# Barrier Aggression



## Konnie Hein (Jun 14, 2006)

I'm interested in hearing about folks' experiences with dogs who have barrier aggression issues, particularly aggression directed at other dogs in kennel situations. 

How bad was the problem and how did you address it? 

Anybody out there have a dog who decided to re-direct the aggression at the handler/owner/people? 

Anybody have a dog with very serious issues to the point where the dog was/is very dangerous?

If so, how did you address these issues. Was the aggression completely extinguished?


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## Jeff Oehlsen (Apr 7, 2006)

Ed hits the dog in the head with a shovel.

Dogs that need to work everyday will have this problem. I will guess that you are talking about the dog you just got. How often are you doing bitework ???

I don't put males together or dominant females where they can run back and forth and get all worked up and frustrated. Better to put one out, and crate the other.


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## Konnie Hein (Jun 14, 2006)

Nope, the new dog doesn't have these issues. He could care less about other dogs. Besides, he follows me around the house all day and sleeps in my bed. No barriers there! (kidding!)

Just read the shovel thing and was wondering what other techniques folks use.


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## Jeff Oehlsen (Apr 7, 2006)

I have used the hose and the e-collar, but basically I try and put them out there in the beginning when I am around so I can put the smack down on those behaviors right away.


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## Mike Schoonbrood (Mar 27, 2006)

I divvy up the runs with solid panels so the dogs don't get the chance to mess with each other.


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## Anne Vaini (Mar 15, 2007)

I have a couple scars from barrier aggression.  Rescue folks call it "kennel mad," others call it "fence fighting." I like the term "barrier aggression" - I think it is more accurate.

Management is the best solution, IMO.


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

Thunder developed barrier aggressiion when, as a pup, he was constantly teased at the back fence.
The folks at the corner "drug store" would even tap on the car window when we went by. 
"IF" you know him and "IF" you are confident around dogs you can walk in the yard or the car. 
If either "IF" is missing it will probably hurt!


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## Carol Boche (May 13, 2007)

Mike Schoonbrood said:


> I divvy up the runs with solid panels so the dogs don't get the chance to mess with each other.


Ditto.....the kennels on the ends at my place have 3/4" plywood barriers both inside and out...if I have a dog in with those issues, they are put where they cannot see other dogs. 

Bark collars work as well....if they can't bark and carry on, then they leave each other alone....it's no fun to posture without the noise at my place....LOL


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## Jennifer Coulter (Sep 18, 2007)

My dog can be kenneled with quite a number of dogs...but not the GSD in the photo below....

Carpooling to a dog course we needed the blanket over the wire divider to solve the problem.

Not sure it would be true barrier aggression as my dog just hates this dog inside or out of the kennel:wink:


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## Kristina Senter (Apr 4, 2006)

Management and as Carol mentioned, bark collars.

I've seen barrier frustration become VERY bad. I had a little rescue Mal/GSD cross just recently that was very dog friendly when out with other dogs. Same dog would literally try to suck dogs through a chain-link fence if he was contained within one. 

My TD/ friend was hospitalized when a pit re-directed barrier frustration (at a fence with another dog) onto his leg. He did not step in the middle...the dog came at him. 

I have had a handful of dogs strongly re-direct aggression towards me, all of which I considered to be very dangerous dogs (for several reasons). Ultimately, most of these dogs were put down by their owners. The reality is that training will do little and management will eventually not be in place.


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## Lou Castle (Apr 4, 2006)

Dogs that have experience with bark collars sometimes will stop fence fighting if the collar is put on. But new dogs (to the bark collar) should not just have them applied in the presence of the dog that they fight with. They're liable to make the association with "the other dog" rather than with their barking. That's likely to increase the aggression. 

Management is acceptable to me only if the dog is a short term boarder, as if he was in for training and then going to leave. It should also be used for the short term if my method is to be used. 

For long term stays or my own dogs I use the crittering protocol that can be found HERE.  That’s stops the aggression and hence the fence fighting. 

I don't recommend the shovel approach for reasons that should be obvious to anyone with a shred of common sense.


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## Konnie Hein (Jun 14, 2006)

Really interesting stuff, guys, thanks. So, it would seem that prevention is really the best cure (as with most problems).

Lou - several folks I know have used your crittering protocol with great success (they hadn't used it for barrier aggression though).


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## Lou Castle (Apr 4, 2006)

Konnie Hein said:


> Lou - several folks I know have used your crittering protocol with great success (they hadn't used it for barrier aggression though).


Thanks for letting me know this Konnie. I developed it to stop police dogs from chasing cats on urban yard–to–yard searches. Someone asked me if it would stop dog–to–dog aggression. I didn't know so we gave it a try and it worked. 

HERE'S a video of a dog that had it used on him. No one has been able to tell which dog was previously aggressive. It's pertinent here because this dog used to fence fight as well. In the background you can see two dogs who are fence fighting while the two dogs in the foreground are playing. Before he was "crittered" he'd have run across the field and fence fought with them. Now he just wants to play. BTW this is an extraordinary result. Mostly dogs just lose the aggression and tolerate the other dogs. But this guy did a complete turnaround.


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