puppy aggression towards men

[hanhol]

i have a wonderful 7mth old collie cross, she has come from what i believe to be a loving family home...with my family she is excellent and also with the cats and other dogs ... now the problem is when a new man comes with in her reach , she turns quite aggressive and has tried to nip... luckily no blood...

the vet says she has severe aggressive issues and that i have to take her to a pet behaviour person at £18/ hour....

i a grown woman who has had wonderful dogs before all or which lived a long and happy life...i have never encountered this before ... i dont want to part with money if any of you guys think you might help.
can anyone recommend the best book to buy?

thanks
Poppys mum

[woofgang]

personally I think that a pet behaviour person at 18 quid an hour is a snip....please do check on the person's qualifications and membership info they should be APBT members. agression like this can be for many reasons so IMO an assessment by a professional, at least for a start would be the best way to go.

[LoftyLottie]

It might be too expensive for hanhol though, Woofy, especially if the dog needs quite a few sessions. Our vet has their own behavioural person with the appropriate training, although I don't suppose that would be much cheaper.

Has Poppy been ill treated at any time by men. I am presuming she was with a different family than your own before you homes her. I had a dog who hated men who would growl and try to nip. Is she nipping to warn or actually trying to bite. I think there is a difference. Is is through fear?

[alexanderd]

I used to have a Sheltie who was the gentlest dog but growled and tried to bite men. Turned out the vet at the farm I got her from had hurt her when giving her an injection. She did grow out of it I am glad to say

[hanhol]

she has tried to nip before , mostly its ggrrr and barking to warn persons off...and yes im not keen on parting money at this satge yet...im not daft and i have been talking to the vet about her, he says he can tell shes a lovely dog and she is but im fully aware that this issue has to stop now....when shes of the lead and we are out along the beach shes fantastic, the incidents happen when shes at home or the example in the vets, was she was being cornered..
the past family had her from 14 weeks til 6mths...i met them , they all seemed lovely, situation much like myself..however im led to believe poppy didnt have much interaction with house visitors....i was told she didnt walk on a lead ....
it would sicken you cos like i say shes a cracking wee dog apart from the few instances

[woofgang]

with respect, a book is going to cost 9 or 10 quid at least and might not help.

[hanhol]

thanks for answers i'll keep searching for the right answer

[LoftyLottie]

My dog does the grrrr and keep off thing to visitors to the house unless she is introduced to them and she would nip if given the opportunity. She is extremely sensitive and does get frightened quite easily. Mind you after finding out that the visitors are OK with us she is all over them and loves them to bits.I wouldn't call her an aggressive dog however. We don't have a lot of house visitors. She also tried to nip the vet because she was frightened - a male vet. She is OK with the female ones and the nurses although she shakes the whole type at the vet.

I wouldn't call poppy agressive from your description, but the nipping has to be addressed.

Perhaps one of our dog training people will turn up on here and give you some advice. I tend to go with my own gut feelings about training because no dogs are alike and what works with one won't work with another.

She is still young enough to change her ways but I think dogs tend to be moulded in there very first couple of months and often their behaviour is learned from the parent dog.

Good luck anyway.

[lankeela]

You need to start with basics, teaching her some obedience like sit and down stays. Then get a family friend or relation (male) to visit. Ask them to sit in the room and totally ignore the dog. Then let her in and get her to sit or lie down near to the man. Tell the man not to make eye contact and then call the dog to you, if the dog goes to him tell him totalk to her calmly and if she approaches offer the back of his hand. If this goes ok he can offer her a titbit. At this point remove her till the next session (in fact go back a stage if it doesn't go well at any point). Gradually build up the length of time and the number of people she is happy to be with. Try to ensure she doesn't fail, by not pushing her and keeping her away from strange men till you are confident she will not rush in and nip, and is happy to obey your commands to sit and lie down when in their company. This is a situation that can either be dealt with by training or else by avoidance of putting her in this situation which is going to make life difficult but the main thing is not to let her bite anyone.

[LoftyLottie]

Good answer there Lankeela. That is basically what I do with my dog. I let visitors come in and sit down and then let the dog go to them and stiff the hand etc. I tell visitors to just talk quietly to her. Within a few seconds she is their best friend.

Avoidance is sometimes necessary technique.

[lankeela]

Stocking them up with treats before the dog arrives means they can also drop or casually throw a treat down for the dog. Any approach to the person should be rewarded with a treat. Don't tell the dog off or reassure it as either will make the dog think what it is doing is ok and getting your attention. Try to ignore any unwanted behaviour and act in a very matter of fact way. If it could be dangerous to have someone close to the dog keep her on a lead so you have ultimate control by being able to remove her from the situation without it escalating.

[LoftyLottie]

Ha, ha Lankeela. My dog won't take a treat from anybody at all unless they are family or close friends. She is very embarrassing. She just turns her nose up. Perhaps she thinks they are trying to poison her.

[LoftyLottie]

However, if they throw a squeaky or a ball for her, they are friends for life.

We had a houseful of guests on one occasion and she was fine with all of them. She played ball all day. The guests took it in turns.

[ladybirder]

Victoria Stillwell's programmes are brilliant if you can catch any of those. And she's written several books. IMO she's the best - does everything with kindness and common sense, not confrontational like the Dog Whisperer.