Zoey is showing some aggression :(

[Saint and Mal mom]

Well, Zoey and Dolly got out of our gate again this morning, but I got them back and they're both fine. So that's okay. The problem is, when I went to go grab Zoey by the collar, she really, really growled at me. Not playfully. She would have bitten me too if I hadn't had a hold of her head and turned it away from me. The only way I got her back was to put the leash on her and bring her back. But everytime I went to touch her neck or collar, she got very very agitated and aggressive at me. I wasn't scared, I was mad at her for doing it.  But I really do think she would have bitten me. Maybe not hard, but that doesn't matter. So now she is in her pen for the rest of the day.

I will be starting her on "Nothing in life is free" because I have heard so many good things about it from you guys. From my very basic understanding of it, everytime the dog receives anything, you tell them to do a command and if they obey, then they get something, right? If anyone can give me any tips on this or any other ways to deal with Zoey's aggression, please tell me! I will not keep a dangerous or mean dog! I am willing to work with her though. She is my baby, but this is not okay. Please give me some pointers!

[Kermit]

Firstly, I am so sorry your dog growled at you. That is a terrible feeling.

Next, I have a question. Is there any way that Zoey might possibly be hurt somehow? If a dog is in physical discomfort they are more likey to lash out or act out of character. For example, when Will picked Turkey up after she had been hit by a car, she bit him on the face. Totally out of character, but she was hurt. I know that's an extreme example, but it just came to mind.

I don't think that your dog growling at you one time means that she is an aggressive dog. Sounds to me like this is the perfect opportunity for you to really start learning more about dog behavior, and start applying real leadership to Zoey. Being a Malamute, she is going to be tougher at times than other breeds might be.

Another thought is that if you grabbed her in an angry way, she might have felt threatened by you. I'm not sure what kind of energy you had when you grabbed her collar. It's interesting, a very similar thing happened to me years ago with a Siberian Husky I had. She had gotten in the house when she wan't supposed to, and I grabbed her collar while I was in an angry state. She bit me!!! I was stunned, and I just put her outside. I thought about it a lot. She never bit me again, and I never had a problem with her being an "aggressive" dog. It just started me on my journey to fully understand dogs and their behavior. Uhh... I'm still trying to figure them out 13 years later!!!!!!!

[Saint and Mal mom]

Thanks so much for your reply! I guess I didn't really state specifics about much.

Okay, when I grabbed her by the collar, I wasn't mad yet, so I grabbed just like I regularly would. I didn't yank on her, pull her, or do anything. And I know she hates being led back to the house by her collar, but usually she just growls a bit but she's never tried to bite me! I really think she would have.

And I also thought about her neck hurting or something. I suppose it could be hurt, but I don't see any bleeding or scabs or anything. I think she was being cranky and irritated, not hurt. But it may be the case. I will check into that further a bit later. I have heard of dogs biting when they are hurt and scared.

Malamutes are stubborn and very hard-headed and need strong leadership to respect their masters. I know that, even just owning her and reading about them. But it really bothers me that she would have bitten me.

[Kermit]

If you PM me your email address, I can send you the NILIF program I have on file.

[Saint and Mal mom]

Thanks! Will do!

[Saint and Mal mom]

I have been working with her for about 15-20 minutes every hour or so on a 30 foot long lead. I am working her on come, sit, and down. She does NOT want to lie down when I tell her to. Is this an alpha thing? She refuses almost 95% of the time. She doesn't come unless I pull her to me on the leash, but that is something I will keep working on. She's got sit down but that's about it. I have been making her sit and wait for me to go through the gate and door first. She seems to be listening. She is like a trigger ready to go off though! As soon as I try to make her do something she doesn't want to, she barks and bears her teeth some and either sits down or flops down and refuses to move. Grrr. What is going on? I've never been wondering if she'll try to bite me if I make her do something. Now I am!

[chaos270]

It definitely sounds like a dominance issue.  If she's not listening to you and when you try to force her to do stuff tries to resist it means she's not respecting you.  Definitely try NILIF.  I think it'd work very well with her.  If that doesn't work I'd contact a behaviorist and get a training program specifically for her.  Good Luck and keep us updated.