Christine Hibbard, CTC, CPDT
One of the most common calls we get from prospective clients starts with something like, “My dog is aggressive with other dogs, can it be fixed?” I’ve learned over the years that dog/dog aggression is sometimes in the eye of the beholder. The situation is further complicated because there are different types of dog/dog aggression.
Normal Dog Play
Sometimes, what an owner describes as dog/dog aggression is actually normal dog play. The way dogs play can seem scary to some human beings. These owners are overly conscientious about their dog’s behavior and his/her interaction with other dogs. While being conscientious about your dog’s behavior is a very good thing, like any good trait, it can be taken to an extreme. I sometimes wish I could wave a magic target stick that would make some overly conscientious owners worry less by transferring some of their worry and concern to owners who do not have enough of it. There’s a hilarious blog called Three Woofs and a Woo published by a photographer. She has wonderful shots of dogs playing.
Playground Bully
Some dogs never learned the manners of polite dog play society. They are like some people, just kind of clueless about how their behavior affects others. Jean Donaldson calls these dogs “Tarzans”. The most common sign of a playground bully is that the dog just doesn’t read cut off signals from their playmate. The other dog throws all kinds of body language that says, “OK, we’re done now, that’s enough play from you” and these bully dogs just don’t take the hint. Some dogs handle bullies quite well while others, well; they get a bit snarky when being mugged rudely by another dog who just doesn’t know when enough is enough. These dogs are rude, but not what we would call “truly dog aggressive”.
Fear Aggression
Many owners believe that in order for their dogs to be mentally healthy, they must go to the dog park, or have social interactions with other dogs of some kind. This is not always the case. The reason that a dog is afraid of other dogs can stem from several causes. Some puppies were not exposed to other puppies during their socialization window. The socialization window is the first 18 to 20 weeks of a dog’s life and it’s the most important developmental learning period in a dog’s life. Puppies who never learned how to read other puppies’ body language and play cues can be afraid of other dogs later in life. Imagine if you lived at home with your brothers and sisters and never saw other children until you were 16 years old. When you finally left the house to go to high school, you’d probably be pretty uncomfortable around teenagers your own age, right?
Some dogs have had one or more traumatizing experiences from their interactions with other dogs. These experiences might have been terrifying, but not result in any physical damage. The damage comes in the form of fear of other dogs. When I see young puppies at the dog park being knocked down, run over, and played with inappropriately for their age, I cringe. What may seem funny or cute to the owners who think they are doing the right thing by “socializing” their puppy with other dogs inappropriately may be setting that puppy up for fear aggression around other dogs later in life. Its inappropriate to socialize a young puppy at the dog park where you can’t control the play interaction. If you have a puppy, find a Puppy Kindergarten that focuses on lots of supervised, off leash play with other age appropriate puppies. I’ve had clients call me because their dog was brutally attacked by another dog and now their dog is afraid of all other dogs. That’s the problem with fear; it has a tendency to generalize.
Leash Reactivity (aka Leash Aggression)
I don’t like the term “leash aggression” because many of the dogs that react badly on leash by growling, barking, and lunging at other dogs are not aggressive. They’re reactive. You can tell whether your dog is exhibiting dog/dog aggression vs. leash reactivity by answering a simple question, “How does your dog play with other dogs off leash?” If your dog plays well at the dog park, but acts aggressively toward other dogs on leash, you have leash reactivity. If your dog displays fear aggression towards other dogs off leash, you have what most people call leash aggression.
Sometimes the most difficult cases for me to handle are the ones where the owners have never let their dog off leash around other dogs based on their reaction to other dogs while ON leash. I got a call from a woman who adopted a black lab mix from a shelter. Whenever she took the dog outside for a walk and encountered another dog on leash, she said her dog “was uncontrollably aggressive”. She had never let her new dog play with other dogs off leash because she was afraid of what her new dog would do. I decided to have a look for myself, or I should say I decided to let my dog Conner have a look for himself (see my colleague Greta’s post about Canine assistants for dog/dog fear & aggression). My dog Conner is absolutely amazing with other dogs. He just “speaks dog” with the most beautiful, calming body language that he throws at other dogs.
I had the owner stand with her dog on the sidewalk. I got Conner out of the car a block away. As we walked closer to her dog, I saw her dog put his ears up and rotate them out (sexy ears!) and then he started prancing and throwing play bows. As we got even closer, he starting barking hysterically and lunging on leash. Her dog wasn’t aggressive. He was leash reactive. He was so desperate to get to the other dog to play that he acted like a total lunatic. When I told the owner to drop her leash, I dropped Conner’s leash and totally appropriate and hilarious play ensued. It’s wonderful to see an owner cry tears of happiness.
We had some work to do with that dog, after all, while the owner was relieved her dog wasn’t dangerous, she still couldn’t walk him in the neighborhood acting like a total hysteric every time he saw another dog, but we knew what we had and could fix it relatively quickly. The way we treat leash reactivity and leash aggression can be quite different, but to treat it appropriately, we’ve got to know what we’ve got; hysterics, fear, or aggression?
Dog/Dog Aggression
We do encounter what we call “true dog/dog aggression”, but it’s the most rare type of dog/dog aggression. Some dogs just find fighting with other dogs incredibly reinforcing. Other dogs, because of their breeding, or how they’ve been handled, or both, actually will kill another dog. This type of dog/dog aggression is quite rare compared to the dog/dog aggression that we see that is fear based.
These cases are difficult because of the time and resources that it takes to counter condition this behavior. Performing this type of work to help these dogs takes controlled environments, a great deal of time, and many, many stimulus dogs before we begin to see any effect. Often the cost and time are prohibitive and we’re left with two choices; the 3 Ms (a lifetime of Management/Muzzles/Medication), or euthanasia.
Do you have stories from your trips to the dog park that you’d like to share? Have you or are you dealing with leash reactivity? Tell us your stories or share your thoughts. We love to hear from our dog owners.
