When you are confronted with a situation with an aggressive dog how do you handle it? For example if you arrive to a clients home and the dog is growling and showing its teeth at you? Have you ever had one lunge at you and bite you? or does it never get to that point?
I work for a shelter with dogs and weekly we get in dogs that are usually scared. Usually the person drops them off out back in a caged in area. So when I first approach the dog I make sure I am lower then the dog talk in a calm nice voice. Usually the dog backs up and begins to bark. I look for signs of fear or aggression. Pretty night and day.If the dog is showing fear I will sit down outside the pen talk quietly throw in some treats. Slowly the dog will come near I place my hand near the fence,let them smell,then if low aggression is shown I enter the cage again low, if all goes well I sit and let the dog come to me. I lay the leash down on the ground so the dog can smell it. I play with the leash around the dog I offer treats,when I feel it is safe and the dog is near I will try to pet the dog not on the head but always lower maybe the shoulder area. All if this can take as long as a hour or so. I try to make sure I stay calm as I can. I never do this without another coworker near.We never ever gang up on the dog. Last week we got in this big pit. I walked out to the pen the dog gave out this hair raising growl I jumped back. I could have kicked myself for doing that. I showed fear. So I had to get another coworker to get the dog. .A aggressive dog we try to let it decompress for some time can take days until calms down. Sometimes it does not and we have tranquilize it. At my shelter if we get in aggressive dog we keep it for 1 month. We work with it daily. You would be surprised how many dogs come in that at the beginning want to take your head off and in a few weeks become the nicest dog.
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9 Responses
2010 Apr 29
me and my boss leave before it gets to that point
and yes, I have experienced that, if its a dog that the shelter has taken in, its euthanized
if its a pet of someones, we suggest a few different options
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2010 Apr 29
Yes I have had a dog lunge & growl at me, I ignore the dog until he/she settles down & I NEVER make eye contact while the dog is in this state of mind.
You also have to stand your ground & stay calm, being fearful of the dog or submissive can make the situation worse.
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2010 Apr 29
Our german shepherd doberman was extremely human aggressive when we first got him. We took him to a trainer, who trains dogs for police officers’ K9 units, and he explained to us what to do. We took "Oscar" to tons of obedience and agility classes. He needed to learn that we were the alphas in the pack. (Don’t every use physical force on the dog though, like electric collars or beatings, as that will only make them more fearful and aggressive.)
He taught Oscar to stay in a laying down position for long periods of time even when we’re not in the room so he will be more steady when company comes over. We have him lie down in another room and then ‘release him’ when we feel he is calmed down. Even still, we sometimes just keep in in the kitchen during parties….
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2010 Apr 29
I generally leave- quickly.
And then call them to point out the bad things that can happen to people and their aggressive, badly socialized dogs after someone has entered the home and been attacked.
An animal that would do this is not a happy animal – and it is not a suitable pet.
And I am not under any obligation to allow it to injure me, either.
To answer the rest of your question – yes, I have had a dog- a very large dog- threaten me, and get ready to lunge. Sadly, it was a great dog with a list of impressive accomplishments, and was suffering from a brain tumor. It died less than a year later. It was terrifying- and I am not a wimp.
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2010 Apr 29
I have seen so many aggressive dogs, it is sad because they can be helped. I ignore them and act like I belong because I am the human and they are the animal. Once, they realize I am not going to react to them, they calm down. Most dogs that act this way are insecure because of previous abuse or just had owners that did not show them leadership. I have never had a dog bite me and never will, I don’t know why I know this but I have been told I have the perfect persona to be around dogs, I have no fear when it comes to dogs. Calm, assertive, loving person = calm, secure and loving dog.
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2010 Apr 29
Don’t threaten it first of all, that means DO NOT MAKE EYE CONTACT, they take this as a threat. Also do not force yourself upon the dog let the dog come up and meet you. Stand your ground unless you are in the dogs personal bubble then back up a bit. If it actually comes to lunging the most important thing is to STAY CALM!! I cannot stress this enough, say "NO!" sternly and commanding and turn away from the dog when it gets close.
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Dog expert
2010 Apr 29
I don’t do a lot of consultation/training now b/c I don’t have all that much time.
But, if I did have an appointment with a dog who had aggression problems, I would have already spoken to the owner over the phone to get an idea of what we’re dealing with. If they have a crate, the dog would be crated before I even got there. At minimum the dog will be on leash.
I don’t have to touch a dog in order to tell the owner how to deal with situations. (If that’s why I’m there) The only dogs I have ever had growl/show teeth at me were so obviously insecure that as long as I didn’t push them, they had no interest in a true confrontation with me. I see this kind of aggression most often. I can help more by explaining to the owner why their dog is doing what he’s doing and helping them help their dog than touching the dog myself. So far, this has been all I really needed to do. Generally, by the third or fourth visit, the owner has learned how to take the situation into his/her own hands and I can pet the dog with no problem because they are substantially less insecure about the situation.
I don’t deal with serious "I want to kill you" aggression because I’m not qualified to. My specialty is more in "too soft" dogs as opposed to "too hard" or "too sharp" dogs.
If I am there for actual training, the dog doesn’t get the chance to lunge at or hurt me.
I have had dogs at vet clinics and kennels try to hurt me. A lab got me pretty good because if I had let go a vet would have gotten it in the face – my arm was a fair alternative.
Only once at a kennel did I ever open a kennel door, and immediately slam it shut… followed by a "Holy Sh*t!" That kennel held a very unhappy GSD, and he didn’t come out until later that afternoon when the owner picked him up (and nearly got bit by the dog himself). The owner of the kennel and I had a talk about boarding that dog again.
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2010 Apr 29
I’ve worked with MANY aggressive dogs. I WOULD NOT recommend doing so without proper training. You could become very badly injured. And if the dog bites you it may need to be put down.
The only way to handle an aggressive dog is to be calm. If you show any fear or jumpiness, it will keep the dog going. Avoid eye contact. Do not approach the dog head on. Take your time and slowly wait for the dog to calm down. If the dog does lunge at you, use the back of your forearm to block yourself from it. You don’t want to lose any finders! I’ve been bitten several times and I believe working with these dogs is a "gift" some people have and some don’t. You need to have a certain energy to handle them. And a deep understanding of dogs. As well as a huge amount of love for them.
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2010 Apr 29
I work for a shelter with dogs and weekly we get in dogs that are usually scared. Usually the person drops them off out back in a caged in area. So when I first approach the dog I make sure I am lower then the dog talk in a calm nice voice. Usually the dog backs up and begins to bark. I look for signs of fear or aggression. Pretty night and day.If the dog is showing fear I will sit down outside the pen talk quietly throw in some treats. Slowly the dog will come near I place my hand near the fence,let them smell,then if low aggression is shown I enter the cage again low, if all goes well I sit and let the dog come to me. I lay the leash down on the ground so the dog can smell it. I play with the leash around the dog I offer treats,when I feel it is safe and the dog is near I will try to pet the dog not on the head but always lower maybe the shoulder area. All if this can take as long as a hour or so. I try to make sure I stay calm as I can. I never do this without another coworker near.We never ever gang up on the dog. Last week we got in this big pit. I walked out to the pen the dog gave out this hair raising growl I jumped back. I could have kicked myself for doing that. I showed fear. So I had to get another coworker to get the dog. .A aggressive dog we try to let it decompress for some time can take days until calms down. Sometimes it does not and we have tranquilize it. At my shelter if we get in aggressive dog we keep it for 1 month. We work with it daily. You would be surprised how many dogs come in that at the beginning want to take your head off and in a few weeks become the nicest dog.
References :