Aggression

[Guest ElleD]

I've had Boo since November now and things had been progressing well. We were starting to be able to leave her out of the crate alone without her destroying things/having accidents. She also stopped the snapping/growling in her sleep she was doing that I posted about here before.

 

However, I don't know what's changed but these past few weeks she has just become a terror. She's started getting into everything she can in the kitchen. I bought a gate so she can't get in and instead, she'll knock anything that's sitting on the bar off.

 

She's stopped peeing/pooping on a regular schedule which means she has accidents in the apartment. Normally, she'll do both when I take her out in the morning before I go to work, but now she's started holding it. She used to sleep through the night but has started waking me up around 4 in the morning to go outside even though she goes out before bed each night (between 10-11 pm).

 

All that, I can normally deal with but now she has become aggressive toward my roommate and this morning, she bit her. Boo's never been food aggressive and since she tends to have some S/A when left alone, we've been giving her treats to occupy her when she's left alone. When my roommate came back today and tried to take the kong, Boo bit her on the hand. I understand that she probably should have just let her finish but we're trying to teach that she gets a treat when we're away so it's a good thing that we leave, not to freak out. Also, she's never once done this before. She'll occassionally growl when my roommate tries to get her to move off the bed or the couch, but that's all. She tends to listen to me more and will absolutely not listen to my roommate. The problem is I would like her to be well-behaved in general, not just when I'm around. I'm not sure what to do. I've been gentle with positive reinforcement and I've gotten mad and yelled at her. She doesn't respond to either. I'm looking at getting her into an obedience class but they're currently full until May.

 

Everything I've read about training greyhounds has said that if they're doing something you don't like, it's because you're doing something wrong. I'm trying to figure out what we're doing to encourage this behavior. I cannot have her biting people.

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

It was your roommates fault, plain and simple. I guarantee you that your roommate didnt respect the body language and the growling from your hound. I have posted this a few times, here it is again regarding growling and knowing your hound:

 

I do not agree with books that say you need to get rid of growling. You first need to understand WHY they are growling. I have posted in many threads concerning growling with new greyhounds. 99% percent of the time the growling is because of a lack of trust. In humans, we expect our dogs to instantly trust us, no matter what. In all actuality we have to earn the trust from our greyhounds. Is growling bad, no. In fact it is actually a very good safety device. We as humans that have had "dogs" fear growling. We somehow see it as a personal affront, and decide that it cannot be tolerated. So our "dogs" raised as human surrogates, don't growl, they just go to bite. Here is a greyhound's method of communication of anxiety (likely caused by the human doing something wrong, not the hound):

 

1) exhibit anxious body language (licking lips, head and eyes turned down, tail tucked, whale eye)

2) low growl, sometimes barely audible

3) louder growl, sometimes followed by raising of the lip

4) air snap (intentional biting of the space NEAR a person, but no contact made)

5) actual bite

 

Now, most people are so blind to the natural body language of a dog, that they miss step 1, so what happens then when you take away steps 2 & 3? You have a hound that seemingly goes from normal-happy, to CUJO biting the air. It is very distressing.

 

Do not train your hound not to growl. Learn WHY he/she is growling. You will see it is probably your fault your hound is growling and telling you that they are anxious about what you are doing.

 

Why do they growl? Could be fear (you invade their personal space, hover over them, grab their face and pull it to yours). You must realize that face to face contact in the dog world is actually a very aggressive thing. Greyhounds have been raised as a pack animal, not a human surrogate, so you must realize they have a different language than typical "dogs". They don't know you, they don't understand the rules of being a pet. They don't understand that while you gave them this wonderful prize (bone), you now want to take it away from them? They don't understand when they are sleeping so comfortably, why you would invade their space for any reason other than to hurt them. You must look at life from their perspective. Once you do, you will see how most situations are based in the fact they don't TRUST you. Be it because they don't know the rules of being a pet, be it because you messed up by correcting them one time when they messed in the house and now they see you as something to fear. The fact is, most of the time they don't know.

