Veterinary Question (Vet Answered)

Hi, Yvette,

Thank you so much for writing in, and I really feel for what you guys are going through.

With what you're describing with Lilli, and the fact that she's being aggressive towards family members and is resource guarding, but is otherwise really friendly with strangers and is really well behaved, great out on walks, all these sorts of things, suggest that we're dealing with a 'pack problem'.   You mentioned that you have had dogs of this breed before, and so it's not as thought you're inexperienced with living with a big dog like the Hungarian Vizsla, but you also mentioned that another of Lilli's little mates has had some similar issues. So not only have we got some problems going on with the family dynamics, but there may be a genetic component going on here as well.

The main reason that a dog is gonna behave aggressively towards her family is because there has been some uncertainty with regards to who is in charge. We do know that canine pack dynamics are a lot more complex than a simple linear dominance hierarchy, and  we also know that within a wolf pack, each individual tends to take on a certain role. There's even a theory that these roles are genetically predetermined, so that the dogs are born with a sense of what role they're going to play in the pack or in the family.  Perhaps in the past, you may have had dogs that were much more easy going, whereas  Lilli is perhaps genetically predisposed towards a leadership role.

If there's no clear leadership role within your family,  Lilli may be trying to assume that position, and any time that she's met with any resistance or "bad behavior" from those she considers below her in a hierarchy, she's going to act out exactly the same way as she would if she was in a dog pack. And of course, in a family situation, this is completely unacceptable, and with a bigger dog, this can very soon turn very dangerous, and could have a really sad outcome if we're not really careful and really strict here.

Now, the absolute worst thing we can do is to start challenging her actively or trying to discipline her forcefully, because that may bring things to a head and force confrontation, conflict, and even more aggression. What you need to be doing is being consistent and clear about the fact that she is not in charge, and that gonna means setting some really strict and firm boundaries that everybody in the house is going to need to follow all of the time. There cannot be any weakness, there cannot be any "Oh, just this once". We need to be really firm here. You need to employ different rules than what you may have done in the past when it comes to things like dogs on furniture and dogs in beds.

I have always beleived that, when it comes to dogs on beds and sofas, if it's not a problem, it's not a problem. But, in this case, it's a big problem. She needs to clearly understand that she is not on an equal footing with you and your family. Right away, we need to get her out of the bed, off furniture, and if you live in a two-story house, it may even be worth limiting her to the lower storey.

She's gonna fight you on this. She's gonna try and cheat it. She's gonna try and inch her way back to have the status that she had before, and you must be strong. Every time you give into her, you are putting her under stress, you are confusing her, and you are putting her closer and closer to being put to sleep for aggressive behavior.

This is really serious. She is confused, she is frustrated, and she's acting out.

She cannot be allowed to have part of a sofa. She cannot be sometimes allowed on the bed, or sometimes allowed upstairs, or sometimes eat food from your plates.

She needs to be fed last. She needs to wait to be fed, and this needs to happen each and every time.

Consistency is so important here, and even though she will likely fight back on this initially, once she is being shown that she is not in a position of leadership, I can promise you, she's gonna feel a lot happier and a lot less stressed. Right now for her, life is really stressful, because life in a leadership role within a pack is stressful. You're constantly having to think ahead, think about everyone else, and keep an eye on what's going on, and you need to be in charge of discipline.  

Dogs are actually a lot less stressed and a lot happier when somebody else takes on that role, because they don't have to be constantly thinking about everything.  

You may need to think about using tools like a muzzle, and keeping a slip lead on her at all times, so that you can safely move her off furniture or away from situations when you need to, because the last thing we want is for her to act aggressively and get her way, because that's only going to reinforce that behavior.

When it comes to resource guarding, that can be really tricky because we don't want you to risk getting bitten.  I would suggest that we don't do this all at once. We can tackle the resource guarding at a later date once we've got into a more consistent routine with her understanding that she is in fact a canine member of your family, not the leader of your pack.

There are some changes you can implement that are subtle but effective in canine language, like making sure you walk through a door before she does, you eat before she does,  and she only receives rewards, treats attention, affection once she's quiet and coming to you calmly. 

I know I've used the word consistent quite a few times here, and that's certainly no accident. Consistency is the number one thing, and that's why it's really, really important that everybody in your family be on board with this.  As soon as somebody gives in, you're starting from scratch.  

I'm not gonna lie, I'm not gonna sugarcoat this. If you don't get good control over this situation, then things can really turn dangerous and you may be facing a really horrible decision down the track, so that's why it's really important that everybody be on board.

I would suggest that you take advantage of the fact that Lilli's been using a crate after her cruciate injury, and I would look to keep that going, at least in the short term, but perhaps even in the long term as well. Dogs feel a lot more settled when they've got their own space, their own room, their own territory that is just theirs, and rather than her feeling like the entire house is her property to guard. That's where she can be sleeping, that's where she goes when everyone's just chilling out,  and  that's somewhere that she can go if she's feeling stressed or tired, or just wants to get away from it all.

She needs to be off furniture at ALL times.

I'm not saying that this is necessarily a forever thing, and you may find that down the track, once things have settled down, that you may be able to have her up on the couch again, because I know that that's what I love doing with my dogs as well, but for now, if you invite her up, you're inviting confusion for her, you're inviting trouble for you, and it could lead to disaster.

I don't want you to be mean to Lilli, but there's a good chance you're gonna feel mean, and that means you're doing a good job! You need to be really firm here because whilst you could be at risk of injury, her life is in peril here, and if we don't get control of this situation, I'm really scared that she's going to be put to sleep because she becomes dangerous.

 Do not underestimate her intelligence and her ability to manipulate you and your emotions.  Don't feel like you're in this alone and always do reach out to your vet, talk to behaviorists or dog trainers, or if you'd like to talk to a vet online, you can go to pangovet.com and make an appointment for an online consultation. 

Remember, it's all about being consistent, being firm, and making sure that she understands you are the leaders, she does not need to fill that job.

Good luck.

Dr Karyn