# Is there any hope left?



## itried (Jan 6, 2013)

I don't know what to do anymore.

Im so ashamed. I used this forum awhile ago but left because I felt unwelcome and even judged at times.

My dog is aggressive. That is a fact, she is four years old. She has bitten someone before and left them with a minor bite wound. 
I was trying to train my dog in my front yard once and a woman was walking past us casually when my dog pulled so hard off her leash I wasn't strong enough to keep hold of her. She ran at the woman then lunged and bit her before I could grab her leash and restrain her. 

Years have passed since that incident. I stupidly and desperately tried a program that used punishment based methods including e-collars. The whole experience made me extremely uncomfortable yet I pursued it as it was showing some progress and I was desperate. However the damage has been done and there are no words to express how guilty I feel. 

We did try for a little after we quit the ecollar classes without using the ecollar. But we failed again

We have managed her behavior since then. She no longer attends those classes, we shut the door on that option long long ago. 

But today, she was sitting in the car and the window was open. A friendly and inviting woman walked up to the car when my dog spontaneously started barking and snapping at the woman. No one was hurt. But this event serves as a reminder of my dog's behavior and my inexcusable failure to correct it. 

I have no idea what to do. I am scared. I am crying and shaking as I type this because I am so scared of losing my best friend. I am so scared of my best friend hurting someone because I've failed to take care of her and train her. 

I've had her since she was a pup--4 months old. We adopted her from a random family we found off craigslist for $250, she was to be my first dog. When we found her she was napping peacefully on the garage driveway. A dirty puppy this fuzzball was, she jumped all over my happily and I gave in and brought her home. 

I pampered her like any new dog owner would have because she was so adorable and innocent. I thought everything was perfect until during her puppy training classes she began to show signs of misbehavior. She would have a tendency to bark at other dogs. 

Months passed, and I realized that I had never "socialized" her--the term was alien to me as a new dog owner, I was a stupid kid that impulsively bought a dog. But I was determined to not give up on my dog. Fast forward, and she begins showing increasingly aggressive behavior--rarely towards me and my mom. Perhaps sometimes when trying to clip/grind down her nails or if she has a bone she just happens to be too fond of. 

Today she almost bit that kind lady from the car. She is four years old. I'm wondering if it's too late for her, if I've completely failed her at this point. I remember a year ago after quitting that ecollar class asking my mom if we could try again and look for another class. Being as exhausted as I was, she said we should take a break. So we did. Here we are. What to do. Mom says we should take her to the shelter and give her away--but she might end up in a worse place. Or a better place. I will shatter into pieces if I have to give up my dog--even though it might be the best for her. 

I don't know what to do anymore. I'm so lost.


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## Kally76 (Jun 14, 2010)

I don't have any advice. Others will chime in that may be able to help. I just wanted you to know you came to the right place, and I am very sorry you are having to deal with this.


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## CharlieBear80 (Oct 13, 2013)

Having an aggressive dog is not easy, trust me I know. But I don't think you're beyond hope as long as you are willing to put in the effort it takes to train and manage a dog like that. I'd urge you to seek out a certified behavior consultant. The IAABC is a good place to start:

Find Dog, Cat, Parrot and Horse Behavior Consultants | IAABC

I would also recommend you read some books on animal behavior. I found it really helpful when I had an aggressive dog to get some insight into how he might be seeing the world, and that in turn helped me help him. Suzanne Clothier is a favorite of mine.


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## Max's Dad (Apr 23, 2012)

You may want to consult a dog behaviorist. I know others on the forum have done so to help resolve and correct aggression issues.


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

First of all, thank you for taking that little fuzzball from the driveway into your life. It is hard to perhaps undo the damage that was done before you even met her. 

There is another thread ongoing here with great advice and thoughts and musings about Oliver and his devoted owner- so I will try to find that for you.

Lower the protein drastically in her diet for a few weeks to see if you see a big difference. Behaviorists like Nick Dodman recommend this bc though it doesnt always work, when it does work the change is quick and drastic. Go for something like Wellness for overweight dogs- protein very low.

Consider fluxotine( prozac) from your vet to see if you can create a buffer for anxiety etc while you work on solutions. 

Try to keep a notebook looking for your dog's "triggers"- things that set her off specifically

Think about each incidents in terms of "triggerstacking"- how many different stresses were at work that particular day as opposed to other days? Then, you can try to avoid too many stressors at one time.

Condition your dog to a great muzzle like the Baskerville before you ever need it- with treats and spray cheese and making it fun and gradual, so you have a failsafe and can use it if you get in a pinch without upsetting her.

Great decision about setting aside the e collar.

Work a ton on basic obedience - just sit, down, stay, Look/Watch so those become very rewarding to her and predictable in case you need them.

Maybe try the Look At That game from Control Unleashed if you have access to an experienced trainer or rent the DVD and practice.

Read a few books for ideas & hope:
[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Aggression-Dogs-Management-Prevention-Modification/dp/1929242204/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1417995454&sr=1-5&keywords=brenda+aloff[/ame]

Ruff Love by Susan Garrett


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

This thread has lots of ideas and resources in it: http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com/golden-retriever-behavioral-problems-issues/299937-coming-age-dog-aggression.html

I have a very difficult golden, and have had before and after only very easy, typical happy ones. It has been a humbling experience learning to manage and cope with this dog, balancing never giving up with keeping him and others safe. We know how hard it is.

http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...-issues/299937-coming-age-dog-aggression.html


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## Anon-2130948gsoni (Apr 12, 2014)

Sweetie, please please stop blaming yourself. Has it ever occurred to you that your dog may well have been born hardwired this way and in fact, if she had gone to some other, less attentive home, she might have been...worse?

