Training Dogs Not to be Aggressive

[lolanu]

I just have a method I'd like to share for keeping dogs from acting agressively towards small animals that are pets. I'm not sure if this is 100% or proven, but it follows canine behavior and the "pack mentality".
Now, my malamute Knnick was practically raised around rabbits, but this has worked for others. It might depend on the dog breed, and it requires a bond with your dog so that it will listen to and respect your wishes. If you can, hold your chinchilla for as long as possible while around the dog, as often as you can. I trust mine enough to let her come up and sniff Caboose, but if she starts getting too excited I pull the chin up to my chest and say "Mine". It's all about "claiming" the small animal in any way you can. Caboose's cage is in a room that Knnick has acess to whenever she wants (it's a sturdy ferret cage), but all she will do is sniff noses and wag her tail. As an added measure, I make eye contact with Knnick, make sure she's paying attention, and tap the relative area where my chinchilla is in her cage, repeating "Caboose, Caboose", until I get some sort of acknowledgement. I also share treat times with them, so they associate each other with good things instead of me shrieking at the dog and scaring both of them.
Again, everything probably depends on the dog's personality and how much they have been around small pet animals. I trust Knnick enough that she can be in the room while small animals play, provided I have a hand on her or am very close by.

I hope this helps someone. And just a picture of Knnick and Gizmo I'd like to share

 

[lauralynne]

I'm not sure if this is 100% or proven, but it follows canine behavior and the "pack mentality".

It might depend on the dog breed, and it requires a bond with your dog so that it will listen to and respect your wishes.

but if she starts getting too excited I pull the chin up to my chest and say "Mine".

Again, everything probably depends on the dog's personality and how much they have been around small pet animals.

I trust Knnick enough that she can be in the room while small animals play, provided I have a hand on her or am very close by.

Sounds like a whole lot of if's, maybe's, and it depends to me. I just wouldn't risk it.

 

[tunes]

I'm going to guess if you held up a chin in front of a terrier type dog (i.e., a jack russell), you can say mine all you want. It's natural instincts are going to override any word you might throw out there, or hug you give your small fuzzy.

Dogs are dogs. You can't force their natural instincts to just disappear. What you consider to be training him by saying mine (and ALL I can hear is those stupid seagulls in Finding Nemo screaming MINE, MINE, MINE over a fish), I consider to be disinterest at the moment. Is it worth the risk to prove your theory once your dog stomps on the chin or has it in it's mouth shaking it to death?

 

[lolanu]

I'm just hoping it's another option if there's no way to keep dogs and chinchillas separated. It is a lot of ifs, and is definitely not worth the risk if the dog is a hunting type like a terrier. But if you have an old or disabled dog like mine that needs acess to a cool area, like my chins, usually they just don't care enough or are too tired to chase. I would never let a dog that had not grown up around animals out with them. Guess I should have said that, I don't want to offend anyone or sound like an idiot (I'm sure I do, sigh). It is just a method that has worked for some and not others.

 

[Ash]

Wouldn't work with my husky. If you hold something up, he thinks it is a treat.

 

[Jenn]

I do believe some dogs are more trustworthy around smaller pets than others, but it really isn't worth the risk. Why chance it? The best way to keep the smaller animals safe is not to have them around prey animals in the first place.

 

[Chin_Parent]

I haven't had a dog around my chins yet, but we'd like to have a dog or two in the future when we get a bigger place. We're not going to have the dog near the chinchillas when they have playtime (they'll be in a separate room because I know that accidents happen), but I do think it is possible to have a dog in the same room as chins without the dog attacking the chinchillas.

My husband's parents have a great dane and it's trained well, he can play rough with the dog but the dog is trained to not bite even when agitated. However, I think a dog needs to be around them/know that they aren't food from the time that they are puppies. Of course, precautions are always going to be taken regardless, whether they seem to be tame or not.

 

[ticklechin]

Animals are animals, you cannot predict future behavior based on past experience.

 

[LexieHeg]

I had a border collie growing up that was the sweetest most kind dog I've ever known. We got her at 6 weeks old, and she lived to be 19. She had never growled or bit in her entire life. She used to roam our small town and everyone loved her - she was used to co-existing with cats, rabbits, livestock and most household pets. I even have a picture of her with my friends iguana on her back. She even liked squirrels. My parents got her when we were 1, 3, and 5 years old - so she was used to being around small children, and we all considered her our best friend. We could climb all over her, she even let our cats sleep on her side. One day, my sister (who had been around the dog for 12 years at this point) was walking past her and she bite her. This was the first and only time that she ever shown any aggression or anger towards anyone/anything. We will never understand what happened and why she bit. For weeks after we were all nervous around her.

In total, we had her 19 years and that was the only time she had given us any reason to believe she could be harmful. Had that bite been to a smaller child, a small animal, anything - the damage would have been much more severe than a couple puncture marks. You cannot predict your animals thoughts, no matter how well you know them, and sometimes its the things they do by accident that cause the most harm. IMO, its just not worth the risk.

 

[lolanu]

I think the only reason I'd risk it is for when chinchillas escape. Caboose decided she wanted to play rowdy this morning and leaped from her cage as I was taking her out for playtime, running smack into Knnick. She then proceeded to romp about the basement. Knnick just walked slowly around looking confused. I guess it's just (hopefully) an extra little security thing. I don't let her in the same room as Caboose anymore unless I'm there, because she's now on medication and can be slightly aggressive.

 

[Andrea]

If dogs and chins were meant to co-exist, they wouldn't call chins "prey" and canines "predators.". Regardless of how well you know your dog, there is always a factor of unpredictability and all it takes is one time to lose a chin to a dog bite. I also think it's cruel to subject small animals to being around predators because it can really stress them out.