I need a little help...

[Penelope's Mom]

As you know, Franklin is an 18 month old EM and is unaltered. Here's the problem...well we have many, but here's the main one. Lol
Franklin will not let anyone, human or canine near me. Period. My daughter brought her chihuahuas over today and as soon as one of them got close to me, he would charge and growl. My grandson can't sit on my lap when he's here for the same reason.
When this happens, he gets a very loud "no!", then I either push him away or get up and ignore him. I don't think he would bite, but that's not really a chance I'm willing to take.
Obviously what I'm doing isn't working so does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[DennasMom]

Does he know the command "place" or "rug"?
If Denna gets to pushy, we can tell her to "go to your rug" - and she will go lay down on her bed (and expect a treat of some sort, of course... but she'll wait there for it, while trying to stare you down ).

We're also working on "place" - which for us will be a more formal "go to your rug and STAY PUT". We use "rug" in a more casual manner, so we need something else for when we really mean it.

Our trainer suggested we use a specific towel or blanket as the "place", so we can take it anywhere and have something she'll go lay on and stay put as soon as we put it out on the ground.

I finally found a youtube example that I liked...
And, the subject is a beautiful Dane... can't beat that!
[video=youtube;PQzXdAA3vk8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQzXdAA3vk8[/video]

 

[Penelope's Mom]

Franklin knows "go to your room", but other than that, he doesn't really have a place. But even when he's laying down and being calm, he will jump up and charge when anyone gets too close to me.
Is completely isolating him a good idea? I mean when i tell him to go to his room, i close the door and he's isolated from whatever is going on in the rest of the house. I'm not sure if that is a good idea or not.

 

[musicdeb]

Leash the pup whenever someone comes into the home or put him in a crate. Tell whoever comes into the house to completely ignore him. Do not touch, talk or look at him.

Once everyone is in the house, bring him into the same room. Reminder: Do not look, touch, or talk.

Just let him hang out.

If someone walks by and he does his thing, give him a stern, calm no and leave it and make him sit. If he continues, you continue with stern, calm no and leave it and tell him to sit. Do not yell.

This will take lots of patience, consistency and lots of rewards.

 

[musicdeb]

Forgot to mention, Franklin NEEDS socialization so he can see people are not bad. Be aware that he will not like anyone coming in his zone.

I've had to deal with socializing Titan since I rescued him. He is now able to walk at the park without lunging. Don't get me wrong, he will lunge if a man talks to me or starts to walk at me. But he's been doing great for about 2 weeks, no lunging at all. In fact, we're almost at the point where he can walk on the sidewalk with someone coming the opposite way. I used to have to go about 10 feet from sidewalk but now we're at about 2-3 feet from the sidewalk.

Patience and no frustration is key. Mastiffs can feel your frustration and shut down on you.

 

[Penelope's Mom]

This happens with people he has known his whole life. My daughter who visits all the time, and my grandson whom Franklin has practically grown up with still cause him to behave in the same way.

I definitely see what you mean about socializing him. I'm just not sure where to start since every time he goes crazy I have a very difficult time regaining control of the situation. We sit out on the patio when it's cool emough to do so and we watch for people. If he ignores them and focuses on me when I tell him to, he gets lots of praise and treats. If he barks and growls, he gets nothing. He has his good days and his bad days and men really freak him out.

 

[musicdeb]

I hear ya and been there...done that. I've had the same experience with Titan. Can you walk him in the early morning before the heat so he can used to seeing people/animals?

You need to focus on showing him what you want him to do not what he's doing. Mastiffs want to please their owners but they need direction. Show him what you want him to do.

This will be a slow and frustrating behavior change but it can be done. Titan doesn't like men that he doesn't know and I'm aware of it and take the necessary precautions.

Follow what I suggested for when people enter the house and it should help a lot.

 

[Penelope's Mom]

I can take him for a walk in the morning; that's not a problem. It's just when he lunges I have a hard time holding him back. I'm willing to do what it takes though, so we'll see how it goes.

