Question:

I have a 1yr old Aussie who is generally very sweet and friendly. However, he’s aggressive around lawnmowers. I broke him of the habit around my lawnmower by distracting him with food. Now he’s fine around it even without food. I thought the problem was solved but recently he while we were on a walk, as we went by someone standing near a lawnmower that was off, he nipped him. I should have been more aware of the potential problem but this is clearly unacceptable behavior. How do I correct it?

Thanks… Ann

ANSWER:

Hi Ann,

Excellent question! I love unique questions like this one, questions that really make me stop and think. This is also one of those times where I am going to ask for input from our wonderful readers – has anyone had a similar situation? And if so, how did you stop it?

You are right in the need to be more diligent, obviously. Now you know he has the potential to bite someone near a lawnmower (thank goodness it was only a nip!), it makes sense to keep an eye out for would be targets.

To overcome the problem, however, is going to take a little bit of help from your friends. You are going to need to expose him to lawnmowers other then your own in controlled situations. The only way I can think of to do that is to ask friends if you can come over, bring your dog, and everyone hang out in their backyard near the lawnmower. You must gradually get him used to first the machine, then your friend near the mower, then turning it on, etc while distracting him with food and correcting any problem behavior.

An hour at each of a few friend’s houses will quickly help him get over his aggression to some strange lawnmowers but there will probably always be some that make him react. Taking him to parks when the greens keepers are doing their job may condition him louder, industrial mowers and a spin through the garden section of your neighborhood Lowe’s will help him adjust to what probably amounts to his worst nightmare – row upon row of gleaming lawnmowers. Make sure the Lowe’s allows dogs inside – most do but not all, it is dependent on the owner’s preference it seems.

Good luck and let us know how it goes – this is an interesting problem and I bet you are not the only one dealing with a similar situation!

Ann