Rescue dog is showing aggressive behavior all of a sudden, help :(

[alex2017]

Hi everyone, I am in desperate need of help with my new rescue dog. He is estimated to be a little over a year and possible a lab/pit mix. We know he definitely mixed with a lab. We have had him about a month and a half. The first couple weeks he was amazing and I couldn’t believe how much me and my boyfriend and lucked out. However, this last week has been so so hard. I (f) work a 9-5 job and my boyfriend works 2pm- 11pm so I am home with him afternoon into night. Recently, my dog has been very aggressive towards me. He starts biting my hand and arm really hard which I know most dogs do but he know does it and WILL NOT stop. For example, last night o got home from work and took him on an hour long walk/ run in hopes that he would be tired out and not attack me when we get home. This did not work. As soon as I sit on the couch he starts biting me and lunging at me. As soon as o stand up he jumps on me. I have deep scratches on my back and thigh from him. This went on for 2 hours, about 6pm- 8pm. I tried acting calm and locking myself in the bathroom- doesn’t work. I have tried playing with him with a toy which works for a bit but then he just gets disinterested in the toy and comes for me again. I try doing his training routine for 20/30 mins ( sit, stay, drop it, lay down ect) with treats and he does great but then if I sit on the couch he attacks again. I can’t lock myself in another room because he will eat everything and destroy the room. He goes to pet smart training once a week but that training is a joke tbh. The trainer there told me me to get a muzzle but I can’t get it on him myself and he just tears it off. I once started crying while he was biting me and he didn’t seem to care. I’m now dreading going home because I know I will be attacked for hours until he gets tired. The dog I’ve been dreaming about getting is now causing me so much anxiety and I’m honestly getting scared. I can’t afford 3-5k aggression training. Has anyone experienced this? Any advice is welcome!!!!

UPDATE
Thanks for all the advice everyone. We will be returning the shock collar. I’m just trying to learn as much as possible and did not know shock collars were against the rules on the thread

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@alex2017 It's hard to say without seeing the body language and behavior but I strongly suspect he is not being aggressive in the typical sense (ie responding to triggers like fear or resource guarding). Rather he is more comfortable with you but has no sense of proper play or energy control. If the age is correct he is also at an age that can be very difficult for the dog to control those impulses. FWIW I have been there in that situation. My terrier basset mix was a shark for months as he had no bite control and had never been around people. He also only displayed the behavior after a couple months of being reserved around us as he acclimated. It took sheer force of will and a lot of bruises to fade the arousal behaviors. He still gets tweaky at times, but he is maturing a bit and learning people skills ever so slowly.

Anyway BIG DISCLAIMER AHEAD: My statements below assume the above hypothesis is true. I strongly suggest however at least recording some video and paying a behaviorist to do an initial evaluation.

Your goal here is to only allow him to engage with you on your terms and not reinforce the behavior through engagement. I won't sugarcoat - this ain't easy when they are going apeshit on your forearm. No yelling, no pushing, barely even looking at him. In our case my wife made the mistake of trying to engage him when he got sharky and it took weeks of extra work specifically as she "poisoned the well" by inadvertently rewarded the behavior. You're doing the right thing with toys and training. If he shows the behavior, you leave immediately. No fanfare, nothing, and work hard on controlling your own state of mind as dogs read us like books. Since you are struggling with his wildness when you leave you might want to find a strong, tall baby gate and work with him on training from behind the gate. Make separations brief but do it with absolute consistenty. Have treats ready. When he offers a behavior you like, even passively (eg toys or even just laying down next to you, make sure to reward). Don't make a big fanfare over the calm behaviors but make it rewarding. Keeping a container with simple treats nearby so you can access immediately is good. Work on crate training; make the crate super rewarding to enter. You can use it as a separator but only for short times - the goal is to link a positive association as well as calm behavior when the dog is in there.

*** Do not be afraid also to consider medication while you work on this. *** I have been there and I know how incredibly tough this can be. A properly dosed amount Trazodone in the evening can really help with focus and isn't a wallet buster. The effective dose is quite variable so you will need to work with a vet if you go that route.

 

[shell65]

@imagebeastmarkbeast I agree with all this. I'm curious if the dog ever had any bite inhibition training or learned appropriate play behavior. It does sound like he's about 6 to 8 months behind where he should be at. I would still recommend a Certified Veternary Behaviorist https://www.dacvb.org/search/custom.asp?id=5985.
OP, also take a look at the wiki under r/puppy101. I think there's a lot that could be really helpful.