Wow, no one likes a bully, including dogs. I would recommend a couple of things: 1) Monitor Bella very closely around other dogs. Use a 20/30 drag line if you have to. Do not hold onto the drag line but be ready to step on it and reel her in. 2) Use timeouts. If she bullies another dog say “too bad”, get a hold of her and put her in the car or leave the park. If you’d like our handout on executing timeouts effectively with your dog, let me know and I’ll email the handout to you privately.
I would find a positive reinforcement based dog trainer who has experience counter conditioning fear on leash. If you’re having problems finding someone in your area, email us privately at info@companionanimalsolutions.com and we’ll help find someone for you. In the meantime, you might want to read “Protecting Your Dog on Walks” to help your dog in the meantime: https://companionanimalsolutions.com/blogs/protecting-your-dog-on-walks/
ii have a 3yr old female pitbull. ii just recently got a male pitbull puppy about 4wks ago, making him 8wks now. he’s doing fairly well w with his training, ii have a lil struggle w his chewing and his nipping but im doing pretty good w everything else;; potty trained (for the most part), he can sit && stay (im working on the lay, leash etc). but for being 8wks old, he’s doing fantastic. basically my question is this… when my dogs play together they get kind of ruff, ii read tht tug of war can be bad for pitbulls and eventually turn them more aggressive. my dogs will sometime play tug of war while their playing. should ii be concerned w them playing so ruff ?! is it gonna make my baby more aggressive ? he’s almost done nipping on me, will he start up again due to this ruff housing ? any comments would be appreciated !! thankkk uu SO much;; Ashlynn <3
Congratulations on the training you’re doing with your puppy! When familiar dogs play, it can sometimes get a bit scary from a human’s perspective so I’m glad that you asked questions about this. First off, get your puppy to a positive reinforcement based Puppy Kindergarten. Puppies can learn to be bullies when they only play with older dogs. We want your puppy to learn bite inhibition and polite play manners by playing with puppies his own age: https://companionanimalsolutions.com/blogs/what-to-look-for-in-a-puppy-class.
Secondly, let’s talk about tug for a minute. It’s untrue that tug can make a dog aggressive. In fact, the game of tug is a perfect opportunity to teach your dog impulse control (take when I tell you to and drop when I tell you to let go). Here’s a video that I like very much. The man in the video is using a flirt pole but the concept is the same as for tug: https://vimeo.com/26279876. I love that your dogs are engaging in tug play together, wonderful! The more toy play in which they engage the better (less teeth on the other dog).
Lastly, monitor the play between your puppy and older dog carefully. Keep the sessions short (two minutes) and end play before it gets too rough. Again, puppies can learn to be bullies if they play too roughly with older dogs and for pits, there’s the possibility of “gameness” that we do NOT want to encourage in a puppy: https://companionanimalsolutions.com/blogs/pit-bull-thoughts.
Thank you for reading Behind the Behavior and for being such a responsible Pit owner!
Christine, First of all what a great blog! I have a question for you regarding my 10yo husky/shep. She is a wonderful dog [in my opinion :)]. She was raised with other dogs, ranging from a golden retriever to a couple of mixes. With the other dogs she was raised with she was always the “momma dog” she would correct them when they acted out (by gripping the bridge of their nose with her mouth, the only time she got more “aggressive” about it was if one of them acted out of line towards my rabbit- the feeling I always got was she was protecting the rabbit, she is very gentle with the bunny, they nap and play together). When she was about 8 yo she was attacked by a family friend’s dog in our home…The other dog blocked her walking through a hallway, pinned her to the ground and ripped her ear open, my girl was in surgery to repair the damage by the next morning 🙁
Since then I have gotten married and moved away from the other dogs, since my husky mix was always “my dog” I took her with me shortly after getting settled in my new state/home. She is now an only dog (with a bunny little sister). my husband and I have a invisible fence (worst mistake I ever made btw) and we frequently take her for walks and hikes on the weekend. Ever since the incident 2 years ago whenever we meet other dogs when walking she growls at them within a few seconds of meeting. Its a very throaty low growl, she doesn’t show teeth and only occasionally will her scruff stand up. When she is in the backyard she can clearly see other dogs passing and will watch them and will bark at certain ones- but she doesn’t make any move like she wants to go after them.
I do not know if this is aggression, fear or maybe a combination of both. I’ve considered looking into classes for her but don’t know what type would be best or if they would even help her situation. Any advice to help my old girl?
