What did you accomplish today?

[Chunky Stool]

bullying is also a trust thing, like you mentioned "at the moment he's trying to figure out where he's at in the family"....from the picture you had previously put up, he has been fixed i'm guessing?

He got fixed a couple of weeks ago and they also removed his dew claws -- which is a big deal at this age (9 months).
Still got the cone on and his feet are bandaged.
In other words, pain & testosterone are definitely major factors.
We've been giving him pills for the pain but backed off today because they really fuck with his impulse control and overall mood.
He may be in a little more pain now but he actually seems happier and more engaged than when he's drugged.
The vet said it would take 4-6 weeks for the testosterone to fade.

 

[curious2garden]

He got fixed a couple of weeks ago and they also removed his dew claws -- which is a big deal at this age (9 months).
Still got the cone on and his feet are bandaged.
In other words, pain & testosterone are definitely major factors.
We've been giving him pills for the pain but backed off today because they really fuck with his impulse control and overall mood.
He may be in a little more pain now but he actually seems happier and more engaged than when he's drugged.
The vet said it would take 4-6 weeks for the testosterone to fade.

You know pain pills make some people extremely angry, it's often a side effect of opiates. Better he hurts than attacks, sad, but pain is an inescapable side effect of life.

 

[Chunky Stool]

Do you have any other animals in the house?

There is one other dog, a 12-year-old female great pyreness/lab mix.
She isn't thrilled with Louie but she's doing fine. I occasionally intervene when he's being a complete a-hole but prefer to let them work it out themselves.

edit: Do you have a quiet calm household?
Yes, very quiet.
Total silence is not good for him because he gets triggered by the sound of other dogs barking outside. TV or stereo help a lot.

How many hours a day do you spend with him?
Almost 24/7. When he's not with me, he's with my wife. We are in the process of setting up an enclosure in the garage where we can leave him alone. No fucking way we would leave him alone in the house.

Brush him every day?
Not every day, but at least 3 times a week.
We have to be very gentle. He doesn't like the furminator - yet.

Can you touch/pet him on his ears, around his mouth, stomach, paws without reaction?
I can't touch is back paws because they are bandaged and they hurt from the dew claw removal.
No problem with any of the other areas.

How is he walking on a leash both long and traffic lead?
He's great on the short leash but I quit using the long one because he acts up. I will try again after the testosterone fades a bit.

Explain the squeaky toy incident.
I wasn't there when it started, but basically I was trying to get the cat inside but Louie wouldn't get away from the door (he can see through the glass).
So my wife distracted him by squeaking one of his toys repeatedly and talking to him.
I heard her yell "Honey get in here", and when I came in she was holding the leash and turning away from him as he lunged for her face while snapping his teeth and growling.
I shut him down immediately.
As soon as he turned away, I backed off. Then my wife and I sat down to see what Louis would do next...
He came over to me immediately to say he was sorry.
He doesn't hold a grudge and neither do I.

Does he guard his food?
Yes but only from other dogs.

How is he with basic obedience commands and have you taught him any new ones?
He knows a few commands and we haven't taught him more - yet.

 

[BarnBuster]

Is/was he aggressive toward the cat?

 

[Chunky Stool]

Is/was he aggressive toward the cat?

Nope, he gets excited to go sniff cats but that's it. No aggression when they are close.
Our cat was also raised around dogs -- and he's no pushover. Bandit can handle himself just fine.
They are more curious about each other than anything.

 

[BarnBuster]

Nope, he gets excited to go sniff cats but that's it. No aggression when they are close.
Our cat was also raised around dogs -- but he's no pushover. Bandit can handle himself just fine.
They are more curious about each other than anything.

I forgot to ask, how long you've had him. The redirected aggression toward your wife is strange. Is he usually pretty friendly toward her? As much as to you? I had a Rottweiler that was like that but only toward another dog in the house. The other dog was a later rescue addition and started the Rott on food guarding as well.

 

[Chunky Stool]

I forgot to ask, how long you've had him. The redirected aggression toward your wife is strange. Is he usually pretty friendly toward her? As much as to you? I had a Rottweiler that was like that but only toward another dog in the house.

We have had Louis for one week but it feels like a month.
He totally loves his momma, which is why this was so strange.
I'm his big buddy but he repeatedly tried to bully me -- until I finally responded with WAY more aggression to put him in his place.
It was a risk that could have ended horribly, but it felt like my best option and I had faith that Louis wouldn't take it to the next level.

 

[BarnBuster]

All right, a week is not long at all. The fact you can touch him, brush him is great. I think it's just an adjustment period. Bully you in what way?
I didn't know anything about the GP breed so read up on their temperament. They seem to be pretty stable. Do you belong to any GP forums?

 

[Chunky Stool]

All right, a week is not long at all. The fact you can touch him, brush him is great. I think it's just an adjustment period.Bully you in what way?
I didn't know anything about the GP breed so read up on their temperament. They seem to be pretty stable. Do you belong to any GP forums?

His bullying starts with "stalking" where his body gets stiff and his head lowers while he slowly follows his target around. Then the growling and barking.
Eventually he started jumping and nipping. He even grabbed my sweatshirt and pulled it. (He is strong!)

