i need help

[hilde]

here is the situation:
i live in a a community of about 30 people and about 5 dogs, depending on the time of year. There have always been people from all over the world and all colours of skin but my dog has always been very racist, also against other black dogs. i moved in to this community last november and just this february he bit his first human, at the ripe old age of nearly 2 years old, it was a freind of mine who has turrets and i know my dog was scared but that is no excuse,,, i threw him on his back straight away and then confined him to my lovers small bedroom for a time. but this didnt seem to effect his long term memory because then one month later he bit another man, the owner of a dog who had fought with my dog and dominated him already many times,
and now, just recently i left him with a friend for 6 days and he has since started growling at the 2 palestinian men living with us which he never did before, i dont know what to do, i dominate and confine him every time he growls let alone snaps but now i am really at a loss, i think i will be asked to move out soon cos his behaviour is becoming so dangerous and scary, all ansers gladly appreciated and tried,,

[greekblue]

Confinement can only make him more aggressive -- you need a professional trainer to work through your dog's problem. Waiting is dangerous, and he has already shown aggression actively (biting) too many times for you to not do something. Please, get professional help for your dog's aggression.

[Cassiepeia]

Can I suggest you stop trying to "dominate" him? You're probably scaring the heck outta him and making him feel insecure. You need to encourage good behaviour, not just punish the bad.

Go back to basic training (sit, stay, down, come etc...). I suggest getting him into an obedience class if at all possible, if it's not possible...do the training at home yourself but do it every day (just 5 mins a day can help).
Reward the good. Remember that he can't learn what's right if you spend all your time only telling him what's wrong. He doesn't understand what you're trying to say with your actions.

We have some great trainers on here so I'll let them go into detail about what you can do, but please do NOT throw your dog onto his back anymore or try to dominate him. He's a part of your family and needs to be treated with respect (this does not mean I want you to treat him like a human child, please don't get that impression). He doesn't see you as another dog, so trying to mimic dog behaviour (if that's what you're trying to do) isn't going to work. He'll just see it as aggression and abuse.

Just so we have as much detail as possible about your dog...
What breed is he?
Is he neutered?
How old is he?
What level of training has he had?
How much socialisation has he been given?

Cass.

[IceyBlueSibes]

Originally Posted by Cassiepeia

Can I suggest you stop trying to "dominate" him? You're probably scaring the heck outta him and making him feel insecure. You need to encourage good behaviour, not just punish the bad.

Go back to basic training (sit, stay, down, come etc...). I suggest getting him into an obedience class if at all possible, if it's not possible...do the training at home yourself but do it every day (just 5 mins a day can help).
Reward the good. Remember that he can't learn what's right if you spend all your time only telling him what's wrong. He doesn't understand what you're trying to say with your actions.

We have some great trainers on here so I'll let them go into detail about what you can do, but please do NOT throw your dog onto his back anymore or try to dominate him. He's a part of your family and needs to be treated with respect (this does not mean I want you to treat him like a human child, please don't get that impression). He doesn't see you as another dog, so trying to mimic dog behaviour (if that's what you're trying to do) isn't going to work. He'll just see it as aggression and abuse.

Just so we have as much detail as possible about your dog...
What breed is he?
Is he neutered?
How old is he?
What level of training has he had?
How much socialisation has he been given?

Cass.

I cannot agree more. Throwing him onto his back is only going to make matters worse. It can also contribute to the biting. He'll associate the presence of people with him being punished like that. Therefor he's going to feel uncomfortable.

Please answer those last few questions Cass has asked. It will give us a little more detail about your dog, and then we can help suggest ways to solve it. But it sounds to me you really need to start training him some more. Even though he "knows his basic commands" already, it shouldn't stop there. Training needs to continue for the life of the dog, whether he knows the commands or not.

I also have to agree with greekblue about confinement. You can't just keep him away from the problem. If you have people over, he needs to be kept on a leash. That person needs to give him some REALLY nice treats (hot dogs, cheese, chicken, anything that he loves). He needs to realize that people are nice. Socialization sounds like it needs to be brought back into the picture. But we can't really go into greater detail if we don't know certain things.

OH, and I also wanted to point out that dogs are not racist. Dogs cannot differentiate "races". Their minds are not set up to think that way. Sure, they can notice a difference in the color of skin, but that's the only thing they are really reacting to is the difference in color. Not the race.

