dog aggression

First of all, I'd like to say hi! We recently adopted Saki from the Northeast Shiba Rescue, and she is our first Shiba.

We were wondering if anyone has had problems with their Shiba showing aggression towards other dogs. My shiba gets VERY excited when she sees other dogs and when I let her near them she begins to sniff them and then growl. She hasn't actually tried to bite, but the growling and lunging are worrisome. Some dogs don't care and just walk away but other dogs don't take this well and go to attack. Does anyone know of any trainers/programs that are good in the city?

We have the same issue (see ther personality shift message boards posted earlier) for advice on this topic. We are trying a trainer tomorrow (Rikke from Biscuits and Bath) and I will keeo you posted on any tips she passes along.

I was just reading a very similiar story about Oprah Winfrey's dog- Sophie who also use to lunge and go into attack mode. Here is Cesar Millan (The Dog Whisperer) helping Oprah with the issue. It's also in his book, Cesar's Way. I'm in the middle of the book and find it very interesting and helpful. Hope the story helps you too.

The book explains more in depth than the clip. Cesar is telling Oprah to approach Sophie differently. Oprah needs to become a "pack leader", and not the mother of Sophie anymore. So when a situation arises, she shouldn't become anxious, shout "no", or become excited. She should stay confident, calm like a "pack leader", and talk in a calm voice such as "leave it" and pulls the leash to keep moving in a good pace. Some advice in the book said to take control when Sophie is on a walk. Even simple things like- Oprah should make the decision of which direction to walk instead of Sophie taking Oprah on a walk! And Oprah should step outside BEFORE Sophie. But the most important thing Cesar stressed is the energy the pack leader should exuberate- be calm, calm voice, confident motion, Sophie should look to Oprah to know what to do in a situation.

I hope this makes sense, read Cesar's Way. I think you'll find it very helpful! My shiba Ryu is near his "terrible twos" year old birthday, some shibas change in personality then. So I'm looking for advice from Cesar as well =)

Hi Cynthia and Gabe,

I got an email yesterday from a breeder in NC that saw your email on a mailing list (probably the yahoo group?) and she emailed me asking for info on trainers in NYC. Then I saw your post here and asked her if she was talking about Saki and she thought I was psychic or something! LOL

Anyway, I'm glad you joined the meetup group to get some help with Saki! There are a couple things you need to be aware of. First, all dogs are more aggressive with other dogs when they are on leash than they are when they are off. Because they are restrained, they feel vulnerable so they are protective of themselves (and you possibly). Point being, don't be TOO stressed that Saki growls and lunges at dogs when she's on leash. It isn't an absolute indicator that she is dog agressive. Secondly, Shibas are scrappy dogs and many of them are NEVER friendly with new dogs.

As an example, my guy, Snickers, is an angel with his select friends. He plays, wrestles, rough houses, plays chase, etc. Sometimes he'll play like that with a new dog after a few minutes of sniffing and posturing, but only if he's off leash when he meets the other dog (like in a run or at a meetup). However at least 80% of the time he meets a new dog when he's on leash, he gets snarly. I can tell you when it is more likely to happen too... (1) when the other dog RUNS up uninvited and (2) when the other dog is a puppy.

I can recommend a couple good trainers, but what I REALLY recommend is a behaviorist. (I know a great one.) She could spend time with Saki and give you an idea WHY she's being aggressive and then you'll be able to address the problem more effectively. I'd also recommend as much socializing off leash as possible. Well, if it is safe. You might need to work with Saki some before turning her loose in a run with other dogs. It depends on the severity of the problem.

Also important is to learn how to communicate calming signals to Saki when she's on lead. My guess is that now you are tensing up when another dogs approaches Saki. Saki can feel that through the leash. It can make her MORE nervous and more likely to be protective. We think of our dogs as protectors, but really they are conditioned that WE are the leader, therefore they expect us to protect them. If she feels that you are nervous or worried, she will be worried that you can't protect her and she will try extra hard to protect you both.

Um, was that too much information? :)

If you want to meet with the behaviorist, email me and I will send you her phone number.

Jenna & Snickers
nycgadgetgirl.com/jg/

Before you try any Dog Whisperer tricks at home, consult a behavior specialist. Each dog is different and you should make sure you are using the right technique for your dog. We actually saw a woman today (Rikke at Biscuits and Bath) about Tiki's leash aggression and had a chance to implement the behavior modification tols she taught us this afternoon. for Tiki, talking happy and not pulling at the leash did not work. He likes the adreniline response of getting all excited and snarling (although the trainer did tell us that if he really wanted to bite, he would have, so at least the snarling and lunging is more postering then anything else). Anyway, we were instucted to carry treats and give them to tiki continiously when he saw a dog and take them away when the dog passed. This is so he eventually associates another dog onthe street with treats and will look to me for permission before going to other dogs. she also gave us a bunch of other tips. We tried them tonght and, for the first time in a long time, there was no leash aggression. Not sure if it will work long term, but it was a great start.

My shiba goes wild when he sees other dogs. he screams and jumps, and no one can pass the house with a dog. he goes wild. we had taken him to obedience training. he was one of 12 dogs, who met for 7 weeks.I can say that there for the first 10 mins or so, he screamed and went wild. then he calmed down alot around the dogs. by the time he graduated my husband and i thought he got over it, but the same stuff happened once we got him home. Maybe its territorial. I still love him, hes the best.

I'm really glad to know that my shiba isn't the only "delinquent". I've shied away so long from the meet ups because he doesn't interact well with the other shibas. I don't want to show up with him, turn him loose and see what he does. I certainly wouldn't want him to harm anyone's dog -- or be harmed. We're atttended 3 set of classes (2 were puppy and 1 obedience) and overall he's behave - but certain dogs seem to set him off. I also watch the dog whisperer and although everything he says doesn't apply to my boy some of his points are valid. I'm not in a position to hire a personal trainer (they cost more than private math tutors) so I guess I can only enjoy my boy's company within the family setting. He wears his bandanna though and anyone that asks I tell them about this marvelous group of Shiba folks.

My shiba Phoenix is 10 months old...and LOVES other dogs...He goes crazy and cries to be near them...However his sister Luna (another shiba that my friend has) became a little agressive towards my other firends pit bull...She did not like him, or just didn't like him being inher brothers home...So thats the first and only time i have seen a shiba be agressive toward another dog

Thanks for the advice. We tried the continuous treating thing when we passed by dogs, but Saki becomes so fixated that she completely ignores the treats - and we made sure to bring the ones that she loves! She even fixates at dogs that are easily several blocks away, and will sit or stand "at attention" until they move out of her line of sight...