FEAR OR TERRITORIAL AGGRESSION HELP
My little Kiyoshi has been having problems for a month now. It all started one day when we were getting a new roof put on our house and there was a ton of noise and strangers around. He also got a shot that day. Ever since that day he freaks out everyday. Whenever i walk near his crate he starts to get a crazy look on his face and his ears go back and he snaps. He starts barking at me and making screetching sounds. I throw him in his crate and tries to bite me thru the crate. He has bitten me a few times also. I moved the crate and his food to a different room to see if it would help but he still flipped out. I called a behaviorist and she told me it didn't sound too seriousm, i don't agree. She said it sounded like fear aggression. She told me that when he starts to act up to throw a towel over him so he won't bite me and pick him up and hold him until he stops acting up. I tried it for a couple of days and he would try to bite me for a few seconds and then he would calm down. For the last 3 days he didn't have one episode, but this morning he flipped out again. I don't think there is anything around when he snaps that he is afraid of so i don't know if its really fear aggression. I called the breeder also and she said she has never heard of any of her dogs bitting or having this problem. The behaviorist charges $214 to come to the house and you getting help for life with the dog. Is this a reasonable charge? Has anyone else ever been told to do this?
Comments
btw, I don't know if you get it, but that episode of It's Me or the Dog I was talking about will be on the 11th. She shows how she overcomes the "aggression."
Season 4 Episode 7: Niles
Thursday 11th December 9:30am EST
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As for the behaviorist cost - I think my behaviorist charged me 260.00 for the first visit, which lasted like 3 hours. I would say anywhere between 150-250 is average? At least in my area. When looking for a behaviorist, make sure to ask if they ever have worked with a Shiba and if they ever worked with a shiba with similiar issues - if they say yes - ask for a reference so you can talk to that owner and see if the behaviorist helped them or not. Finding a good behaviorist can be very tough and frustrating - but don't give up.
For right now - I would socialize the shit out of him (excuse my french) - that is one HUGE mistake I made...once I started to see Ninja start to react - I stopped taking him out as much because I was scared he would bite someone or another dog. It's really important that you get to know your dog and be able to read his body language. If he gets tense or you notice him about to freak out - it's important to stop and calm him down. Once he freaks out - it's a bad experience. You need to make everything a good experience in order for him to get over his fear...if that is his issue.
Don't give up on your search for a behaviorist! There is one out there waiting for you!
When he is in his crate and you walk by and he freaks out, is it because you are home and he wants out? Had he been in there long? Do you not have the crate in a quiet spot that would act like a safe spot/den for him?
It seems that if you are near his crate while he is in it long enough to get that reaction from him - why is he in the crate? That must be incredibly frustrating for him and you!
Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't use the crate so liberally. I crate trained my dogs, then I use it for when I cannot supervise them while they are under a year, especially while I am gone, but I strive to never leave them in there longer than few hours, especially when they were under 6 months old. Also, while they are in the crate, I do not walk by it or interact with them at all. It is in a place where they cannot see me and I cannot bother them while they are in it.
I also use the crate for brief time outs: Tsuki used to mouth us when she was a pup, we'd yelp and if she didn't stop, we'd crate her as a time out, for maybe 10-15 mins or so. It helps create rules and a boundary since Shibas love attention, if they know what they should do but do the opposite, they get time outs and they hate it but its effective for snarky fits between dogs or puppy mouthing.
He is growing and will continue to test the limits and boundaries. You have to create rules and stick to them while still making sure he's getting what he needs like exercise and stimulation.
Perhaps you can read some Turid Rugaas who wrote about Calming Signals you can give you dogs? Or maybe some calming techniques like the Tellington TTouch?
Otherwise, if this is a behavior you do not think you can control, find a behaviorist who will use methods you are comfortable with and hopefully that have dealt with a shiba (or similar) and can give references. A good behaviorist is a great thing to find!
we wake up and i take the two dogs out. when they get back in I feed them (in seperate rooms) while i'm getting ready for work. Then i take them outside and let them run around for about 15 minutes. I put him in his crate which is in a room by himself. I either leave the tv on for a couple of hours or turn on a radio while i'm gone. I can't come home everyday for lunch but i try to come home for lunch at least 3 times a week to take them out. If i don't come home then he's alone from 8-5 We get home from work and take them out and let them run around the backyard for about 15 minutes then i bring them back in to eat. Me and Kiyoshi go for a walk around the neighborhood for about 45 minutes. The two dogs play and chase eachother the rest of the night until we go to bed. He gets along with our 4 yr old yorkipoo except for when she comes around his food, they've gotten into a couple of scuffles over food. I bring his crate into our bedroom and when i'm getting ready to put him in there for bed is when he usually starts to act up. sometimes it happens after he is done eating and i'm near him. he just got his rabies shot last week so i'm going to get him in a puppy class later on this month. He is good around other people except for babies, he wants to play and jump on them.
he freaks out in the crate after we've been home for a few hours so i don't think its because he wants to get out to greet me. I usually put him in his crate while we're gone, to sleep and when i can't watch him completely. i think he gets enough excercise because he is usually already falling asleep before i put him in his crate for bed.
I'm going to definitely get him in a class to get him a little more socialized.
he had an episode tonight. He was chewing on something he shouldn't have been and i pulled him away and he started getting a funny looked and started snapping at me. He wasn't in the room with his crate or his food. the behaviorist said he might be trying to bully me. He knows that i'm in charge though.
Did you socialize him a -ton- when you brought him home?
I took Toby to a puppy class a week after he came home ( 9-10 weeks old ). Probably the best choice I ever made, he really did well with all the other puppies.
If hes having issues, maybe give him an extra walk in the morning? Even if he romps around for 15 minutes, that might not be a sufficient amount of time for him to get his morning energies out.
If he is fearful, he needs to get socialized. Big time.
-Please check out the link I posted below, it is a full list of every board certified doctor of behavioral medicine in Canada and the US, any one of those doctors would be an excellent choice to help you with your pup.
http://dacvb.org/about-us/diplomates/diplomate-directory/
Check out all of the books listed within the link I'm posting below, they are priceless(look where it says "Dogwise thinks you might enjoy", and think about purchasing "Dominance Fact or Fiction?" by Barry Eaton.)
http://www.dogwise.com/ItemDetails.cfm?ID=DTB749
http://www.ovrs.com/departments_and_services/behavioral_medicine.php