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Postby hugapitbull » December 18th, 2010, 12:31 pm

Duke does not display aggressive behavior outside if Trouble is not with him.

The scenario went like this - took Duke and Trouble out for a potty break as always Duke on leash, Trouble off.
Everything is fine. Duke looks up and discovers on the other side of the yard, (close to Trouble) was a smallish yellow dog. Barking, tugging, let me eat it Duke comes out. Small dog leaves, Duke calms, we all go inside.

Duke begins to whine, I figure his potty break was interrupted, so I take him back out by himself. Little yellow dog returns. Duke watches it quietly, watches, watches, watches as it crosses the yard, our neighbors yard, and continues down the street behind us. All the time Duke is quietly watching, I am praising him.

Our thoughts at this point is his bad behavior outside is protecting (guarding) Trouble. We know he protects her because if we correct her, he will get between us and her.

Need trainer comments please.
Shanna & Spirit Trouble
We beat osteosarcoma - 27 months 20 days cancer free
'Spirit' Trouble departed for the Bridge 3/16/2011 a victim of aging
Visit - http://k9cancer.org

Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain--and most fools do. ~Dale Carnegie
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hugapitbull
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Location: My heart lives at Rainbow Bridge

Postby fenella » December 19th, 2010, 10:34 am

Not an expert, but my first thought is that there may be something to your theory. There are also other factors, such as the body language of the yellow dog on each occasion. Duke may have picked up a difference in the other dog's body language (such as being more relaxed since there was not an off-leash dog in your yard any more). Sometimes, there are signals that we don't notice. When you say "watches," what is Duke's state of mind and body language? Relaxed? Tense? I think it is great to give praise for calm behavior. If you can, I'd break the stare by getting a "look at me", or another command to break the intensity of the stare, if it is an intense one. Still, I think your instincts about Trouble may be correct as well. It is a complex interaction. The guarding when you correct her sounds like a concerning issue. Again, not an expert, so take it FWIW.
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fenella
Hyper Adolescent Bully
 
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Postby hugapitbull » December 19th, 2010, 11:15 am

I would describe his state of mind as 'alert'. He was intently watching, but I could turn him away from the dog without him going into an agitated state. The stare wasn't overly focused, I could get him to look away.

I'm not concerned about his guarding when we correct Trouble. It is one of those avoidance things. We know now that he does it, and we don't put him in that situation. Let's face it, Trouble is old and arthritic, she has earned the right to do most things. She is very low maintenance at this point as far as corrections go. The biggest correction for her is making her move from one spot to another on the bed. And one of us will take Duke out of the room while the other works with Troub when she just gets overly stubborn about moving.
Shanna & Spirit Trouble
We beat osteosarcoma - 27 months 20 days cancer free
'Spirit' Trouble departed for the Bridge 3/16/2011 a victim of aging
Visit - http://k9cancer.org

Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain--and most fools do. ~Dale Carnegie
User avatar
hugapitbull
The Better Half
 
Posts: 1570
Location: My heart lives at Rainbow Bridge


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