<p>Two problems I need advice for.
We’ve had our boxer/beagle mix for about 8 mo.
We’ve gotten him to walk much better on a leash & also take him to the dog park almost every day for play.
( he will be two at end of August)
He is good with most dogs at the park and when we meet them on a walk, but some people he is very aggressive/ anxious with( on walks or at our house)
He jumped up and snapped at a delivery man the other day, when I thought I had him blocked behind the door. ( before this, he had always waited and didn’t try to get out)
He also tried to bite a man that was quietly walking by us, while on a leash and I was distracted because I was making a short note before I forgot.</p>
<p>This is very disturbing.
The local behavior school says their classes are for dog/dog problems, but for reactivity with people, we need private sessions. Which run 5xmore an hr more than we make.
I’ve stopped letting him play with his horse ball at the park as he seems to get worked up, and have been taking walks with a local dog walker to get used to other people outside of the park.
But would appreciate suggestions on dealing with anxiety.
( also on suggestions for halters/muzzles. I don’t want to increase his anxiety, but I don’t want him biting anyone either. We don’t roughhouse with him or do anything that would encourage biting)</p>
<p>Next problem much less serious, but ongoing.
I have lots of bees in my yard, (yay!) and a few hornets(boo!)
He is always snapping at the bees but so far has only been stung on his paw.
I gave him Benadryl which seemed to help.
It also seemed to be a bee not a hornet which I was recently stung by.</p>
<p>Do dogs have allergies to bees? After he was stung he went right back to snapping at them as he walked down side of house on leash.</p>
<p>I like the philosophy of rescuing dogs, but he is more work than I anticipated.</p>
<p>I haven’t owned a dog in years, but understand that today there is much more out there to read about how to train a dog. Many of the books center on making it clear to the animal that you, the owner, are the pack leader and that the dog is a lower ranking member of the group. </p>
<p>From what I understand, giving him lots of exercise, which you seem to be doing, is one of the keys to a well behaved dog. </p>
<p>We rescued him from the city animal shelter, not sure when he was neutered, but they don’t release animals without it.</p>
<p>The last dog we had was a female lab, which we had from 2-3 months. She had been at the breeder previously.
Much different in temperament. She was all about the people, because they might throw a ball for her.
( once when she was a young dog for example, she was sitting in the car with me while I was waiting for the kids to come out from school. I had the window rolled down, all the better for her to jump out the window when she saw someone comment that she was cute. She thought she should give them a closer look. :D)</p>
<p>He is more attuned to us and is better behaved, in terms of coming when called for example, but some people especially men, really freak him out.</p>
<p>What kind of obedience training has he had so far? The classes we took our dog to provided exposure to other people (as in, we would practice walking towards another dog or person and be able to pass without interruption or other issues). Does he wear a gentle leader while on walks? </p>
<p>(1) Muzzle - get any lightweight nylon muzzle that fits him. Fit is important. Other than that, get whatever is available at your local pet supply store . . . and use it every time you take him out. It’ll drive him nuts at first, but he’ll quickly get used to it.</p>
<p>(2) Forget the expensive behavior classes and see about putting him on med’s to calm him down. Take him to your vet and see what he or she says. It might be enough to put him on something temporarily, just so he gets used to not reacting to people, and then gradually wean him off.</p>
<p>And while you’re at the vet, you can ask about the bees. :)</p>
