# somewhat aggressive lab



## dogdonthunt (Nov 10, 2005)

I have a lab that is about 4 and lately he is getting territorial toward people that run past the yard. When I take him in the feild he is fin with poeple and other dogs. Fine with all young kids and cats. ex. the other day he was tied out front which he is ussually fenced in the back or on a leash when we walk ,ocasionally I will let him out with nothing and he is fine, but this time the kids were playing outside and a kid about 14 or so joged past to his friends house next door and I thought he was going to bite or attack. he is real nervous around new people( just males ) unless we introduce him to them. It just struck me odd that he did this. He has never bit any one and if he did I personally would not hesitate to put him down. My other dog is 15 and getting at that age where she is losing her dignity so the time is close so dont get me wrong in that It would be easy to do nor would I want to. My lab is fixed and it just bothered me he did this. other than that he is very dosile. loves attention and lets the kids do whatever they want to him ie... lay on him and sleeps with my son. If he just thought he should protect the kids then I guess so be but I cant have him bite anyone peroid......any suggestions?


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## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

3 links as ads about aggression above and below the post.


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## thorpebe (Oct 3, 2003)

my brother has a lab and she is very easy going hardly ever barks at anything. One day me and my wifes cousin drive in the yard and the dog pretty much went crazy he was scared to get out of his truck and she has never done it since with any other people just this one time. she did recieve a good punishment so maybe that put an end to it. it was also the first doge truck she had seen so maybe she is a ford girl. lol


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## Bobm (Aug 26, 2003)

its tough desensitize him with lots of male friends coming into the yard with treats try to get him to where thats what he expects , A goodie from strangers.

I have a male boykin spaniel and two female shorthairs that do the same thing and I don't like it at all.

I think the Boykin picked it up from the older dogs but he had predisposition to doing it.

The advice is just what I think you should try I've never tried it, but thats what I would try if I had some friends that would help.

My shorthairs won't do it if they have a e-collar on but I think its just an obedience thing at that point, they still want to. They are 10 so I'm just going to put up with it. If I walk them during the time of day I think I will run into neighbors walking I put dummy collars on them. The two I'm talking about are the alfa dogs of my nine dogs, real *****es in every sense :eyeroll:


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## raamw (Jan 2, 2006)

The old saying is " By not doing anything is to renforce the problem".

Sometimes a barking collar controls this since a correction is given automatically when he barks

If you chose to do it without a collar you would need to be in the yard with him all the time and give the reprimand when the bad behaviour starts
Dogs get territorial protective and it is hard to overcome, one way is to make him think it is common territry by allowing other dogs to be there

Good luck


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## brianb (Dec 27, 2005)

I would do an obedience refresher, then set him up with a visitor.

Start with being out in the yard with him, put him on sit, stay, whoa, down, whatever.

Then correct if he breaks the command. Either use a checkcord or an ecollar. I would keep this up until the obedience to your command is absolute.

I wouldn't ever trust this dog to loose without your supervision. But I don't agree with anybody letting their dog run loose. Keep him in the backyard which I think you said was fenced when you can't watch him.

Brian


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## houndsman (Jan 30, 2006)

I think it is fascinating to try to unravel the cause of behaviors like this in our dogs. It's fun to just stand back and try to understand what is going on in our dog's brain when they react in an unexpected way.

I have observed my hounds doing similar things - and have found that often a real timid dog will be more likely to respond with aggression when on a leash or tie-out. They simply feel cornered and dogs know that their best defense is a good offense (or bluff). You stated he only did this when on a tie-out, so I think it is something to consider.

Someone stated to desensitize him to the strangers - and this makes good sense. Get the dog to associate strangers with positive feedback. I wouldn't use an e-collar as part of this exercise - I believe they will only exaggerate his/her sense of anxiety over the stranger. If your dog starts to act nervous, do NOT coddle him and try to make him feel better...correct him. Giving him treats when strangers are around is good, but only do it BEFORE he starts to act stupid. If he gets nervous, give him a firm correction - don't give him a treat. If he keeps his cool, praise him.

Get your dog calmed down before any strangers come for a while. Exercise works wonders on an ill-mannered dog. Think about what your doing (or were doing) when the dog became aggressive. It is no secret that our dogs can read us very well. You stated that the dog is only this way with men - and not women - and that's real interesting. If you think about it, look around at how men tend to carry themselves - head high, chest out, standing real straight, and the 'tough-guys' that walk around all flared-out, etc.. The dominant dog in a pack carries himself the same way, chest-out, tail raised higher than the others, head held higher, etc... his posture portrays his position. If your dog thinks he's the pack leader (which he shouldn't, but that's another discussion altogether) then he's going to get a case of the a$$ every time he see's someone posturing for his position. Go stand in front of him - making him stay behind you when a stranger passes for a while. If he steps in front of you, calmly pull him back and correct ( I use both a tap on the nose with my finger, and also will cup my hand and grab the dog at the side of the neck - I don't know what you use, but correct none the less) Let him know that you are to be in front, and your in charge. Be calm - and your dog will be calm.

Don't let the dog jump on you and act like an idiot. I used to be notorious for this, and have learned to simply not tolerate it. I try to get the dogs to calm themselves down by being calm around them. I don't feed/pet/praise/water/or look at my hounds when they are acting like fools. If I approach the kennels and they are acting like school-girls and yipping and jumping - I just stand at the front of the kennels with my back to them and look away. It only takes about 20-30 seconds for them to calm down when you do this. If you turn around and look at them, and they get riled-up again, simply turn your back to them and look away for another 20-30 seconds. You'll see how quickly they realize that you are in charge, and you decide when they get to act crazy, and when they have to keep themselves collected. If I start to open a kennel and that dog jumps up while I'm opening it, I'll just close it up and either move along to the next one, or walk away all together. You'll be amazed at how quickly they figure out that you are in charge, and they have to stay collected if they want you to feed/pet/praise, etc.

I'm gonna shut up now......I get way too long-winded on this topic.

Good luck - and good hunting.


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## brianb (Dec 27, 2005)

Good post houndsman. Great point about the dog feeling "cornered"


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