Dog very aggressive with other dogs.

Deer

Hi all,

My dog who we got from the rescue shelter a few months ago is very bad with other dogs. When I take him for a walk he goes mental as soon as he sees another dog, snarling, growling and barking and trying to get off the lead. I tend to cross the road and stand and keep him very very short on the lead until he calms down. I also tried for a while giving him treats as other dogs pass but he still goes mad.

When we are in the woods if there is a dog off leash or a big dog I will carry my fella in my arms as he stays calm. I don't want the off leash dog to go for him so that's the safest thing at the moment.

Yesterday I decided to bring him to my mums house. She has dogs so I wanted to introduce. I stayed in the car with the window down a little and she brought her guys out. There was chaos so I had to leave him in the car while I collected the things I needed from my mum.

Before we left I took him out of car to pee. Mums dogs were in the closed porch looking out. Again there was blue murder. But before I put him back in car I carried him over to the porch in my arms. There wasn't a word out of him this time.

So he is fine if I carry him around other dogs and super aggressive on the ground. He was absolutely fine at the shelter with the other dogs.

It would be nice to bring him to my mums and let him run around with the other boys when I visit as opposed to leaving him home on his own. Similar when I want to call to friends with dogs or walk our dogs together.

He is an absolute dote in the house. House angel street devil! He is also afraid of my cat.

Wondering any tips?

Thanks

cocker5

Deer wrote: »

Hi all,

My dog who we got from the rescue shelter a few months ago is very bad with other dogs. When I take him for a walk he goes mental as soon as he sees another dog, snarling, growling and barking and trying to get off the lead. I tend to cross the road and stand and keep him very very short on the lead until he calms down. I also tried for a while giving him treats as other dogs pass but he still goes mad.

When we are in the woods if there is a dog off leash or a big dog I will carry my fella in my arms as he stays calm. I don't want the off leash dog to go for him so that's the safest thing at the moment.

Yesterday I decided to bring him to my mums house. She has dogs so I wanted to introduce. I stayed in the car with the window down a little and she brought her guys out. There was chaos so I had to leave him in the car while I collected the things I needed from my mum.

Before we left I took him out of car to pee. Mums dogs were in the closed porch looking out. Again there was blue murder. But before I put him back in car I carried him over to the porch in my arms. There wasn't a word out of him this time.

So he is fine if I carry him around other dogs and super aggressive on the ground. He was absolutely fine at the shelter with the other dogs.

It would be nice to bring him to my mums and let him run around with the other boys when I visit as opposed to leaving him home on his own. Similar when I want to call to friends with dogs or walk our dogs together.

He is an absolute dote in the house. House angel street devil! He is also afraid of my cat.

Wondering any tips?

Thanks

Where did you adopt him from was there a history provided?

What breed, age, neutered?

Thanks

Toots

I'd say it's probably more likely to be fear as opposed to aggression, particularly if he's OK in your arms. My girl is the same, we initially thought she was aggressive towards other dogs and walking her was a nightmare, so we got a trainer out to the house. As soon as she saw what was happening she said straight away your dog is afraid and she was able to tell from her body language.

We're still in the early stages but what we do when out walking is if we see another dog we go in another direction straight away and distract her with little bits of food. I've started to notice a difference already. Have another session in a few weeks so we'll see what the advice is then.

Deer

cocker5 wrote:

Where did you adopt him from was there a history provided?

cocker5 wrote:

What breed, age, neutered?

Sorry!

He is about five, pom and maybe daschund mix and neutered.

His history was that he was found tied up with another dog in the field and brought to the shelter. He was there for about nine months before he hopped in my car (really he hopped in my car and refused to get out while we were telling shelter he was second choice!)

Melendez

This post has been deleted.

redbel05

Our dog got attacked once while on a walk and after that we had trouble passing a dog without her snapping or barking and baring teeth.

Luckily for us, she is semi obsessive about playing fetch, so I only have to hold up a ball and she is transfixed. Its gotten to the point now where she will not react to other dogs, even if she is off lead and they are being aggressive and barking at her/ snapping around her face, so long as I hold the ball up. To get her attention first, all I need to say is "Look!" or "Ball!"


So my advice to you is to find what your dog loves most. Then use that to distract them. And of course lots of praise when they are paying attention to you rather than the other dogs.

Deer

Thanks for the replies. Very interesting. I'll try the tips and give it a bit of time and if it doesn't work then I will look into an animal behavior person to come meet us.

Often small dogs that have had limited contact with other dogs behave in this manner. Its defensive behaviour, they may even feel they are protectibg you or your home.

parkerpen

May have had a bad experience. Might be worth bringing him to a good dog trainer if you can afford it, to get some tips.

Deer

Deer wrote: »

and brought to the shelter. He was there for about nine months before he hopped in my car

This could also be a factor.

Dogs like to be part of a pack, but part of a secure pack where they know their status and feel comfortable.
If the shelter had a constantly changing dog population, this may have encouraged behaviour such as this as the dog tries to assert and retain his position there.
Just a possibility, would depend of the design of the shelter too.

VonVix

Deleted User wrote: »

This could also be a factor.

Dogs like to be part of a pack, but part of a secure pack where they know their status and feel comfortable.
If the shelter had a constantly changing dog population, this may have encouraged behaviour such as this as the dog tries to assert and retain his position there.
Just a possibility, would depend of the design of the shelter too.

Bit of misinformation there. It's far more likely that this is a small dog who was in a scary place for those 9 months, people fail to realise that small dogs essentially live in a world of giants and have to 'speak' louder and behave bigger because of their vulnerable size. Bad experiences can have an even bigger impact on them because often these bad experiences are far more intense when you're tiny.

In reality, dogs wants to feel safe and secure and will want to be around those who make them feel safe and secure. None of that "retaining position" stuff which has been proven to be inaccurate when it comes to describing the behaviour of domesticated dogs.

parkerpen

Does sound like there are insecurities from the time before he came to you. Hope time helps.

VonVix

VonVix wrote: »

Bit of misinformation there.

Bizarre. You actually agree with my comment. Read it again.

tk123

Deleted User wrote: »

Bizarre. You actually agree with my comment. Read it again.

No VV has just worded it better and more accurately based on modern training methods and evidence.

Nody

Deleted User wrote: »

Bizarre. You actually agree with my comment. Read it again.

No; VV points out the fact that there is no pack for a dog to belong to nor a hierarchy that he needs to fight to be at a certain spot in. All which is part of the debunked Alpha dog / wolf theory group of ideas that have been proven wrong for over a decade but still espoused as truths. Some examples includes:

• You need to dominate your dog and be the alpha male
• You should eat first preferably in front of them to show your dog who's the boss in the pack
• Rubbing the nose in pee/poo if they go inside to show you're alpha of the pack
• Rolling dogs over to prove you're the boss
• Dogs belong to a tight pack and have an internal hierarchy like wolfs (neither does wolves as it turns out)
• If you don't dominate your dog they will believe they are the alpha dog and become aggressive