<p>One thing I find essential is to train the dog to sit at the door and wait for your invitation to walk through it…and they should always walk through AFTER you. This prevents the kind of struggle at the door and escapes that plague many dog owners who don’t do much training. I think that working a lot on sit, down, and stay helps establish the hierarchy, in general, and it is also a matter of convenience and safety no matter where you are. So when someone comes to your door, you can put your dog in a down/stay, deal with the visitor, and then release him. The message: you are in control of the situation, it is not his place to challenge the visitor. These are things that are very easy to work on for 5 or 10 minutes here or there inside the house: it doesn’t require a big formal training session. Unless you free-feed, make him sit and stay before he is allowed to eat. You can do the same thing with a treat on the floor. When they are fool proof alone with you, then you can practice it where there are more distractions.</p>
<p>Many rescue dogs seem to fear men, and it sounds like yours does too. I don’t know what you can do about it other than socialize, socialize, socialize and always remain in control. If you have to use a muzzle while he’s out for the next year in order to break the habit, then I’d definitely do it. You can put him in a sit/stay, and ask male friends to approach him and talk quietly with you for a few minutes. You can give him training treats while he stays quiet. If he grows accustomed to this, ask them to pat him and speak to him quietly. Drugging him would not be my choice, that’s something I’ve never done.</p>
<p>What you are doing now in terms of discouraging mouthiness is great. One thing I <em>never</em> do with a dog is play tug of war.</p>
<p>I was extremely skeptical, but this worked for us. Our most recent rescue turned out to be good with people, but extremely aggressive towards some dogs, including one of ours. She was also pretty hyper and could be annoying. We tried everything including group obedience lessons, a trainer, tons of exercise etc. She was so aggressive toward our other dog that we were considering re-homing her which I never, ever thought I would do to a rescue dog. Then the vet told me about the DAP (Dog Appeasing Pheromone) collars she had just gotten in. We both kind of laughed over them, and she promised nothing in results but we figured we would try one. My husband made fun of me when I came home with it. Within a week, we were both changing our tune, and in a month, it was like we had a new dog. She calmed down, lost much of her nervous energy, and lost most of her aggressiveness. She became pleasant to have around and I no longer dreaded walking her. I know from a body-chemistry stand-point that pheromones can affect behavior, but it all seemed so “new-age” that I really didn’t have high hopes. After our experience, I would highly recommend at least trying them. We used them for about 9 months and have not since then. She continues to be a more active dog, but has lost that edge and is not aggressive anymore. I no longer have the box so can’t tell you the brand, but you might check with the vet. The collars have to be replaced about every 4 weeks, so are a little expensive, but they were well worth it!</p>
<p>As for the bee stings, while dogs and cats can have bee allergies, the fact that yours has been stung with no swelling is good. Our dogs eat bees all of the time and just keep doing it so it must not be that painful. One of our cats did have a bee allergy that went from slight swelling the first time to emergency visits to the vet for impaired breathing. We had a bee sting kit and could only let her outside when we were home. Dumb cat just kept eating them and did not seem to learn. </p>
<p>The vet suggested the behavior sessions and gave me a list of names. Didn’t have any other suggestions.
Because the vet labeled him as aggressive rather than anxious when he tried to mouth her when she was giving him a shot, Im wondering if she is the right vet for him. The practice doesnt seem to have much experience with rescues, which I find puzzling.
I did talk to a longtime dog walker and he uses Rescue Remedy, which as a homeopathic type thing- I dont really see how it could help, but it cant hurt.</p>
<p>Weve taken puppy obedience classes with our other dog. This one I havent taken classes with as his problems seem to be with people not dogs and the center thought that the classes would make him worse. </p>
<p>He doesnt wear a leader as I thought that was for problems walking, but it didnt keep them from biting.
