Socializing 1 year old AA
Obviously when you are done reading this you will realize I am a complete failure for not socializing my dog sooner, but any help or advice would be so helpful.
Here goes...
He lives in a home with plenty of humans ranging in age from very little, teenage and adult...he has absolutely NO human aggression/nervousness. Complete strangers can come to the door (or straight up to him) and he is nose deep in their business (literally) and does some form of 'bunny hop' as he knows Mama doesn't allow jumping, so he has placated me by improvising (so he thinks) because he is not 'actually' jumping up on people.
He lives with an American Hairless Terrier (16#) whom we had before getting the AA. I have always done the hierarchy thing and when giving commands or feeding the little dog is rewarded first, Keiko is to wait patiently...which he does marvelously!! I also have two Ferrets, the are housed in the same room that the dogs crates are in and their food dishes. I let my Ferrets roam on occasion and Keiko is curious but not looking at them like they are prey. I watch him closely because he likes to 'paw' at them and he could do some serious damage if he were to put his whole weight on them.
We live where there a lot of other dogs he can hear barking and it doesn't seem to faze him. I take him for walks, other dogs bark or bark and run to the end of their drives, he looks at them but we keep moving forward. At one point, a small dog ran right out to him, I put his shoulders between my legs to hold him while the owners retrieved their dog. He wasn't aggressive/growling or fighting to get out of my hold, so I thought I was golden. Until a few weekends ago when I brought him camping at the in-laws campsite.
I brought him out by myself, it is about a 1 1/2 drive, he does marvelous in the car.. we parked and I let him out and let him smell and have a potty break. Before I could get my bearings, the other family members 3 Black Labs where on us. I tried to hold him in the same hold I had on the other occasion, and talked to him calmly, to try and show him it was no big deal. He was FEROCIOUS!!! Growling/snarling/lunging in an attempt to get these dogs. I might add that the lab owners are not very dog savvy and were absolutely NO help in the situation. Their dogs were off leash and not one of them attempted to call their dogs away. I finally got Keiko away from the frey and into the camper, the instant we were inside he was my same old dog. Had a bite to eat/water explored the camper (it was his first time in this surrounding). After a bit I took him and my terrier into the woods for a walk. Perfect, not even a pull to go explore. Bringing him back to the camper and one of the dogs came running up, the terrier went to full on protection mode which in turn stirred Keiko's reaction into full on attack. In the end I ended up bringing him back home and leaving him with my 19 year old son for the weekend.
In my mind, I think if I would have just stuck it out and let him observe from the inside of the camper that maybe it would have slowly dawned on him that it wasn't that bad and that these dogs were just bad mannered and kind of dumb (because they are).
Did I ruin my opportunity for a weekend of off leash socialization? Did I reenforce his reaction that it 'was' something bad? How do I get him socialized in a situation like this, do I muzzle him? Please note we have absolutely 0 places where dogs can be social..no doggy daycare, no doggy parks, no obedience classes within 40 miles of my town. My county just sucks!
I have brought him to my brothers on a couple of occasions, he has an elderly female Great Dane, Keiko wants to be all rough and tumble and she is just too old to put up with it.
Any advice? I don't want him to be stuck at home all the time...
Here goes...
He lives in a home with plenty of humans ranging in age from very little, teenage and adult...he has absolutely NO human aggression/nervousness. Complete strangers can come to the door (or straight up to him) and he is nose deep in their business (literally) and does some form of 'bunny hop' as he knows Mama doesn't allow jumping, so he has placated me by improvising (so he thinks) because he is not 'actually' jumping up on people.
He lives with an American Hairless Terrier (16#) whom we had before getting the AA. I have always done the hierarchy thing and when giving commands or feeding the little dog is rewarded first, Keiko is to wait patiently...which he does marvelously!! I also have two Ferrets, the are housed in the same room that the dogs crates are in and their food dishes. I let my Ferrets roam on occasion and Keiko is curious but not looking at them like they are prey. I watch him closely because he likes to 'paw' at them and he could do some serious damage if he were to put his whole weight on them.
We live where there a lot of other dogs he can hear barking and it doesn't seem to faze him. I take him for walks, other dogs bark or bark and run to the end of their drives, he looks at them but we keep moving forward. At one point, a small dog ran right out to him, I put his shoulders between my legs to hold him while the owners retrieved their dog. He wasn't aggressive/growling or fighting to get out of my hold, so I thought I was golden. Until a few weekends ago when I brought him camping at the in-laws campsite.