Everything I read online said to stay calm and try not to escalate when dealing with aggression.
Well I can tell you from experience that walking away doesn't work. It's temporary.

He didn't back off until I manhandled him. (VERY firm physical control.)

 

[BarnBuster]

His bullying starts with "stalking" where his body gets stiff and his head lowers while he slowly follows his target around. Then the growling and barking.
Eventually he started jumping and nipping. He even grabbed my sweatshirt and pulled it. (He is strong!)

Everything I read online said to stay calm and try not to escalate when dealing with aggression.
Well I can tell you from experience that walking away doesn't work. It's temporary.

He didn't back off until I manhandled him. (VERY firm physical control.)

But, this behavior is decreasing both in occurrence and intensity, right? Do you feed him separately from the other animals so he doesn't have to be on the alert for them?

 

[Chunky Stool]

But, this behavior is decreasing both in occurrence and intensity, right? Do you feed him separately from the other animals so he doesn't have to be on the alert for them?

Yes, he gets better every day.
When we first got him, his behavior was getting progressively worse - until he accepted me as the pack leader.
Now I can comfort him before he gets amped up, which wasn't possible earlier.
I've gotta pay close attention to the subtle signs he gives off when he's feeling insecure and help him before it escalates.

 

[BarnBuster]

Yes, he gets better every day.
When we first got him, his behavior was getting progressively worse - until he accepted me as the pack leader.
Now I can comfort him before he gets amped up, which wasn't possible earlier.
I've gotta pay close attention to the subtle signs he gives off when he's feeling insecure and help him before it escalates.

Rescues are tough, but it sounds like you're on the right track. I guess I would say keep up with a walking/training routine for structure. You might read on the "Jolly" routine by Bill Campbell. It worked for me on a aggressive Doberman.

 

[Chunky Stool]

Looks like there's a new sheriff in town, and her name is Ella.

Louis is pitiful and we love him.

 

[curious2garden]

Looks like there's a new sheriff in town, and her name is Ella.
View attachment 4407378
Louis is pitiful and we love him.

Aren't we all?

 

[SSGrower]

All right, a week is not long at all. The fact you can touch him, brush him is great. I think it's just an adjustment period. Bully you in what way?
I didn't know anything about the GP breed so read up on their temperament. They seem to be pretty stable. Do you belong to any GP forums?

We have 2 rescues, they can be difficult.

A dog trainer we went to ranked them a 19 out of 100 on trainability, his second lowest ranking breed. They need to have something to heard or watch.

I wonder if the bullying is related to or being misinterpreted from the hearding instinct?

Seems a bit like louis migh want to be (or actually is) alpha dog.

I find tone of voice is critical, whatever reason kids and high pitched voices dont get listened to. I can have a playful, yet low voice, opposed to high energy, high pitch (could be interpreted as fear?) that doesn't work. IMO like you said he is looking for his rank, give it a year, he'll settle in.

P.S. Apparently this dude ripped off one of his dew claws. I dont agree with the surgery but if he got infected it would have been a bigger deal.

 

[SSGrower]

Looks like there's a new sheriff in town, and her name is Ella.
View attachment 4407378
Louis is pitiful and we love him.

Seems a bit like louis migh want to be (or actually is) alpha dog.

Then again maybe he just found his place, how did they arrive in that orientation? Did ella just get tired of him following her around and plop down on her bed? Or did he come in after she laid down?

Tucker is the alpha, he breaks up fights between other dogs at the kennel. Pirate is basically worthless.

 

[BarnBuster]

We have 2 rescues, they can be difficult.

A dog trainer we went to ranked them a 19 out of 100 on trainability, his second lowest ranking breed. They need to have something to heard or watch.

I wonder if the bullying is related to or being misinterpreted from the hearding instinct?

Seems a bit like louis migh want to be (or actually is) alpha dog.

I find tone of voice is critical, whatever reason kids and high pitched voices dont get listened to. I can have a playful, yet low voice, opposed to high energy, high pitch (could be interpreted as fear?) that doesn't work. IMO like you said he is looking for his rank, give it a year, he'll settle in.

P.S. Apparently this dude ripped off one of his dew claws. I dont agree with the surgery but if he got infected it would have been a bigger deal.

I had a Rott that wanted to herd the fuck out of anything. She was also the only one I ever had that used the bumping technique to control "herd" flow. She was very gentle around kids even if they were rough, but she bumped more than one down trying to get them to circle especially if they were running (stampeding). LOL

 

[Chunky Stool]

Then again maybe he just found his place, how did they arrive in that orientation? Did ella just get tired of him following her around and plop down on her bed? Or did he come in after she laid down?

Tucker is the alpha, he breaks up fights between other dogs at the kennel. Pirate is basically worthless.

View attachment 4407468

She was laying on the bed first (his favorite).
Louis came trotting up and looked at her nose-to-nose, there was a pause, then he plopped down on the floor next to the bed.
It was really cute.
No growling or teeth showing.

 

[BarnBuster]

She was laying on the bed first (his favorite).
Louis came trotting up and looked at her nose-to-nose, there was a pause, then he plopped down on the floor next to the bed.
It was really cute.
No growling or teeth showing.

Don't we wish people could figure shit out that easy.

 

[FresnoFarmer]

Set up drip irrigation for my 65 gallon girls.