Hi, I just came across your website and really like the suggestions that you have given to help other troubled dogs. I have a 3 1/2 year old Aussie named Trapper. I got him when he was 4 months old. He was neglected by his former owner before I got him, the owner did not like the dog and the dog did not like the owner. The guy kept the dog in a cage constantly, not letting him out, even when the dog needed to get outside. this has caused Trapper to have some behavioral issues that we have worked hard to overcome. Trapper is smart as a whip and I love him dearly. I’ve had him in obedience classes in which he did great. We did a basic agility class that he again excelled in and most recently we got done with some treiball classes. The problem I have with Trapper is that he is aggressive around other dogs. He is fixed, and it seems to be mostly male dogs that he is aggressive with, but he is the initiator of the trouble. I live and work on a ranch, and Trapper regularly gets a lot of exercise. He gets along fine with my sister’s black lab. And the little female dogs that my other family members have. Trapper I guess you could say is hard-headed, he does not like to back down if he get himself in a situation and he doesn’t like it if he is not able to be “alpha” dog. (I’ve worked hard to try to break this mentality, but I’m struggling with knowing what to do about this). He walks next to other male dogs when he’s on a leash with no hint of a problem, but when he is not on his leash, he will go out of his way to instigate a fight. He has attacked several dogs (so far it has only been extreme barking and growling and fur flying) but I am nervous to take him anywhere that there are dogs that might possibly be off leash because I don’t know how he will react. In our classes, we had to be away from the other dogs and owners.. In our agility class, the course was outside and the dogs were off leash (I left my leash on and tried to always be at the other end of the course to grab him when he finished, but there was another dog in there that he did not get along with–the 2 dogs growled at each other whenever they were very near, 1 time Trapper went after that dog, and another time the other dog went after Trapper. On another ocassion down at the ranch he got into a snarling match with a chocolate lab that was down there with it’s owner (that time Trapper did eventually brake it off and come when I hollered at him) Today was the most recent episode. He was in the back of the truck on the ranch (and he knows to stay in the truck) anyway, we pulled up to where some friends had come with their dogs to practise for a dog trial coming up. As I was getting out of the truck to go and make sure that he stayed put in the back, (because I was afraid there could be a problem if he got out) but before i got there, he had baled out of the back, gone over to 2 female black labs that he does know, sniffed them, wagged his tail and then saw a yellow lab swimming in the pond and he just went straight for that dog. The dog had barely gotten out of the water when my dog attacked him outright. The dog even tried to get away from Trapper, but my dog went after him again. I had my work gloves on, so I reached in and grabbed my dog and pulled him off the other dog. I have made a lot of headway in other behavioral areas with Trapper, but I do not know what (or if there is anything that I can do) about this. I would love to feel that I could continue to take him to agility classes, or enter him in dog trials, or take him for a horse ride, but I can’t trust him off-leash and I don’t want any problems. If you have any advice or ideas I would more than love to hear them. I spoke with his Treiball trainer to get her idea of what she thought his issues might be and she thinks his aggression is from a fear/anxiety, but I guess after seeing the interactions that he has had with other dogs when he is not on a leash, and the way he goes out of his way to instigate the fight, I just don’t think that is the case with him, (I think it is a dominance issue) but I would certainly like to get some help for him if there is anything that can be done. Also, he growls at small children (he’s not around small kids much) he’s fine with bigger kids, but when he sees small children he growls at them and this behavior has me concerned also. I am kind of discouraged about knowing what the next step is that i should do to help Trapper. I am afraid that each time he gets away with fighting with other male dogs it is just going to reinforce that in his mind and cause him to become more aggressive in the future. I’d sure love to hear your ideas of how to deal with this! Thanks!
I have two, male rescued Australian Shepherds of my own so I know how wonderful and smart they can be. Trapper is certainly lucky to have an owner as conscientious and caring as you are. In this case, I agree with your Treiball trainer. Herding breed dogs tend to be sensitive, anxious and prone to fear aggression if they are not properly socialized during critical biological periods. The main reason I suspect fear is that a truly “socially dominant” dog is relaxed and calm around other dogs (unless competing for a resource they want like food or access to their owner). Socially dominant dogs are so confident that they can’t be bothered by other dogs. They don’t attack “for no reason”. I think Trapper has a reason and it’s fear. I could be wrong as I haven’t evaluated your dog but when I have to choose between a zebra (rare) and a horse (common), it’s usually the horse. The other reason I suspect fear is that his encounters are noisy and he’s not doing damage to the other dog, he’s just behaving badly.
The more positive you can make his experiences around other dogs the better. Use lots of high value treats (chicken, cheese, tuna) and work on getting a rock solid recall (knock it off and come when I call you). I’m going to recommend a couple of books/DVDs that might help you: Control Unleashed (book): https://www.dogwise.com/itemdetails.cfm?ID=DTB943, Control Unleashed (DVDs): https://www.dogwise.com/itemdetails.cfm?ID=DTB1048. I suspect your Treiball trainer might already own them.
This is a tough problem you’re facing but I think if you can recognize this behavior as fear based (even though it looks scary/aggressive), you’ll make good progress. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress!
Older dogs get cranky AND your girl suffered an injury from another dog (so sorry). You can look for a class that specializes in dog/dog issues. They’re usually called “Growly Dog”, “Feisty Fido” or “Reactive Rover” classes. There’s also a very well done book/DVD set by Kim Moeller called Reactive Rover that I highly recommend: https://www.dogwise.com/itemdetails.cfm?ID=DTB1161. Good luck and thanks for reading Behind the Behavior!
I have a 3 yr old female lab (Macey) that plays agressive. We also have a 6 yr old toy poodle (Maddie) that we have to watch when both dogs are together becuase Macey plays to rough. Than, 2 months ago we adopted a 10 month old male lab (Max) who is taller than Macey but thinner. They love each other, that I know ( they sleep touching or spooning and are always licking each others faces). However when they play, Macey plays very agressive,pinning Max down, stepping back and waiting for him to move than jumps on him again and biting his neck. Although to me it seems very rough, when Max gets up he wants Macey to chase him, or if I go outside, they stop playing and run over to greet me. Now for the delema, we have a pool that has a 2ft deep bench along one side that Macey has always stood on to cool down, Max has also found the bench and both dogs can easily stand on. Today, we witnessed Macey pinning Max down by the neck, which forced him under water. He came up yelping and Macey dunked him again. My husband ran outside and put Macey in the dog run for a “time out”. So my question is…did the play get out of hand because it was in water or is this something much more serious that we need to worry about? Any advise would be greatly appreciated.
It sounds to me like Macey is a bit of a bully in her play style but Max doesn’t seem to mind (if when he gets away he wants her to chase him). The issue with the pool concerns me quite a bit however. Macey could inadvertently drown Max so I would not let them play near the pool without constant supervision. Thanks for your question!
It was unnerving to read some of the comments posted by your readers. As an owner of a docile, playful, and peaceable cocker spaniel, it makes me cringe when other dog owners mention that they take their dogs with “issues” to the dog park. I was also troubled by some of your advice to owners of such dogs, suggesting that they just “move around” in the park or give their dogs time-out, instead of discouraging them to go to the dog park.
