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Old 10-05-2007, 04:34 AM
  #44  
Straightarrow
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
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Posts: 2,413
Default RE: my dog bit my daughter...

sproulman, it can be difficult to figure out what will work with a particular dog without being there. It can be even more difficult to try and explain the training procedure. You have to recognize dog behaviors that indicate what the next step is. I've give a few basics.

Some general behavior clues - staring from a dog is bad. Staring is a challenge. This is also why strangers staring at dogs is bad for the stranger. Staring is a form a agression. Do not allow your dog to stare and you can keep the aggression from escalating. With the use of a leash and light jerks of the leash, you can keep the dog's attention on you or at least away from the uniformed person.

Excitement is bad. Barking, lunging and moving towards an object escalates excitment. Dogs must be kept calm. This can be difficult. It requires a calm person (dogs take their clues from the trainer) who will firmly and consistantly prevent the dog's excitment from escalating. This can take hours of repetition. Most people who attempt to train dogs, give up too soon. Twenty minutes/day for 10-15 days will probably be enough if you do it right. After that, once/month sessions to re-enforce. After awhile training will probably not be necessary.

I would start the training away from home. Expose the dog to uniformed people when under your control and not with the extra excitment of a home territory. You don't want the dog to associate uniforms with pain, so training must be firm but nothing that causes excitment or stress. Therefore, remain calm, and control the dog by not allowing it to move towards the person. Do not even allow it to look at the uniformed person. After it's calm and controlled, you can start exposing it gradually to more excitment. Have the person walk towards you (helps to have a friend in the uniform). Instruct them to not look directly at the dog. Then move it to your property. Then to your front door. If at any point the training is not working, take a step back and go to something less exciting.

A final note: it helps to run a dog before training (long brisk walks are okay too, but take longer). A lot of aggression comes from too much pent up energy. Training is also easier with a tired dog. Whenever I train high strung bird dogs, I run them for an hour before. It makes a world of difference on how easy it is to get their attention during training.

Good luck.
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