Retriever being a bully!

RedBern

Floyd (or 'no nuts' as he's also known) chased and attacked a small dog on Sunday. The owner intervened to pick her dog up - resulting in Floyd biting her hand. Fortunately she was very understanding about it - but it is worrying.

He isn't an aggressive dog (no.. really .. ) he's a real softie. However, he doesn't seem to like small dogs - there's a miniature schnauser(sp) near where we live and he always barks when he sees it.

The vet thinks he's nervous of small dogs ... however it will be difficult to socialise him with small dogs when he keeps trying to attack them! Having just got used to getting him to come when called.... it seems like one problem replacing another. Any advice please?

pboae

Can you get him into a training class somewhere? As you say it seems to be one thing after another, and the structure and social skills of a class would do him the world of good.

Raksha

Classes may be a bit much for a nervous dog (and now he's also lost the 'natural confidence' that testosterone brings ) but classes do vary. Do you have a local trainer with a 'stooge dog' of the right sort of size? They could then help you to introduce him to smaller dogs working at a distance at which he is comfortable and then reducing it, rather than put him in a class of mixed sizes and hoping he can cope.

cheepskate_2

First thing you need to do from now on is keep him on a lead. If you persist and let him run free and he does this again the next person may not be so forgiving. Under the dangerous dog Act he can be destroyed.. Also when running free you have absulotley no control over an animal , no matter how well trained it is.

Next take him to good training classes, talk to the trainer beforhand to find a way that he can be climatized to small dogs in a controlled way.

I used to attend training classes and there was a huge Alstation that was muzzled and aggressive towards other dogs. The trainer's worked with that dog in one position and the other dogs would walk just out of it's reach ( think this had been acheivedo ver a longer time ) , with the owner and trainer being in complete control of events.

orlao

I agree with cheepskate, you need to keep him under close control until this problem has been sorted, maybe muzzle him but that won't stop him flattening small dogs.....

If you can find a good trainer ( APDT site or recommendation from vets etc) I would be inclined to try one to one training first then move on to classes.

How old is Floyd? or is he a rescue? I get the impression that he's quite new to you!

If he's young and just trying his luck there is a lot you can do, even if it is nerves there is still plenty of options but since your vet reckons he's nervous IMO it really important that you find a trainer/class that doesn't use anything but reward based training.....I dread to think what harm a Caesar Milan type or adversion therapy approach could do.

You've been lucky this time because while I'm sure Floyd didn't intend to bite this woman (as he was going for her dog!)if she made a complaint you could be forced to have him pts if you were prosecuted which doesn't bear thinking about.

Good Luck!

O x

Raksha

A dog can't be PTS for attacking another dog - the law's view is that dog fights will happen. The problem comes if somebody (a person) is in fear for their life because of your dogs actions (and obviously this could occur as the result of whitnessing a dog fight, even if the dog is as soft as anything with people, this would have to be proven by an expert witness).

RedBern

Floyd is 3 - we've had him from a pup and did take him to training classes when he was younger. I've called to the vet's tonight and they've ordered a large muzzle for him which I'll introduce this weekend. Yes, I'll keep him on a lead until I can get this problem sorted - and as already has been mentioned, the lady he bit appreciates he didn't mean to bite her. Her dog has been checked out at the vet, and we're obviously going to pay the fees for that. Whilst I was in the reception of the vet's (with the vet) a small dog came in to. Floyd totally ignored it - the dog was within 6 feet of us, and Floyd was lying down by my feet. However, the vet has given me some tips on training him with this muzzle so we'll have to see how he is.