[Tom1]

Hi all. Recently I adapted a 1 year old golden (Riley) who is a sweetheart with people and has been receptive to basic training. We really want to keep her but there is one BIG problem. My daughter has a 5 month old Lab/Great Dane mix and when she comes over to visit, Riley is aggressive with her puppy and they end up fighting. It is to the point where we have to keep the dogs apart and isolated when my daughter is over, not good for either dog.

We've tried taking Riley to the dog park and she is aggressive with all dogs she encounters. We keep her on a tight leash and try to calm her and distract her when she gets close to another dog but gets all hyped up and wont really calm down until we get home.

Understandably my daughter no longer wants to subject her more well mannered puppy to Riley and wont come over with her dog. The problem is she lives over an hour away so she can't really visit without bringing her puppy which she has always done since getting him.

I'm thinking of trying an e-collar as we are almost on the verge of having to give Riley up in order to see my daughter.

Any other thoughts on how I might resolve this problem would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Belle's Mom]

Welcome to the forum! You will get a lot of good advice here from those who know a lot more than myself.

I will say one of the first suggestions you may get is to bring in a trainer to your home to work on the issue.

 

[Sophie_Mom]

I'm sure others with more experience will chime in (I hope!). I will just say that I see getting a dog as a commitment. I hope that you will consider sticking this out with her rather than give her up. If she is a rescue, do you know what her former situation was like? She may just need more time to acclimate, adjust, and settle down into a comfort level. A trainer or obedience class of some sort could certainly help get to the bottom, and hopefully the resolution of this situation. I'd be curious as to how/where the two dogs were introduced as well, as I know there are "rules" to introducing dogs.

I hope you hang in there with her and try to work on the situation! And we'd love to see pictures!!

 

[C's Mom]

Welcome to the forum.
I, too, adopted a golden mix with dog agression issues. We have gone to one on one training using this method: BAT « Ahimsa Dog Blog
and have had great improvements. I would encourage you to find a trainer in your area that uses positive reinforcement methods in their training. I would also encourage you to stop taking your girl to the dog park - it will only make matters worse. Go for long walks on the leash instead. How is her recall? How long have you had her?

 

[Tom1]

If she is a rescue, do you know what her former situation was like?

She was purchased by a college kid living in a frat house with 4 other guys, one being my son. When he and the dog owner graduated last spring the dog owner moved to one bedroom apt which was split with another friend in NYC and pretty much neglected the dog while at work and out at night, until convinced to give her up. He sent her back to the frat house until a better home was found where she remained until we became aware of the situation and agreed to adapt her.

I'd be curious as to how/where the two dogs were introduced as well, as I know there are "rules" to introducing dogs.

Probably a mistake on our part. We previously had a Black Lab (deceased) and she just got along with other dogs without any training at all so we just weren't aware at the time of the "rules" to properly introduce them. The dogs met at our house, both on the leash and she immediately started what looked like play fighting (no growling or biting) but she just wouldn't stop. She just chased and instigated this rough play with the Lab/Dane puppy until it got escalated and we were forced to get them apart.

Not sure how much it would have mattered as I have learned since that Riley was very aggressive to other dogs while being walked on the leash in NYC to the point that no one wanted to walk her because she bolted towards any dog she came across.

I hope you hang in there with her and try to work on the situation! And we'd love to see pictures!!

She is really pretty, pics to come. Thanks!

 

[Tom1]

Welcome to the forum.
I, too, adopted a golden mix with dog agression issues. We have gone to one on one training using this method: BAT « Ahimsa Dog Blog
and have had great improvements. I would encourage you to find a trainer in your area that uses positive reinforcement methods in their training. I would also encourage you to stop taking your girl to the dog park - it will only make matters worse. Go for long walks on the leash instead. How is her recall? How long have you had her?

Thanks for the link. Only had her for about three weeks and have been working with her regularly. She learns pretty quickly to the point she will sit, stay, lay down and let go what she is holding on command (most of the time). She loves to play fetch in the back yard with hickory sticks I've cut up for her (I have a lot of hickory trees on my property). Sometimes she comes back with the stick on command and sits but sometimes she just takes off like a possessed dog running about 50ft laps around me for about a minute (I still can't believe how fast she can run) and then lays down close to me and chews on the stick. Never any aggression from her when I take the stick from her with an "out" command, but she might try to play tug with me until I give her another "out" command without pulling back.

 

[LibertyME]

Do both dogs accept being crated?
How often and for how long does your daughter come for visits? Until you get a trainer involved...strict management might be the best way to go.