I brought him out by myself, it is about a 1 1/2 drive, he does marvelous in the car.. we parked and I let him out and let him smell and have a potty break. Before I could get my bearings, the other family members 3 Black Labs where on us. I tried to hold him in the same hold I had on the other occasion, and talked to him calmly, to try and show him it was no big deal. He was FEROCIOUS!!! Growling/snarling/lunging in an attempt to get these dogs. I might add that the lab owners are not very dog savvy and were absolutely NO help in the situation. Their dogs were off leash and not one of them attempted to call their dogs away. I finally got Keiko away from the frey and into the camper, the instant we were inside he was my same old dog. Had a bite to eat/water explored the camper (it was his first time in this surrounding). After a bit I took him and my terrier into the woods for a walk. Perfect, not even a pull to go explore. Bringing him back to the camper and one of the dogs came running up, the terrier went to full on protection mode which in turn stirred Keiko's reaction into full on attack. In the end I ended up bringing him back home and leaving him with my 19 year old son for the weekend.
In my mind, I think if I would have just stuck it out and let him observe from the inside of the camper that maybe it would have slowly dawned on him that it wasn't that bad and that these dogs were just bad mannered and kind of dumb (because they are).
Did I ruin my opportunity for a weekend of off leash socialization? Did I reenforce his reaction that it 'was' something bad? How do I get him socialized in a situation like this, do I muzzle him? Please note we have absolutely 0 places where dogs can be social..no doggy daycare, no doggy parks, no obedience classes within 40 miles of my town. My county just sucks!
I have brought him to my brothers on a couple of occasions, he has an elderly female Great Dane, Keiko wants to be all rough and tumble and she is just too old to put up with it.
Any advice? I don't want him to be stuck at home all the time...
Comments
Next time when you know Keiko will be meeting and spending time with new dogs (like another family gathering) plan ahead. Have a short discussion with the other dog parents and set up a pack walk (on leash) in the beginning. That gives all the dogs a chance to meet on equal terms in a relaxed and controlled environment. They get a chance to be in each others presence without being nose to nose.
Even though Labs are generally people and dog friendly, they are also notorious for being some of the poorest readers of body cues of other dogs and many have no "doggy manners." You have to recognize that labs and akitas are usually on complete opposite sides of the doggy behavior spectrum. Labs are like the guy who gives you a big hug the first time you meet and immediately starts asking personal questions. Akitas are like the guy who says hello and then walks away...not even a hand shake!
Keiko doesn't sound like an aggressive dog so I wouldn't muzzle. A lot of dogs would have reacted the same way in that situation. In fact, it sounds like he is pretty stable. So I wouldn't worry about this incident ruining his chances for socialization.
Check out the Youtube videos by Eric Gilbert with his akita Jade. He has some good pointers on proper introduction, etc.
We have a Pet supplies plus and a Petco about 35 miles away, I might just have to take him on a date, and if he is a good boy, buy him an awesome treat!!!
Hopefully the next outing with the in-laws will be better. The dogs are usually always out of control...humping everything that breathes, pee on everything (including people), begging for food or stealing it...I love ALL animals, but those dogs and their owners try my patience..
Off my soap box and back on topic, maybe have a leashed meeting with one dog at a time. I did that with a friend of mines gs/rottie mix. He was super aggressive, but with slow integration he became less aggressive and more playful. It just takes time. Best of luck and I hope those crazy labs don't cause too much trouble for you
He was pulling towards them, in turn the collar was causing him pain...my poor guy didn't know if he was coming or going. I thought that type of collar would help me control him better if a situation like this arose, as I was afraid a he would slip a regular collar.
1:1 parallel walking, drive-by butt sniff passes, and keeping calm. On leash greetings can be tough for a dog even with a flat collar- keep a loose leash if you do on leash greetings and let them circle and move freely as long as things are going well. They need to be able to move in curves, not head:head.
I am not absolutely against a prong collar, but you have to be super aware when using them of collar position/tension/the surroundings and wear them only for working when both you and the dog are paying close attention, never for social/play/casual time. It sounds like you were caught off guard though and didnt expect to get mugged by those wild labs! They can be exuberant!
My akita is neutered. When he meets an intact male, especially the rude or hyperactive ones, he will attack. For him intact boxers are enemy #1.
I really don't think Keiko has anything against other dogs, it was like you said...getting mugged by 3 lab-doofuses certainly didn't make it a walk in the park. I had a plan, large circle walk around the campsite, a few family members at a time coming up to greet..ect.
As I type this I remember my last AA was 5-6 months old when he met these geeks, but we were there first, he had a few hours to settle, and people and their animals showed up more slowly...hopefully it will work the same way with Keiko.
I want to thank all of you for your advice...worked BEAUTIFULLY!! I got him a harness, brought him out early, let him observe through the door when the other dogs showed up. "Walked" with the younger Lab for an introduction...when they settle down long enough to photograph I will post...I'm just so proud of him!! He's a pooped pup tonight..and a happy one.
Thank you again to all who posted, your advice saved our vacations with my boy..