Fence aggression

[Angenie E]

Hello! I just found this forum after doing some research and am pretty new to the site.

I have a 1 year and 3 month old male Doberman named Tirian. When I first got him, I lived in a house, but I moved to an apartment in January for school. It has definitely been a new environment for him, and he’s had a hard time adjusting. I socialized and worked with him a lot as a puppy, and he never showed any sort of aggression. However, once we moved to the apartment complex, he became hypersensitive to seeing other dogs on leash and through the dog park fence.

He can be pretty cautious of new people and dogs, but he has never shown aggression. He loves playing with other dogs and getting pets from people. Despite this, he started lunging and barking anytime he saw another dog on leash or through a fence. Since then, I’ve worked a lot with him, and he no longer reacts like that while he's on leash and if he does he usually calms down after a quick correction. However, the fence is still an issue off-leash. When he sees a dog, he immediately runs to the fence, barking and lunging. However, if I pull him away and let the other dog come in, he goes back to his usual friendly self and plays with the other dog as if nothing happened. He behaves amazingly on leash, at home, in pet stores or public places with a lot of dogs (like a shot clinic) but once he’s hyper-fixated on something while off leash his recall drops to zero (only when something catches his attention, like seeing another dog outside the fence or maybe a squirrel, other than that his recall is fine and he generally listens) I did try keeping him on a long lead or a little while, which did help with his behavior, but he would rather go potty inside the apartment than to go while on leash or anywhere outside the dog park.

I am looking into getting an e-collar and hoping that will help, but I was wondering if anyone has other suggestions or insights into why he might be acting this way, or suggestions on which e-collar to get. He is such a sweet dog, but from an outside perspective, seeing him act that way, I am scared he'll be marked as an aggressive dog. (My boyfriend also has a 6-month-old Italian mastiff who basically lives with me recently, and I am worried she might pick up his bad habits since she's at such an impressionable age.)

 

[Ravenbird]

It sounds like what is referred to as "barrier frustration aggression", caused by inability to get to what they want, usually a fence but also being held back by a leash.
I'd treat it like any other aggression with a correction, but more than that, correct before the explosion. If you have him on leash and he looks at a dog on the other side of the fence, correct him for looking with a leash pop then when he looks back at you like "what?", reward him. This helps him learn 2 things: that by keep his eye on you he can prevent corrections and that you are pleased when he does. It's so much easier to prevent the unwanted action than to have to reel him in after the fact.
E-collars are a fabulous tool, don't get a cheap one. I have a 10 year old Dogtra that has over 100 levels. The reason you don't want a cheap one with 7 or 10 levels is that a 2 may not be enough and a 3 might be over the top. Invest the money, mine is living proof they last forever. Others here will chime in on the current models, but I think Dogtra and the Educator are the most popular. Learn to use it properly, I think there are free videos on Leerburg website. Once you learn how to use it, you can treat it like an extension of your leash pop, a reminder not to stare etc.
For potty training, you will have to retrain like a puppy. Watch him like a hawk in the apartment, take him out frequently, use a word "go potty" when he goes and throw a big party with treats when he does his job on leash. I'd even quit going to the dog area for a while so he learns that going while on leash is the only way he can relieve himself.
Super cute photo of your guy! I hope you stay and share his progress! Welcome to Doberman Chat from New Mexico!

 

[Angenie E]

Thank you for your insight I intend to invest in a higher-quality e-collar based on your recommendations!

I've observed that he responds well when I catch him early, avoiding any negative reactions (like I see the other dog first and grab him before he runs up he'll watch but will stay calm and move on). However, I've noticed that correcting him while he's fixated on another dog tends to trigger a reaction instead of redirecting his focus. It seems that he only responds to corrections when he's already in a reactive state or knowingly engaging in unwanted behavior. He is potty trained and knows how to ask to go out when he needs to but if I take him out and don't let him off leash he'll refuse to go. Due to my summer courses, starting from scratch is challenging. Previously, when attempting leash potty training here, he showed little progress despite consistent efforts. I was taking him out every hour and the most I could get after a month was him going potty on leash in the dog park after walking him for 2 hrs. I just think he's really used to a house setting with a backyard and I am also worried to teach him to go on leash cause I plan to move back to a house in January.