 

You need to build trust with your hound, with trust, most other issues will disappear. Ways to build trust:

1) hand feed (I recommend this a lot) each meal for 1 month

2) obedience class (also highly recommended)

3) lots of walks

4) play time, such as a lure pole, or throwing stuffies

5) hide and seek game (takes two people and they must know their name)

 

As you have your hound for a longer duration, and you do things to build trust, you will be able to invade their space, take away things without complaint and move them around at will. But you must have trust for these things to work. In the immediate future, I would not give any high-value treats. Should you need to take something away from your hound, trade up with a squeaky toy, or a really good treat. Understand you are not "bartering" with your hound, you are earning trust. You are telling the hound that if he/she does what you want, good things happen. I would also not allow the hound up on furnature until you have basic obedience taken care of and the hound knows the "off" command. Once the hound knows "off" or "down" then you can allow him/her on the furnature and if you get a growl, then simply "off" and they will begin to understand not to grumble when on furnature. You are not teaching them to not growl, you are teaching them when growling is appropriate. See the difference?

 

And also, there is no need to loose your temper and yell at the poor hound. Your girl has NO IDEA what the rules are and it is very unfair to expect her to understand what it means to be a pet when all of her expeirence at being a pet in a house is about 4 months of experience. You need to step back, relax, and understand it is your responsibility to teach her what it is to be a pet. She is a full grown puppy. She has the experience of a 3 month old dog. Yes I understand it can be frustrating, but also understand, you are the higher evolved creature here and as such should be able to control your emotions. Loosing your temper will only get her to shut down and fear you, not good.

 

 

Chad

Edited March 12, 2012 by Greyt_dog_lover

[christinepi]

How much exercise is she getting? Has she been getting less recently?

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

One other thing to note:

 

the title to your post is "agression", here is one definition of the word according to dictionary.com:

 

the action of a state in violating by force the rights of another state, particularly its territorial rights; an unprovoked offensive, attack, invasion, or the like: The army is prepared to stop any foreign aggression.

 

What I read out of that definition is "unprovoked offensive", your dog was provoked. If you understand why, then it shouldnt repeat itself, but dont blame the hound for the human's error. Your hound is in no way agressive. She was reacting in an appropriate manner in respect to her upbringing as a pack animal.

 

Chad

[christinepi]

What you're looking at isn't "aggression", but food possessiveness, aka resource guarding (this can include location guarding (sofas, beds) as well as person guarding). If you look for that in this forum, you'll find tons of info (like how to teach her "trading up"). Your dog is only doing what comes entirely natural to her, and nobody's taught her yet that she could respond differently.

[Sambuca]

I agree this is resource guarding and not aggression.

As for the accidents. When you take her out in the morning, walk her until she does her business. As dogs settle into a house and their stomachs settle down, they sometimes take longer to get things moving. If youre worried about being late to work, wake up 30 minutes early and put that time towards the walk. Same thing at night. Don't bring her in until she does what she needs to do.

[silverfish]

I'm so sorry your room mate got bitten. I hope she's OK.

 

I agree with pretty much everything Chad said. Listen to him. The only thing he does that I don't do is hand-feed, and that's simply because I work to earn their trust in a slightly different way .. .but make no mistake, I do work to earn their trust, and sometimes it takes a long time.

 

Obviously I don't know the whole story because I don't live in your house, but here's my impression of what's going on.

 

Your dog is confused and insecure because you and your room-mate aren't on the same wavelength. One of you will do one thing, and the other comes along and does something else. But one thing I can tell you: walking in the door and casually taking away a tasty treat that belongs to the dog without working to earn their trust first is a crazy thing to do and will usually get you bitten. And yes, it's your fault if that happens.

 

Once I've given a dog something, the dog gets to keep it unless there's a very, very good reason for me to take it away. Taking it back is no way to earn trust. Look at it from the dog's point of view. Someone gives her a wonderful thing to chew on, and there she is, enjoying it quietly (and presumable on her bed, her place of safety and one of the few places she feels are really hers) when someone else walks in the door and goes to steal it from her for no reason. She probably gave all those warnings Chad talked about but your room-mate didn't notice, or didn't listen. She doesn't yet have a strong bond of loyalty and doesn't recognise her authority, so she did what any dog living in a pack would do; she defended what was hers.

 

Sure, there are times you're going to need to take something away, but that can be trained for, and I can assure you that each and every one of my dogs has given up a trophy (dead rabbit, chicken bone found on the street, a stolen item at home) without a murmur, because they trust me and they know that I don't do this randomly, every five minutes.

