Newbie Worried about Rescue Dog

[heatherryan24]

Hello all. This is sort of long, but, I appreciate anyone who can take the time to read it.

I recently rescued a dog named Angel. Shes an absolute doll but she has recently become aggressive with other dogs. Her story is below and I would appreciate any input anyone might have. Thank you...

Angel is a mixed breed. She appears to have some German Shepard in her although she is only about 40 lbs. She was rescued from a junkyard by a local rescue group. She was eating a dead squirrel and led the rescuers to her puppies which were under a dumpster. From the shape she was in (matted, really skinny, very, very scared of men) - she was probably wild for part of her life if not all. She came home with us in order to let her pups ween. Though I was only supposed to be her foster home, I fell in love with her and ended up adopting her. In the meantime, her puppies were adopted out.

She is the most wonderful, loving dog, even maybe overly docile. However, she likes to go after dogs that are weaker or smaller than her or dogs that she senses fear from. I assume she has the pack mentality and is acting out what she learned in the past and asserting her dominance in the dog hierarchy.

I am very attached to the dog, but my boyfriend, whom I live with, is really upset about the possibility of a lawsuit. My feeling is that when you adopt a dog, you keep it for life. I'm sure she is mentally scarred from whatever went on in her past, but, I want to try and work through that with her.

Any suggestions on how I should go about doing that??? Do I consult a dog behavioral specialist?

Thanks,
Heather

[calgal]

Hi there, and welcome to GP. Bless your heart for taking this girl in and showing her love and kindness. I'm sure she's never had it. Having a behavorial expert come in is a very good idea. I think she is just doing what she has always done, and that is to protect her pups and now you. It sounds like a behavior that can be easily corrected. Keep us up on her progress.

[rmci]

Originally Posted by heatherryan24

I recently rescued a dog named Angel. Shes an absolute doll but she has recently become aggressive with other dogs. Her story is below and I would appreciate any input anyone might have. Thank you...

Could you provide an example on how she acts agressive towards other dogs? It may not be that she's trying to be a "pack leader". She may just be scared because she wasn't properly socialized as a puppy- Fight or Flight

[Carrie]

I suspect that she did have love and socialization with people in her past or she'd be much more fearful. The dog aggression may be due to a lack of socialization with dogs and her having to fend for herself. A behaviorist may be able to help. A program of desensatization....counter conditioning may help but it is difficult when this has gone on for so long. Perhaps too, you will just have to keep her away from other dogs unless there is one or two which she may end up getting along with.

I think that you are great to take this dog in and that you have the right attitude and heart....that a dog is for life, just like a child. If they don't turn out perfect in every way, you don't just get rid of them. If I had a boyfriend who didn't like my dogs or thought they were a nuisance, I'd lose him before I'd get rid of my dogs. LOL. (seriously)

Good luck. Let us know how things go.

[mulroony]

The first step is to accept the fact that you might not be able to ever have your dog be friendly w/ other dogs. This does not mean she cannot ever be around other dogs, but this will take lots of time and work w/ a behaviorist/trainer. I would try to find a really good trainer in your area that would be willing to work with you. It might not be cheap, but if you do think there is a possibility of a lawsuit situation it would be much cheaper to pay for a trainer then a lawsuit.

In the mean time there are things you can do like making sure the dog is properly contained, making sure you have strong, well made collar and leads. (I have come to love martingale collars b/c no matter how much the dog pulls it makes it harder for them to slip out of the collar)

[sammy]

I agree with what most of the others have said. Your dog obviously wasn't socialised with other dogs. She may have even had some scary experiences where she had to protect and defend herself or her food from other dogs.
Consulting a behaviorist is a good idea. Reading some good books that cover dog behavior and socialisation, how to deal with an unsocialised dog would be great too. The more you know and understand the better you time will be spent with the behaviorist. I personally don't want to spend $75/hr to have someone tell me something I can read for myself if possible.(been there done that ) I like www.dogwise.com because it lets you search by subject, title or author and it also lets you see/read the first couple of pages of the first two chapters of books you're interested in so you know if it's a book you'll like before you buy it.
A group obedience class would be good too as it lets your dog get used to other dogs being near her in a controlled setting where the dogs are working, focused on their owners.
Your dog may never be a dog who is suitable to go to an off leash park and play with a bunch of strange dogs, lots of dogs aren't, but I bet you'll be able to get him to be ok around dogs he knows well.
I'm not sure why you'd have a lawsuit. If your dog isn't good without dogs she should be kept on leash when there are oher dogs around. If you do that I can't see any problem?

[flyndog]

I agree that the more you educate yourself, the better. But at $75/hour (and up), qualified behaviorists and consultants do more than just "talk"! Unfortunately, when it comes to dog behavior, everybody's an expert - grandparents, the neighbors, veterinarians, groomers, and salespeople in pet stores. By the time a real expert shows up, for many families, they are just another person with a point of view.

BTW, welcome to GlobalPaw.