# Can’t deal with this aggression anymore



## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Welcome to the forum. 

First if you haven't already, I would take your boy to the Vet for a complete physical exam including blood work to make sure there are no underlying health problems he's dealing with. 

Then I would contact a trainer to come to your home and work you and your boy. 

I'm sorry you're going through this.


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## Piper_the_goldenpuppy (Aug 26, 2016)

I would seek out the help of a behavioralist, even a board certified veterinary behavioralist, to help out with this problem. It sounds like he shouldn’t be around other dogs though, even ones your guests being over. It is too risky, and you don’t want to set him up for failure or reinforce the behavior. 

Can you fence a portion of your yard? I would keep him leashed at all times when he’s outside, until he’s inside and the door is closed. I wouldn’t leave him alone tied up on a leash outside ever. If there’s a possibility that he could come into contact with other dogs, I would put a muzzle on him. There is nothing wrong with doing so. It’s not only for his safety and the safety of the other dog, but also for you and another owner. Dog bites are common if people are trying to break up a fight.

There’s a guy who lives in my apartment building who has a dog with serious behavioral issues. Poor thing was horribly abused before. He’s pretty afraid of people but intensely afraid of other dogs and can not have contact with other dogs. Ever. He flips out when he sees other dogs, but he gets a wide birth and his owner has control of the dog at all times, including in our hallways and stairwells. Otherwise, the dog has a good quality of life. So I don’t necessarily think it’s a fatal condition, but you do have to manage it.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Dogs that are kept outside (especially with a zap wire) do seem prone to become territorial and more fear/dominant aggressive towards dogs approaching his property.

It's very similar to dogs who are crate aggressive - but on a much bigger scale.

The dogs feel like they have to fend for themselves.

He very likely has multiple things going on, including excitement and fear driving the aggression. 

I would keep him inside the house with you guys. He doesn't go outside unless you are out there with him. And he needs to be on a long line (dragging it behind him with you out there with him) or regular leash with you.

You need to take him for daily walks to also help tone down the extra energy (so he will be calm in your house). 

And don't gamble with other people's dogs or with him. No playtime/visits with other dogs outside his family. Every time he gets out to fight with a dog - it is negatively reinforcing his issues. 

By the time he's 9-10 years old, he may be mellow enough where you can relax some of the preventive measures...

Biggest thing is to learn to understand your dog, learn what makes him tick, and be 2-5 steps ahead of him at all times. This will prevent any other attacks from happening and it will help you enjoy living with your dog again. It will require a lot of changes in management. 

Bottom line is aggressive dogs have NO BUSINESS being outside unmonitored. Can't begin to express my frustration with people who leave dogs like that even with fenced yards and put people and dogs walking past at risk.

Based on his age and issues - rehoming him would be difficult, so it is worth changing things in your house for him. Don't expect him to act like a golden retriever or revert to that type of temperament. It's not going to happen. His temperament/behavior is set.


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## gdgli (Aug 24, 2011)

My opinion. I really would like to see his body language. His experience with the electric fence didn't help because I think he now has a superstitious behavior on top of perhaps being a bit reactive. He needs to be managed and trained. You also need to adjust how you walk your dog. What kind of collar do you have? What kind of leash do you have?

BTW, you can succeed. Good luck!


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