoulder. You can't get a word in edgewise because every time you open your mouth your friend is right behind you nagging. She explained it much better than me and a visual is better.
It's better to go to class with a hungry dog, feed him dinner later. Get treats he really goes for.

[martemchik]

I also have a hard time believing that your 5 month old is truly aggressive. What does he do when he sees another dog? Does he growl? And you said that when you have tried socializing for the most part things go well, what does that mean? Is he loud/barking/dragging you towards the other dog and then he calms down and sniffs/plays, or does he actually lunge aggressively towards other dogs?

I've seen young dogs be "aggressive" or just display more alpha dog tendencies but most of these things can be worked through. If you give a little more explanation as to what exactly your dog does we might be able to give better advice. If he truly is aggressive he might be resource guarding already, or depending on where he came from he might not have the best nerves. A little more information, like where he came from and how long you have had him would help.

[Suka]

Many people do not understand GSDs. Do you have a German Shepherd Dog Club in your area by any chance??

[Lincoln]

Thanks everyone for the help with this issue. We had a better night at puppy class. It started out a little shaky with our dog pulling on the leash and showing very excited behavior, barking, and trying to get at the other dogs. The training labelled him as having "Dominance Aggression", which I am not sure I totally buy into. However, we tried the pronged collar and it was like we had a totally different dog! I couldnt believe that at the end of the class, our dog was able to lay in a relaxed state, with other dogs and strangers walking around, and had no negative reaction! I think we will continue to use the pronged collar, limited to socialization training and obedience while walking, but mainly use praise and positive reinforcement for other training.

[Cassidy's Mom]

Originally Posted by Lincoln

The training labelled him as having "Dominance Aggression", which I am not sure I totally buy into.

Good for you! This is a 5 month old puppy, I highly doubt that dominance or aggression have anything to do with his behavior. Are there any other trainers near you? It doesn't seem like this one knows much about dog behavior.

[MaggieRoseLee]

Also be aware every puppy/dog class I've ever attended was kind of madness the first few sessions. Then it settled down, and the training could really take off.