[hilde]

ok so he is a mongrel, but the owner of the mother said that the father was a pyrenees mastiff and the mother looked something like a skinnier labrador, he is balck and very hairy so i believe he is a mountain type dog with a nice freindly square face.
no he is not neutered because i never had problems before moving here. (the city) but since all of this i have been considering it but then getting such differnt opinions on neuturing.
he turned 2 in april
his training has been stimulating enough and it is quite constant, he is not an incredibly clever dog but he loves to play and is pretty good with all the basic ****,
Because i now live in a city he knows to not cross the street unless i am beside him, he knows now not to eat everything he finds, he comes pretty much all the time he is called, he loves playing with other dogs, he loves to cycle with me and is again very obedient about the roads etc. he will stay without being attached for an indefinte amount of time outside shops etc. i normally dont have a lead and he stays to heel, but since this last episode i have had him on the lead even in the house, he is a pretty well behaved dog with most things, and i dont know how much more socialization i can give him seeing as we are everyday in a huge park with all the other dogs and we live in a house of 30 people, i live in a squat to be exact so its this whole house that should be his family, communal kitchen bathroom living roóm etc constant flow of people. we also live with a rat who runs everywhere, adn in whom he is very interested of course but so far, since february, they have just been freinds not dinner plates.
he was the dominant pup of his litter and the mothers owner really hated him because he was always whining, but with me he is really not barker,,
it was from a girl that i live with that i got the idea to dominate him more, because she said i wasnt strict enough with him, so i just dont know what to do, i agree completly that the only way they learn is by praise of the good, but when he is good with most other things and this is the only problem he has i dont know how to deal with it, he is a very loving dog and has even come to trust kids with whom he was scared of at first. some more detailed advice would be great. thank you so much for the so far quick responses.
i must stress again that i live in a squat, and it really is with the darker skinned guys that he has always had a problem with even though it is them who give him the most treats and stuff, i just dont know....

[IceyBlueSibes]

Ok, from what I have seen of the pyrenean mastiff, is that they are a working breed. Bred to protect livestock and property. So, you do have a dog that is likely to be protective.

Is there a reason you have left him intact?
IMO, it sounds as though he has hit maturity. If he's only showing it towards males, he may be asserting his "dominance" towards them. If it were me, I'd have him neutered asap. This may help with your problems. But it's not a guarantee to cure it.

If your friend pointed out you are not strict enough, did she tell you just exactly what you are not strict about? Do you allow him to be pushy with you (i.e. pushy for attention, pushy for play time, etc).

The times he bit these people... what was going on? Was it "out of no where"? Tell us what was going on/what happened for both instances.

You say he's not a very clever dog.. what makes you think so?

I think my first suggestion, as I said before, is to have him neutered. I think he has hit maturity and has a lot of testosterone running through his system. Did he live with a bunch of males before this? Or was it sudden?

How much exercise does he get a week? I'm not talking about playing games at home or in the backyard. I mean like actual physical AND mental exercise... a nice long walk, a walk that is "structured" (doing simple commands along the way)? If you are going to own a dog that was intended for work, he needs to be stimulated daily.

[hilde]

ok he gets a good 10km cycle at least twice a week and we try to get to the park which is a 10minute cycle away every day. cycling is good cos its fast and he has to be on his toes listening to my every command within a hairs breadth of a second, we also play every evening in the small park close to the house so he stays alert with playing commands
up untill just before leaving for the six days he had bitten only men, 2 to be exact adn they were both with a 'good' dog reason that i could see, the guy with turrets came into my lovers tiny room and had a fit and my dog thought he was attacking, the other guy came to my room and i know that my dog was protecting me cos there was bad tension between me and this guy, but then just beofre going away a very big(2 meter high) girl came into the tiny room and tried to get passed him and she sortof kicked him outof the way(it was this girl who told me to dominate him more) and he bit her. that makes sense to me i tihnk i would also bite someone who came into MY room and then kicked me, but it doesnt make it ok. but now since coming back from the 6 days he has a big problem with the palestinian guys and barks(which is not normal) and raises his hackles,
today is a holiday in austria so tomorow i go to the vets to make a date for neutering and hope this changes sometihng, i dunnno if this is an american or european site but i know in europe we dont neuter all dogs, unless there is a problem and for this i didnt neuter him, it is not too old at 2 years?
thank you so much
i will keep posted about this and see if the neutering helps and maybe teach him some more commands, i know that he needs lots of stimulation,

[hilde]

oh iforgot , his intelligence is average, but i live with some dogs that are super quick to learn things and me and my lover have worked with them adn we both agree that my dog is not as quick as them but can learn most things with time, just more time than most other dogs, we both also think he is abit blind and a bit hard of hearing, he is just in general a bit slower than most of the dogs
also she said i needed to be more strict about the biting thing,
i tihnk he knows that i am alpha and doesnt try too much my attention, so i dont think he is pushy with me, when i leave him with my lover i know that he is spoiled, sleeping on the bed, lots of treats, and stuff, but he knows not to try anything like that when i am there, but just now i passed the 2 meter high girls boyfreind who has 2 older dogs and one of them bit the *** of my dog and then the guy did sometihng that made the dog yelp so im not so sure i trust the 2 meter high girls opinion when her boyfreind treats his dogs like that.
tomorow we will try the vets, thanks

[IceyBlueSibes]

Well, I'd have to say I cannot blame him for the reasons he bit. As I said, he's a guardian breed and if the man with terrets had a "fit", to him it probably looked like a threat and he did what he thought was appropriate. The girl kicking him, I agree that I'd probably bite someone if they did that too!

