Lou's bite work

[rudy]

Lou is a panic dog of the aggressive sort. I can get his attention 99% of the time with a "Lou! Ready??" and he comes flying at me for a push for food (not push for toy, he's not there yet). This works in every circumstance - even with deer, running kids, etc.

Recently I've changed tactics a little - hoping to get more of Lou's energy on me. My vet's male dogs aren't neutered and so they garner an explosive response from neutered Lou. Lou gets aggressive (barking, charging) on leash toward the dogs and I let him do his thing for a few seconds and then I stick a tug toy in his face. He does not turn to me for the tug but if I get it near him he will grab and shake and tug like a wild animal. His focus is still on the other dogs though. Often he will let go of the toy, but if not I let him win.

Honestly, it's a little scary. His response is quite intense. He has to be REALLY jacked up to tug the toy.

I've been helping to care for the vet's dogs so my friend and I walk his dogs as I train Lou. After 3 or more episodes of Lou tugging and then some pushing he is fine to walk with the other dogs as long as we keep walking.

I have started also doing this if/when he gets super aggressive when someone walks too closely to the car when it's parked.

My other tool is what Kevin called the Panic Down (ND Trainer required). I use the Panic Down when he isn't worked up enough to tug the toy.

Am I on the right track? Lou wants to bite, needs to bite. Getting Lou to want to bite what I want him to bite will be a HUGE step for us.

[rudy]

Now I know why Kevin keeps his little "travel' tug toys on a string....

I was walking the dogs at the park, on leash of course, food belt and toy on of course. Three people with three Setters came walking the other direction and letting their dogs pull them around. I dropped Rudy's leash and called out, Rudy can say hello but this one CAN NOT! He is UNPREDICTABLE! They kept getting closer ( I mean within inches) and Lou was going nuts. Our panic DOWN! was not holding. Lou was barking, lunging, etc. I pulled Lou backwards off the path and did a push for food and then a down with his back toward them and he was ok. But the people were ALL OVER us with the dogs even following us off the path. So I yanked out Lou's little plush fox for tug and he grabbed it and shook it like a wildman - repeat repeat repeat until the people wandered away.

Then they came back!!!! I was too busy managing Lou to talk to them. In the process of tugging with the fox - he'll grab it, tug (more like shake it violently) and then drop it and I'll put it back in his face - he grabbed my hand instead. When the people saw Lou with my hand in his mouth they finally got it and got out of the way. Geez.

Then we go home to our back yard with neighbor dogs on one side of us and he utterly ignores them even when they are barking. He can stand right beside them at the fence and it's no big deal.

Fortunately, I think I've developed an immunity to dog bite pain.

Lesson learned: tie a rope to foxy so I can grab it and be more remote from Lou's mouth.