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Canine Behavior/wired hair terrier behavioral problem ?

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Expert: Lee Charles Kelley - 10/14/2008


Question
Hi my name is Mark.  We have had jojo ( the terrier ) for 8 years now.
the last couple of years he is becoming more and more aggressive.    When he and I are alone-No Problem.  When my wife and two kids are home he will not let me go to the rest room, go near my wife, go out or come in without barking.  When I go upstairs to sleep he barks uncontrollably jumping on the wall of the staircase at me.  ( my wife is on the couch).  Now when I go to lock his cage at night or when we go out, he charges at me and barks uncontrollably.  He has broken skin on me before.    Not sure what is going on but I'm ready to get rid of him.
help in chicago......mark


Answer
Hi, Mark,

Thanks for the question. I'm sorry you're having problems with JoJo.

Have you talked to your vet about this, just to rule out a medical condition as the cause of the behavior?

What kind of training have you done with JoJo? What is your usual response when he misbehaves? How much hard vigorous playful exercise does he get outdoors every day? Do you ever take him on long walks in the park or in a natural setting? Has there been a change in the household structure, starting a few months or so since before the aggression started? Do you ever play fetch or tug-of-war with him?

LCK

Canine Behavior

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Lee Charles Kelley

Expertise

I've been training dogs in New York City for nearly 20 years. My training approach and philosophy are based on the way police dogs, search-and-rescue dogs, and detection dogs are trained--through the prey drive, inherited from the wolf. It's true that there's been a shift away from using the "wolf model" in dog training recently, and to some extent, there's a good reason. That's because trainers have been using the wrong model, the one that says you have to be the "alpha" or the pack leader in order to control your dog's behavior. This simply isn't true. In wild wolves there is no dominance hierarchy, no "alpha" wolf, and no pack leader (not in the traditional sense). The pack instinct only exists to enable wolves to hunt large prey by working in harmony. (Wolves who live near garbage dumps, for example, and who don't hunt together, don't form packs.) So if wolves don't have an instinct to "follow the pack leader" or "obey the alpha wolf," how could dogs have inherited it from them?

Years ago, before I became a dog trainer, I noticed that the happiest, most obedient, and best-behaved dogs I met weren't the ones who'd been to a dog trainer or behaviorist; they were the dogs whose owners always had Frisbees and tennis balls on hand. And while it might seem that my approach would only be relevant to high-drive dogs who love fetch and tug-of-war, it isn't. Even something as seemingly unrelated as a housebreaking issue or greeting behavior are often the direct result of a dog's predatory energy not having an acceptable outlet.

All behavior is an expression of energy. So when a dog's energy isn't utilized in a way that feels satisfying to his or her instincts and emotions, that's when behavioral problems develop. Giving the dog an acceptable outlet for its energy will almost always bring the dog's behavior back into alignment with its instincts

Feel free to ask me questions about any training/behavioral issue.

LCK

Experience

20 years as a dog trainer. I'm also a bestselling author, writing a series of dog-related mystery novels for Avon.

Organizations
Dog Writers Association of America

Education/Credentials
Just a natural gift I have for understanding and training dogs

Past/Present Clients
Too numerous to mention.

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