Bassett hound acting aggressively

mich elle

Hi I was just wondering I have a for year old basset hound.over the last yr she has started to go for other dogs and today when we were walking she nearly went for a child.I have to children my self and she has not done this before.I called the vet when I got in he told me to send her to a behaviourist and gave me a number.at the moment she is band from the house.I want to know would a behaviourist work and has this happened to someone before.the child's mother was fine about it and said the little one was at her .but I am not and worried about it.sorry if it is too long.

tk123

Did the vet examine her to rule out a medical reason why her behaviour is changing? Also is the behaviourist is listed on apdt.ie? If not forget them and chose a local one from apdt.ie instead. There's no point in banning her from the house btw - she has no idea why she's outside?

DBB

When you say she "nearly" went for a child, what do you mean? Was there another dog around when it happened?
As she's a year old, and the aggression towards other dogs has been going on for a year, I'm taking it she has always been poor around other dogs?
There are a few reasons why dogs act like yours does towards other dogs, but by far the two most common reasons are due to fear, and frustration. Many dogs respond to feeling fearful by acting aggressively to try to "get rid" of the threat. With time, the dog learns that acting aggressively is a pretty successful way to make other dogs go away. Frustrated dogs, on the other hand, might appear aggressive but in fact, all they want to do is approach the other dog for social interaction. However, such dogs are often prevented from having meaningful social contact as the owner is convinced they'll act aggressively, they're also often punished for their behaviour, and all too often, frustration is joined by fear.
Why would a dog be fearful of other dogs? Very often, it's due to not having had enough social contact with enough dogs as a pup, and lack of practising social skills as she gets older. It can also happen due to a frightening experience with another dog. It may also be due, or at least compounded by, the owner's reactions when they meet another dog.
With the dog aggression alone, you'd be well advised to get a qualified behaviourist in. But now that there's a chance she may have acted poorly towards a child, and because she has now been consigned to the garden as a result, I can't advise strongly enough that you get a behaviourist in to help you.
But I implore you to make sure it's an appropriately qualified behaviourist that you get: there are a lot of cowboys out there who have no qualifications, and not all vets are aware of this. If you let us know where you are, we will hopefully be able to put you in contact with the right person.

mich elle

She jump up and went to snap and as for not been around other dogs she has a lot of interaction with dogs as she is good with the dogs around where we are and my families dogs.she is four.I taught it was some thing to do with minding us and my two girls.when we r walking.the vet was looking into her been from a puppy fram when we first got her. as we had her sister who died after a week and she was v sick too.I'm in the Waterford area

mich elle

Hi sorry about the spelling my tab was not working and has a mind of its own .my dog is four and the vet taught she was from a puppy farm I have the lap top now

DBB

Sorry op, I misunderstood your first post about what age she is.
It is much more common for a dog-aggressive dog to be aggressive around dogs they don't know. So whilst your dog is fine with neighbouring dogs, and relative's dogs, I'm guessing it's dogs she hasn't met before that she's reactive with?
It's not up to anyone here to call what happened with the child: in my experience, dogs don't often have a go at other people in an attempt to defend their owners. It's usually a more self-centred reason than that.
Emmaline Duffy-Fallon runs an excellent dog behaviour service called www.citizencanineireland.com. She is both qualified and hugely experienced. Emmaline is based in south Wicklow but travels a fair distance to see clients, and can usually fit people in quickly, which you need to do as your dog can't be left in the garden. It's not a long-term, or even medium-term option if your dog is used to spending time inside.
If for some reason Emmaline can't see you, pm me as I can possibly give you another suggestion. But Emmaline would be my first choice with no hesitation whatsoever.

tk123

+1 for Emmaline!

mich elle

She is in now cause I felt sorry for her.but I'm worried as I have a two yr old little girl.and will this work what do they do with my dog because she is not good with strangers.

DBB

The usual story is that the behaviourist comes to your home and spends maybe 2-3 hours with you, taking a complete history for the dog, making a diagnosis, giving you realistic prospects for the chances of resolving the issues or at least making them more manageable (this can include advising rehoming the dog, for instance if there is a member of the family in genuine danger), then designing a treatment plan that is implementable by you and your family in your setting.
The initial steps of the treatment program should be started off during the behaviourist's visit so that you know exactly what to do in the days and weeks after the behaviourist is gone.
You should get back-up advice from the behaviourist following the visit, and depending on the circumstances, a shorter follow-up visit may be necessary.

The fact that your dog is not good with strangers is probably very significant to what happened with the child. It is probably also related to some degree to her behaviour towards other dogs. Behaviourists are used to visiting homes where the dog is nervous about them being there: they will advise you accordingly on how to manage this specifically for their visit. But do tell them ahead of the visit!

mich elle

Hi I just wanted to say thank you.I got a number from the vet.and a lady has to called she was really nice and helpful I'm seen her again on Sunday.she thinks it was the way she was bred and is not to sure if she can help but she is going to look into it more.

DBB

mich elle wrote: »

Hi I just wanted to say thank you.I got a number from the vet.and a lady has to called she was really nice and helpful I'm seen her again on Sunday.she thinks it was the way she was bred and is not to sure if she can help but she is going to look into it more.

Was this lady a qualified behaviourist, bearing in mind the above warnings that vets don't always know the difference between qualified and self-appointed?

mich elle

Yeah she was I asked her to take her I'd and certs so I can check them out when she came she was understanding of this.I'm still stressed over it thoim taken her into the vet later for a check up.I was not sure if I was over reacting because my partner does not see this as a problem

DBB

mich elle wrote: »

Yeah she was I asked her to take her I'd and certs so I can check them out when she came she was understanding of this.I'm still stressed over it thoim taken her into the vet later for a check up.I was not sure if I was over reacting because my partner does not see this as a problem

Fair play for being thorough!
If you're worried about it, then it's a problem. You can't have a normal relationship with your dog if it's causing you stress, so you're right to be doing something about it.
I hope ypu get a successful resolution to it. Good luck!