Hi all,

First post on the site. I'm a very proud owner of a Black lab, about 18months old. We've had her since she was between 8 & 12 weeks, maybe a bit more I can't think off the top of my head now.

She's been a fantastic pet, always great with kids and up to recently always good with other dogs to. We let her through her first heat, and then had her neutered and she was great after it. Until recently she never showed much of an aggressive streak, except when eating (She always eats like its the first food she's gotten in weeks!).

In the last couple of months there has been a small change with it. She gotten into 3 very vicious fights with my brother's golden lab. This lab is a few years older and has been around a good 12 months before mine. It happened 3 times, all while my brothers kids were around them. Each time it was the golden lab who attacked first and my lab( Her name is Sammy ) was just defending herself . The oddest thing is they are usually BFF's except for the odd death-match they seem to have.

We also rent out a holiday cottage next door and have begun to allow people bring their pets with them. Twice now guests have brought dogs with them, and each time Sammy has gone for them nearly as soon as she has seen them. If we hadn't restrained her it looked like she would have torn them to shreds, and both dogs were much smaller than her, one a Jack Russell.

But the biggest problem has started this week. We live in a rural area on a country road, and regularly our neighbours will go for walks passing our house. One of which is quite elderly, in her 90's, and used to carry a stick with her. Before the stick was brought for the sole purpose of hitting any dogs that came out to her, but now she was taken to carrying an umbrella that is used more for support than anything else. Earlier on this week my brother said that he saw Sammy barking viciously at this women, hair standing on her back, and said she would have attacked only for him being there. Something similar happened yesterday with this woman's daughter, who again was carrying a stick with the same intention her mother used to have.

Personally I think the dog is scared and defending herself like anyone would do if they saw someone coming at them with a stick. But that's not much of a defence if she bites someone while they pass. I bought what was the most humane muzzle I could find today, but I know that is only a temporary solution. Is there anything I can do with her to calm this aggressive streak she has developed? Is there anything in particular that would bring out this streak, or is it just something that is inherited by her? I'm presuming not but does diet affect this in any way?

Any and all suggestions would be welcome. I think I've given as much info as I can, if anyone needs any bit more just let me know and I'll pass it on.

Thanks in advance
John

OK, so sounds like your girl faces a few problems :

1) Guarding beligerence from the GR around the kids
2) Aggressive anti-dog beligerence from certain walkers

You need to protect her from trouble in first instance, so it cannot escalate. That means not putting her in the situations where ppl (or dog) will attack her.

It is unfair, because most likely if the walker was "friendly" your dog would like her, but that's not the situation, so protect your dog by preventing the meet, and if supervised and you see the "bandits" maintain your dogs comfort threshold with hope that the tension will relax.

Perhaps you should consider consulting a behavioural expert who can observe (impartially) the situation, the sticky thread has info on CABT-COAPE and ADPT pro's who may be qualified.

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Encouraging good behaviours, whilst consistently avoiding practise of bad alternatives leads to extinction of the bad. So if dog sits 6/10 times it doesn't sit 4/10 times, encouraging with the right rewards (positively-reinforcing) enough for 9/10 times means it now fails to sit only 1/10 times, sit 10/10 means...

I have to agree with Rob. The initial attack from the golden lab has, in my opinion, made her nervous of all dogs, so in her mind her best defence is an offence. Is she the same out walking when she meets another dog, or was it only dog's next door? Sometimes if a dog is in an adjoining garden, your dog might see it as being on their territory.

As to the old woman, if she came along with a stick intending to hit my dogs, she would not have made it to 90. What horrible women! The dog senses what people are feeling and I imagine she is scared.

Make sure she is never in the situation where she can aggress. And get a hose pipe ready to spray the two bitches if they attack your dog

In case anyone complains, the last line was not intended as serious advice, though I would most certainly be tempted!

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If you don`t protect your dog she has to protect herself. She hasn`t done anything you personally would not have done after all. If someone attacked you, would you trust them next time you met them?
I would sign up for training classes and try to rebuild her trust.

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