I get it, I really do. I have an Aussie who came from a good breeder that I didn't know had gone bad. I didn't know that, unlike the puppies my two friends had gotten from her a few years earlier, she had given up on socializing her puppies and in fact, was farming litters out to clueless friends to raise so that she could breed more dogs and get more money.

I am the only stranger my dog ever liked on sight. She leaped into my arms, a gorgeous little girl at 9 weeks, licking and loving. And then the next stranger she saw an hour later? She backed away and curled a lip.

I've taken her to a half a dozen trainers, behaviorists, you name it...and what I've heard, over and over is, she came this way. And the more I've heard about other dogs this women has since bred, I'm really lucky, because my work with her has paid off and my dog has never bitten anyone and many of her other dogs not only bite, but attack.

So that tells me that training and hard work, works. Is there any hope? Yes, because she has you. 

First, she didn't bite that woman who approached the car. Was she all happy and wiggly? No. But she didn't bite. You've had one bad incident in four years. That's not exactly awful and it tells me that you have managed her rather well, actually.

Second, stop blaming yourself. All any of us has is today and the past is gone forever. Who knows what genetics this girl had as a puppy...who knows what socialization she had at the crucial weeks between 4 and 16, when you got her. Between bad breeding and whatever little attention she received from the Craigslist family...you were behind before you even started.

Turn the page. Get in touch with a behaviorist, not a petstore trainer or a basic obedience instructor, and throw the aversive methods to one side. Stop spending your energy blaming yourself and start spending it working with her on positive counter-conditioning methods and training.

I understand, I really do.


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

I agree with a lot of what Ljilly says. It's very possible the damage was done before you got her. 4 months old is a fear period for a puppy, and something might have happened that caused her to become fear aggressive.

I am glad you have realized that e-collar training wasn't the right way to go for your pup. A dog feeling fear aggression is only going to become more fearful when trained with aversives. I think at this point, a behaviorist is really the way to go. That will help you find the correct medication and training methods to help rebuild your dog's confidence. I commend you for wanting to do the best thing for your dog. It's very stressful to have an aggressive dog, regardless of breed. I've been there, done that.


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## Jennifer1 (Mar 31, 2012)

You've gotten a lot of great advice.
The only other thing I would add is to get her to a vet for full bloodwork, including and especially thyroid. Thyroid problems can definitely cause behavioral issues.


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## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

I would agree with the posts above and feel for you that you will probably never be able to fully relax in public with your dog. The coming of age dog aggression thread has a lot of advise to offer.

I would also like to mention that nice lady or not, she had absolutely no reason to approach your dog in the car; chances are she would not have dreamed of approaching a GSD, rottie, bully or dobie. 

To me it sounds like you are managing the situation well ..


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## laprincessa (Mar 24, 2008)

When my best friend's Golden went to the Bridge, she rescued a Lab. He was 10 months old (we think) and had been tied to a tree in a snowstorm and left there for 2 or 3 days before someone realized he was still there and took him in. 

She was in tears more than once because, while her Golden loved everyone, Zeke trusts no one. She had no idea how to deal with this. But she learned. Can she trust him with strangers? Not for a minute. But he's come so far since those early days, and he's a good good dog - if you deal with him on his terms. 

My point is that she's learned how to manage his issues. Have there been times when she thought she couldn't do it anymore? Yup, but with training, for Zeke and for her, it's so much better than it was. 

Don't give up. This was one incident. You can do this.


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## Charliethree (Jul 18, 2010)

YES, there is hope, and NO it is not 'too late' to help your girl feel more comfortable and safe in the world. 'Aggression' (barking, lunging, growling)as we see it is most often fear based, those behaviors are used by dogs to make the 'threat' go away. An under socialized dog is a dog who does not feel safe in the world but there are a lot of things we can do to change that for them.
May I suggest a few books that may be helpful to you. 

'On Talking Terms with Dogs: Calming Signals' by Turid Rugaas, can help give you a basic understanding of your dog's body language.

'The Cautious Canine' by Patricia B. McConnell is a good read.

'Help for your fearful dog' by Nicole Wilde is a good book as well.

Search out a reward based trainer with experience with working with behavior problems in dogs (a good one will have a solid education in dog behavior and dog body language) and will be able help you understand your dog better, and guide you in working with her.

Keep in mind dogs are never too old to learn!!!


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## Tayla's Mom (Apr 20, 2012)

I don't know where you live but you have gotten some great advise. There are many places out there who deal with reactive dogs. I live in the Clearwater area of Florida and here are two wonderful resources. I'm sure you don't live anywhere near me but both training centers describe what they do which may guide you to find someone in your area. I have used New Dawn for training in both obedience and nose work. http://www.newdawnabc.com/classes.php. Read also on these sites about the training both instructors have had so you will know what you should look for in picking a trainer. The second place, Courteous Canine http://www.courteouscanine.com/dog-behaviormodification/ we go to more for fun things, but she is excellent with training and also specializes in reactive dogs. Good luck.


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## Goldylover2 (May 1, 2014)

It's never to late to train your dog. You need to find a trainer in your area that has been training dogs for a 10 years or longer. Someone who has seen it all. Especially aggression. If your near northeastern Ohio. There's a trainer named Lee Hamilton. He'll keep your dog for a certain amount of time and work with him every day. He kept my pup for a week because he was showing aggression in the house. We go back every week for an hour session. He has completely turned around. Your dog being 4 years old. He would probably keep him longer then a week. There's people who go to this guy from all over the country. He'll teach you several things also. He and and his wife have taught us a whole lot.


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