 

[musicdeb]

I use a regular collar and harness with 2 leashes to walk Titan in case I have to hold him back. You might want to get a muzzle to put you at peace.

I would even recommend doing a prong collar if you do not feel that you can hold him if he starts to lunge. I tried a prong collar with Titan and didn't like it. I feel secure with the collar and harness with 2 leashes but Titan has lunged in a couple of weeks. Thankful for that!

I do this when walking Titan and I see he may lunge. I make him sit and stand in front of me. I tell him to look at me. Most of the time he doesn't keep his look on me but on the approaching person/dog. I continue to stand in front of me and keep him in front of me. I tell him to leave it and stay. So far, this has worked and he didn't lunge.

See if that technique helps you. When walking Franklin, you have to remain aware of who is approaching you. If you see a potential threat for Franklin to lunge, try the above technique. Do not let Franklin get past you. It works for me, it may work for you.

 

[musicdeb]

One more thing. I have found since I have become more confident in my ability to control Titan (i.e. standing in front of him, practicing on look at me and the 2 leashes) he hasn't lunged in 2 weeks.

Keep on keeping on and it will eventually happen. If it doesn't, then you are aware of the issue and take the necessary precautions.

Walking with Franklin will help socialize him and exercise him which equals a happy pup.

 

[SavingGrace]

I'm a big fan of the prong collar on walks, especially for a dog you have trouble holding back IF they REALLY want to go after something. Make sure you get a good prong collar (with the prongs filed smooth, and not pointy/prick) and the collar will do most of the work for you. Anytime the dog lunges or pulls the collar will correct him. Have someone show you how to use it (if you haven't already) and make sure they show you how to correct appropriately.

My CC didn't like the prong at first either - it's a normal reaction amongst dogs because it's a corrective collar and feels strange to them - BUT it is effective and has helped me immensely in healing and training. Our CC would throw temper tantrums when we first started using it, but work through it - the end results are great, our girls loves the collar now and I can take her anywhere without worrying about being able to control her.

As for the lunging in your home - socialize socialize socialize - not up close to anyone at first but let him watch from a distance. I'd also suggest finding a trainer that can offer some suggestions on this issue. They've dealt with this behavior before and likely know some other good things to work on that might help.

 

[Penelope's Mom]

Thanks for the suggestions. A trainer is out of the question for the time being. I'm not financially able to hire one right now, but as soon as I can , I will. I think that's what would be best for my dog, as long as I can find a good one who has dealt with giant dogs with issues.

My ultimate goals for my "F-bomb" are to be able to walk him, and to have him at least tolerate my family. I may never be able to go to the dog park, or take him to Petsmart with me, but as long as we can be outside without me being afraid of what he might do, I can live without the rest. And ultimately, I want him to be happy and well-adjusted.

 

[SavingGrace]

I'd give the prong collar a whirl and see how it goes! I've gotten some for my friends since I had such good luck with it and it's all been positive feedback. One of my friends has a 90lb mix that used to pull like crazy and thanked me directly after switching to the prong - they now walk easily and nicely with no pulling and the dog loves it.

I wonder if Franklin is lunging at your family out of jealousy instead of guarding (I have no idea, but just a thought). I liked the crate idea and to just ignore so that he can see you're going to be around your family and everything is okay from a confined space until you feel comfortable letting him hang out in the same room...

 

[Penelope's Mom]

How can I tell if it's jealousy, or doesn't it matter?
I was once told that he sees me as his rather than seeing himself as mine. Does that make sense?

 

[dpenning]

I use a harness on Daisy that has a leash hooked to the front on her chest and a martingale connection on her back. If she lunges it turns her around back toward me. I'm not sure if you would find that useful but if you think it might help measure Franklin around the chest. If my old one will fit him I'll be happy to send it to you.