I always felt conflicted about taking my dog to the dog park because of the fear that people bring dogs to the dog park that have behavioral issues with other dogs. On one hand, notable dog behaviorists, such as Ian Dunbar, proselytize the importance of dog-to-dog socialization throughout dogs’ life and the benefits of taking dogs to the dog park. On the other hand, other dog professionals attest that the dog park is the worst place to socialize your dog because of the presence of dogs with issues in the park that can ruin all the hard work you’ve put into in an effort to raise a well-socialized, dog-friendly dog.
I take my dog to the dog park regularly because my dog just LOVES playing with other dogs and I am inclined to believe that the benefits outweigh the costs. That said, I wish owners of dogs who do not play nicely with other dogs would refrain from taking their dogs to the dog park until issues are resolved with a complete certainty. Taking dogs that are aggressive, overly dominant, have bullying tendency, have the habit of picking on certain types of dogs, or have gotten into fights multiple times does not seem to conform to the notion of responsible dog ownership. The presence of such a dog in the dog park ruins the fun for all, and it’s not fair for dogs (and their owners) that are always amicable.
Your dog is the beneficiary of great genetics to have suffered such neglect during important biological critical periods combined with abuse from her mother. Isn’t it amazing that she is so trusting and friendly with people? She is also showing amazing restraint for a dog who is so clearly fearful of other dogs. Given your dog’s age, I would recommend a couple of things: 1) Find a qualified professional who can work with you in a Reactive Rover/Feisty Fido or Growly Dog class (you can also work with someone privately until your dog is ready for such a class): https://www.companionanimalsolutions.com/why-choose-us-2/qualified-animal-behavior-specialists. 2) Find a Nose Work for Dogs class. We’re seeing amazing results with dogs who are reactive and fearful around other dogs when they’re able to engage in their natural ability to use their noses to find things. Dog trainers are now getting certifications in teaching Nose Work classes. Experiences such as these will help build her confidence and make her much less prone to react (in most cases). Stay away from dog sports where there is a lot of barking and running (agility for example because you want to reinforce calm in setting where she can be successful).
I have a 16 week old pit bull and a 3 1/2 yr old pit bull they get along just fine. The puppy is great with people but is aggressive towards other animals. How can I stop her from being aggressive with other animals and is the 31/2 who is very excitable an issue?
Hello,
I have two goldendoodles. One, Raina, is very mild mannered, sweet and calm and not at all dominant. The other one, Sophie, is also very sweet, but has always had a tendency to growl if another dog comes near her ball or bark at dogs that play with Raina, though it’s never gone past the low growling/barking stage. Sophie is almost 6 years old and just in the last couple of weeks has stared going after Raina. The first time, Sophie had a ball and Raina walked by. Sophie tore into her. That was two weeks ago. The 2nd time was a couple of days ago and again involved Raina going near when Sophie had her ball. The 3rd time was yesterday when Raina walked near Sophie to get a drink of water. I can’t count the number of times they’ve drank out of the same water dish and it’s never been a problem.
I can’t think what could be causing this. Could it be jealousy? Raina recently had surgery and so leaves the house with me during the day for her physical therapy appts. And of course there is also therapy for her at home. Could Sophie be jealous of the attention (doesn’t make sense since Sophie has gotten her own dedicated walks during this time), but other than new flooring in my house, that’s the only thing that’s changed.
Hey, I was wondering if you could confirm bully behavour or if its just fear from one of my dogs that starts the situation I’m about to explain:
I have my dog who is a 4 and a half year old staffie x mastiff cross, He’s generaly good with other dogs, not overly playful but friendly.
IRecently we decided to look after one of my counsin’s dog a 1 and a half year old yorkie named maxiee , he’s quite hyperactive when playing, him and rex play all the time, when outside they chase each other around while barking. He’s been with us for about a month or more but has visited us before this on numerous times.
Now we’r are also looking after another yorkie,Toby, who is a bit smaller than the previous one I mentioned. He’s about 2 I think. This is the first time he’s been livibg with other dogs let alone play with them since since his owner doesn’t walk him much.
At the start toby and the other two got along fine while playing inside however when we took them all out with toby for the first time and maxiee attempted to bark and play with him he starts making these screaming yelps, then Rex starts on him to barking at him , pushing him self on top of toby, this makes things worse with Toby practically hidding behind us or running about screaming trying to get away from them, it gets so bad we pick him up but they carry on, jumping up trying to get him, making him continue yelping his head off.
This happens nearly everytime we go out, and since the first time Toby rarely interacts with Rex or Maxiee. He tries to play with Maxiee sometimes but once he gets more excited toby runs to me. He won’t even attempt to play with Rex preffering to walk away if Rex approaches him.
Thanks so much for any advice\comments you may have 🙂
Hello, I have 2 pitbulls one is full bred (2 years old) and the other is mixed (2 1/2 years old). Lily is the full blooded pitbull, we’ve had her since she was 8 weeks old. We’ve always brought her around other dogs and people. She loved everyone! One day a little boy ran up to her and tried getting in her face, so now she does not like children and won’t even let any of them pet her. About a year ago we adopted louie (the mix). She accepted him with no problem but started to get aggressive towards other dogs. Then we moved to a new house (had to drag her in the house) and she didn’t get used to it for about 3 weeks. A week later 2 little dogs by us tried attacking my dogs, one of the dogs bit louie and now lily shows full aggression towards any animals. It scares me that one day she’ll hurt someone or something. Any tips on how to fix this?
You need professional help Jennifer. Fear aggression or dog/dog aggression is not something most owners are able to fix on their own. I recommend that you find someone in your area but it can be difficult to find someone truly qualified who has the experience you need depending on your location: https://www.companionanimalsolutions.com/why-choose-us-2/qualified-animal-behavior-specialists. If you need assistance finding us, you can contact us at info@companionanimalsolutions.com. You can find good books and DVDs at DogWise: https://dogwise.com and Tawzer: https://www.tawzerdog.com/index/default.php. Good luck!
