my dog not showing prove she can protect her self when the need comes

[TEDD]

I have noticed that anytime I go out on walks with my dog coco and we meet aggressive street dogs the only thing she does is stand her grounds and raise her tail high but doesn't attack or show any form of aggressive stunts even if I give her the attack command. I am worried cause she could be bitten by one of these street dogs if she doesn't act aggressive to turn them away. Usually when we are on walks and I see street dogs i give her the attack command and she chase after them and more often they run off even if they are more than two. some of this dogs stands the ground with an aggressive look that shows they want to bite but coco will go nearer to them but won't attack or show any form of aggressiveness but rather raise her tail high. I want her to be able to scare them away with an aggressive stunt or something because she could be bitten if she does not. I want to know if it is fear or what. She will be 8 months in 5 days time. should I be worried cause I can tell the problem is how to bite after a chase

 

[JudyN]

If a child in the playground stared at your child, would you want your child - while with you - to go up and attack them? Even if you know the other child carries a knife? I hope not. You are your dog's carer and protector - it is your job to protect her, which you do best by getting the hell out of the situation. Turn and walk away from the street dog. If you encourage your dog to attack then she's likely to end up being badly hurt or worse, which I'm sure isn't what you want.

This post is likely to raise strong feelings in UK/US forum members. Please all, if replying, remember that the culture and expectations in other countries can be very different.

 

[TEDD]

If a child in the playground stared at your child, would you want your child - while with you - to go up and attack them? Even if you know the other child carries a knife? I hope not. You are your dog's carer and protector - it is your job to protect her, which you do best by getting the hell out of the situation. Turn and walk away from the street dog. If you encourage your dog to attack then she's likely to end up being badly hurt or worse, which I'm sure isn't what you want.

This post is likely to raise strong feelings in UK/US forum members. Please all, if replying, remember that the culture and expectations in other countries can be very different.

I meant to say if they run after her wanting to bite and sometime they come in numbers (6 or more), to me I want her to show an aggressive stunt to scare them away and yes the culture here is different as compared to the US/UK

 

[JudyN]

Could you turn to face them yourself, stand tall and give them a firm verbal warning yourself? Maybe raising a stick to intimidate them? (You'd have to judge whether this was likely to work, or make them more likely to attack.)

You might find that this in itself gives her enough confidence to back up your threat by barking herself, because she's now supporting someone she sees as her leader, rather than having to be the leader/protector herself. But in the UK at least, aggressive stray dogs are very rare, so it's a situation I don't have any experience of.

 

[TEDD]

Could you turn to face them yourself, stand tall and give them a firm verbal warning yourself? Maybe raising a stick to intimidate them? (You'd have to judge whether this was likely to work, or make them more likely to attack.)

You might find that this in itself gives her enough confidence to back up your threat by barking herself, because she's now supporting someone she sees as her leader, rather than having to be the leader/protector herself. But in the UK at least, aggressive stray dogs are very rare, so it's a situation I don't have any experience of.

they aren't necessarily stray dogs but dogs with owners who doesn't have a fence, so the dogs normally gather on the streets more often.

 

[Hemlock]

Is there rabies in your country? If so, you really don't want your dog to bite or be bitten. It's much better to teach her to go to the far side of you and let you deal with the stray dogs. And at 8 months, she's very much a pup, so your job to protect her.

I don't know what's legal in your country, but you might consider using a spray. You can get carbon dioxide sprays which are harmless but noisy, and produce a grey cloud, which sees off most dogs.

 

[malwhit]

She probably knows she would stand no chance against a group of dogs if she acted aggressively. Why would you want your dog to get involved in a fight and injured or worse?

Why have you trained her an attack command?

 

[TEDD]

She probably knows she would stand no chance against a group of dogs if she acted aggressively. Why would you want your dog to get involved in a fight and injured or worse?

Why have you trained her an attack command?

I don’t want her involved in a fight but I want her to protect her self

 

[TEDD]

Could you turn to face them yourself, stand tall and give them a firm verbal warning yourself? Maybe raising a stick to intimidate them? (You'd have to judge whether this was likely to work, or make them more likely to attack.)

