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Old September 25th, 2010, 08:08 PM
aliciasteil aliciasteil is offline
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Rescued dog 2 days ago showing collar aggression

Hey so heres my situation. I have two male huskies to start with, And i just brought home a new female husky who is 3 years old now she has been rehomed 3 times before i got her. Now she peed on the floor and when we tried grabbing her on the collar to put her out she went to bite us, then same thing with the bed i was told never allow a dog on your bed to sleep, to cuddle yes but not until dominance has been made clear. Now weve only had her 2 days, and she went to bite us again anytime we go to pull on the collar. Is this an issue that can be resolved or not? I know there is a solution to almost everything and im trying to be optomistic but i havent heard very great suggestions so im leaving up to the expert.I would really appreciate some help with this situtation. Other then that the males dont fight with her around or anything.
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Old September 25th, 2010, 08:46 PM
Chris21711 Chris21711 is offline
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If the poor girl has had three homes already, I'm guessing that in her past history she has had some negative treatment by having someone grab her collar...a more gentle approach might work better. Since you already have Huskies you must have experience with their personalities.

2 days isn't very long.
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Old September 25th, 2010, 09:18 PM
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bendyfoot bendyfoot is offline
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I would consider tying a 6-8 ft "house line" to her collar while she's in the house with you. Attatch it when she's calm and relaxed and not feeling fearful or possibly expecting punishment. I would tie the other end to a responsible adult in the house (on a belt loop or around the waist). The dog should follow you as you go about your business. Don't tug on or pull the leash, and DONT try to grab the collar yet, just walk around normally. This will help establish a bond, leadership roles, and will allow you to watch her to make sure she doesn't pee in the house. If she still manages to have an accident, walk her outside on the leash without a fuss, then praise her if she goes outside. She cannot get on the bed unless you allow it if she's tied to you. This is also called "umbellical" technique. Give her time. Establish a clear, simple routine for her and stick to it. Be patient, be calm, and understand that she's probably had a pretty rotten time of things before she met you; she'll come around, but only if you take the time to guide her, gently, to a place where she feels safe and secure.
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Old September 25th, 2010, 10:04 PM
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TeriM TeriM is offline
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I agree with bendyfoot that attaching a leash and letting it drag or having it attached to you will be your best choice over the next while. You will also need to work on counter conditioning a better response to the collar grab as there will be moments that grabbing a collar could be life saving. I would start by grabbing the leash at a length that she is comfortable and bring her towards you then give a super yummy (use the good stuff) treat and then release and walk away. She will soon associate being grabbed with good things.
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Old September 25th, 2010, 11:45 PM
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I also agree with the leash suggestion, a long enough rope or leash that it should always be accessible for you. When you need to remove her from a situation you have something that you can use to guide her with.
Remember at 2 days she is not sure who you are or the situation of her new environment. She is probably lacking some confidence and is still definitely stressed and confused. I wouldn't condemn her as a bad dog yet.
Some dogs react more aggressively under stress some becomes very reserved and some just continue being fairly passive or happy-go-lucky. I would also spend more one on one time with her just now to let her understand that you mean no harm and that you are her leaders and not out to harm her.

Do some basic training and positive re-enforcement work. If you have someone who lives in the house with you and can go on group walk have your 2 males walk with one person and her walk single with the other and switch walkers half way through the walk so she associates the humans as the walk leaders. Remember the first weeks your dog spends with you are critical to your relationship and boundaries so you want to keep things positive. If she does growl at you make sure to not allow her to think she's won the disagreement but gently guide her towards what behaviour you want from her (like using the leash to guide her off furniture or outside without grabbing at her) get her use to your manipulations using treats and praise, sounds like a lot of work but dogs react quickly to positive re-enforcement.
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Old September 26th, 2010, 09:42 AM
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DoubleRR DoubleRR is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TeriM View Post
I agree with bendyfoot that attaching a leash and letting it drag or having it attached to you will be your best choice over the next while. You will also need to work on counter conditioning a better response to the collar grab as there will be moments that grabbing a collar could be life saving. I would start by grabbing the leash at a length that she is comfortable and bring her towards you then give a super yummy (use the good stuff) treat and then release and walk away. She will soon associate being grabbed with good things.
Exactly what I would do. Good luck!
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Old September 26th, 2010, 03:10 PM
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rainbow rainbow is offline
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It sounds like the poor girl was mistreated previously and two days is not long enough for her to realize that she is now in a loving home so please don't give up on her.

I agree with the leash suggestion and this is a great idea ...

Quote:
Originally Posted by TeriM View Post
I would start by grabbing the leash at a length that she is comfortable and bring her towards you then give a super yummy (use the good stuff) treat and then release and walk away. She will soon associate being grabbed with good things.

It may take awhile to gain her confidence as huskies are very leery of people they don't know.

And, btw, welcome to the forum .....and being a husky lover I would love to see pics of your crew.
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Old September 26th, 2010, 09:35 PM
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luckypenny luckypenny is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aliciasteil View Post
Hey so heres my situation. I have two male huskies to start with, And i just brought home a new female husky who is 3 years old now she has been rehomed 3 times before i got her. Now she peed on the floor and when we tried grabbing her on the collar to put her out she went to bite us,
You've established she's not comfortable with a collar grab so please discontinue this for now. Provide her with ample opportunities to eliminate outdoors (praise her profusely when she does) and, if she has an accident, interrupt her with clapping or a "heh heh," and open the door for her. If you are too late in interrupting her, then it's too late to do anything about it other than clean up the mess.

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Originally Posted by aliciasteil View Post
then same thing with the bed i was told never allow a dog on your bed to sleep, to cuddle yes but not until dominance has been made clear.
Is she allowed on your bed or not? Dominance theory aside, please provide her with consistent rules from the start. Remember, she doesn't know you yet. Give her time to familiarize herself with your home and family. Keeping things simple and consistent would be a big help at this point. If you don't want her on the bed, then keep the bedroom door shut until you've taught her a reliable "off" command.

Quote:
Originally Posted by aliciasteil View Post
Now weve only had her 2 days, and she went to bite us again anytime we go to pull on the collar.
If someone grabbed your neck unxpectedly, would you not react ? Her defensive behavior is perfectly normal under the circumstances.

Quote:
Originally Posted by aliciasteil View Post
Is this an issue that can be resolved or not?
The good news is, absolutely. TeriM's suggestions are excellent. However, because you don't know if she has a bite history, I'd start with smaller baby steps. In order to desensitize her to hands near her face/neck, I'd start by having her sit calmly in front of you (work alone with her without the distraction of your other dogs). Feed her teeny tiny treats (cheese, ham, cut up wieners work great) with one hand while you slowly raise your other hand next to her head...about 12-18" away. Repeat 10-15 times at least 5 times per day for 2-3 days after which you can slowly decrease the distance of your hand by several inches per day until you are able to touch her collar (please don't grab it, just touch it lightly). It's important to practice in different areas of your home and outdoors. If at any point she seems uncomfortable (grabs treat roughly with her teeth, stiffens, eyeballs your raising hand, etc), then you're moving too fast. Go back a few steps until she shows no signs of stress and repeat.

I think an attached line (only when she's closely supervised as you don't want it getting caught on something) at all times is good in case of an emergency at this point but, I wouldn't be practicing the umbilical method yet if she's showing signs of aggression. Give her some time to get to know and trust that you mean her no harm. Would you consider attending a class that uses gentle training methods with her? I think it would create perfect learning/bonding opportunities for you both.

Good luck .
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