Bear didn't react!!

Share your experience and tell us how using positive reinforcement training methods has changed yours and your dogs' lives.

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Shell17
Posts: 58
Joined: Thu May 29, 2014 3:53 pm

Bear didn't react!!

Post by Shell17 »

So obviously it has only been about a week since I've started trying to address bear's fear biting and aggression issues with other dogs, so I think it's unlikely this is due to any work I've done with him but I'm proud of him none the less :) this morning while walking bear and a rescue spaniel whom I walk 4 days a week as a job Bear was off leash in a back wooded area and a three legged dog who I have met previously and seen glimpses of her aggression charged pepper and I (the spaniel) she chased pepper in circles around me terrifying him as she was snapping and growling with her hair on end. I did my best to keep myself/my legs between her and pepper to protect him. (Her owner was a distance away and later claimed it was "play") Bear came racing over and planted himself in front/slightly to the side of me. I was very worried he would engage with '3-legs' as he has had issues with dog aggression and this was a very heated situation. I grabbed his collar in case (though he's a 95 lb dog so if he really wanted to that would not have restrained him) and he seemed to respect my prescense by relaxing slightly and glancing up at me. He was holding a stuff forwards stance and growled slightly at 3-legs who backed off a bit when bear entered the picture. bear remained like that until 3-legs owner arrived at the scene and was able to control her dog. So proud of bear for not engaging!!!!!
ckranz
Posts: 1028
Joined: Thu Sep 11, 2008 12:18 pm
Location: San Diego CA

Re: Bear didn't react!!

Post by ckranz »

Much of dog issues is just plain posturing and certainly may have actually been play. I have seen dogs that growl and snap in play while barking. I would laso be looking at the body posture of 3-legs, though it may be challenging as only having 3-legs may make it difficult to properly assess responses. In genreal though if 3-legs was somewhat bouncy...it was most likely play. When dogs get aggressive they tend to freeze and their eyes go cold.

I do want to ask though if you know your dog has fear biting issues, why would you have him off-leash? I assume this backwood area is not your personal property.
Shell17
Posts: 58
Joined: Thu May 29, 2014 3:53 pm

Re: Bear didn't react!!

Post by Shell17 »

There is very rarely anyone else there and it was very early morning (5:30am) so I wasn't expecting to see anyone so that was my error. It was definitely not play... Three legs was low to the ground and stiff and did actually connect with my leg breaking skin, not a play nip :s
Shell17
Posts: 58
Joined: Thu May 29, 2014 3:53 pm

Re: Bear didn't react!!

Post by Shell17 »

Also the bite was through my pair of jeans...
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