Multi-dog situations are some of the trickiest to deal with so identifying the cause of the behavior let alone how to solve it is difficult without seeing it either via video or in person. It sounds like Toby is undersocialized and fearful. We situations get too intense, he becomes extremely fearful. My biggest concern here is instinctual drift or what some trainers call predatory drift. This is most likely to happen when there’s a large size disparity between dogs. If your staffy mix is large and Toby screams like wounded prey, Toby can turn from a dog to a pizza for the staffy.
Here’s what I would recommend with what little I know: Take it much, much more slowly with Toby. Take him to the backyard on his own and play with him there and give him tasty treats (clicker training works great for this). Get him feeling comfortable and safe out there. After a few weeks of this, add your other small dog to the mix. Use a flirt pole for play: https://vimeo.com/26279876 or get a game of fetch going. We want to distract your second dog from fixating on Toby. After a few weeks of this, you can bring your staffie mix out with Toby but keep your staffy occupied with play with YOU and give Toby a chance to get used to the situation. It might help to attach a drag line (don’t hold it) to your staffy. He can drag that line while he plays with you and if you need to reel him in, you can step on the drag line and reel him in. Hope this helps!
Hello was just wanting your thoughts on dog aggression.
Is it ok for known DA dogs to go to off lead dog parks…onlead?
Should the owner feel it is the approaching dogs fault if the dog approaches the on lead dog and is attacked and maybe killed?
Is it acceptable for known dogs with DA to be around other dogs unmuzzled?
I always though if you have have a DA it is your responsibility to ensure others are not attacked…and that a dog being rude or annoying is not justification for a savage attack?
But that dosent seem to be the common consensus.
DA dog owners feel it is YOUR responsibility to keep your dog away from theres at a dog park?
Confused?
It’s an unfortunately reality that owners of dog aggressive dogs often take them to the dog park. In my opinion, this is unacceptable. I don’t think the dog aggressive dog is enjoying it and it’s a danger to other dogs and their owners. In fact, I feel strongly that leashed dogs should not be inside an off leash dog park. This leads to many, many problems. This issue is much worse at some off leash parks than others so I would shop around until you find a dog park in which you can feel comfortable.
My adopted shelter dog lab/pix mix about 40lbs and about a year old / we have had her for 4 months, she plays really well and is friendly to every dog she meets, she is leash reactive to other dogs, she used to bark but we have got her to stop the barking she still pulls. My dog park question is that she seems to become too excited by small fluffy dogs and plays too rough biting their neck and legs, we avoid the park and or leave when small fluffy dogs are there. She also got too excited the last time there was about 4 or 5 dogs that ran in a group. She played well with 1 or 2 of these dogs for about an hour before this. She will bite and hold the other dogs collar/neck. How can I stop this behavior and what signs am I missing before this happens? She plays well with other dogs for awhile before this happens. We leave the park when this happens.
If your dog plays well with other dogs, leave BEFORE this happens. I think 30 minutes at the dog park is plenty. If it’s happening early in your trip to the off leash park, you might try a 20’/30′ drag line (don’t hold it). When she goes after a smaller dog too roughly, say “dog name, too bad” and reel her in with the drag line and leave the park. The important piece here is timing your “too bad” cue. Use good timing, stay calm and just leave. You can also keep your dog moving and if you see a smaller/fluffy dog, call her to you before anything gets started.
We have three dogs: 6 year old lab, 10 year old medium-sized terrier mix, 3 year old chihuahua. The medium dog considers herself the pack leader and always has. She never had any fear in “correcting” what she considered bad behavior in the lab. Recently, the lab has decided she doesn’t like that any more. The lab has started to become aggressive with the terrier mix. They fight over food and now have to be fed seperately. Even without food or toys present, the lab has attacked and slightly injured the terrier mix (bites to the head and ears). Last night, the lab tried to attack the chihuahua the same way. Luckily the chihuahua is small enough that she was able to escape without any harm. I have become fearful of the lab since we don’t know what is setting her off. I worry she could seriously hurt one of the other dogs .. or far worse, one of the kids. My husband thinks I’m over-reacting. What are your thoughts?
With the sudden onset of any aggressive behavior, we recommend that you have the Lab checked out by your veterinarian. We like the veterinarian to do a blood draw and full endocrine panel, evaluate for pain (hips, joints, bad tooth), irritation (ear infection, rash) and check out hearing and eye sight. If your Lab checks out with a clean bill of health, I would recommend keeping the dogs separate to avoid any further incidents and find a qualified behavior professional to help you: https://www.companionanimalsolutions.com/why-choose-us-2/qualified-animal-behavior-specialists
Hi
I have a 1yr old 3/4 english/1/4neo mastiff, she is a playground bully. As soon as other dogs gey close when she is on a lead she pulls me sharply & jerks on my bad arm 🙁 & wont listen to calm down. Then when let her off to play she is soo ruff with smaller dogs (no bitting) just pushing & jumping im scared she is going to break 1 of their legs. She takes no notice if there warnings either. Such a cute cudly little 1 otherwise. Would really appreciaye some helpfull advice?? Thankyou
This may not be something you want to hear Rachel but not all dogs are appropriate for the dog park (off leash parks). If your dog is a bully, I suggest you avoid dog parks. If your dog is reactive on leash around other dogs (barking, lunging, pulling), I suggest that you teach your dog to wear a head harness (especially if you have an injured arm. You can try a Gentle Leader or Halti. Don’t just slap the thing on the dog, you have to teach her to love wearing it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wakterNyUg&list=FLbk1Uo2RUIIAorOrkob5V2w&index=10&feature=plpp_video.
You can also find a class like the Reactive Rover class we offer to counter condition your dog’s reaction to other dogs on leash: https://www.companionanimalsolutions.com/dog-training-classes/class-descriptions. I also recommend this booklet/DVD combo: https://www.dogwise.com/itemdetails.cfm?ID=DTB1161. Good luck!
