I have a very protective GP and aggressive.

Polar is 4 1/2 yrs old is it too late to socialize him? If not what is the best way. He likes some dogs n people but is very picky.

Comments for I have a very protective GP and aggressive.

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Jan 31, 2017
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starstarstarstarstar 		Socialization
by: Donna

Have you had him for 4.5 years?

Is he a purebred? This means he is from a breeder who is registered with a recognized kennel club. He would have come with registration papers. If this is the case, he needs to go back to the breeder.

Reputable breeders breed for good health and temperament and follow the lines of their dogs for at least three generations.

Reputable breeders will have had your pup, in his first 8 weeks, handled by and socialized with many many many different people in his first eight weeks followed by another month with you. You would have continued his socialized for another month. The first 13 weeks is so important for this LGDs.

Yes, it is too late to socialize him. Pyrs are not aggressive by nature but without the proper breeding and socialization, they become protective and will attack out of fear.

His fear reactivity to dogs can be managed with positive-reinforcement training. You'll always have to maintain distance from other dogs until he initiates a playbow.

As for people, there isn't anything you can do.
Feb 06, 2017
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starstarstarstarstar 		I have a GP that is fear aggressive.
by: Anonymous

My GP is 1 year old and shows aggressiveness out of fear and if asked to do something she doesn't want to. I have only had her 2 months. I have been working on socializing her and taking places and to classes and around other dogs. She has come a long ways, but she will still show aggressiveness at times. My mom was petting her and she decided she had enough and nipped at her. She firmly told her no and she responded to it. But this happens a lot. Given enough time will she get better?
Feb 07, 2017
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starstarstarstarstar 		Aggression
by: Donna

Some people think this is something that can be 'fixed'. These people have not had Pyrs with aggression and bite histories.

Some people will keep these dogs because they can't bear the thought of putting them down. They move them around in hopes someone else can solve the issue. It will not be. You don't want a dog like this in the wrong hands where the dog can be harmed by someone using negative reinforcement to stop the dog from biting. The dog will be harmed immensely.

It's not the dog's fault by any means but a fearful dog is not a happy dog. And, the dog is not safe around people. Bites will continue to be incurred. It is not safe for the dog nor the people.

You have done the right thing in working with your dog but sadly, the first 8 weeks is crucial followed by another month with the new people. I don't know where you got the dog from but it sounds like he has been moved around because he has fear reactivity and as a result, a bite history.

Typically, these dogs are unpredictable as to when they bite and that makes them even more dangerous. Once they bite, it works for them to drive away what they don't like.

When these LGDs don't get that crucial socialization in their first three months, it can be an uphill 'battle' that cannot always be won. I'm so sorry you are going through this.
Feb 07, 2017
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starstarstarstarstar 		Trying to understand the fearful dog.
by: Anonymous

Thank you for your input. I had the same thoughts but wanted to ask. Is it worth it for the dog for me to keep trying?
Feb 08, 2017
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starstarstarstarstar 		Socialization
by: Donna

To ease your mind, you might consider bringing in a positive-reinforcement trainer to assess your dog. Make sure it is a positive-reinforcement trainer.

They will tell you for certain if your dog can be rehabilitated.
Apr 03, 2017
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starstarstarstarstar 		Agression help
by: Sherry Blonde

This absolutely breaks my heart and makes me worry for the future. We rescued a Pyrenees mix (unsure of what she is mixed with) about 3 years ago. At the time she was believed to be about 4-5 months old and was saved from a high kill shelter along with her sister. She is our first Pyrenees. As she got older she became very protective, mostly in our home. She got to the point that she would not let anyone in our home except my husband and myself. She even began growling at our twins when they would come home to visit from college. We were referred to a behavior specialist vet by our vet who we saw about 3-4 times and gave us some tools along with a prescription to help Maui with her anxiety and fear. We have worked with her with positive reinforcement and she has improved. The idea was to utilize the medication to help allow her to cooperate and provide positive reinforcement thus allowing her to associate these experiences with that and then hopefully wean her off of it with continued use of positive reinforcement and the hopes that she would continue to improve with now "good" memories. This has helped/worked to some extent. We have taught her to still be able to protect without getting to a level 10 and have integrated allowing visitors again very slowly and with positive reinforcements. She is not completely ok with our twins coming and going. We did try to wean her off the medication and it was terrible. She became extremely anxious and uncomfortable so we started her on it again and she is manageable. She will probably have to take it for the rest of her life but that is ok. Even our vet noticed a difference in her demeanor when we brought her the next time. I do worry about her as she ages and becoming more aggressive but we will continue to work with her and will never give her up. She is family. I do believe in my heart that she is happy and loves us. I struggle with the thought that she is anxious and afraid sometimes and that she will most likely never be completely ok. I hope this helps or gives those of you have this same problem some hope. I am happy to share any information possible to help so please don't hesitate to ask. Best of luck.

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