He does wear a halter when walking.</p>
<p>I would like to note that Consolation’s post above is extremely helpful. I also like it, but CC won’t let me do both. The leader won’t keep them from biting, but it is far easier to control the dog when they’re wearing one. I think that would be helpful in keeping the dog from jumping at other walkers. I would check for another vet and another training center. </p>
<p>Products: I would look for a box muzzle, preferably a plastic box muzzle as I think they are more comfortable than the metal ones. The DAP products – which come as collars (by Sentry), as well as ComfortZone sprays, wipes, and diffusers work very very well. A Thundershirt is not a bad idea, as it decreases anxiety.</p>
<p>I would recommend obedience classes. Not just ooey gooey family manners, but solid obedience classes with a behavioral professional. Positive training only, but everything has to be “earned”. A dog like this takes a lot of work and attention – but he may turn out to be a great dog if you can overcome his issues.</p>
<p>I agree with cnp about training classes. (The real point of training classes it to train YOU. Once you are trained, you can train your dog. Of course, the practice behaving in public with other dogs and people is invaluable, too.) Some rescue dogs would not do well in public classes, at least initially. My rescue dog suffered from such extreme fear that she would have been incapacitated if I took her to the classes we had taken our other dogs to. She was in fact mostly trained by modeling her behavior after what our older, very well-trained dog did. I would walk the two of them at once, on two leashes, and keep her feeling more secure by placing her between me and the other dog. With our protection and his example, she could actually progress down the street without bolting in fear at trees, garbage cans, hydrants, road signs, loud cars, passers-by…you get the picture.</p>
<p>I’m curious about the vet you saw. Did she have a vet tech controlling the dog bodily while he got the shot? That is what my vets do with <em>any</em> dog who is having a shot or some other procedure. Basically, the dog has no opportunity to react badly out of fear, pain, or aggression. (And receives a lot of praise and affection throughout.) If that isn’t SOP at your vet, I would look for another one.</p>
<p>Our baby rescue (12 to 13 ish) is at the vet. She’s tough…loving and sweet (not to dogs on the street…she does tend to yell at them). Say a good word her…</p>
<p>Not really advice but there is one dog that has been in the neighborhood for about 3 years. I go on walks by myself everyday and see this particular dog being walked probably 4 times a week. Its a beagle/boxer mix who sometimes is fine when I pass by him and other times starts growling and snapping. The owner is a big guy who is always able to control him but I have no idea what triggers it and it is kind of scary. I wish really that owner would muzzle him.
If there is any chance your dog is going to bite someone please get a muzzle. </p>
<p>Rescue Remedy is very effective with dogs, and it’s available as a spray, so it’s super easy to administer. I’me only familiar with using it for acute situations, but it might be possible to use it as a 24/7 remedy by adding a few drops to his water every day. There are other flower remedies that target certain types of symptoms, and those might be more useful.</p>
<p>I like the box muzzles, especially the soft rubber box muzzles, because they don’t fit as tightly as the nylon versions. They also seem to be easier to fit and more accepted by the dogs. I have both sorts in my store.</p>
<p>If you’re of a skeptical turn of mind, read up on Rescue Remedy before using it. Bach flower remedies are not homeopathy, exactly, but they’re across the street from homeopathy. Rescue Remedy is made from certain “flower essences,” but if you’re allergic to those flowers, not to worry, since Rescue Remedy dilutes one drop of the flower essences with ten billion drops of water. Then the flower essence dilution is mixed 50/50 with brandy, for humans, but there is an alcohol-free version for pets.</p>
<p>Rescue Remedy is said to work equally well for humans and animals. Sounds right to me. </p>
<p>I will also add that Rescue Remedy certainly has a large number of proponents. Indeed my horse responded nicely to 5 drops of RR on her neck before an exciting trail ride. Smelled like brandy! Would have taken the edge off for me also!</p>
<p>There are several calming type treats on the market – chews, jerky, drops etc.</p>
<p>I have several close friends who are canine behaviorists, the kind who make lots and lots of money for dealing with dogs that are aggressive toward people. You need to manage the situation as well as deal with the behavior issues. If the dog is aggressive toward people coming to your door, don’t answer the door unless the dog is safely in his crate. Or put an exercise pen around the front door so that he’s safely contained. </p>
<p>Yes, drugs might help. But you need a good vet who is experienced with behavior issues to prescribe the correct medication.</p>
<p>Classes will certainly help you learn to manage the dog. Ahimsa Dog Training in Seattle is excellent; if you call them, they should be able to direct you to the correct class. </p>
Once you are trained, you can train your dog. Of course, the practice behaving in public with other dogs and people is invaluable, too.) Some rescue dogs would not do well in public classes, at least initially. My rescue dog suffered from such extreme fear that she would have been incapacitated if I took her to the classes we had taken our other dogs to. She was in fact mostly trained by modeling her behavior after what our older, very well-trained dog did. I would walk the two of them at once, on two leashes, and keep her feeling more secure by placing her between me and the other dog. With our protection and his example, she could actually progress down the street without bolting in fear at trees, garbage cans, hydrants, road signs, loud cars, passers-by…you get the picture.</p>