Author Topic: new, have question about Pyr aggression  (Read 3088 times)

Offline sekura

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new, have question about Pyr aggression
« on: September 13, 2007, 09:28:33 pm »
Hi there, I'm a faithful servant of two wonderful male Pyrs, Kodiak and Orion.  Both were adopted from a rescue society, and we are a bit concerned occasionally with Kodiak's behavior.  He does not seem to like us brushing his back legs much, and if my husband presses too hard with it or we try and cut a mat of fur, he will sometimes fight with my husband.  Is he trying to assert dominance, or just reacting badly to pain? (We have found no evidence of injury.)  The worst occurence happened when I was walking in the front door and my husband was cutting some hair--Kodiak wanted to go greet me, my husband blocked his path, and there was a scuffle.
owned by:
Kodiak ~4yo Pyr
Orion, 10mo Pyr

Offline GoldenPyrs

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Re: new, have question about Pyr aggression
« Reply #1 on: September 13, 2007, 11:53:55 pm »
Hi Sekura, how long have you had Kodiak and do you know what his history is?

I am the mom of 3 pups currently, Daisy a Golden/LabX, Sammy a Pyr, and Cassie a Pyr/? mix.  Sammy is a 5-6 y/o neutered male that we adopted from Pyr Rescue in March.  He'd been abused and intentionally starved nearly to death until AC took him from that "home".  He was so matted that he'd been shaved down to 1/2" long, so I don't think that he's had much experience with grooming, so he doesn't like it much either, but gradually he's learning that it goes along with being fed, loved and part of the family.

If you haven't had Kodiak long, you may need to make him feel more secure and safe with you & your husband before he can take long grooming sessions.  Since Sammy was clipped we were able to start slowly with his grooming.  If you haven't already, I'd suggest that you start with some basic obedience (sit & down) with lots of pets, praise and really yummy treats.  Then I'd try short (a minute or two) grooming mini-sessions where you just brush his back and places that he likes followed by lots of praise & treats and work up from there.  You may also find that he can take the grooming better from you than your hubby if he's been abused by men in his past homes.  If you can, take it slowly and work up to brushing his pants & tail (pretty universally hated but tolerated by all of my pyrs past & present) that would be good.  If you can post more info about Kodiak, that would help all of us help you more.  BTW, I think that it is absolutely wonderful that you adopted your boys from rescue!   ;D  :-*
Marie

And my pups:
Daisy a 9 y/o Golden/Lab mix
Sammy a 6-7(?) y/o Great Pyrenees adopted 3/07
Cassie a 3 y/o Pyr/Mystery Snuggle Bunny mix adopted 2/07

My angel girls waiting at the Bridge:
Cara 1989-2001 Great Pyrenees
Sally ? - 1993 Dobie(rescued '92)
Halley 2002-2006 Great Pyrenees

Offline BigSoftandFluffyLover

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Re: new, have question about Pyr aggression
« Reply #2 on: January 30, 2008, 02:04:58 am »
Welcome, im new too!
My lovable tramp, Rasputin, is 2 1/2 and ive had him since he was 3 weeks old and has never, i mean, NEVER like getting his haunches brushed.  He nashes his teeth and tries to nip, but knows better then looks at me all sad saying "sorry" when he does.  But then when i start to brush that area again he does it AGAIN!  Ive had all the x rays and nothing is wrong with him physically...b ut hes just a stubborn man.  Muzzle him or work on your dominance.  I take him to a "bathe them yourself" place and they have ties for their faces there, it works pretty well.

Offline Amy (guffer)

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Re: new, have question about Pyr aggression
« Reply #3 on: January 30, 2008, 09:36:16 am »
Hi!  I'm Amy, mom to two rescued pyrs, Zeus and Apollo.  I've had the same problem with grooming Zeus.  He tries to run away when the brush comes out, and when I catch him, he tries to mouth the brush and wiggle away from it.  Apollo is the opposite and will generally roll on his back and enjoy every second of the grooming session!  You might try taking Kodiak on a nice long walk to tire him out a little before starting.  Then get him in a quiet, enclosed space (so he'll realize escape isn't an option).  Just calmly brush him for a short amount of time every day, giving lots of praise.  Save brushing the back legs until he gets more comfortable with the being brushed everywhere else.  If he still tries to bite, a muzzle isn't a bad idea.  And then following up with treats and more praise is a great way to end on a positive note!  I've only had my boys since last June, but I can see a lot of improvement with our grooming sessions.  It just takes patience and time for some rescued dogs to trust a new owner.  They have to learn that grooming is good and fun, not scary or painful.  Good luck!

Offline maxsmom

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Re: new, have question about Pyr aggression
« Reply #4 on: January 30, 2008, 12:08:33 pm »
I went through the same thing with Cody.  He didn't even let us touch him at first, let alone brush him.  I would corner him in the kitchen, hold his collar with one hand and gently brush him with the other.  If he growled or snarled at me, I would tell him no, and keep on with what I was doing.  In the beginning, he got his mouth over my hand a few times, but never left anything worse than tooth imprints, no blood.  I wouldn't put a tight collar on him, or restrain him, since he has the scarring on his neck from where the chain collar grew in, prior to him being rescued.  He still wears a loose buckle collar.  We got him in February and they blow their coat in late spring, so I knew he had to be used to it, in short order, so I could get that undercoat off him without it matting up horribly.  It took about 3 weeks of me brushing him for an hour or so every night, before he stopped reacting badly.  The main thing is to stay calm, so he will calm down, don't raise your voice, and above all, don't stop, when he growls or reacts.  If you do, he won and will continue the behaviour.  Good luck with them and you are doing a wonderful thing by taking in rescues.
Kathy
Max  2 Irish Wolfhound
Jake  2 Great Pyrenees
Cody   3 Tibetan Mastiff
ChiChi 1.5 Caucasian Ovcharka
John and Nicki Maine Coon cats