Hi, I have just got a two year old bedlington terrier. He's VERY aggressive towards other dogs and barks constantly at them. He's hardly been out walks before we got him so that would explain it all, he is out walking all the time now and i have bought a muzzle for him. However, the muzzle isnt working he just jump around silly with it on when he sees another dog. Is there anything else that can make him stop being so aggressive and barking all the time? Ive considered training & obedience classes but they are pretty expensive, too expensive for us at the moment.

Thanks

Did you muzzle train him at all or just stick it on and go for a walk? Muzzle training to get them to accept it takes time.

I think you REALLY need classes, or a good book. This is something that you can not train out over night.

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Why do you believe it is aggression?

Could it not be frustration?

Are you sure it is true aggression and not over excitement and frustration because he wants to greet and play?

The reason I ask is because from your post, the behaviour you have described is how my friend’s dog acts and it is pure frustration and over excitement because he wants to greet and play with other dogs. This dog is perfectly fine with other dogs when he is off lead.

If you think it is aggression, please can you provide further details i.e. body language, any snarling, growling, etc?

He definately doesnt want to play, once the clip on his lead broke off when he was pulling when he seen another dog and he just went right for it, luckily enough i was quick in catching him! he was trying to attack the other dog.

Okay, in that case it probably is aggression. I know you said from your post you can’t afford training classes but I think that is what the dogs needs. He needs to be socialised with other dogs in a controlled manner and you will only achieve this if you take him to training classes or have a one to one trainer.

I think you should definitely keep the muzzle on your dog just to prevent any mishaps with other dogs bounding up to yours.

HTH and please keep us updated.

Good luck finding a training class that will let you in- my dog makes similar noise, lunges etc, except his is frustration/lack of socialisation and every class near me says "these classes are only for dogs who are good with other dogs/people" not overly useful.

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Do you know a group of people, who walk their dogs, so you can use the situation to get him used to other dogs. I'e. from a distance and under control.

if he has no history of having BITTEN another dog, or ATTACKED another dog, labeling him dog-aggro
is a bit premature, IMO & IME - he's dog-reactive, yes, but i would not say 'aggressive' -
yet.

- he's a Bedlington; sadly, terrierrrrists as a group are THE most-aggro group of breeds, & Beddies are worse
than some others - quite notorious for dog-reactive or dog-aggro behavior, depending on the symptoms.

- U don't mention if he's neutered; if he's intact, that's the first thing i'd suggest. It's not a magic bullet,
but it does reduce aggro somewhat & makes B-Mod easier & more effective.


- he's been seriously under-socialized, which is unfortunate but not permanent. He needs B-Mod,
which is not anywhere near as simple as training [teaching manners & cued-behaviors], so a DIY program
will be difficult, time-consuming, & require considerable work on Ur part. Are U prepared to do this?

the help of an experienced REWARD-based trainer with credentials - not a 'whisperer'-wannabe, nor franchise
trainer ['listener', Bark-Bluster, etc], but an assessed member of the APDT-uk at the very minimum, would speed
the process of B-Mod considerably, & need not break the bank: a few 1-to-1 sessions with WRITTEN protocols,
with some e-mail support in-between fortnightly appointments, could really make a huge difference.

if U are determined to fly solo, U have a big learning-curve ahead - he must be kept UNDER THRESHOLD
when in the presence of other dogs, meaning aware of them but at sufficient distance to Not React.
U need to learn his earliest signs of beginning-arousal, so that BEFORE he begins to react, U see those & make
judicious changes to reduce his arousal/ increase the distance / decrease the stimulation.

the presence of other dogs, additionally, needs to predict "good things will start now" -
this is straightforward counter-conditioning, making a formerly-bad or scary or hyper-arousing trigger
into an ordinary or acceptable, or even happy thing. Changing their emotional response changes their behavior.


for a DIY process, i'd suggest 4 things:
- calmatives: see post #22 of the Dog Body-language sticky for What,
How, When, etc; they are all OTC/no Rx, all safe, no dosage worries.
i'd suggest a minimum of 3: 1 oral, 1 olfactory, & 1 tactile; EX, Rescue-Remedy liquid as described;
DAP pump-spray ditto; & either an Ace-bandage worn a'la T-Touch body-wrap, or a super-snug T-shirt.