Hello,
Fantastic advice reading through your site. I was hoping you can help with some advice about our puppy…
He’s a five-month old Staffie crossbreed – socialised from a young age with all sorts of other dogs. He has the sweetest nature and excellent play manners. There’s only one problem which has just started happening – while he plays brilliantly with other dogs, he has started to play too aggressively with smaller and younger dogs, throwing them to the floor, biting too hard and playing way too rough.
There’s nothing nicer than watching him run around the park playing, so I would love to nip this behaviour in the bud and continue to allow him to have his freedom in the park. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks in advance.
hi christine! thanks so much for your reply 🙂
Things are so much better now, toby is used to the other dogs rough playing but knows when to back off and so do the other two..since maxiee was the fire starter i decided to keep him on a leash for a few days, he must have learnt something because he has stopped bullying toby…Rex is great with the little ones, he doesnt play rough and I’m hoping things will continue like this.
Thanks for your advice 😀
If you read through my advice for other readers, yours is there. Keep moving, call your dog to you frequently to keep play from getting too rough. Say “too bad” and pull him out of play for a timeout. He’ll learn that if he plays too rough, he’ll get pulled out of the game. Think of it as the penalty box. If you need to use a 20/30′ dragline, you can use that to reel him in.
Thrilled to hear that Toby and Rex are doing so much better! Thanks for letting us know how things are going!
Hi, I was reading your article and was wondering if you can help me. I have a 3yr old 3/4 English Mastiff 1/4 German Shephard mix female that is a complete and utter attention suck. Likes to be glued to my youngest child (20 mths) side, and actually takes marching orders from the two chihuahuas and cats (she is our youngest pet). As a puppy we took her to several levels of obedience training classes, she did great, got along great with the other dogs. She would even lie down to the little dogs level to play with them. Offleash parks she would run and play with every dog, siton ppls feet so they would pet her….all around wonderfull girl. Now getting to the problem. When my son was born, he was sick and had problems. And with me alone with two kids during the week until my husband came home from work on the weekends; I admit, I found it impossible to take the dogs to theoffleash park that year more than…three times. I should mention too that every time we took our big girl to get her nails trimmed, some owner of a small dog at the store would let their dog sniff her and said dog would start attacking her face…owners would think it was cute small dog syndrome..rr. Anyways. I start taking my dogs to the offleash park, my big girl on her halti so she doesn’t drag me around, and I find to my shock and horror that she seems aggressive to any dogs out there. They cannot approach her, she gets hyper alert, I make her sit stay, but cannot make her do the loom at me, I do positive reinforcement with her. I don’t know if it is the halti that is causing it, the yr away from the park along with those little dgs that attacked her. But to see my formerly frolicking loving of everything girl suddenly aggressive and seemingly snappy if a dog sniffs her butt breaks my heart. She is still a big softy with all humans. I need advice on how to help her get along wigh other dogs again other than the two chihuahuas she lives with.
I’m not sure I’m understanding how you’re taking your big girl to the dog park. Is your dog on leash with a Halti while all the other dogs are off leash? IMHO, that’s a recipe for disaster and totally unfair to leash a dog around other dogs are off leash. If that is the case because you need to feel secure that she won’t get snarky with other dogs, I would let her drag and 20 or 30 foot cotton leash. That way, she has her freedom and isn’t a target but if an altercation breaks out, you can step on the drag line and reel her in.
Also, keep in mind that once some dogs hit 3 years old, they get very particular about rude behavior from other dogs. They can also sometimes get very picky about who they want to play with. Just like us I guess. Good luck and thanks for reading Behind the Behavior.
Yes I do have her on a halti at the dog park where other dogs are offleash. Simply because I have lost the trust for her not to snap at a dog if it comes up to greet her and do the ritual sniffing. She gets the leash slack when no dogs are around in sight, but made to sit and gets petted for distraction until a dog passes when it is near. When she spots a dog she is on a tense alert and does not do her old perky bounce to go greet and play. It is a wary, slow, tense thing. I want to have her resocialized and back to her old go anywhere be around anything self. Being such a huge dog, ppk are inherently nervous just seeing her, and if she snaps at another dog, I liable for injuries and she could be made to be put down. Hence the nervousness with long long ada. should i try a harness so she feels less restricted? Continue clicker training with positive association? I like being able to take my dogs anywhere and also have good manners from them, especially from my behemoth. She iscalready great with all ages of humans but, this aggressiveness with dogs has me worried…can I train it out of her through exposure? Or is it the leash?
If I were working with you Lee, I’d have you work with your dog on leash around other on leash dogs (clicking/positive association). Being on leash is the most difficult circumstance for a dog so if you can get her comfortable around other dogs who are on leash, your off leash work will be easier. I would definitely stop taking her to an off leash park when she’s leashed. That’s not fair. It turns her into a target for other dogs who know she’s leashed. She’s better at reading the other dogs than you are. If you can’t safely take your dog to an off leash park, the dog shouldn’t be there. Not all dogs are cut out for off leash parks.
my dog (on leash or off) approaches other dogs in a slow stalking manner then pounces after bowing/playing, this makes the other dog aggressive which inturn makes my dog aggressive. 2 dogs off leash no problem, my dog off and 1 dog on no problem. how do i change his approach?? also i rid my bike with my dog and he is most aggressive while we are moving(other dogs on leash)
leslie
You don’t give me the age, breed or history of your dog Leslie so I can’t really begin to understand the behavior to offer a solution. I will say that it’s highly unusual for a dog to be more reactive to other dogs when moving quickly.
I have a question. I have a pitbull/chow puppy hes 5 months old but tends to jump on peoples faces when he gets excited, he just runs up to them and goes straight to the face,any tips of what i can do to make him stop that?