 

And I 'trade up' as a reward for them letting me have their prize - for example, I have traded up a tiny piece of cheese for half a dead rabbit with my super-twitchy old Jack who came to me screaming and growling in fear if he was touched unexpectedly anywhere behind his shoulder blades or on his feet. And with the same dog, with time and work and patience, we got to the point where I could touch him anywhere I liked, clip nails, and wash out his anal abscesses without anyone holding him for me. It can be done.

 

If you want to teach your dog that when you go out it's a good thing, it's a great idea to leave her with something enjoyable to do, and a kong is great if they like them; it combines food and fun, and a lot of anxiety-reducing chewing and licking activity. But taking it away as soon as you come in while she's still busy with it, without first earning her trust and without trading up, is going to teach her that when you come home, that's a BAD thing, and you don't want to do that, do you? It's a bit like calling a dog to come to you, and then beating him with a stick when he arrives.

 

If you haven't read Stanley Coren's How To Speak Dog, or Patricia McConnell's The Other End Of The Leash, please do so. They are both readable, and packed with good sense and will give you a good grasp on normal dog behaviour and social signals and what motivates them - this will give you a better handle on how to get them to do what you want without breaking their spirit or getting bitten.

 

Lastly, I'd just like to say that I do understand your position. I, too, said with our very first dog that there were two things I would not have my dog doing. One was pulling on the lead, and one was biting. For me it's a no-no, because I need to be able to trust my dogs and be comfortable around them ... but I do understand that this is a two-way street. If I want my dogs not to bite me, I have to respect them.

Edited March 13, 2012 by silverfish

[GeorgeofNE]

Is this your first DOG, period? Or just your first Greyhound? I only ask because it doesn't sound like there is much of a routine that's working for you AT ALL.

 

Are you ending your walks as soon as she's gone to the bathroom? If so, yes, she is learning to hold it. A leash-walked dog needs more than just a trip outside to go the bathroom. They need exercise. And frankly, with a new dog, the more the better. Get up earlier, spend more time walking. I know it's not that easy--and lest you think I'm full of it, I get up at 5:20 AM and walk my NINE year old dog (that I've now had four years) 2 miles. Why? Because I leave him alone all day while I work, and I believe that he needs it.

 

 

The bite is unfortunate, but easily avoided. "Trade up." Offer the dog a small dog biscuit and then take the Kong with the other hand. She doesn't know and trust you well enough yet to just surrender her prize.

 

A dog doesn't magically become "well behaved." Every thing you do, every day, is teaching her something.

 

 

Try getting on a schedule--more exercise, consist times for walks, meals, etc. Be patient. Contact your adoption group too, please. They need to know you're having some issues, and can probably help you!

Edited March 14, 2012 by GeorgeofNE

[3greytjoys]

All replies to your post are excellent so far. I'll add/reiterate a few things.

 

Please stop allowing Boo on the human furniture. That elevates dogs to humans level in hierarchy. I would encourage you to not allow her up for at least 6 months, if at all. Dog beds on the floor are excellent.

 

Walking in the morning is great.

 

You may need to clear counter tops until Boo learns not to "counter surf". (A search on GT may help.)

 

Regarding potty accidents: Please keep in mind, an anxious (or fearful) dog can't help his/her reactions under stress. An anxious dog often needs to potty more urgently when stressed (i.e., being left past "alone" duration tolerance). They can't physically "hold it" as long as they normally would when all is calm in their world.

 

Greyhounds are extremely gentle and sensitive. Please be careful not to punish any dog for doing something caused by anxiety or fear. Even raising a voice in anger can backfire magnifying anxiety problems tenfold. Just like with people, anger begets anger (which can actually create aggressive behavior in some dogs who were not aggressive before). BTW, I agree that your hound was resource guarding.

 

The goal is always to build and strengthen trust. Greyhounds are always watching us, listening to our every breath, feeling our energy, and reading our moods. They are strongly affected by our energy. Positive patience goes a long way to help them adjust well into home life.

Susan's comment is spot on: "Every thing you do, every day, is teaching her something."

 

We communicate that we're trustworthy even through our gentle handling of their collar, gentle guide of their leash, etc. If Boo is feeling your hurried energy in the morning, she may be too stressed to relax enough to go potty, or she could be anxiously anticipating being left alone again. As mentioned, setting the alarm earlier for a longer morning exercise walk is an excellent suggestion to help...