 

[alex2017]

@shell65 I doubt he has had this training- we don’t know much about his past. We just know he comes from New Mexico and he has a police report stating that he was found and brought in by someone and he was bleeding and slightly anemic. He loves other dogs and doesn’t act skittish or anything while at dog park so we figured he was okay and not too traumatized

 

[alex2017]

@shell65 Thank you!!

 

[alex2017]

@imagebeastmarkbeast Omg thank you!!! We do have trazedone and I feel guilty “drugging him” but I think I’m going to just to get through tonight. It’s strange because after a while of biting and lunging at me he just goes to sleep and cuddles with me and is sweet and nice again. It comes in cycles. I do think he would destroy the baby gate. We have a shock collar coming in the mail too at the trainers request.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@alex2017 The cyclical arousal you describe isn't unusual for young dogs (cf 'the zoomies').

 

[shell65]

@alex2017 I would get a different trainer. This dog hasn't had the chance to learn new behaviors or commands. The use of aversive tools is against this subs rules for good reason. They increase aggression and can reinforce fear responses. If your trainer is so willing to jump to short cuts, I would not go back to them. Read the wiki on how to find a qualified trainer. Do not use an electronic collar, prong collar, or choke chain.

 

[apc123_]

@alex2017 Do not use a shock collar. Or a trainer that suggests one. Especially when this is likely not aggression. This is inappropriate play.

Oh geez just saw the comment about the prong collar.

Look at relaxation protocol and start teaching that.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@alex2017 I'm not going to recommend the shock collar. His arousal level may not be appropriate for that; doing so may well tip him in the wrong direction. I can't stop you from going that route but they are super dicey for treating arousal. PS I made some edits to flesh out additional details.

As the far as the baby gate thing goes this idea is to get his attention from behind the gate so he isn't destroying it, and reinforce literally any moment he isn't going hog wild. Find it games are a good ice breaker in that situation. Scatter treats from the other side, say "find it!" and help him reset.

Also don't be afraid to use a good portion of his meal calories as training and reinforcement during this time.

 

[addx5544]

@alex2017 DO NOT USE SHOCK COLLARS!!!!! This will ruin your dog!!!!!

 

[3angels]

@alex2017 Please do not use a shock collar on this dog. Like the previous commenter I don’t think this dog is aggressive or reactive it sounds like he might not know how to play appropriately and negative reinforcement like shock/prong collars could make this much worse.

 

[alex2017]

@3angels I thought this too…. However the trainer saw him and suggested the prong collar for walks right when we got him and he’s been great with it so this is what makes me think he may do well with shock collar.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@alex2017 Was he reactive on walks? The big difference is that he may not be in a state of mind to establish the appropriate causal relationship. You can't typically shock a dog down out of a high arousal state without a concerning level of stimulation. As you said yourself, Petsmart training ain't exactly PhD level. While they are nice enough for 'normal' dogs they don't always have the best handle on handling behavioral anomalies. I'd ask them more questions before taking the advice (says the anonymous guy on the Internet doling out advice).

 

[alex2017]

@imagebeastmarkbeast He was just pulling a lot- so my bf got him a prong collar and we have used it ever since. Although, he just starting biting the leash and jumping up trying to play tug a war whenever I try to run with him. He also tried to bite my feet and ankles….this is new behavior. I read something about the stages rescue dogs go through and it mentioned they are in a honeymoon stage for the first two weeks and then they settle into being themselves which I think is what’s happening. He is getting comfortable

 

[shell65]

@alex2017 Prong collar is not appropriate. You are going to damage this dog. Tools should only be used by a professional. Throw it away. Your dog needs training and positive reinforcement not pain and punishment.

 

[3angels]

@alex2017 Yeah this sounds more and more like your dog doesn’t know appropriate behavior rather than aggression. I think you should do a lot more research about the use of shock collars for what you’re trying to accomplish. I don’t think there will be any science based data that would suggest they’re useful or helpful in this capacity.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@alex2017 Yup. He is also at a super intense age, especially as a pit mix. While pits aren't the rage monsters they are made out to be, they do tend to mature mentally later than average so for a year or two they have Hulk strength driven by the equivalent of a 9 year old's brain.

 

[rivermermaid]

@imagebeastmarkbeast They were bred for fighting. Their reputation does precede them. Dont spread harmful misinformation to new dog owners. They arent rage monster sure but they arent good dogs to own where kids or smaller animals are present. They are known to snap out of nowhere at some point in their lives.

My last pit mix died of old age and a disease. But he sure left me with a permanent scar.

 

[soldier0fchrist]

@rivermermaid Majority of modern pit mixes you find in shelters do not stem from fighting bloodlines