Sounds like you have a good idea about him though. Even though those instances were not his fault (actually, a bite is really never a dogs fault), it still doesn't make it right and he needs to learn to behave properly during those times.

Was the man with turrets palestinian?

I'd probably start socializing him more with pal men. If he starts to bark/growl, interupt him. Using a simple cue such as "Ah-ah!" or a "Hey!". If he turns his attention towards you for any second what so ever, praise him. Make him focus on YOU and not what he dislikes. Do you have any word that gets his attention quickly? When you call his name, does he look at you?

ANY time you notice him behaving politely around people he normally doesn't, he should be rewarded lavishly.

It sounds to me he is too focused on protecting you, which brings us back to the maturity. It's okay for him to be alert, and aware of what is going on, but you need to teach him what's acceptable.

Try doing exercises that keep him focused on you. If you go up to someone to talk, make him sit and have him stay there. Reward him for sitting calmly. Any growls, "Ah-ah!" (or whichever word you use to get his attention), and once he directs his attention away from "the problem" reward him.

This is an american site. We advocate spay/neutering not only for the health and well being of the dog, but also because america has a huge pet over population. I don't know how it is in Europe either. But I wasn't telling you to neuter because of the over-pop. problem. More-so because I have seen that some dogs may become a little more pushy when they are still intact. Like I said, it may not completely solve the problem and it may not help at all. But I think either way, it will still benefit you guys in the long run.

It's really never too old to neuter a dog unless your vet tells you it is due to seniority or a health problem. But dogs really are not consider seniors until about 7 years (give or take a few years depending on the breed) and even then some can still be neutered. It's the ones who are REALLY up there in age that it can become risky.

Teaching him more commands will excellent. Even if it is something fun. Such as roll over, or high 5. Any type of mental stimulation can help, particularly for a working breed. If he doesn't have a REAL job to do, then finding ways to let out his energy/frustration is best.

ETA: Just read your other reply.

Have you been able to find something that REALLY gets him going? Something he'll really work for? My Am. staff will work his butt off for his toys. He LOVES toys. So I constantly incorporate his commands when we are playing.

I also forgot to add in my 2 cents about the girl he bit, and she being the one who told you that you are not strict enough. I think she may have told you that all because she got bit. It IS true however, that it's not appropriate for him to do that. If that guy did something to make his dog yelp, then I don't think I'd listen much to them. Physically trying to "dominate" a dog is only going to make it fear you. It doesn't understand our physical "punishments" when we try to act like dogs. The technique you said you had used before is called the "Alpha roll", which is an extremely dangerous and unnecessary action. We're not dogs, and our dogs know this. Sure, we are part of their pack, but they know we aren't dogs. Spanking is not appropriate either. The only type of physical correction I could ever say I'd use would be a "leash pop" (slight tug of the leash), but only to get the dogs attention. Not like whiping the leash around to "punish" the dog or hurt them.

If your boyfriend is allowing him to be pushy with him (being on the bed when he wants, giving him treats whenever he wants them, etc), that may be why he's acting that way towards other men. I may have misread your sentence, but you say at the end "he knows not to try that stuff with me". Well, don't let him try it with your boyfriend either. He's a dog. He's below you guys on the "hierarchy". You and your boyfriend are the leaders, and he is the follower. As with any human he needs to see this.

[hilde]

thanks i was really panicking since i came back, your advice has been gratefully received and put into practice even through the time of writing on this site, no the guy with turrets was not palestinian he is austrian, my boyfreind knows he spoils him but i dont have any plans to leave them alone in the next while anyway so next time they are togther i will be strict with the both of them,,, i am at a fault for having let it happen the first time without searching for an answer but hopefully its not too late, you have been realy calming through this screen, thanks again
and i will write in a week or so to let you know how it is with him

[IceyBlueSibes]

Not a problem. I'm glad I could help.

I just wanted to also let you know that you shouldn't restrict all of the attention you give your dog. Just don't let him be pushy -- as you said he isn't. But explain to your boyfriend that he needs to be firm with as well. It shouldn't be just you.

It just sounds like he needs a little more mental stimulation, and a bit more guidance as far as his protective instincts go.

I hope all goes well. If you ever have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask us. We're here to help.