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

[virtuous77]

@alex2017 Shock collar and prong collar make reactivity worse. If you use a prong one this might explain his agressive behavior.

 

[3angels]

@alex2017 Is this trainer certified by any organization and how did you find them?

 

[alex2017]

@3angels He’s a pet smart trainer

 

[3angels]

@alex2017 I don’t mean to be condescending or disrespectful to Pet-Smart trainers but they are not meant to be used for a dog with your issues and I would recommend you find someone else. If a professional and certified trainer is cost prohibitive I would think about YouTubing training videos to do on your own from science based data driven resources.

 

[alex2017]

@3angels No worries I had a feeling pet smart wouldn’t be a good idea but my boyfriends mom pushed the idea on us because it worked on her lab like 20 years ago

 

[3angels]

@alex2017 I’ve used Petco’s puppy classes with my Rottweilers for socialization and I’m sure lots of
People have great success with them but again for a case like you’re describing you will need real intervention quickly before these behaviors progress into more challenging situations.

 

[danbear2023]

@alex2017 Also sounds like your trainer is doing a lot wrong and I would report them if you can. Prong and shock collars are forbidden in petsmart training programs that’s NOT positive reinforcement training at all and that trainer is likely hurting other dogs as well. Someone needs to be made aware of that

 

[1discipleofchristjesus]

@alex2017 Don’t feel bad using Trazodone! Its not a sedative, it just helps take the edge off so your pup can be in this new situation and learn calmly. We used it on our rescue for a couple of weeks while we had family staying with us, and it helped her feel much more comfortable while still being her perky self. It allowed her to be less anxious, which means she was happier, and that’s what mattered. It sounds like your pup is getting more comfortable with its environment and now just needs to start learning. Also, is he only doing this on the couch? I wonder if he’s resource guarding the couch, or if he’s hidden a toy in the cushions and is guarding that without your knowledge. My pup guards our couch from guests (since that’s where she gets all the cuddles from us) so we’ve begun training her to value the floor more than the couch. Fingers crossed!

 

[akajshdj]

@1discipleofchristjesus Trazodone is in fact a mild sedative, that's why it "helps take the edge off."

 

[1discipleofchristjesus]

@akajshdj Sorry, I meant at the right dosage it’s not going to make your dog dopey.

 

[cate2]

@alex2017 I need to say this because no one else on this sub seems has: This behavior is not okay.

You deserve to feel safe in your house.

You should never have to lock yourself in another room to get away from a dog which is biting and scratching you. Your own dog!

You should be able to leave a room without your dog destroying the rest of the house.

None of this is acceptable or at all normal behavior. I am shocked that people are downplaying and normalizing this. I've been a dog owner all my life with multiple breeds and this is... well, just shocking.

This isn't okay.

 

[australiandownunder]

@alex2017 OP, if you are reading this , please consider that your life is worth more than your dog's life. Based on what I read, your life is in great danger right now. Biting and holding on is not normal behavior. Dogs are supposed to bring joy to your life, not make your life up to the point where you're prisoner in your own house because of a dog. The kindest thing you can do for your dog is to euthanize it. Even if you are heartbroken for the loss of your dog, this is for the sake of you and everyone else's safety. It's only a matter of time before the dog attacks and leaves someone disfigured or killed.

 

[alex2017]

@australiandownunder Hi- thanks for the concern. We took him to the vet today. He isn’t breaking skin of anything- just playing aggressively. We were recommended to a behaviorist that is affordable and our dog is being out on medication

 

[australiandownunder]

@alex2017 Be careful, pits are known to suddenly attack without warning or unprovoked, which, along with the way they bite and being escape artists makes them so dangerous.

 

[alex2017]

@australiandownunder We aren’t sure he is a pit- we are sure he part lab mixed with something else. When we took him to the vet today she said she wasn’t sure and to get him tested. He’s definitely mixed with lab and part hunting dog and maybe some put which is where he might get his aggression from. We are still deciding what to do- it’s tough

 

[australiandownunder]

@alex2017 Better test him just to be on the safe side. Genetics also play a significant role of dog behavior. I suggest that you look up history of bully breeds from an unbiased source since they originally were bred to bait bulls. Then when bull baiting became illegal, their handler moved on to dog fighting.

 

[prophetictimes]

@australiandownunder This is a pretty biased response. Many dogs bite; pits are not statistical outliers as biters.

 

[australiandownunder]

@prophetictimes While it's true that most dogs bite, some breeds cause more damage then others. For those who think pits bite the way they do because they supposedly were trained, here's this video.

 

[akajshdj]

@prophetictimes Biased? It's true that pits are disproportionately responsible for reported bites, and that they were purpose-bred for first bull-baiting, then for dog-fighting. Importantly, they've been selectively bred to bite on, hold, and shake (like most terriers), so when they do bite they can cause substantial damage.

 

[akajshdj]

@alex2017 FWIW, in shelter speak, "lab mix" is almost always code for "pit" or heavily pit mix. Pitties have earned their reputation as high-energy, "difficult" dogs (who when they go bad can go really bad) so it's prudent to err on the side of caution.