Dogs Behavior

Sorry you will likely not like this answer. I feel very sorry for the dog. A shock collar is extreme cruelty. Hitting and yelling are just as bad. No wonder she runs from you. She needs serious training from a professional as soon as possible or maybe a different home..

We also have a very aggressive dog, and I know how frustrating it can be when they don't listen. What I have heard is that they have to understand that you are the leader of the pack, not them. Hitting them doesn't get this point across, that only scares them. When you walk the dogs, they have to be next to you or behind; they can't lead. I have heard and seen owners "take the dog down," pin them on the ground as if they are also a dog to establish pack leadership. It's pretty funny to watch!, and might be effective, but having 3 kids as well might complicate things!! If you can afford it, you could ask the vet for a refferal for a behavior specialist who could come to the house and visit with the dog. I have also heard of dogs actually being on prescriptive meds to calm them down. So,sorry I can't help more...usually I just put my dog in the bathroom when someone comes tio the door, but that's because I'm too lazy to discipline more. Good luck!

Watch the dog whisper. I'm serious it has helped with my three dogs. you have to take control of the situation and be the leader. The dog whisper almost always has this issue on his shows. I didn't believe his teachings until I tried it on my own. =]

Good luck

Shock collars, punishment and yelling rarely work. Some of her behavior may be attention seeking--and you are giving her exactly that. The rest of it may be a combination of fear and/or territorial aggression. This is not an easy or quick problem to fix. However, training can work on a dog of any age if you can be patient and consistent. Talk to your veterinarian about it and see if they have any recommendation based on what they see during your visits. Dog training classes can also help a lot--they help teach the dog manners and what is expected of them. Sometimes just giving them something else to do can help to minimize the barking. But you need to get some professional help to identify the cause of the barking so that you are approaching it the correct way.

Our dog is a barker too, and we have lots of dogs in the neighborhood, so we were going nuts with all the barking at the dogs walking by. We picked a word: Hush, and just used it a lot. A lot. If we can anticipate the event that will trigger the barking, we'll start in with "Hush. Hush. Hush. Good hush. Good girl." before it even starts. And when she just starts in, we just start in with the "Hush. Hush. Hush now. You have to hush. Hush...." until finally, "Good hush! Good girl!"--followed by heaps of love and praise for our not-barking dog.

She listens -- we know this because she stops barking pretty quickly, sometimes right away now -- but I get the impression that she still wants us to know she knows there's someone outside, so she growls a bit. These days, she really only barks when startled, and she'll stop as soon as I tell her firmly, "Hush," but usually she just goes to the window and "grr...grr...grr" until the threat is past. I'll take it!

I think the repetition, praise, and repetition and praise ;-) are what worked for us, and I'm thrilled that it works about 90% of the time. I agree with the other posters -- no punishment! Just praise (and the occasional very short time-out when all else fails). I'm certain that's what Jesus would do :-) Best of luck with your pooch!

Hi there -
I would suggest some of the Caesar Milan book's (he also has a show on Animal Planet or Discovery, sorry I can't remember which).

He is a "dog whisperer" -- but one of the things he specializes in is rehabilitating and training Pit Bulls. It sounds like you and your dog are in the negative attention is still attention mode. There are some great dog training techniques in his books -- the one I read was Caesar's Way. He does a good job of explaining dog behaviors and why they react the way they do sometimes. Terriers can be tricky because they definitely have an opinion of their own!! I found it really useful and helpful with both of my dogs. I am sure you can find it at the library if you don't want to go and buy it.

Hope that helps! TC

Hi T.,

I had the exact same problem with my miniature schnauzers. I tried everything you did without success. The dog training classes make them sit, stay, come, etc, but it really didn't work with the barking. You may not be able to afford it, but I hired "Bark Busters". It really did change my dogs in three hours, with no punishment or harming of the dogs. One of them does bark on occasion now, but as soon as I get back to the Bark Buster techniques, its gone immediately. My dogs were 6.5 years old when they went through it. I thought they would be too old but it was amazing.

If you want anymore info, just let me know.

