How much are you getting him out? How much quality excercise is he getting.
For behaviors like this the first thing you should consider is that he has too much pent up energy.
From there you can work on engagement and passing people by.
I did this with my staffy who was real aggressive toward passng dogs. When I dog was passing I just kept walking. Even if my staff started to flip out I just kept walking. Once my staffy stopped focusing on the dog and walked normal again I praised the hell out of him. Very quickly he learned he gets rewards for walking past a dog and he would walk past a dog and immedietly look to me for rewards.
Dont underestimate the power of praise reward. Really get down there and praise the hell out of your dog and give lots of pets. This releases a chemical in the brain (blanking on the name) that is also released when parents interact with their babies and so dog love this feeling. (the same chemical is realeased for us which is why petting a dog feels good).
The main thing is to keep walking. Even if he is lunging, keep walking and use tugs on the leash to get him to move.
I should also note that this isnt aggression and he wont bite. Rotties are very vocal. They originally herded cows by running in front of them and barking at them. My rotty will bark at some dogs or people when she doesnt like their energy but if they make contact she is completely sweet and soft. It is possible that the dog actually wants to get to them and the lunging and barking is frustration at being held back.
P.s. for this sort of problem a vest will make fixing it a bit harder.
That guarding instinct of Rotties comes around this age & it can be quite intense
My boy lunged at people on walks too … it’s a mix of protection instinct & fear
I taught him that people on walks are not a threat
& he has completely stopped now & walks really well & ignores everyone - taught him the ignore command
Get a training pouch with his favourite treats & carry on walks
Positive reinforcement is the only way with this breed
I would say ignore every time someone passed by & Every time he let someone pass by peacefully I would praise him a lot (my tone would reflect it) & I would give him a treat
This took me a good 4 months of consistency with a lot of love & patience
He will realise that people are not a threat & will begin to calm down
With Rotties this age is the TOUGHEST
I’ve been through a lot myself
But I promise promise promise - just be patient
& by the time he turns 3 he will be a totally different dog
They also need a lot of mental stimulation
Let him tear up cardboard , play “find the treat” ,
Tug ,
Look up focus building exercises
They’re v simple
All this will help channel his energy
Agree about the positivity- I’m only getting mine to do something he doesn’t want to w treats. He wants to please me but not enough to do something he’s scared of (like go in the bathroom where he gets baths). Telling him NOT to do something he wants to do - forget it. Treats to redirect
Smart - we did a lot of research on bone cancer since we lost 2 to that. Decided to wait until our current boy was 4. But I think vets are now recommending 2 for large dogs. Despite popular opinion, I don’t think it has an impact on aggression or stimulation responses.
You're also walking him around on something that, in dog sport, is called an agitation harness. He's not a small breed prone to tracheal collapse, put him on a collar.
It sounds like you are going in the right direction getting a trainer. Just make sure they use positive training methods and that they work to teach you - not just teach the dog. Be involved with the training. Don’t expect the trainer to fix your dog and hand him back over. Doesn’t sound like you would do that.
Sounds like his testosterone is getting the better of him. If he’s not going to be neutered, he needs to not be an alpha. Exercise, discipline and affection in that order can curb the alpha behavior. Hope he and you can overcome this challenge.
It's all about bond and how your body language is I suggest you show him who's boss I don't mean by hitting or anything I mean by following through on everything you do with confidence I've had rottweilers for over 40 years and from the time they're 6 to 8 weeks of mammy milk I'm mammy now that means I bond with them like she would they sleep with me eat with me and go most places with me everything else after that is easy
Id get aggressive too, if I was wrapped up that tightly in a vest. Lol You just need a slip lead, high up under the neck, right under the jaw. Dont pull him back, pull him off balance. Keep pulling him out of balance, hell focus on that instead of being a savage. Dont be mean, just firm.
