Jake got attacked and has turned aggressive!!!

[tommyjake]

The other week, whilst walking my 2 shelties with my dad all of a sudden a German Shepard came running up to us ( with no owner ) and just went for Jake. He flung Jake over and bit his legs, then the worst part..he grabbed poor Jake by the neck! And this dogs mouth was massive! it completly covered Jakes head and neck. It just carried on for about a minuite sinking its teeth further and futher into Jakes neck and pushing him around, but there was nothing we could have done about it. we were just screaming at the dog and trying to push him of Jake, and then the dog eventually stopped and stared straight at my dad and snarled: baring its teeth. And if the dogs owner hadnt appeard at that moment, I swear it would have attaked my dad. And the thing that made me the most mad, was that when we shouted at the owner, and said that it had bitten Jake, she just said "oh, well hes not hurt". I mean OMG what was she on? Jake had blood gushing out his neck!! of course he was hurt!!!!! And she just put the dogs lead on, and walked away saing " you little rascal".
grrr she made me sooo mad!!!!! Luckily we werent very far from home, so we got in the car and rushed him round to the vets. He was cleaned up and given some painkillers, but thankfully it wasnt really that bad. the blood was just coming out of a small puncture wound, and once the vet had stopped the flow of blood it was quickly healed. And the good thing was, that because Jake has such a thick coat of fur, the dogs' teeth didnt get very far down; whereas, if Jake was a short haired dog; he would have been extreamly injured and would even might have had to have an operation to have stitches in.

Jake was actually attacked last year by a Lurcher and ever since then he has been really frightend of other dogs, but instead of cowering away from them, he has started to become aggessive and will growl and snap at them because he sees them as a threat and is ready to start a fight with them just incase they attack him or Tommy. we have been trying to socialise him for months and months and had just started to make some progress when it happend again! And believe me, I am dreading our next walk. All of our training has gone to waste and we are going to have to go back to square one. He has always been bad with other dogs since his last attack, but now he is going to be so much worse!!!!!!
Does anyone have any ideas on how to get him used to other dogs. everytime he meets a dog, he turns aggressive and will pull to get to them and growl and snap to get them away. I am in desperate need of help. Please help!!!!!!

[gaddylovesdogs]

I suggest you call the police on the owner of the dog who attacked Jake. They have not one right to let an aggressive dog run free and attack innocent animals.

[Pugdawg1]

Yes. I would have found out where that woman went to, and called the police. That dog will do it again and the next dog it attacks may not be so lucky. If its a dog.. it may be a human next time.

I am very sorry your poor dog has gone through that. I bet someone else will be able to post and help you more than I can.

[sheltiepups]

I agree with above posts, I also think that she should have to pay for the vet bills and anything that is connected to the attack. Have you looked into getting a muzzle for Jake until you have his aggression under control?

[flyndog]

Tommyjake, I'm sorry Jake got hurt. Dog fights are pretty scary looking. I agree that it would have been nice if the GSD owner had paid a portion of the vet bill since her dog was loose. But, it's likely that Jake is the one who actually started the fight.
I don't know what kind of "socialization" you've been trying with him, but what he needs is desensitization. I suggest you find a trainer in your area who can help you with that. It's not something you want to try to fix on your own. You could get seriously hurt!

Kit

[tommyjake]

Thanks for your concerns. I dont know what i will do yet. I wouldnt ever want to tell the police cause they would hav the dog get put down and id feel so guilty about it dying - i just couldnt live with that!
flyndog - Jake didn't start the fight. I know he didnt I was there, it was the GSD.

[Kelly]

It doesn't sound like Jake started the fight. He was leashed and minding his own business. I feel for ya on the police thing, but sometimes it's for the best. What happens if this dog attacks a human? Some kid riding his bike or something?

Give poor Jake some kisses from me!