I have a little over four year old Akbash and English Mastiff. The Akbash is incredibly submissive, but the Mastiff, Kalie, is an issue. She had always been the alpha. About a year ago, a cocker spaniel was added to the pack. She did the whole growl/slobber dominance show, he submitted, and all had been well ever since between the three. A year ago, my roommate moved in with a dominant alpha chihuahua. When we introduced the two, Kalie tried to dominate the chihuahua. We let it go on too long. The chihuahua was injured from being pushed around, but never bit. We kept the dogs separated, then one day the chihuahua snuck in and she and Kalie were perfectly fine. No issues. Then about six months ago, when I wasn’t around, my friends accidentally let her out. When she was 2.5 the same thing happened with no problems. This time, a neighbor about 50 yards away grabbed get little dog and started screaming bloody murder. This was when Kalie was nowhere near her. That much everyone agrees, and the fact the little dog ended up dead. My friend says the screaming lady threw her dog down when my dog came near and Kalie went after it, the owner says Kalie tore the little dog from her arms. Either way, the little dog’s neck was broken. There was a *little* blood.A month ago, two chihuahuas were introduced to my house (the original chihuahua diff and my roommate got two more), a male and female. We kept them separated, but visible/smellable for two weeks. Starting this week the chihuahuas have been occasionally been hanging our with the three other dogs, including Kalie. There were no issues, she ignored them, even when they were eventually in the same room. That is until the female chihuahua nipped the male, who nipped back. One of them yelped and Kalie dominance attacked. Again, no blood, just lots of slobber. I pulled her off though because of the other dog’s size. I know that’s not great as far as letting the pack order itself. Immediately afterward all the dogs were ok together. Then tonight, while I was not in the room, but my roommate was, Kalie dominance attacked the male chihuahua. Again, lots of noise and slobber but no biting. But it’s scary, my roommate isn’t strong enough to grab Kalie (I came inside quickly and did it ), and the other dogs are little. How can I stop her from this dominance show? And she’s never bit a dog except the one with the screaming owner. I can’t help but think it’s something about the yelling and/or yelping sets her off. Help!
I have an 85lbs 4yr old lab and a10yr old english sitter they get along great and always have.The trouble happens at the dog park with the lab. We have a park for small dogs and a park for large dogs and some owners for some reason have to bring their < 10lb dogs into the large dog park.Once in a while my lab will get into it with a little dog and it usually ends up with my dog trying to hold down the little dog with her front paws with some growling from my dog and yapping from the little dog. This has happened maybe 6 times in the last2 years and the small dog people blame my dog for being viscious and aggressive. This has only happened to dogs she has not met before and generally happens on the weekend when new people ans dogs come and insist on coming into the large dog park. Any ideas?
I’m curious why you’re calling these attacks “dominance” attacks. Identifying the reason for intrahousehold dog/dog aggression can be difficult, and impossible without seeing the dogs. I recommend finding a qualified behavior and training specialist who uses scientific and humane behavior modification methods. Using methods that involve force, fear and/or pain will actually make the situation worse. If you’re having trouble finding a qualified professional in your area, we’re available to help you: https://www.companionanimalsolutions.com/contact-us.
It’s difficult if not impossible to identify why dog/dog aggression is happening without seeing it. If I had to guess, I would say that when the dog park is busy with many new dogs, it just becomes too much for your Lab and he/she is engaging in Redirected Aggression on a safe target: https://companionanimalsolutions.com/blogs/pass-it-along-redirected-aggression-in-cats-and-dogs.
There’s an old joke: “Doctor, doctor, it hurts when I do this”. My advice would be to stay out of the dog park during times that you know it will be busy or there will be many new dogs. It’s hard for some owners to hear but once a dog is past the age of three, they don’t require dog/dog socialization, unless your dog really enjoys it. Not all dogs are good candidates for the dog park. Maybe it’s time to find some other activities for you and your lab: https://companionanimalsolutions.com/blogs/fun-activities-for-you-and-your-dog.
Hello Christine, We recently adopted a rescue shephard/husky mix, 8 months old. She is leash reactive, the term I had no idea existed until I googled around until I found this post. I thought at first she was dog aggressive, then I took her for an assessment at a dog daycare and they put her in with the other dogs after about 10 minutes off leash and she did great all day long. I’m happy about this, but she still freaks out at other dogs walking down the street, barks, lunges, growls. Now I know she’s just asking them to come play but I don’t want to deal with that. We have no other pets in our home, and I don’t have any friends with dogs who would help me get her acclamated to appropriate greeting training. Any ideas to help me, help her? I do have a gentle leader and she walks lovely until she sees a dog and then all bets are off.
I also have another issue, as she was a shelter dog, she rightfully so, has separation anxiety. She is Queen Destructor if left alone for even a few minutes. She is terrified of a crate, but I’m working slowly to get her used to it but I fear it will be quite some time before I can get her in there. I can’t leave her in the house, my carpet will be in shreds when I come back. The backyard is fenced but she’s jumped the gate before looking for us….yes, a 6 foot high gate. I want to tether her or use a trolley system, what do you think of those?
And before you ask, I’m a runner, so this girl gets a good hour every night running, plus a dog walker comes at noon for an hour 2X a week, and once a week she goes to dog daycare.
Thanks for your help!
I call it dominance attacks because in the past once the other dog lays over and submits, she walks away. The little chihuahua doesn’t/can’t. But maybe this is different and more like a prey instinct. I hope not! The thing about a trainer is that the behavior seems random. The dogs were fine together for a month before the first incident and weeks later we heard them in the back yard. We are pretty sure he had snuck out before. My chihuahua is sneaky and wants to be with the other dogs (understandably).