 

[SavingGrace]

I use a harness on Daisy that has a leash hooked to the front on her chest and a martingale connection on her back. If she lunges it turns her around back toward me. I'm not sure if you would find that useful but if you think it might help measure Franklin around the chest. If my old one will fit him I'll be happy to send it to you.

Thats really cool - I've never seen that before - would be SUPER helpful, especially for puppies.

I don't know how to tell if it's jealousy - maybe others will chime in. He could see you as his territory (which also goes hand in hand with guarding). Sometimes I notice my CC getting bratty when our Eurasier wants attention - playfully chasing him off me or making it clear she wants my attention and he shouldn't get any while I'm petting her. She's not aggressive about it, just sort of like 'go away stupid brother, it's my turn to be pet'. When she behaves this way I get up and walk away. They both get attention on my terms and believe me she's not starved for attention by any means. A few minutes later I'll go pet him and if she's good, I'll go over and pet her. I do the same for each of them so they're both used to the fact that I can pet either one of them and they don't have to get jealous.

I'm not sure if that's helpful - but again, I think putting him in a crate or somewhere confined where he can see you interact with everyone might help. If he's calm and good - let him hang out.

 

[Penelope's Mom]

I've noticed...if I go up to another dog or person, Franklin is fine with it, most of the time. It's when someone approaches me that he has a problem.

Thanks, Dawn. I'll measure him tomorrow. His majesty is sleeping now.

 

[Mooshi's Mummy]

Personally I hate prongs and would try a martingale and a gentle leader or harness....

Franklin is part Fila isnt he?

 

[Rugers-Kris]

My two cents is that you need to train him to do what you want him to do BUT his temperment probably isn't going to change much, just his behavior. Part of the problem sounds like your own fear at being able to hold Franklin when he starts to lunge. I understand that and it is very hard to do but you must take the neccessary steps to give yourself the confidence and training him will be much easier. I like what dpenning is saying and think you should give it a try. Honestly, you will never be able to train and teach Franklin until you feel confident. It may sound silly but if you are worrying about what he is going to do, he will sense it and act out. You need to try different collars, leashes, harnesses until you really feel that you have control and then just work on the basic training (No, sit, leave it, etc.). I am not against a prong collar although I have never used one BUT I think it should be a last option. Like anything, you need to work your way to it and see if a lesser control can work for you. I have read all of your threads and I am not being mean at all but the reality is that you are to afraid to do for him what needs to be done.

I don't know how much you have read about Ruger but he is an EM that is NOT a friendly dog. He is a Guard and takes his job very seriously. He likes his family and noone else. He doesn't like visitors, we cannot go to petsmart and he WILL bite if he feels that I am threatened. He is the perfect dog in my opinion. He is, however, incredibly well mannered and obedient and understands that I am in charge. I can take him most anywhere as long as it isn't somewhere that people will be on top of us (He has a 4 foot area). He doesn't lunge, he listens fantastically and he is a very happy and confident dog. It can be done but it is up to you and without the confidence that you can handle him, you won't get anywhere. Sorry for rambling on. I didn't mean to offend you and I don't think that you are a bad dog owner. It is quite common with people with "aggressive" dogs to lose the confidence they absolutely need to be able to give them what they need.

 

[Penelope's Mom]

Mooshi, he is pure EM.

Kris, I'm not offended. You're right. I'm afraid of what he is capable of. He's pulled me off my feet more than once and slammed me into the side of the house on another occasion. My biggest fear is that he gets away from me and hurts someone. I don't think he would, he's a barker, not a fighter, but I don't want to risk it.

At home, with me, he Iistens, follows his commands and is a perfect dog. When I get him outside and there are other dogs or people around, sometimes, he turns into Cujo.
Last night, i took him out for his bedtime potty. A man walked by and Franklin lunged. However, this time when I said "no"and "leave it", he actually stopped! I was shocked. Once the guy passed, I praised Franklin and he got a treat. I hope this is the beginning of a turnaround, or maybe I just got lucky, but either way, it was a welcome change.