[Ritz459]

I don't know what you could do......if you find a way to cure dog aggresion, tell me! Blackie sometimes drives me crazy with his dog aggresion.
It felt so weird when I was watching a freind's Golden Retrevier puppy because we took her into Petsmart and she didn't aggress at any of the dogs that were in their! I'm used to being on my toes when another dog is around and it was just really weird becuase the only thing I had to worry about with the GR puppy was that she wouldn't clobber the other dogs becuase she was in such a hurry to give them kisses! lol

And I know how ya feel with a dog coming up and attacking you poor little baby. A neighbors two Aussies ganged up on Rose when we were on a walk and the owner of the two Aussies just stood there. Our dogs were nice and on leash and under control when her dogs just come up and attack Rose! The only way we were able to get them off of her was that Mom let Blackie into the fight. That got the two Aussies away really quick. Rose wasn't seriously hurt, but she did have a bite mark on her back.

[DarknessDivine]

Not to jump in here but Jake may have started it even w/out you knwoing it. With dogs it's much different, they read into each others body language and eye contact, sometimes one dog can be set off by another dog with people standing arpund and no one would have even noticed the intial eyes contact and body language. Not saying it's Jakes fault by any means, he didn't deserve such a vicious attack, just trying to shead some light on the subject.

[Carrie]

Exactly Darkness and Kit. I agree. But the important thing now is to not let those people off the hook. They should pay your vet bill. That was not right of them to have that dog loose like that. If he's that touchy and that reactive, he could be dangerous to a small child too. If they are not willing to keep their dog under control, they need to be reported. I don't think they'll put the dog down for attacking another dog. But if the dog attacks a human being, you bet it will be put down. So, if you want to save it's life along with someone else's, dog or human, you probably ought to take some kind of action.

The next thing is to try and re-condition your dog to being Ok with other dogs again. You may want to consult a reputable behaviorist with this. Otherwise, go online and see what you can find in the way of re-shaping and desensatizing your dog. There are some good sites with ideas on how to go about this, but be sure they're positive training methods. Aggression toward the dog or punishment can only make matters worse.

Sometimes what helps is to put the dog in a situation where he sees another dog, but from quite a distance away. If it is far enough and the dog is not upset, you praise him. You also teach the dog to "watch me." ("Watch me" = treat.) You teach this till he can do it in his sleep. Then you take the dog a little closer to a dog, still well back. If he's just a tad anxious, you tell him, "watch me." When he does and if he's calm, you treat and praise. That's the idea. There is more to it than that. See what you can find out. Let us know how things go. Best wishes and I hope he's Ok now, besides his fear of other dogs. I am guessing that it is fear aggression. But there's no way for me to know for sure.

[Rip's Girl]

Yes, Jake could have irritated the other dog, but a dog that responds that aggressively to irritation has issues and IMO should not be allowed off it's property without a leash and muzzle.

TommyJake, one of the things that has helped my little dog, Ripley, overcome his issues with large dogs was taking him to an obedience class. In an OB class with a reputable, responsible trainer with strict leash rules (meaning NO off-lead dogs at any time, no contact with the other dogs, etc.) my dog learned that other dogs are not interested in him, and that he didn't need to defend himself against them.

I second the suggestions of seeing a professional behaviorist, but after it is established, what Jake's issues are (whether it is fear aggression, dominance, etc.) and you are on your way to rehabilitating him, and once he is slightly more comfortable with other dogs, a positive training class might be a great thing to look into.

[boxerlover]

Do you have any way of knowing where these people live?
I understand all about canine behavior and their silent language....
but the bottom line is that dog was not on a leash! We have leash laws in the city I live and if some stray dog ever comes around starting trouble.
I know I am not going to be paying any vet bills!

[flyndog]

Rip's definately. There is a "no interaction" rule in my adult obedience group classes. I brief students at the first class (no dogs) and then tell then them if they feel they *must* interact, do it outside! I also have a "no indiscriminate marking" rule so if they do take it outside, any conflict isn't exacerbated. It's neutral territory.
Kit

[boxerlover]

flyndog.....I dont understand your post? "no indiscriminate marking"....what do you mean "no pee'ing in the classroom"?
Since I have just returned to the boards....fill me in? You run a Dog Obedience School?

[sthrnbelle]

It doesn't matter which dog started the fight, the GSD was off leash. And Jake needed veterinary care, not the GSD. Tommyjake, you and your parent's need to check the leash laws in your area. That woman should have to pay for at least half of the vet bills. That is unconscionable, that she just walked off without checking on how your sheltie was. I would be horrified if one of my dogs did something like that, and mine are just boston terriers!