You might find that this in itself gives her enough confidence to back up your threat by barking herself, because she's now supporting someone she sees as her leader, rather than having to be the leader/protector herself. But in the UK at least, aggressive stray dogs are very rare, so it's a situation I don't have any experience of.

Anytime she is being confronted I face them and she follows me but she does nothing

 

[Hemlock]

Sounds like a sensible dog. And she's saving you a lot of money in vet bills.

 

[TEDD]

Sounds like a sensible dog. And she's saving you a lot of money in vet bills.

Hehe she is sensible though but I want her to be more aggressive and assertive as well

 

[Liamvv]

You don't want her to be more aggressive. In the dog world aggression is a dangerous thing, it means they get injured and no animal wants that. most dogs will avoid a fight if they can using body language and as every sensible person knows "avoiding a fight is better than trying to win one".
If your dog got attacked she would defend herself, but as her owner, carer, and parent then you should do everything in your power to protect her from situations where she gets attacked. Take a route with fewer aggressive dogs, carry a stick to defend yourselves, maybe even pepper spray if its legal where you are and you know how to use it.

 

[TEDD]

You don't want her to be more aggressive. In the dog world aggression is a dangerous thing, it means they get injured and no animal wants that. most dogs will avoid a fight if they can using body language and as every sensible person knows "avoiding a fight is better than trying to win one".
If your dog got attacked she would defend herself, but as her owner, carer, and parent then you should do everything in your power to protect her from situations where she gets attacked. Take a route with fewer aggressive dogs, carry a stick to defend yourselves, maybe even pepper spray if its legal where you are and you know how to use it.

Thanks for the info but imagine you been attacked at home and your dog is the only one who can save you and it can’t, simply because it’s scared or can’t bite. You give her the attack command, she barks but can’t bite. Then what will be the use of owning a dog.

 

[JoanneF]

I read this recently. I know it doesn't quite fit your question but thought it had some relevant points.

A protection dog needs to be completely balanced in the head and confident. Not dog aggressive and certainly not people aggressive. Dog aggression and human aggression usually means the dog is unstable.

If the traits are genetic (and some dogs are genetically intolerant of people, other dogs etc) you cannot train them to be reliably non-aggressive.

Dogs that bark and carry on with their hackles up are are in full defense. Reactive dogs are often thought to be aggressive or protective. They are neither. They are SCARED and so they get all big and tough looking to try to make the threat go away.

 

[Hemlock]

She's 8 months old. She's the equivalent of a 4 year old child.

 

[JudyN]

Then what will be the use of owning a dog.

If you only want a dog to keep you safe, then you have the wrong dog, and can no more train it to attack and bite than you could train a tiger to be friendly and safe around people.

 

[Liamvv]

Thanks for the info but imagine you been attacked at home and your dog is the only one who can save you and it can’t, simply because it’s scared or can’t bite. You give her the attack command, she barks but can’t bite. Then what will be the use of owning a dog.

You said street dogs, not that you wanted her to be a protection dog in your home.
If you want your dog to be a reliable protection dog then the first step is to take it to a reliable protection dog trainer in your area. even then a protection dog that is stable requires good breeding, tailored raising that is different to that of a pet dog, and a lot of training.

Be happy with the dog you have, instead of wishing for her to change to suit you.

 

[JacksDad]

I GET the desire to be able to protect one's self. Not only is that a natural, normal, rational desire, in the USA it is often written into our laws recognizing this. I believe I understand where you are coming from.

I think we might have more of a language barrier to express ideas and concepts more clearly than cultural differences.

First, you do NOT want your dog to become aggressive. Aggression is about fear, creating space, and often being in a state lacking self control and over reacting. That makes defending one's self very ineffective. Doesn't matter if you are wanting your dog to deal with random loose dogs, or someone breaking into your house, having an aggressive dog is a liability in these situations. By liability i am not talking about getting sued or arrested. I am talking about your dog being able to perform and respond to cues and commands as well as read and respond to the threat correctly. Correctly does NOT always mean fight. This is a critical point to understand.

