Bullmastiff aggression

[crhbullmastiff]

About a week ago, my bullmastiff bit my fiance, who ended up getting 4 stiches. I hate to think that my dog is aggressive but I am slowly coming to the realization that he is. He is soooo wonderful with me, but very territorial. Well, my fiance wanted to put him down. Right! That's not going to happen, so instead...he went and bought a shock collar--which I am not very happy about. Turner, my dog which is 3yrs old, is aggressive with his food, growls when he is laying in bed with me, and growls when you walk by him while he is playing with his toys. At this point, I would try anything to make sure that he dosen't bite again (or else the human society will put him down). Since the purchase of this shock collar, I've noticed that he is scared to eat his food and when I call him to come on the bed, he seems scared and will jump off after 5 minutes. I really don't know what to do. How can I break this dog of aggression without making him think that everyday adventures or necessities are fine, just the growling part isn't. This is our first dog, and granted there are a lot of things that I wish I would have done different when he was a puppy that could have changed his behavior today. But, the past is the past and now I need to correct the issues at hand. Can someone please help???

Thank you in advance

[shandoggy1]

Okay first off is he fixed? Have you had him before you and you fiance were together? And what about when you have children someday. If he is biting adults then I wouldn't trust him with kids. I would find a good behaviorist to start.

[Mom2Many]

Don't lose hope, there is still lots you can do about this particular type of guarding behavior. I will let the experts give you advice though but I would definetly start some NILF training, do a search on the internet to get the basic ideas for this training, it works wonders!

[shandoggy1]

Also if he is that dominant and aggressive with certain things, I would not ever let him on your bed again!!!

[Kade]

Well, I'm against shock collars to begin with. In my opinion, they cause more aggression, not less.

As for your dog's new behaviors, it probably stems from the question, "When are you shocking him?" You may think you're being consistent, but chances are that the dog has no idea why he's being shocked.

For instance, if he growls when you walk by while he's eating, and you shock him, he's probably going to think he's in trouble for eating. If he's on the bed and growls when your fiance comes to the bedroom, and gets shocked, he's probably assuming he was shocked for being on the bed. Especially if there is any lapse in time between when he does the unwanted behavior and when the shock is administered.

I urge you strongly to ditch the shock collar and seek the help of a behaviorist. Your dog behaving protectively of you is just what a Bullmastiff has been bred to do! And here comes a strange man, touching you and blocking his access to you, sleeping on the bed with you, eating with you, leaving with you -- naturally, if the dog sees himself as your pack leader (and you as "his"), he's going to resent the intrusion and possibly act out against it.

The pain of the shock, coupled with whatever aggression/frustration the dog feels when he is provoked to growl, is only going to make the situation more stressful and prompt more severe reactions in the future. It adds up in layers, all reaching toward a dog's "breaking point" -- which sometimes seems to come out of nowhere, but is actually a combination of very real factors leading up to the act.

Just because you didn't do certain things as a puppy doesn't mean you can't start the rehabilitation process now. In six months, your dog will either be the same, or worse, or better. Why not take steps to make him better?

I truly believe that the help of a behaviorist will open your eyes to some very effective ways to curb your dog's apparent aggression. And your fiance should be there, too.

(And I definitely agree with Shandoggy, no more sleeping on the bed!)

[crhbullmastiff]

My fiance and I got the dog together and he is fixed. The dog that is. I agree, the shock collar is terrible and I do feel that it will only worsen the issues that I am having. How can I tell that to someone (fiance) who is just as stubborn as the dog? I honestly think that the dog bit finace because he is so scared of him. As soon as he went for his hand, he took off running. Fiance keeps bringing up, "the dog bit me! If he's staying with us, these are the conditions that the dog will have to live with". I can't live without this dog and fiance is pretty adimint about not taking him to a trainer.

