Aggression in our 4 year old Madonna.

[KatieB]

Hi all, this is my first post and I'm very new to the site.

Our 4-year-old female Madonna who like most bullies are so soft, loving and sweet to humans, can't stand other dogs. We've had her since she was 2 as her owners didn't want her anymore, we think they got one litter from her and didn't want her after that!
After adjusting to her new home she's been so happy and loved. She was always not too bothered by other dogs but not aggressive at all. As the years have gone on she's gotten worse to the point where she's bitten a friends dog. We can't let her off leed because as soon as a dog goes near her and pays her any attention she gets really aggressive and goes for them. If a dog is just walking past however she pays them no attention and she's fine.
We've got a behaviour trainer at the moment but it's not really working as she's very stubborn and won't take treats when out walking to help with the training.

Any advice would be amazing, please.

 

[ddnene]

This sounds like my Willow... everything was fine, and then all of the sudden she became dog aggressive. We used trainers, and she would react well w/them... and then something will just trigger her back to her usual ways with us at home. I would say that consistency is the key... try to figure out what triggers her. For example... Willow gets jealous if we have a visitor, and she will inevitably attack her brother. SO we will lock her up initially, until we feel like she's over her manic moment and then everything calms down. I would say that it would be best to find a trainer that has worked w/EBD or enjoys the challenge of a stubborn dog. Willow is extremely "people pleasing" when it comes to strangers, so that worked to our benefit when it came to the trainer.

Another training method that seems to work is "Nothing in Life is Free"... this method helps dogs to live in harmony w/people.

 

[2BullyMama]

Tracy has you covered…. You got a spitfire and you have to make sure she knows you are her boss and lead.

I had one… she was a nine year training session, could never not be on her with trying, … nothing in life is free was a great help as was personal training. We limited her to everything, she was not allowed to do anything without us giving command, such as being on furniture, in our bed or getting her food. She would be placed in a sit/stay and then we would command what she could have…. Don’t get me wrong, she was constantly challenging us but she was a FANTASTIC girl that I would love to have back. She taught me so much about myself along the way.