Dog aggressive behavior??

I noticed today, whenever Ozzie (who is a cockerspaniel) walks by Lucy, who is an AM staff, Lucy will start to curl her lip up like she's going to get mean. I tell her to stop it and than she will act happy and come to me and want to play or she will lay down someplace else. It's mostly when they chew their bones and Lucy devours her's and Ozzie has his left over and Lucy thinks that she can eat his too, which she cannot and knows better. If she starts to get his bone I tell her to drop it, and she listens perfectly. Any suggestions as to why Lucy is doing this all of the sudden? Or is this natural dog behavior?

 

this is completely natural dog behavior. it's all about dominance. keep in mind that in the wild dogs don't go by the human rules we instill in them. now, as long as she isn't taking chunks of flesh out of your spaniel and she quits when you tell her to, there isn't really a problem. if you feel it is a serious issue, find some way to discipline her when she does. i found putting a dog in a kennel and turning the opening away from view works pretty well as dogs love nothing more than human attention. keep her in there as long as you feel necessary, but not overly long. she will soon associate her behavior with going into the kennel and more than likely quit. and by the way, where at in iowa? i grew up in a small town outside of Des Moines.

 

I wouldn't have Ozzie around Lucy. If Lucy is young (under 3yrs) she may be "TURNING ON". If this switch is thrown when you are not around... to quote OMAR when he met Scarface in the begining.."Aye, pover si!". (OH , poor baby)

 

Yes...Dog agression is natural behavior for Amstaffs, and it's time that you start closely supervising play between these two. The rule of thumb is never trust her not to fight once she shows these signs. By that I mean assume that she will fight if left to her own nature, and "pre-treat" situations accordingly (ie keep her on lead in public, minimize contact with other dogs, etc.). For many Amstaffs and APBT's the days where they area able to play/socialize with other K9's comes to an abrupt halt at maturuty. Some are able to live peacefully with other dogs their entire lives. It's the owners responsibility to ensure that their own dog doesn't maul another causing the next "dog attack" media frenzy.

 

I agree with this. Lucy is starting to "turn on". I would not leave them unsupervised.

 

Eliminate the source of the problem, the chew bones. Do not leave those dogs unsupervised. Say what you mean, mean what you say!

 

DA is the gentic make-up of any bullie breed, some more so than others. Limit the amount of play when toys are involved, in most cases this is a trigger. When not around to supervise your dogs it is best to keep them securely seperated to prevent an accidental fight. Being two different breeds you might not have it so bad but when dealing with 2 stubborn Bullies it is always best to defuse the situation before one arrises. ( IE no toys, bones, or treats )

Do not punish your dog for doing what is natural, punishing them only works when you are around and does nothing for when they are alone in the yard or another room.Even in a pack situation you being the leader of coarse and your rules apply ,when they are left together when your not around one dog will step up to be temperary pack leader and take chrage of the pack with thier own set of rules and thats where bad things happen.

Time out is one thing locking them in a crate when bad is wrong and only works against crate training in general. You never want to send your dog into a crate when being bad, the crate is not a punishing place it is a safe spot and should always be welcomed to the dog and never be associated with punishment. Use gates to sepperate them when needing a time out.

 

crates should in my opinion br used as punishment. the "safe spot" should be the whole house and not one small isolated area. i think the majority of behaviorists would agree with me on this point. the idea of crate training being one of the most effective ways i have found to house train dogs and curb unwanted behavior. but, to each is own. if there is a system you use that works better than that is what you should stick with. and again, the age of the dog in question here comes into play. switching your methods of discipline will usually only serve to confuse the dog and exacerbate the situation. dogs are very social and loving animals as we all know. denying them that social connection is a highly effective(in my experience) behavior readjustment method. good luck!

 

Not to go completely OT but you are wrong, crate training should never be used as punishment. Most people use crates for when they have to leave the house and the crate is a safe place for a dog. Teaching a dog that crate equils bad is what is confusing to a dog. So everytime you leave the house and have to crate a dog your making the dog think he/ she did something bad when they have done nothing wrong is messing with the dogs mind and creates a less confident dog.

In this situation, if you crate the dog for bad behavior the dog can grow resentful towards the other dog and can cause greater problems down the road. Dogs do get jealous and sometimes react poorly and lash out and that could be disaterous. Learning a dogs behavior and controlling it is what i reccomend, punishing them really does not work in the end. Dogs are gonna act out on thier own and no matter how much punishment is given they march to the beat of thier own drum. They are dogs after all.