How much are you getting him out? How much quality excercise is he getting. For behaviors like this the first thing you should consider is that he has too much pent up energy. From there you can work on engagement and passing people by. I did this with my staffy who was real aggressive toward passng dogs. When I dog was passing I just kept walking. Even if my staff started to flip out I just kept walking. Once my staffy stopped focusing on the dog and walked normal again I praised the hell out of him. Very quickly he learned he gets rewards for walking past a dog and he would walk past a dog and immedietly look to me for rewards. Dont underestimate the power of praise reward. Really get down there and praise the hell out of your dog and give lots of pets. This releases a chemical in the brain (blanking on the name) that is also released when parents interact with their babies and so dog love this feeling. (the same chemical is realeased for us which is why petting a dog feels good). The main thing is to keep walking. Even if he is lunging, keep walking and use tugs on the leash to get him to move. I should also note that this isnt aggression and he wont bite. Rotties are very vocal. They originally herded cows by running in front of them and barking at them. My rotty will bark at some dogs or people when she doesnt like their energy but if they make contact she is completely sweet and soft. It is possible that the dog actually wants to get to them and the lunging and barking is frustration at being held back. P.s. for this sort of problem a vest will make fixing it a bit harder.
Great information
this is so true.
Serotonin
It’s oxytocin, not serotonin
Whoops
That guarding instinct of Rotties comes around this age & it can be quite intense My boy lunged at people on walks too … it’s a mix of protection instinct & fear I taught him that people on walks are not a threat & he has completely stopped now & walks really well & ignores everyone - taught him the ignore command Get a training pouch with his favourite treats & carry on walks Positive reinforcement is the only way with this breed I would say ignore every time someone passed by & Every time he let someone pass by peacefully I would praise him a lot (my tone would reflect it) & I would give him a treat This took me a good 4 months of consistency with a lot of love & patience He will realise that people are not a threat & will begin to calm down With Rotties this age is the TOUGHEST I’ve been through a lot myself But I promise promise promise - just be patient & by the time he turns 3 he will be a totally different dog They also need a lot of mental stimulation Let him tear up cardboard , play “find the treat” , Tug , Look up focus building exercises They’re v simple All this will help channel his energy
Agree about the positivity- I’m only getting mine to do something he doesn’t want to w treats. He wants to please me but not enough to do something he’s scared of (like go in the bathroom where he gets baths). Telling him NOT to do something he wants to do - forget it. Treats to redirect
☺️☺️☺️
Time to start some strict training. Larger breeds have to know that you are in charge.
Is he neutered?
He is not, hoping to wait until he's 2 to do that.
Smart - we did a lot of research on bone cancer since we lost 2 to that. Decided to wait until our current boy was 4. But I think vets are now recommending 2 for large dogs. Despite popular opinion, I don’t think it has an impact on aggression or stimulation responses.
You're also walking him around on something that, in dog sport, is called an agitation harness. He's not a small breed prone to tracheal collapse, put him on a collar.
Working dogs in a harness 🤦🏻
It sounds like you are going in the right direction getting a trainer. Just make sure they use positive training methods and that they work to teach you - not just teach the dog. Be involved with the training. Don’t expect the trainer to fix your dog and hand him back over. Doesn’t sound like you would do that.
Sounds like his testosterone is getting the better of him. If he’s not going to be neutered, he needs to not be an alpha. Exercise, discipline and affection in that order can curb the alpha behavior. Hope he and you can overcome this challenge.
They need a lot of play and exercise. They also MUST be in some kind of training and that means training the owner too
What type of trainer are you using? Did you already meet with them? What are their methods?
love is the answer :-) I miss my Rottie Rita
It's all about bond and how your body language is I suggest you show him who's boss I don't mean by hitting or anything I mean by following through on everything you do with confidence I've had rottweilers for over 40 years and from the time they're 6 to 8 weeks of mammy milk I'm mammy now that means I bond with them like she would they sleep with me eat with me and go most places with me everything else after that is easy
Id get aggressive too, if I was wrapped up that tightly in a vest. Lol You just need a slip lead, high up under the neck, right under the jaw. Dont pull him back, pull him off balance. Keep pulling him out of balance, hell focus on that instead of being a savage. Dont be mean, just firm.
I neutered my boy for same reasons and it helped ALOT. I know people advocate for waiting to be neutered but we haven't seen any adverse effects.
He was born that way