[mandismutts]

Does your Fiance even like the dog? It doesnt seem that way. It seems like he wants the dog gone and doesn't care about giving the poor thing a chance. We have a rescued pitbull who used to fight, he will kill another dog if he see's it, and doesnt like men. He also gets rough with my b/f when they are just playing and has tried to hurt him. We keep him muzzled throughout parts of the day and it seems to help. He loves me, just cant stand men. Did you have this dog as a puppy..or have you recently gotten him..perhaps he has been abused by a man previously and thus the reason for his anger towards your fiance. I wouldnt give up on him. Maybe you can sign him up for training? Good luck

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

Originally Posted by crhbullmastiff

My fiance and I got the dog together and he is fixed. The dog that is. I agree, the shock collar is terrible and I do feel that it will only worsen the issues that I am having. How can I tell that to someone (fiance) who is just as stubborn as the dog? I honestly think that the dog bit finace because he is so scared of him. As soon as he went for his hand, he took off running. Fiance keeps bringing up, "the dog bit me! If he's staying with us, these are the conditions that the dog will have to live with". I can't live without this dog and fiance is pretty adimint about not taking him to a trainer.

I'm glad you decided to post. I'll let the others talk with you about this and hope that Flyndog also get the chance to post on this too along with everyone elses great advice.

I stick with my original thoughts that I discussed with you when we spoke before. If your fiance isn't willing to change the way he thinks about the issue and be open minded then the dog needs to be rehomed before someone gets bit again.

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

I think its also very important to let everyone know the circumstances leading up to the bite in order to get good advice.

[crhbullmastiff]

fiance liked the dog. He never thought the dog would bite him, but he finally did. To him, the dog is just a dog. To me, he's my kid---the dog depends on me. I do think that the dog thinks that he runs the place because we haven't been consistent with training. We honestly thought that he was a well behaved dog and that the training process was over. We had no idea that we had to continue working with him. Apparently, our lack of knowledge about dogs, caught up with us. It's our first dog, he's big, and now are hands are tied. By the way, thank you all for the advice. I'm just lost for words. I love this dog sooo much.

[crhbullmastiff]

as crossfire has mentioned---fiance is a teaser.

[Chelsea]

I have a tip: Don't let him on the bed anymore. If you don't allow him on the bed, he'll slowly get the idea that he's not the one in charge. Some dogs are fine sleeping on their owner's bed. Others can get it in their heads that, since they're up there with the "alpha", they rank the same on the dominance latter. I've known people who've had their dogs sleep with them their whole lives and one day wake up to a dog sitting on top of them and growling whenever they move - very scary. So, if he's beginning to show aggression on the bed, I wouldn't allow him up there anymore.

[Jamilupine]

So, it sounds to me like your fiance isn't willing right now to help you with this problem. I think that, while the dog is a problem, so is your fiance. What I mean is that in order for the dog to get the proper training EVERYONE in the house needs to be on the same page, or nothing will change. Talk with your fiance, perhaps arrange to try the shock collar for a period of time (I think it won't help much, I don't like them much) and then try a positive methods trainer. See if the two of you can read and implement NILF training TOGEHTER, take the dog to obedience classes TOGETHER. You both need to be on the same page while raising this dog and it is REALLY good training for kids. The first few weeks my fiance and I had our dog we got into quite a few arguments regarding how we were going to train her, but things mellowed out some as we both made some sacrifices and actually LISTENED to what the other person was saying.

Bottom line, in order to re-train this dog your fiance needs to think the methods are going to work so that he will be part of the training. Find some success stories for him to read or listen to. Work with your fiance to determine the best way to handle this situation. Good luck. If he really isn't willing to try some positive training methods I would strongly consider re-homing the dog, as sad as that may be for you, it might be in the best interest of the dog. Think about it a little...

I feel for you, how frustrating. My cat HATES my fiance, but luckily the cat doesn't do as much harm as a dog. (and even just me saying the cat's name makes the cat tolerate Justin for a few minutes.)

Good luck!

[APBTs2005]

dump the shock collar, keep him off the bed....and dont give him food or toys around anyone but u. Make sure to tell ur fiance to not fear the dog, and maybe walk him around the block once a day, every day (with u). Learn to respect the dog...good luck....(i got these of a dog show)

[elegy]

you really really need to find in-person help with this problem. seriously. a dog this large who is willing to put his teeth on you is dangerous.