1. Tire her enough for alone relaxation.

2. Reduce her desire to counter surf.

3. Help her fully eliminate outside before you leave.

4. Prevent or reduce inside accidents.

5. Help you all feel more relaxed and happy.

 

As Chad mentioned, hand feeding is excellent to help hounds learn to trust.

Very important for all people in hound's household to hand feed so she doesn't fixate on one human (you) as her only trusted human/food source. If you are the only one to hand feed, that might increase her desire to hyper-connect to you. Just my experience, in your case with Boo having difficulty with separation anxiety, I might shorten the duration of hand feeding to about a week. If you are feeding her kibble meal from her Kong, the dinner meals could be fed by hand. You didn't mention what kibble you're feeding, but loose stools or worms could be a factor in bowel potty accidents too.

 

Getting her off the human furniture should help a lot.

 

Good luck, and thank you for posting.

Edited March 14, 2012 by 3greytjoys

[Guest ElleD]

Thanks for all the advice guys! My roommate and I are trying to get on the same page when it comes to working with Boo. I think she's been confused. We've gotten her to where she'll stay on her bed instead of being on the furniture. I think we need to try harder to define her space so she knows where she's safe and we're working on building her trust with my roommate. Part of it seems to be the exercise thing. She normally gets a 2 mile run with me most days of the week when I have to be at work all day, but I've been sick the past two weeks and haven't been able to run her. I don't think walks alone are cutting it. I took her out with me after the biting incident and yesterday, she was an angel. We're trying to get on a better routine. Part of the problem is we aren't always on a routine, so it looks like Boo is going to keep us in check!

Edited March 14, 2012 by ElleD

[Trihounds]

Thanks for all the advice guys! My roommate and I are trying to get on the same page when it comes to working with Boo. I think she's been confused. We've gotten her to where she'll stay on her bed instead of being on the furniture. I think we need to try harder to define her space so she knows where she's safe and we're working on building her trust with my roommate. Part of it seems to be the exercise thing. She normally gets a 2 mile run with me most days of the week when I have to be at work all day, but I've been sick the past two weeks and haven't been able to run her. I don't think walks alone are cutting it. I took her out with me after the biting incident and yesterday, she was an angel. We're trying to get on a better routine. Part of the problem is we aren't always on a routine, so it looks like Boo is going to keep us in check!

 

Great observation! Like with children, activity is a distraction and routine promotes balance. And in hounds, generally speaking, leads to a happier one!

 

When necessary (ie when company is coming over, etc), we'll take the hounds out for a car ride / Petsmart, etc before guests arrival so that when they do, everyone is calm and more interested in napping than trying to get our attention through misbehavior!

 

Hopefully you will start seeing immediate improvement.

[Brandiandwe]

Thanks for all the advice guys! My roommate and I are trying to get on the same page when it comes to working with Boo. I think she's been confused. We've gotten her to where she'll stay on her bed instead of being on the furniture. I think we need to try harder to define her space so she knows where she's safe and we're working on building her trust with my roommate. Part of it seems to be the exercise thing. She normally gets a 2 mile run with me most days of the week when I have to be at work all day, but I've been sick the past two weeks and haven't been able to run her. I don't think walks alone are cutting it. I took her out with me after the biting incident and yesterday, she was an angel. We're trying to get on a better routine. Part of the problem is we aren't always on a routine, so it looks like Boo is going to keep us in check!

 

Great observation! Like with children, activity is a distraction and routine promotes balance. And in hounds, generally speaking, leads to a happier one!

 

When necessary (ie when company is coming over, etc), we'll take the hounds out for a car ride / Petsmart, etc before guests arrival so that when they do, everyone is calm and more interested in napping than trying to get our attention through misbehavior!

 

Hopefully you will start seeing immediate improvement.

 

We've found that tired houndies is good houndies. Ours get two hours of exercise a day most days. Some days they get only an hour and a half, but every morning they get at least an hour.

 

We used to have problems getting them to 'go' when outside as well, but I make sure that they are 'empty' when I leave for work. In the past, this meant staying outside for over two hours on a walk until I knew everything was gone. Bitter experience taught me that Booster in particular needs a 'warm-up' poop before the 'main event'.

 

We also still have some problems with submissive urination. This is something both DH and I have to deal with, but the routine helps.

 

Hang in there - it does get easier.