M. B

T. T,
You don't say what kind of "bull terrier" you have, and this could matter a good deal. If it is a pit bull, you may have some special problems. If it is a Boston Bull, things may be simpler. First, for Heaven's sweet Sake, lose that electric collar. All it does is hurt your dog who is already clearly ashamed and worried about her behavior. Believe me, it won't accomplish anything good.
Second,your dog sounds like a conscientious guard of you and your home. At seven she may be beginning to have hearing problems, which is one of the reasons I asked about the breed. If she is beginning to doubt her hearing, or if someone approaches your door and she misses sounds she has prided herself on detecting before the bell rings, she will be very likely to bark furiously to cover her embarrassment, just like a human, and to be very sure you are properly warned and protected.
What she is doing, for whatever reason if not this common one, is trying earnestly to take care of you and do her job, so you can see it is no time to punish her. Neither, of course, do you want to encourage her to make a racket or to be aggressive.
If she is a pit bull of any kind and is physically aggressive, you have an entirely different and sadder problem. These poor dogs, who tend to be loving, beautifully faithful family pets, are deliberately bred with a fighting tendency which is unpredictable and can be deadly. The monsters are the breeders, not the dogs, who are doing the best they can, but a pit bull who has become aggressive is an imminent danger to you, your children, and the community at large.
No, it is never too late for training, and you can definitely teach an old dog new tricks. With a dog you have something like 4-7 seconds to associate behavior with response, which means that if you respond to her barking appropriately within that period she will get the point which she would otherwise inevitably miss. So when she barks aggressively, if you can somehow gallop over, put one arm around her shoulder and one hand on her mouth and shush her very gently and quietly in a way to communicate the sense of quietude as a desirable thing, she will soon know what you want from her. Many repetitions will get across that she is supposed to do it every time. A possibly more practical, if less consoling, effect can be achieved with a short, clear order ("Hush!") said immediately but without punishment every time and a "Good girl!" on those occasions when she gets it right, this last especially. If you can enlist your children in the effort, perhaps competitively to meet the time limit, you might see an encouraging change quite soon. I suggest you ask your vet about her hearing and, if you don't already know, find out her breed. A single, self employed/student mom with three human children may well have trouble finding an affordable vet, but PAWS, the Humane Society or any other local animal support group might be able to refer you to someone helpful, including a good trainer. Do not, repeat, do NOT apply to any trainer who says you have to be tough with your dog. It is not true and will lead only to grief all around.

As for me, I am a crabby old writer and wildlife rehabilitator who has raised and trained dogs, mostly wolfhounds, and other critters for 45 years. I have no human children of my own but have taught and enjoyed a lot of other people's.

Hello,
It sounds like training classes would be a good idea. I work at a petsmart and there are dogs of all ages that come in for training so no your dog is not to old for training.

Hey...a dog REALLY is never too old to learn new tricks....! It sounds like your dog thinks he is the alpha-male in your household, the reason he thinks he needs to 'protect' you. Try checking out one of Cesar Milan's book. I haven't actually used his books, I didn't discover him until after we had trained our 100 pound dog as a puppy, but his philosophy is the same we have always used with our dog.....and there is no physical controlling of the dog, it is more learning how dogs communicate and doing things so that they understand in dog language what it is that you want (and becoming the pack leader in your house!). Good luck.

As a professional animal trainer of 11 years, I would highly recommend discontinuing the punishments right away. This is a perfect way to train fear and possibly more agression with your dog. Instead, enroll her in training classes. And ABSOLUTELY pick up the book "Don't Shoot the Dog" by Karen Pryor. Some of the text is a little technical, but it describes the use of positive reinforcement as a training method. This is the best method to train any animal to do any thing. Believe me, it works. POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT!!

By the way, it works well with kids too.
:)

If you have cable, please watch "the Dog Whisperer" on the National Geographic Channel. This guy is great and it's all about being the calm, assertive pack leader to your dog. Somehow, he's disrespecting you because he doesn't see you as the leader. This guy never yells, doesn't use treats as motivation, he just establishes himself as the dominant human. I urge you to watch him. He's really cool and he's helped us with our dog. If you go to Youtube.com, and type in "Dog Whisperer", there are 3 minutes podcasts if you don't have cable. Please watch him. Your dog doesn't want to be the leader and it's stressful to them when they feel like they have to protect their humans. They are much more calm when they feel protected. Kind of like kids. Take care and good luck!

I have a large 20 lb rat terrier that did the same thing. Dog training tought us to tell him thank you and to pet him and tell him it is okay repeat this. if your dog continues stray him with a squirt gun. you can purchase the squirt guns at Dollar Tree all year long.

Have you tried teaching an alternative behavior? Maybe trying to have someone knock at the door, and call your dog to a certain spot and then treat her (give a treat) and praise her. Then, whoever comes through the door should also cautiously treat her (is she friendly to them?). Eventually, she will hopefully learn that the knock or doorbell is associated with a treat if she goes over and sits in the specified spot. It would take some work training and reinforcing, but I would give this a try. Good luck.

