Why do some dogs attack their people?
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Excellent response, Zack!
Not true. Aggression is not always fear based.
Aggression can be from fear. But aggression can be from pain as well. Like an animal who who hurt bad will potentially try to bite someone who is trying to help them. But I have a dog that has been through a few training courses. Obedience schools. At the place she is perfect. But when I get her home and try to work with her, she will humor me for a few minutes and then she will run to her kennel and if I reach out to have her come back out again and start working, she growls at me and will even snap at me. So is my dog crazy with mental illness issues? Or does she think she’s the alpha?
@Theresa Faust maybe you are the one changing? Don’t take it wrong, just trying to help, but I’ve experienced it myself: as long as I go home I go back to *my* usual behavior, with fears, frustration, tone etc and the dog follows through with her usual “problems”.
Anyway changing an established habit takes time, constance and patience. In someone else’s neutral environment the dog has way less distractions and it’s more inclined to behave, so it’s normal to experience setbacks. Try to take a step back, keep sessions shorter in a way you can prevent the dog from running to the kennel and make them FUN and engaging. For you both. Just you saying “she humors me” (with me understanding she plays along with no motivation just to please you) is a huge alert. Change rewards, try different exercises or use some imagination and create together with your trainer variations etc so that you can both have fun together.
Edit: I don’t think she’s crazy at all. She seems a very intelligent dog, who knows what she wants and tries to impose her personal space (in the wrong way). You could say she behaves like the leader, yes, but noone can say that just by your comment.
My dog sometimes gets very defense when we enter the bedroom (although it is “our” bedroom, for a lot of the day it is his space). If we keep going in he will attack, bring a treat and he is happy as can be. It’s something we are trying to work on! We don’t use any adverse dog training methods.
Redirection, pain, possession, territoriality…. There are MANY reasons why a dog could be aggressive, even with its owner(s).
Treating everything like it’s fear-based and reverting fault on aversive methods isn’t gonna benefit anyone.
your not the dogs leader and ur a bad owner
triggered because you hit your dog?
There are several reasons a dog will attack their owner. One reason is called Conflict Aggression. The owner does not need to have used aversive methods for this to happen. The conflict can be due to many things.
Thank you! 100%
@Hugo Anzures I want to be clear, as someone who does rehabilitation, and has to undo the behavioral damage aversive methods and tools cause to dogs, I am not condoning the use of aversives in my comment. I am simply setting the record straight that if a dog displays owner directed aggression, it does not mean aversives were used on the dog. Just thought I should clarify that.
I read something recently that said 90 % of fatal dog attacks come from male dogs. Most of us are aware that intact young male dogs are more likely to exhibit aggression. I wonder if neutering would help. I know a lot of people don’t interfere with their dogs’nature but I can’t help wondering if fixed males might be happier than intact and mostly frustrated dogs.
That’s not true from studies on intact dogs. Neutered and spayed dogs are more likely to exhibit fear-based aggression.
But yeah, male dogs are more likely to have territorial and resource-based aggressions.
Not all true males that are neutered can also have this problem. Leadership especially with a male dog is like the biggest key to stop them from attacking anyone especially there owners. I recommend you to Jason Corey and his 2 Cane Corso’s both male both not neutered. Because of leadership he has an amazing relationship with both of them.
yeah, houndsmen in the U.S. don’t like Laikas because some of them will bite if manhandled.
Nordic and Russian hunters told American houndsmen not to be so rough as spitzes are more self-assured, independent and don’t put up with abuses from their custodians.
Pretty common for American hunters to throw dogs in the back of their trucks by the collar.
I have never seen this from any American hunter?? It’s def not condoned here.
@Nicole M So, why in Fscebook groups when coonhound and cur owners ask why their newly-acquired Karelian Bear Dog, Jamthund, Elkhound or West Siberian Laika bite them when they load the dogs into the trucks, European hunters are horrified houndsmen in the U.S lift the dogs by the collar?
Could you please address how to stop humping in puppies? He only does it late at night when he gets a bit crazy, biting and humping. I’ve tried distraction, which often works at least for a while earlier in the day but he won’t be distracted. In desperation I put him in a time out in the bathroom to calm down but felt terrible as he cried piteously the entire few minutes! Help!! From Australia. (I’ve been watching your YouTube channel like crazy. Thanks!)
Humping can be very annoying and depending on how big the puppy is, quite painful too. It’s also quite common for puppies to go a little nutty at night. Exercise and/or play are your best bets here to burn off any residual energy whilst crate training and helping them learn how to settle naturally will also help (can take a bit of time). In the actual humping moment, I am a fan of a firm “no” command to at least break the fixation and if redirection/luring doesn’t work then I think that calmly easing the dog off you is fair. But, it’s also important to praise the dog when it is showing good behaviour e.g disengaging with 4 paws on the floor or following the lure. Hope that helps! Good luck.
Sing of a dominant dog leadership is the fastest way to nip it in the butt. I am not talking about correction but claiming your space and using a removal technic. This will send a strong message to your dog or puppy that you are the leader.
There is mental illness in dogs. My parents had a dog who was generally very good during the day but growled at my parents at night. Then one day my father was taking him for a walk and they met a little girl who was friends with him but he suddenly attacked her for no reason. My father had full control and she wasn’t hurt but the dog was euthanised after that.
You have no clue! Some dogs attack because they were ‘wired wrong at birth’ like my beautiful maremma x she was born differently and it has taken me and my husband 2 years to get her ok xx
Working with a behavioural trainer.
He did say that there was the possibility of some type of mental illness. That is an outlier at best. Sorry you went through that and kudos for sticking with her for that 2 years.
However, that certainly does not mean he has “no clue”.
On the internet, I have seen dogs biting or annoyed by their owners who are forcing affection on them but generally the dogs seem to be in an alpha position with their owners. They were not fearful acting. They are confident acting. But not lovingly. Shepherds can be aloof in nature, but giving them love they accept and are not forced on to them is more respectful. My shepherd dogs want to be treated with respect and the internet owners I have seen can be less sensive to the dogs nody language.
I have heard this incident in the police dogs bred and kept because of their aggressive breeding. Being respectful and kind treatment as you suggest. Being best friends are healthy relationship.
So the main point of this video is saying that the primary cause of dog attacking their owner is aversive training?
Citation needed.
I would like to see Zack take on a truly aggressive dog with positive only methods I’ll wait…… and have it all on video since it’s what he does.
If this is your response to your knowledge, you might need to learn more. In most cases it has nothing to do with fear, and a lot more to do with letting the dog get away with i. e. resource guarding, and once they do want to take that toy away, the dog does not stop at grauling… But that is just one example. These videos are highly misleading. Less talk, more show (of actual situations) would be great, 1 but you don’t really seem to resolve actual situations…
Omg you are so off on this.
Of course you wouldn’t know much about dog attacks when all the breeds you work with star on the Disney channel 😂
Brain tumors too, if you see sudden changes in your dog. And pain, or fear of pain even if you didn’t cause any of the pain yourself. Breaks or fractures, painful joints, even painful teeth sometimes.