- 'how-to' instructions:
the book 'Click to Calm' - it has detailed, safe, step-by-step protocols. Also the website,
K9aggression.com by DVM Overall - more protocols, including RELAXATION & DEFERENCE.

- a Calming-Cap:
nope, not kidding; it does help - like a horse's fly-mask, it reduces visual-stim & makes anything more than
a few feet away, fuzzy-focused & less distinct. I'd have him wear it around the house for a few days, then
put it on for all trips outside - AND continue to put it on him at home, indoors or in the garden, for short periods
2 or 3 times each week. This prevents the CAP from becoming a 'signal' to get excited.

- loads of patience by the ton, & an attitude of I won't give-up sheer pigheadedness.
U'll need it - terrierrists are thin-skinned, reactive, & vocal. Barking is natural to them, & it's also
a self-rewarding, self-reinforcing behavior; teaching him SPEAK!, then teaching 'hush...' can really help.
BOTH are taught using rewards: rewarding him for hushing by telling him SPEAK! may sound crazy,
but it works.
the only PURPOSE for the muzzle is to prevent him from biting another dog, or a person, & injuring them.
i'd say it's doing the job -

but i certainly HOPE the muzzle in question is a box-muzzle,
properly fitted, not a bloody #$%@! tube-muzzles or a mesh-cone as used by groomers?
THose are downright dangerous, they DO NOT allow the dog to pant freely, which dogs must be able to do
at all times: a dog's temp-regulation depends on a patent airway & free panting, & limiting their ability
to pant can be fatal - with a tube, fabric or mesh muzzle, a dog can swiftly overheat, become nauseous,
VOMIT, choke, & die on the spot - or inhale the vomitus, develop inhalation-pneumonia, & die more expensively
& slowly in a vet-hospital.

the BOX-muzzle should also have a strap over the head, between the eyes & secured to the COLLAR.
this prevents the dog flipping the box-part off their nose, & then assaulting someone while it dangles.

the MUZZLE does not do the B-mod needed to teach him another way to respond to other dogs.
it's only a safety-precaution; we don't know if he's aggro or merely reactive, it may be superfluous.
U must provide the B-Mod to teach him a new response to other dogs - either by hiring a pro to help,
with the aforementioned credentials, or by doing it Urself - which means U must learn a LOT in the next
few months, & consistently apply that learning.
the barking is only a symptom of arousal; we don't know from Ur description if he's reactive, or actually aggro.

B-mod, which requires teaching him new-responses, is the only way to alter his current behavior; how long
it takes depends on the skill of the person doing the B-mod, their success at keeping him UNDER threshold,
their consistency in the process, & how entrenched / practiced / fluent his habitual reaction is to the trigger.

the LONGER he has reacted, the MORE HABITUAL his response, & the MORE-OFTEN he's allowed to react,
practicing the behavior again & again, also influences how long B-Mod will be needed to resolve the behavior.

__________________
terry pride, APDT-Aus, apdt#1827, CVA, TDF
*wolves R wolves, dogs R dogs, + primates R us.*
tmp, sept-2007

If he did not MARK the other dog, then he was not "trying" to attack & injure that dog.
there'd have been, at the very minimum, punctures from teeth - if not torn skin from piercing, then pulling.

if all that was on the other dog was saliva, HE DID NOT intend to injure that dog - as if he had,
HE WOULD HAVE; since he was off-leash & uncontrolled, nothing would have prevented injury.

i'd say he may be * reactive surely, * frustrated possibly, * fearful & undersocialized ["go away!"
is his basic message to other dogs], * highly-aroused by the sight or sound of other dogs... But it appears
he is not necessarily aggressive, as given a perfect opportunity to hurt another dog, he didn't.

__________________
terry pride, APDT-Aus, apdt#1827, CVA, TDF
*wolves R wolves, dogs R dogs, + primates R us.*
tmp, sept-2007