Dear T.,
I would highly suggest dog training. No dog is too old to learn. If you're not sure where to start with dog training, call the humane society and they can hook you up with dog trainers in the area. Good luck!
J.

Hi T.,

1st of all DON"T hit her please, that will encourage aggression! I have been taught that you should ignore the behavior and then train them to give the appropriate behavior by role playing i.e. have someone on the other side of the door and ring the bell. When she doesn't bark and acts appropriately praise her, praise her, praise her. Gradually add other noises that are causing the unacceptable behavior. Soon you should be able to expect that she will stay in a down position if she hears the door, IF that is where you start her off and that is where she receives the praise. Also, if she is food motivated then a treat when she acts appropriately is a good way to get he desired behavior.

Good luck!

I highly advise you read "The Dog Whisperer" by Cesar Milan. He will recommend that your dog gets a walk everyday. It sounds like your girl has lots of extra energy. This unreleased energy is common to show itself in unhealthy ways. Especially in high energy breeds. We have had boxers and have found Cesar's techniques to be right on but VERY time consuming. It sounds like you are a busy Mom so maybe some kids from your church might be able to help out with walks and things? It takes a village, right? Good luck

start tivo'ing "The Dog Whisperer" on National Geographic Channel. Ceasar Milan is a genius when it comes to dogs..he's got a couple of great books too. His dog advice changed my (and my boxer's) life for the better.

Good luck!

L

Please, please, take your dog to an obedience class. It is money well spent. If you hit your dog and yell at her, why do you think she runs from you.

HI , i have the same type of dog , always have owned a bully breed and yes they are very protective and loyal ... the doorbell and knocking seems to be the enamy alone LOL what i have started doing just recently to stop him from freaking out when one of those go off is act like the person is already in the house, use the name of the person that is arriving and say "hi john" stc befor they come in or knock and reasure them that its ok , maby gettin them worked into the visit as you see the person showing up let the dog know ie... "theres john good boy " and have your friends address the dog as they walk in .... DO NOT use shock collars anymore , they really dont feel it and they can cause these breeds to have localized siezures of the vocal and throat muscles !!! ( i found out the hard way a few years back ) ... see if that helps , let me know ...
good luck

Get dog training they are never too old and do it fast. Describe your problem to the trainer to make sure they know they can handle this problem. Not just any trainer is going to do.

There are actual dog books that teach you how they live in a pack and what you can do to fix their behaviour. You could probably pick one up at the library. My dad had tremendous success with obedience school and with using the techniques in that book. The dog had been adopted and was an older dog.

I have had well trained dogs my whole life. My parents were great at it. I can tell you that hiting and yelling wont work, and might even make the agressive behavior worse. I believe the training classes would work. Most important thing to remember is to have patience and show lots of LOVE. I have a 4 month old Catahoula leopard mix that we are in the training stage with right now and I am actually waiting till he is a lil' older to take to classes. Even with the bad behavior and sometimes upity attitudes, aren't dogs great? Patience and love. Patience and love. Good luck. I believe if you set your mind to it, you can accomplish any goal!!!

Just to add to the complexity....bull terriers (really all terriers) are pretty stubborn, so you will have to be very patient. I have three pit bulls, which are a related breed (don't believe the press, they are wonderful dogs and feel free to ask if you have questions) so I do know what I am talking about here. The other posts are right in that aggression as a response to aggression does not work with this breed any better than any other. You need to be the pack leader and demonstrate that at all times, not just when they are doing something you don't like. I find that the squirt bottle (also mentioned previously) works well to intervene and redirect the unwanted behavior...I add a little bit of white vinegar to mine.

Cesar Millan also has a good book out called "Cesar's Way" if you are not a Tivo person :) I use the squirt bottle where he would use a noise (or tap, note: not a hit or slap) to redirect at first - mine are too stubborn to respond to just verbal until they get the idea a little bit first.

good luck,

K.

I have been having some of the same issues with my yellow
lab who is almost two. I actually saw on the dog whisperer that a dog will react that way when they don't feel you have the situation under control. They still think it is there job to deal with the situation....they are the leader of the "pack". I have found actually praising our dog for the barking....."good boy Chevy!" gets him to stop barking faster than anything else I've tried and he is actually showing signs of lessening the behavior. Mine's a Lab for goodness sake!! They are supposed to love everybody!! Good Luck! K..