aggression at competition

[maxthestuntdog]

i help train a rescue lurcher (saluki X) who is about 5, neutred at rescue centre and rehomed about 3yrs.No history just found straying on the moors. hH trains for agility and has come along way. the main issue is suddenly going for the handler, this start with his tail going straight up, heel biting and trying to grab hand or arm. if you challange he barks and growls and dances about trying to get you to act like prey. he cannot be grabbed hold of and has to be cornered before he will give in. he hardly shows this behaviour at training anymore but in competition he can either be great and bring home the rosettes or be a complete nightmare for his owner. I understand it has to do with his level of anxiety, the handler relationship with him and his past life. we have tried being calm and quiet, loud and dominating and shouting at him but as this happens at competitions she is a bit stuck as you can be reported for 'harsh' handling if she raises her voice! i have advised her to work on the basics and progress based on your methods and working through the phases to reset her place as boss and get a better relationship but any more advice would be helpful. i have run this dog at comp and had him look at me to start the aggression thing but i am quicker to see him starting his behaviour and he sees me as more of the boss i think as i have never had him bite me so he has not had a prey/subordiate reaction from me as he has had from his owner. he lives with another older lurcher who has lots of issues having been abused and the two often have arguements which get a bit heated as if both want to be in charge of whatever is going on. ithink she needs to do work with the older dog as well to make them both set down as leader of the house.

[Teresa]

Hi!
I would recommend to the owner, as you have that the place to begin is to establish a relationship, leadership exercises, and solid obedience (beginning with Phase 1). It seems like it will be helpful to both dogs in the household, and the owner All of these steps are an integral part of any aggression rehab program. In the meantime Your voice is a very powerful tool and I would always suggest keeping a calm quiet voice when interacting with any dog, despite the inappropriate behavior being displayed. A loud voice can add to the tension in a situation, and may escalate the behavior.

To get a better picture of what is going on, I have a few questions:
1)When does he display this behavior?
Before or After a run? Maybe play a quick game of tug ( not to long to tire him out) before a course to alleviate some anxiety or pent up excitement of running a course. After- What is his reward for completion?
2) Is there a pattern associated with a particular obstacle? Perhaps its avoidance of the next obstacle. If so create a better association with particular obstacle, and heavily reward for completion.

3)You mentioned that it likely has to do with level of anxiety, is he normally an anxious dog? Is he anxious around other dogs/ people?

4) You mentioned that he hardly ever does this in practice anymore. How was this corrected there?

All of this information will be helpful when addressing this issue.

If you build a strong foundation (ie relationship/ pack structure/ obedience) and determine the cause of his anxiety you can help to extinguish this behavior.

Best,
Teresa

[maxthestuntdog]

Thanks for the reply Theresa. It is good to hear i have given my friend the right advice, the dog usually show the behaviour at the weave poles or coming off conact equipment but he really starts sometimes at the start line or between jumps. getting in his way or not pushing him on can set it off. when i run him i keep a calm, low quiet tone and try and keep him moving forward but my friend isn't as good but she is trying. he was thought to be aggresive on first rehoming but in fact he just tells rude, bad mannered dogs off and never draws blood. he appears to be dominate but i think underneath he is mr scaredy cat and lacks confidence round lots of dogs. at the shows there are loads of over-excited, out of control behaviour going on about him so it ups his anxiety. as he has become more confident at training he is no longer showing the behaviour and his owner is much more relaxed too. some of our mad, bad club members have moved away or left which has helped too. we will get on with the basics in the next few weeks and progress on when he is ready. my own mad lurcher is moving into phase three stuff and this week he is like a different dog. great training that really make the dog control itself and have to think for itself which is great.

[Teresa]

Keep us posted on his progress!

Glad you are finding Foundation training successful and enjoyable with your own dog

Best,
Teresa

[maxthestuntdog]

I will do and i am looking forward to seeing how he comes along. my mad lurcher has been on his best behaviour for a week now and today he walked passed free roaming chickens (has killed in the past), sheep (has chased) and a cat ran across his path and all he did was look to me for direction. he seems so much more relaxed and able to control his over excitability that i will start to work him in more challenging environments. I have began my young bearded collies education using this system too

[maxthestuntdog]

just thought i'd update on this dog. the owner took him on her holidays leaving her other old lurcher with a friend so she could 'bond' with him. i taught her your method for phase 2 (we'd done phase 1 at home pre holidays) and there is a different dynamic between them now, the dog is nearly ready for phase 3 but i'm not rushing the owner till she seems more confident with the whole pattern of command, praise and correction etc as she is still a bit slow to praise or correct but i think this is only confidence as she tries the method with my three and is far better ( she isn't expecting to get bitten by these dogs where her dog has done so i think she still has a bit of apprehension with her dog).
He has been far better in agility training and next week there a competition so we will see if things go better for them both. i have got her to step over, round and close to him as if they run into each other on an agility it can set him off on the aggresive behaviour. He may have been kicked in the past so he is getting good and learning legs are no bad or mean his going to get battered.
anyway on a second point I would love to train as an instructor but all the uk train is basic pet training and you can't use any form of training to correct the dog! its all praise and no correction style. is it possible to train for this style somewhere? more updates to follow...

[Teresa]

Hi!
Sounds like things are going Very well, great work! There actually is a certified foundation style trainer in Sussex. His website is Steven Kessler - The Brooklyn Dog Whisperer - CFDT Certified Foundation Dog Trainer -. His name is Steve Kessler.

Good luck, and thanks for spreading the word about foundation style training!


Thanks for the update, and keep them coming!!

[maxthestuntdog]

thats great i'll get in touch with the uk trainer and keep you posted on fred the lurcher. my lurcher has come on sooooo much using phase three that we are begining to work him in exciting and challenging environment and i am doing a bit of phase two work at dog training sessions while dogs are running about doing agility. can't do the phase three as here in uk they would all die of shock and phone the rspca at the site of a remote coller as they only know their use as stock deterent tools when dogs are blasted for going near sheep. you get looked at funny round here for giving your dog a 'no' anyway thanks for the help.