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Old January 31st, 2016, 03:52 PM
Meaganyoucrazy Meaganyoucrazy is offline
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PLSASE HELP ME WITH MY AGGRESSIVE RESCUE DOG!!! (Surrey)

Please help I have an 8 year old rescues dog, his name is paco a Boston terrier chihuahua and I am his third owner i have had him a year. The previous owner had him since he was 2 years. He is a very well behaved dog except for when his anxiety level gets high. He has separation anxiety and he gets overwhelmed when there is too much excitement or high energy, or anger. He has bitten a lot of people because of this, I have been bit by him numerous times and I am really worried he will bite the wrong person and have to be put down. I love him so much and he has been through a lot of horrible things in his life and i really can't give up on him like everyone else in his life has. I am currently a studant and can't afford to pay the high cost for dog obedience training. I am wondering if anyone knows of any non profit agencies that can help with dog training! Please get back to me I really don't want to give up on this little guy!!! Any suggestions or help would be amazing!!! Thank you so much!!
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Old January 31st, 2016, 06:27 PM
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hazelrunpack hazelrunpack is offline
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I can't help with suggestions for a training agency, but I do have an idea for you that won't help with the separation anxiety but might help with the biting. We have a reactive, nervous dog, Brier. He still occasionally flies off the handle, but we do have a trick to try to contain him. We taught him a routine we call 'relax'. When he's told to 'relax', he comes, sits, and looks up at us. Of course it works best if you have him close to you when he's in a high-emotion situation, so if you can at all predict when those situations might arise, put him on a leash and keep him close by.

If he can sit on command, it's fairly easy to transition him to 'relax'. Use tasty treats and be patient and consistent and maybe it'll work for you. Brier went from going ballistic when horses, bicycles, etc went by out on the road 100 feet away, to sitting quietly in front of me on a boulevard, staring into my eyes, while an Amish horse and buggy passed within 15 feet of us--and it only took him a few weeks to get there.
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Old January 31st, 2016, 11:22 PM
Lynne&Co. Lynne&Co. is offline
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First of all congratulations on rescuing this little guy!

Sorry I have no recommendation for a trainer but I do think you're right to be actively searching for one. The fact that your pup has bitten multiple times is very concerning to you I'm sure.

I would have your pup leashed at all times moving forward when he is expected to interact with others. This will enable you to correct his aggression immediately as well as prevent further biting. Every time he gets away with biting someone it just reinforces to him that it's ok to bite and of course it's never ok. A loud NO when he does bite and then ignore him. Never hit him just ignore him. You don't want to hurt him or cause fear aggression.

I'm wondering if your pup is neutered? Neutering will help decrease the risk of bite related behaviors.

Exercise and play with your pup on a regular basis to reinforce the human-animal bond and to drain his excess energy that might otherwise be directed towards nervous energy. I would avoid any aggressive games such as wrestling and tug of war which can lead to dominance issues.

Train your pup well, he should know the basic commands such as sit, stay, come and leave it. Don’t allow your pup to roam free where he can be a danger to other people.

Try to socialize your pup and expose him to many different people and situations but take care not to overwhelm him. Keep your vaccinations up to date for a worst case scenario. A pup can be destroyed if they bite someone and they are not up to date on vaccines.

Seek professional help from your veterinarian explaining that your pup is biting and behaving aggressively. Perhaps your vet could recommend a trainer?

I hope this helps and best of luck with you little guy!
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Old February 1st, 2016, 11:03 AM
Barkingdog Barkingdog is offline
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The only thing I can suggest is when you do have people over put your dog in another room where he will safe until you can get him trained.
You could ask for meds to help relax your dog , I am not for this but it an idea
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Old February 1st, 2016, 11:56 PM
lindapalm lindapalm is offline
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I would check out and see if the dog trainer Cesar Milan has any video tapes out that might be of help to you. I know he has a tv show, but not sure if he has videos
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Old February 2nd, 2016, 12:36 AM
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Koteburo Koteburo is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lindapalm View Post
I would check out and see if the dog trainer Cesar Milan has any video tapes out that might be of help to you. I know he has a tv show, but not sure if he has videos
I was just on his website and he has videos for sale

Btw Meaganyoucrazy thank you for rescuing him and not giving up on him. You'll need a lot of patience. Right now I'm dealing with a 9 month old that is quite a handful
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