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Messages - miazoe

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Great Pyrenees Discussions / Pyr aggressive on leash
« on: April 11, 2005, 03:11:54 pm »
Hi there,

We have a 2 year old female Pyrenees that has gotten really aggressive on our daily walks.  She is very friendly towards people and is even ok at the dog park.  But the last few months have been almost unbearable.  If we're walking down the street and another dog is coming the other way (on the opposite side of the street) her ears perk up and she gets in the "stance" and the closer we get the more she barks until she sounds like if I were to let her go she would absolutely destroy the other dog.  It tends to be worse with other female dogs but I have to tell you that it's hard to keep track of when you're trying to restrain an 85 pound dog (and a Golden at the same time). 

I've tried the regular "no!", other types of collars and gentle leaders, and I've actually sat on her a couple of times.  My boyfriend is much stronger and can correct her more forcefully but nothing seems to be working.  When I introduced the gentle leader with her I used lots of little training treats anytime she didn't attack another dog but it really didn't seem to work.  I really don't enjoy our walks as much as I used to because I'm watching out for others dogs and trying to duck down another street before she sees them coming. 

My vet suggested seeing a professional trainer but i honestly don't think it will work.  She is too smart and it is just her nature to protect.   

any ideas?

Thanks!

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Great Pyrenees Discussions / Re: First time Pyr owner
« on: April 11, 2005, 02:44:10 pm »
Hi - i can relate to separation anxiety.  We found our Pyrenees when she was 7 months old.  She had been left in the woods for who knows how long.  The park ranger found another pup her age about a mile up the road from where we found her.  We had her checked out and decided to keep her.  But she had issues.  Any time we left we came home to destroyed pillows, magazines, etc.  While each time she did get punished, we recognized the need to do something positive.  We tried many things:

 - Upon advice from a friend, we started giving her treats when we left so that our departure was associated with a positive experience.  And we picked treats that would keep her busy for a while like a rawhide, greenie, or peanut butter stuffed kong. We also left out "sacrificial" magazines and things that we didn't mind getting chewed on.  Of course, we hid all pillows and things of value.

 - Scat mats - we put these little mats on anything that we didn't want her on.  If she jumped on the couch, for example, it gave her a little shock.  This worked really well.  We had a formal living room that was closed off via baby gates but she kept knocking them down.  We put the scat mat in front of the gate and voila!  no more dog in the living room.

Now she is 2 years old and occasionally we come home to a destroyed magazine, but that is only if we have been gone for 5+ hours.  We leave empty water bottles in her toy basket for her to chew on.  She loves them.

The only problem I have with her now is that she has become really aggressive while on leash.  She is fine at the dog park but has started really freaking out any time we pass other dogs on our daily walks.  My vet suggested a trainer, but like others have said here, these dogs have a mind of their own.  Any advice for me?

Hope that helps!

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