I would look for a class called something like “Reactive Rover”, “Feisty Fido” or “Growly Dog” class but given the fact you’re also dealing with separation anxiety, I’d call in a qualified professional. Here are some books that you might find helpful:
– I’ll Be Home Soon: Preventing and Treating Separation Anxiety by Dr. Patricia McConnell: https://astore.amazon.com/compaanimasol-20/detail/1891767054
– Reactive Rover: An Owner’s Guide to On Leash Dog Aggression by Kim Moeller: https://astore.amazon.com/compaanimasol-20/detail/0578033798
Hi Christine,
I have a 6 year old puggle who has been socialized (on leash, off leash, dog park, puppy school, etc) with people and other dogs, big and small, since she was 7 weeks old when I adopted her. When she was young (first 1-2 years or so) she loved playing with big dogs. It seemed she thought she was one and always gravitated towards them at the dog park or wherever we were, and there were never any problems with the play. The last few years it seems she has become more timid around big dogs – though not all I should say. Sometimes she seems fine, while other times anything more than a quick sniff from a big dog is more than she can handle. For example, this morning we were at the off leash dog park and we approached an owner and his larger dog (I believe it was a doberman) and at first they started with a typical friendly greeting. When the other dog seemed to be doing play bows and trying to engage play, my puggle reacted with high pitched, sharp yelps. At first I didn’t think much of it as she’s done this before. But she continued and the other dog was then getting worked up. I had thought maybe it was due to the fact that we were near an entrance and it was a small area, so I tried to get the dogs out into the big open area. As my dog continued yelping I decided to pick her up to try to calm her down, but the other dog still continued to jump at her and I think he was even biting and grabbing her tail. Since the other dog did not seem to be backing down, I ended up leaning over the fence and having to toss (as gently as I could manage) my dog outside the fence of the park. I then made my way out to her to calm her down. We ended up leaving as I wasn’t sure if the owner of the other dog had stayed or left and I was fearful of another encounter. In fact as we were making our way to the other end of the park where I had parked my car, the other dog ran towards us and for a moment I was afraid he might jump the fence, but fortunately he did not. To finally get to my question, I’m not sure if my dog is just having the “annoying” dog kind of reaction. That’s what I had thought in the past, that she’s just getting cranky as she ages. But a part of me now wonders if her reacting to some dogs with the yelping is because she feels threatened in some way. Either way, I always try to remove her from the situation, get her away from the dogs that seem to prompt the reaction, but I’m just wondering if there is more I need to be looking for/doing/aware of. Any feedback or advice is greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
I adopted a austrailian cattle blue tick hound mix back in september 2011. he is a great dog loves to play loves kids and other dogs the only problem is . since i have got him he is getting leash reavtivity worse then before. he is taking a dog class now where the idea is to teach him to leave it when we are on a walk as soon as notices that he sees another dog we are suppouse to say leave it and keep walking but. he doesnt respond to that once he notices the dog, because thats when he turns me off and starts to not listen. Also the other day is class he was doing really and listening but we where sitting around in a circle talking about what was going to happend in class that day, and it did go longer and he starts to get bored when things go too long and he gets no attention or no one is doing anything with him. he was laying dog and all of a sudden he stood up and just went after another dog in class. he has seen the dog for the last 5 weeks and they have never had a misunderstanding with each other before this is the 1st time i have seen this and it scares me.
I have a 13 week old Australian Cattle Dog (possibly a mix) and he is generally good around other dogs. However, he seems to be extremely dominant. When at the dog park he plays really well until another dog tries to pin him and the he freaks out. He starts chasing the dog and nipping at its face. This only happens with dogs that are bigger than him. He doesn’t do it to the other dog at home or our friend’s husky. Is he just a scared puppy defending himself? Or could this lead to a serious aggression problem?
We recommend never taking a dog under six months to the dog park. IMHO, you are setting him up for fear based dog/dog aggression later in life. At 13 weeks, I would put him in a well run Puppy Kindergarten which includes off leash play. Puppies are the best teachers to other puppies of what is too hard. The off leash puppy play should be closely monitored by the instructor. You can also look for drop in puppy play groups in your area. Here’s an article that may help you find a good puppy class: https://companionanimalsolutions.com/blogs/what-to-look-for-in-a-puppy-class.
Good luck and let us know what you think of puppy class!
My dog had puppies with my brothers dog I got one of the two girl puppy’s at 6weeks. They are full blooded american pit bull terriers. Well at 4 months we got a 2 yr old rescue pit from a very well known training company well they were fine at first then I ended up with honey the second girl from my brothers litter she is very hyper well honey got in the big dogs face licking it and e turned on her and tore her up we had to put the big one down. Things went Back to normal for almost a month well now honey has gotten more and more aggressive exapecially around food I started separating them at eating time because honey attacks faith when she tries to eat well today after they were done eating I opened the gate and honey ran straight for faith and tore her up real bad I got bit in the process so I’m putting honey Down, but now I’m afraid that faith will turn as well. We have 3 kids and our nehibors have 2 girls and a dog and I don’t want anything I happen to them. What do I do I loe faith iv had here for 7 months now but what can I do to help her. I don’t want her to get aggressive and then have to put her down. Please some one help I don’t think I could handle putting faith down to. I live close to Dallas tx and I will do anything please some one help me. Thank you
Hello I have a question. My oldest dog fits the description of the leash lunger pretty well, but she also is reactive from anywhere she is unable to reach the dogs (my patio, through the dog park fence, a car) the problem I am encountering is she is a pit bull and when owners see the way she behaves on a leash, they are afraid to let her play with their dogs. I don’t want the problem to progress so I’m trying to find a solution which would allow her to play off leash with other dogs in an environment with supervised professionals in case something WERE to happen for some reason. I want to know that I can trust her before I take her to a dog park. I know how people are about pit bulls and I don’t want to risk having my dog taken away for a mistake like that. Do you have any ideas? Also can you give me a few tips on how to reduce the leash reaction? I live in a community where everyone has a dog and I feel like everyone is afraid of her now because of her behavior on a leash or from anywhere she is unable to reach the dogs. Thank you so very much.