Thank you for the welcome and advise I really appreciate it !

 

[Ravenbird]

You won't regret teaching him to go on leash - there may be vacations or other trips where he needs to know. Yeah, with a working schedule it's hard, because you really have to have a lot of patience. Maybe start by keeping him on leash in the dog area where he knows that's the place to go and using your word and reward there, then add walks in other areas as he learns going potty = praise and a treat.

 

[Oh Little Oji]

Got you a Cane Corso too? Nice. I'd welcome a pic of her.

Yeah, fence-fighting type behavior is common. Basically if you don't want it, condemn it firmly and consistently. Catch it before he gets lit up. If you have a firm base of obedience, he will see you as leader and will defer to you when you firmly tale control of a situation.

 

[Angenie E]

Thanks so much for the advice, everyone! I just ordered a shorter leash to use at the dog park. I'm hoping it helps us work up to going on walks. I'm also checking out the Educator e-collar to help with recall and focus.

(I made sure to attached a photo of my corso at our last hike!, her name is MJ)

 

[Ravenbird]

Great looking dogs! For best results, fit your prong collars snug at the very top of the neck jus under the jaw/ears. It should have very little slack.

 

[Angenie E]

Thank you! The collars have been adjusted since then, It was unplanned and the collars I used for the walk was actually one my mom gave me from her Rottie because I was unprepared, I usually don't have my dogs wear collars at home or when I visit if I don't plan on taking them out.

 

[Kaiser2016]

Cool looking pair of dogs! No one will mess with you lol! Are you still posting the ears of the Corso?

He is such a sweet dog, but from an outside perspective, seeing him act that way, I am scared he'll be marked as an aggressive dog.

To this day, people cross the street when they see us coming, so the outside perspective is something you'll always be thinking about. Remember to be calm and confident - they pick up our energy very easily. Also, for the pottying inside the apartment, make sure to clean up the old spots with an enzymatic cleaner otherwise they will be triggered by the old scent - they can smell it even if you can't.

 

[Angenie E]

I try to stay as calm as possible but the reason I got him was hopefully to work towards a PSD, while he does perform tasks at home, I never had an issue with him outside before I moved, so when he started to act out I became pretty stressed anytime I took him out, which most definitely didn't help, but I think it's gotten a lot better since then.
The cane is technically my boyfriends but he works almost every day of the week and I take care of her majority the time. I stopped posting last month cause nothing was working. She got her ears cropped pretty late (4months), and from what I was reading dogs ear cartilage solidifies around 6 months, I tried everything I could to keep her ears posted but nothing was working. I tried using post stick and a variety of different tapes and either the tape wouldn't stick or she would get them off one way or another to the point I was reposting like 20 times a day. I also tried the breath-stripes and glue but I experienced the same issues, either they wouldn't stick or she would get them off somehow and eventually I had to stop as to not harm/strip her ears. she wore a inflatable collar and was under supervision almost all the time but she always found a way. The closest vet I could find is an hour away as well and requires 2 check up visits before they even post and partial boarding for the day until the person that knows how to post comes in. As of now one of her ears stands just find while the other ear stands while she's more relaxed but bends towards her other ear when she's focused on something. she just turned 7 months this weeks and I am not sure what else I can do for her ears. (I attached a picture with them more relaxed)

 

[JanS]

Her ears don't look bad but they're just pulling in a bit in the first photo.

The closest vet I could find is an hour away as well and requires 2 check up visits before they even post and partial boarding for the day until the person that knows how to post comes in.

That's ridiculous and it's easy to do it yourself with the correct supplies. That said, I've never done a Corso before.

 

[Kaiser2016]

Well, it's not too late to get them standing up more regularly. Tons of Doberman owners here have posted their own dogs successfully. Actually, vets are notoriously bad at posting, which is one reason why ears are such a hot topic on this forum. I didn't post Kaiser myself, but lots of people here can help if you wanted to get them standing more consistently. I noticed in the first pic the ear leaned in, that might be a pocket which can be sorted out and 7 months isn't too late because you seem to have a good base, some people post for a year with longer crops.