 

What everyone is saying is true...One thing..Don't use the crate as a "TIME OUT" place...that is their home and it should stay as such, other wise your punishment will mean nothing. The bathroom(Or small room) should be the best bet. Turn the lights off, leave for 3-5 minutes or until whinning has stopped...You shouldnt let them chew bones together.

 

it comes down to whatever works for you. i don't believe in leaving a dog in a cramped small space like a kennel for your own selfish reasons, like going out somewhere. all of my dogs have been very effectively trained using the method i prefer. that way the dogs can be lazy and do whatever they like when i'm not there. of course that doesn't mean they are allowed to engage in negative behavior. and if one of my dogs is too DA, i put them in another room and close the door. it just so happens that one of my two males is DA to the same sex. he also is THE horniest thing that ever walked on four legs, and that can invariably lead to problems with my females as there is so much that they can put up with. i personally don't think that a crate is the right place for a dog to fell "safe". but like i said, i don't really see there being a right or wrong here as long as the method you use is producing the results you want.

 

I have an AS and an APBT, my AS is completely DA and my APBT is not. My AS is a female and my pit a male. My AS also has alpha female issues and my pit is content to let her be. Mine are never alone together. My AS turned on at 18 months. My APBT is cold. My two do well together in a supervised environment. Both my dogs love their crates. When I get ready to leave in the morning to go to work they both retire to their crates on there own...it is their safe place. Don't make your dogs crate a place to fear.


I think my AS is what I fondly like to call an onion, her DA is on the surface and is easily managed now that I know how. My male is cold but I fear when he is pushed into a situation where he feels the need to be what he is it is for real. DA is very much a leadership issue in my mind, if you have two dogs you have a pack. You must establish yourself as the alpha and let both your dogs know DA behavior although natural behavior for your AS, is unnacceptable. I have found through my own experience managing the DA of MY AS is easier than managing my APBT when he is forced into drive, because the behavior is a surface issue for the AS, but not for the APBT making it a force to be reckoned with. Thank goodness my boy is cold....

Good luck and be responsible, there is a lot of good advice being offered in this thread!!!

 

@MyDawgs:

DA...is easily managed now that I know how.
That is 90% of the battle, and the essence of what I was trying to say. Thanks for clarifying that for me! lol.

Good luck and be responsible, there is a lot of good advice being offered in this thread!!!

I agree...great thread. These types topics need to be resurrected more often because owners not understanding DA is at the crux of the BSL fight! If we tomorrow could eliminate all of the attacks that take place as a result of negligence there would not be any basis for BSL (aimed at the APBT) nationwide.

 

Just to add to what's already been said. Crate training works b/c of the wolf/den model we see in nature. Dogs need a safe spot, in the case of domestic indoor dogs, that spot is a crate. Sure we want our pets to feel safe throughout the house, but the crate is their own little spot. Just as wolves have dens, dogs have crates. Wolf dens are not huge - often times not really big enough to turn around in. Crate training works b/c of the nature of the dog. He want's a closed in, tight spot to feel safe in. The crate gives him that very thing.

 

yea dont trust your dog not to damage your cocker spaniel,my girl oreo at the age of 7 mnths beat the crap out of her littermate over a bottle of bleach(empty) so since then shes high control and shes a really dominant dog can only trust her to play w/ males that are bigger than her and she still ruffs them up playing but w/ the other female forget it,but other than that shes cool ,and if they want to jack the others bone or toys then thas a fight waiting to happen

 

i was JUST gunna say this. if you put them in a crate for "wrong" behavior, they'll soon associate the crate with something YOU don't like, hence, start to dread going into it. their crate should be their haven, so to speak, a place where they WANT to go to.
i would also eliminate the problem and seperate the two of them during "bone" time. and yes, NEVER trust a "pit bull" not to fight. in fact COUNT on it, and hopefully you'll never be caught off guard, as you'll always be ready for the unexpected.

 

i'll say go with the majority opinion, but whatever works for you is what you should do. there isn't a gray area when it comes to the crate issue. it's just a matter of opinions and how you deem it necessary to use it.

 

A simple cure for this problem. Give the dogs their bones in their crates and don't let them out till they're both finished. Crate is a positive place and no behavior issues to deal with. End of story.