# Barky Dog-Aggressive Terrier!



## AussieBorder (Jul 30, 2012)

I have a 4 year old Border Terrier who has issues around other dogs. He is generally a bit hyperactive (barks loudly when people come to door or walk past house, jumps up at people etc) but loves people and is a very gentle and affectionate dog when in the house. He is good with children and has generally good manners in the house - he knows basic commands sit, stay, wait, lie down etc and leanred these easily from a young age. Basically, when at home he is the perfect dog but when we go out for a walk he turns into a bit of a horror.

If we see another dog when walking on the lead, he will strain until he gets to a certain distance, then bark and lunge. If a dog comes too close to him, he will continue to bark and sometimes bare his teeth. Occasionally, he also barks at people (though doesn't bare teeth at people) particularly if we are walking in the dark and they come too close. We used to let him off the lead in the park when he was younger and his recall was good but he will only come back if there isn't something more interesting around. As he got older, this got worse and worse. If we let him off the lead now and he sees another dog, he will charge at it whilst barking. He can clear the full distance of the park very quickly whilst doing this and we have no control over him as he is soon miles away. This is obviously quite scary for other people he is running at, even though he is only a small dog. We now only let him off the lead when there is nobody else around because we are too afraid to let him off around other dogs. To be honest I'm not even sure what he would do if he caught up to the other dogs, but on the few instances he has in the past, he has barked aggressively and attempted to bite them. This is only exacerbated the problem because now he isnt used to being around other dogs so when he sees them he's worse.

We have now decided that our own stress is quite possibly making this worse. When I see other dogs I tense up and cross the road to avoid them and I think he's picking up on this and is now trying to protect me - does this sound plausible? Our new regime involves giving him half his food in the evening and half throughout the day as reward. When walking him, I ocasionally call his name, wait for him to look at me, then reward. We also stop and sit to cross the road for a reward and if he is quiet when passing someone close by he is rewarded too. I think this is already making a difference and I even managed to walk past a dog yesterday without fuss. This morning though, he went crazy barking at the sight of another dog and I hadn't even noticed it myself until he did.

Does anyone have any practical tips that may help me? Has anyone had a similar problem? And do you think we are making it worse by keeping him on the lead? He does get two good walks a day. It really upsets me when he gets like this because other prople look at him like he's a savage and he's really such a friendly dog the rest of the time! If anyone can help us that would be great. Thanks!


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## dandogman (Dec 19, 2011)

AussieBorder said:


> I have a 4 year old Border Terrier who has issues around other dogs. He is generally a bit hyperactive (*barks loudly when people come to door or walk past house*, jumps up at people etc)
> Typical terrier traits but loves people and is a very gentle and affectionate dog when in the house. He is good with children and has generally good manners in the house - he knows basic commands sit, stay, wait, lie down etc and leanred these easily from a young age. Basically, when at home he is the perfect dog but when we go out for a walk he turns into a bit of a horror.
> 
> If we see another dog when walking on the lead, he will strain until he gets to a certain distance, then bark and lunge. If a dog comes too close to him, he will continue to bark and sometimes bare his teeth. Occasionally, he also barks at people (though doesn't bare teeth at people) particularly if we are walking in the dark and they come too close. We used to let him off the lead in the park when he was younger and his recall was good but he will only come back if there isn't something more interesting around. As he got older, this got worse and worse. If we let him off the lead now and he sees another dog, he will charge at it whilst barking. He can clear the full distance of the park very quickly whilst doing this and we have no control over him as he is soon miles away. This is obviously quite scary for other people he is running at, even though he is only a small dog. We now only let him off the lead when there is nobody else around because we are too afraid to let him off around other dogs. To be honest I'm not even sure what he would do if he caught up to the other dogs, but on the few instances he has in the past, he has barked aggressively and attempted to bite them. This is only exacerbated the problem because now he isnt used to being around other dogs so when he sees them he's worse.
> ...


Get a long line so he can have freedom, but its controlled. I would also recommend you seek expert help! 

Welcome by the way!


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## paddyjulie (May 9, 2009)

seeing a behaviourist may help, they would try and find the root of the problem and start from there, for example it may be fear based


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## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

AussieBorder said:


> I have a 4 year old Border Terrier who has issues around other dogs. He is generally a bit hyperactive (barks loudly when people come to door or walk past house, jumps up at people etc) but loves people and is a very gentle and affectionate dog when in the house. He is good with children and has generally good manners in the house - he knows basic commands sit, stay, wait, lie down etc and leanred these easily from a young age. Basically, when at home he is the perfect dog but when we go out for a walk he turns into a bit of a horror.
> 
> *You need to teach your dog not to bark excessively, jump up at people.
> 
> ...


This is a good way of tackling some of your problems, remember though that learning is not a linear process, and dogs will get worse before they get better as they have a long history of practising a strategy which works and dogs ALWAYS revert to what they first learned.

So expect what we call an "extinction burst" this is where most owners say "I tried x and it did not work"

It is a shame that you cannot enjoy dog ownership because your dog is not behaving in an appropriate way. Hopefully the links will provide you with some tools to use.

I would recommend some 1:1 training with a reputable trainer though to demonstrate.

Here are some possible sources:

There are many dog trainers/training clubs in the UK. Some are independent, some are aligned to a particular body or bodies and some are franchises. Some are KC registered, some are not. There are good, bad and indifferent in all spheres. Whichever trainer/club attracts you, the best course of action is to go and observe a few classes to determine whether or not you agree with their philosophies.

Academy of Dog Training and Behaviour
Welcome to APDT - Association of Pet Dog Trainers UK
The Institute represents trainers and dog handlers in the private sector
Puppy and Dog Training - Clever Dog Company
The Guild of Dog Trainers - Dog Training, Dog Training and Behaviour, Dog Training Courses, Dog Behaviour Courses
Home
List of Accredited Instructors - The Kennel Club
The Kennel Club
Victoria Stilwell Positively | Find a VSPDT Trainer
Puppy training classes, Puppy School is a network of UK schools for training young puppies.

NB some of the best trainers in the UK do not appear in any of the above! 

HTH and gives you some starting points and good luck!


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## AussieBorder (Jul 30, 2012)

Wow, thank you all for your help. 

We won't be letting him off the lead in public places, we are too nervous to do that and if he bit another dog I would be devastated. I don't know if he would or not, but I don't want to take that risk. Even if he doesn't bite, he looks scary when he runs and barks loudly at the same time and it could be quite unnerving for some people especially for children. 

I realise that there isnt a quick fix but we are committed to working on this problem and stop it from getting any worse - hopefully to make it better. Even if we can never put our trust in him off the lead, I would just like to be able to walk him on the lead without him going mad when he sees another dog. It isn't pleasant for us and i'm sure it isn't for him either.

We don't live in the UK, we live in Australia, but I have emailed a bunch of trainers today so will take your advice on the one-to-one training session. I think I'd like someone to come on a walk with us and show us how best to manage him because I'm under no illusions that we aren't part of the problem ourselves. his behaviour has worsened as he has gotten older and there is nothing that has happened to him that would explain this. All that has changed is myself and my partner have become more stressed and anxious about him so i'm trying really hard to remain calm now when I see a dog and to show him that there isn't any need to behave this way. I thikn the stress was coming out in my voice too so when he starts carrying on I just stay silent until he has calmed down. I'm not sure if this will make a difference but we'll see. 

Again, thanks for all your help, i'll be checking out those links you posted. wish me luck


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