# aggression toward random people



## buzgo2222 (Sep 7, 2010)

i have a 5 year old male vizsla. occasionally he will run an bark at a person for no reason. just recently he ran towards an barked at an older gentleman who in turn started swinging an yelling. the man then proceeded to call the police. what can i do to stop this behavior?


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## Mercutio (Jan 18, 2010)

Hi,

How awful for you all. Unfortunately I've found that the more scared people are of dogs the more they react in ways that make the whole situation worse (like yelling and swinging or kicking the dog - I mean what dog is not going to get upset if it's kicked?).

First of all, you're not alone, my V started barking firstly at cyclists then joggers then at apparently random things at about 2 years. Up until then he had seemed to me to be a perfectly happy, well-adjusted puppy. Now I suspect I actually mis-understood some of his behaviour. I'll tell you more about what we've done in another post.

In the short-term, exercising on a long leash (20 or 30 foot checkcord, longline, they have lots of names) so you always have hold of him helps you to manage and control the situation. Also you might want to get a vet to check him out to make sure there is no physical reason for his changing behaviour. Then I'd find a good behavioural trainer who can advise on whether this is a fear-based aggression or some other kind of problem and who can help with a program of re-training. 

Finding a good trainer to work with you will probably be the single most helpful thing you can do.

Good luck.


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## buzgo2222 (Sep 7, 2010)

thank you . i appreiciate the advice


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## sarahaf (Aug 17, 2009)

For a referral, you should check the Association of Pet Dog Trainers website. http://www.apdt.com/petowners/ts/default.aspx It's not a guarantee of a good trainer, but it at least shortens the list. For a fear-aggressive dog, you want someone who is experienced in counter-conditioning and positive training methods.

P.S. You are definitely not alone. Rosie has similar issues with children and strangers. It could be how the person walks or what they look like, sometimes it's who knows--but she will bark and lunge. We get a lot of dirty looks, but are working with a veterinary behavioral specialist now who is helping us with counter-conditioning (a form of desensitization designed for dogs).


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## Kim (Jan 13, 2010)

Hi there, this all sounds so familiar. Daisy is 15 months and has been well socialised with people, kids and other dogs from and early age too. We took her too training classes, the works. However, recently she has started harassing joggers, children and last week a terrified little old lady. It is terribly embarrassing and so disheartening, however, it is good to know that there are others out there with the same problem. Daisy has also started to show dominence towards other dogs! She will play roughly with them and when the other dog gets fed up it will snap but instead of backing off Daisy just goes in for the kill!!! I've had tears and tears over it but we have hopefully found a good behavourist who will help us get to the bottom of things and hopefully give us our confidence back :-[. She is so good otherwise but when she's off the lead she becomes a different dog.


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## sarahaf (Aug 17, 2009)

Our veterinary behavioral specialist (she's not exactly a trainer, but a veterinarian who specializes exclusively in behavior issues) tells us that these issues take time to improve. So it can be addressed, but you need an individualized treatment plan and you'll have to stick to it for some time before you'll see results. It is very stressful and embarrassing. We are seeing improvement in Rosie, it's so much better than before we got the behavior consult, and we feel better knowing we have a plan. We also feel more comfortable now telling people up front that our dog is just not good with strangers/children and not to try to approach to pat her, or pulling Rosie aside if we see her starting to react to someone. Rosie's a wonderful dog, too--even the behaviorist loved her. She said so many dogs she sees for aggression are really sweet dogs unless they're in one of their situations/moments. Most dog aggression is caused by fear (fight or flight) but it can be due to the animal's predatory instinct (e.g., joggers, bicycles stimulating a "chase" instinct in the dog). Not to insult dogs (we think Rosie's brilliant) but they don't in all ways have a lot upstairs and they tend to just react without thinking. We can't really reason with them but we can help condition them to react differently.


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## Mercutio (Jan 18, 2010)

I love that description "they don't in all ways have a lot upstairs". I so often try to reason with merc knowing full well that not only does he not really understand English, he wouldn't really care for my logic. I often wish that I could make him understand that the reason I get upset is not because I'm scared of the bicycle coming towards us but because of his behavior and if he just chilled out we would all be better off. Sigh 

They're smart alright, they just don't reason like us. Do first think later seems to be merc's motto :


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## sarahaf (Aug 17, 2009)

I found a great description of the counterconditioning/desensitization approach, thought it might give those of you struggling with these sorts of problems hope.

http://www.aspcabehavior.org/articles/14/Desensitization-and-Counterconditioning.aspx


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## sarahaf (Aug 17, 2009)

And yep, Merc sounds a lot like Rosie. Trying to talk with her when she's in one of her moments (e.g., freaking out about the person walking by outside) is like talking to a wall.


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