|
Hi
Bridget,
I have
allot of experience in this area, I am sad to say,so I hope you don't mind
my opinion?
.
I've
had Zeus since he was 8 weeks, I KNOW he was never mistreated. So his problem is
purely genetic. I also had him neutered at 10/11 months. In my experience, it
did calm him down as far as puppyness. But as for his aggression, it did
absolutely nothing. I have put in hundreds of hours into training, not to
mention well over a thousand dollars. I believe that only with constant
vigilance, and training, can you hope to "manage" not cure this aggression.
.
There
are many types of aggression, Zeus is "fear" aggressive. Which means his
reactions to situations are purely motivated by fear, and not dominance. It is
mainly for this reason, that I have worked so hard to help him. I feel
sorry for an animal who goes through life being afraid of his own shadow. Its
kind of like the human equilivant to, Social anxiety
disorder.
I can
tell you that if this was do to dominance, I would have given up along time
ago.
.
I
stress to you strongly, that you have him evaluated by a professional
behaviourist, and see if they can pin point why he is acting this way.
Aggression in dogs, especially in one so large, who can cause so much damage. Is
not something one should try to tackle on their own.
If
they do feel that he can be helped, be prepared to make a life long commitment
to controlling this. It takes allot of work, patients, and it is a very taxing
emotional roller coaster ride. Every time he backslides. You will always have to
be on guard, and never, ever trust him completely again.
.
Before
you do anything though, I would suggest getting his thyroid checked. It is said
that 68% of aggressive dogs have Hyper thyroid. Also 73% of those dogs are
purebred. Get the full panel done. If it turns out that is his problem, training
will not be effective till he gets regulated. but he will still need training,
to curb the already learned behaviour he has established.
.
I'm
sorry to be so lecturing, but I just wish I had had even some of the
info I have now, when all this began. It could have saved allot of heartache,
and fear.
Zeus
is now doing quite well, but even with all his training, and meds, it is still a
life long commitment to manage his aggression, and keep everyone safe in the
process.
Make
sure your willing to go the extra mile. Not everyone is in the position that I
am. I am a stay at home mom/farmer, so I have the extra time, to put into this.
But I would not for one minute blame anyone for not wanting to take a
problem such as this on. I have found myself many times wanting to give up. Many
tears shed. It is not a fun place to be.
It is only because I have the time, and the means,
(property in the country, room for a large run, ect) to keep everyone out of
harms way, that I have continued.
If you want to talk further, need some advice, or just
need to rant, please feel free to email me. rene1@sprint.ca
Good
luck,
Sariena Foley
Owned
by Zeus (Pyr) and Pepsi (sheppardX)
|