What you are looking for is actually a dog that can calmly give off the "don't even think about" signals that cause the other dog or the human breaking into your house to think twice about their current course of action. backed up by correct training for such a task that is legal in your area. That is a lot to ask of an untrained 8 month old. That calm, confident behavior can actually do more to address the concerns you have than an aggressive dog. I work with aggressive dogs to address their aggression, and they are not capable of what you are asking.

So when we are telling you that you do not want an aggressive dog, we are not being dismissive of your concerns and the threats you are worried about. what we are trying to explain is an aggressive dog can't help you. As counter intuitive as that may seem. You need a mature, highly confident dog that can project that confidence and by doing so give the other dog or human pause and make them reconsider.

 

[TEDD]

I GET the desire to be able to protect one's self. Not only is that a natural, normal, rational desire, in the USA it is often written into our laws recognizing this. I believe I understand where you are coming from.

I think we might have more of a language barrier to express ideas and concepts more clearly than cultural differences.

First, you do NOT want your dog to become aggressive. Aggression is about fear, creating space, and often being in a state lacking self control and over reacting. That makes defending one's self very ineffective. Doesn't matter if you are wanting your dog to deal with random loose dogs, or someone breaking into your house, having an aggressive dog is a liability in these situations. By liability i am not talking about getting sued or arrested. I am talking about your dog being able to perform and respond to cues and commands as well as read and respond to the threat correctly. Correctly does NOT always mean fight. This is a critical point to understand.

What you are looking for is actually a dog that can calmly give off the "don't even think about" signals that cause the other dog or the human breaking into your house to think twice about their current course of action. backed up by correct training for such a task that is legal in your area. That is a lot to ask of an untrained 8 month old. That calm, confident behavior can actually do more to address the concerns you have than an aggressive dog. I work with aggressive dogs to address their aggression, and they are not capable of what you are asking.

So when we are telling you that you do not want an aggressive dog, we are not being dismissive of your concerns and the threats you are worried about. what we are trying to explain is an aggressive dog can't help you. As counter intuitive as that may seem. You need a mature, highly confident dog that can project that confidence and by doing so give the other dog or human pause and make them reconsider.

I just like the way you put your words together. I agree with you totally, I don’t want an aggressive but a guard dog. Here from where I reside we have two stages of dog training and the first is obedience that normally starts from 3 months to when it’s like a year old. The second is aggressive training, that starts from 1 year till when it can familiarize the whole thing. Since my dog has being very good with her obedient training which I taught her, I was thinking is time for her aggressive training. When I say aggression training from where I come from it means training your dog to be able to detect danger and acting swiftly on command. He or she must be able to attack an intruder with or without your absence and keep the intruder till you return if you are absent. Maybe is the word aggressive that must be changed to guard training.

 

[Finsky]

I just like the way you put your words together. I agree with you totally, I don’t want an aggressive but a guard dog. Here from where I reside we have two stages of dog training and the first is obedience that normally starts from 3 months to when it’s like a year old. The second is aggressive training, that starts from 1 year till when it can familiarize the whole thing. Since my dog has being very good with her obedient training which I taught her, I was thinking is time for her aggressive training. When I say aggression training from where I come from it means training your dog to be able to detect danger and acting swiftly on command. He or she must be able to attack an intruder with or without your absence and keep the intruder till you return if you are absent. Maybe is the word aggressive that must be changed to guard training.

There is a reason why such a training is targeted for certain age group dogs and the reason is already mentioned in other replies....they have to me mentally (and physically) mature enough for things to come and to truly understand what is expected from them. Regardless how good your dog has been in basic training and quickly it has been able to understand them....dogs behaviour can change quite drastically in different stages of development, pushing it to cope and learn something too early or in wrong stage of mind can actually cause harm/give to wrong ideas/react wrongly and to correct later on might be lot to ask if not impossible. That's why advance training in certain categories are scheduled when the dogs are more matured and mentally more stable. Teenage dogs (and humans) can be quite 'funny' creatures....