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.
i think my dog may be dog/dog aggressive. He is a Mini Schanuzer named Scotty, we got him at 9wks old and started to socialize he right off. He was great and had no problems at all. Then when he was aprox 10mos we took him for his first “professional” grooming. and afterward it was like we had a complete different dog. He was so skittish towards us after I picked him up, it took a cpl days for him to relax even around us. When at the park he became very guarded and to himself. A few days later he started to limp and when he got to the vet we found he had been punctured in the pad of his foot with the scissors they use and it had become impacted with dirt, mud and puss. After this He seemed like he had become leash aggressive, but then we saw it wasnt just on the leash that he behaved this way it was off as well. We had done all his grooming ourselves beore this with never a problem but at the park one day a woman came up to me and said she had worked at the place he was groomed and remembered him. she then explained to me how he was abused by the groomer, and also the big stinger… they leash dogs who are done being groomed to hooks on a wall, apparently my dog was leash to it next to another dog and was attacked. when I picked him up they nevr told me about any of this, not him being stabbed by scissors nor being attacked. As a result my dog is aggressive and I have no idea how to fix this. Oh and please do not ever take your dog to petco to get groomed you will regret it.
I have a 5 yearl old pitbull. I rescued her from a woman who had 4 other dogs in the house and my dog was fine!….BUT i got her home and we go for walks and my dog lunges, barks (constantly) and will not stop! Her tail is wagging but the hair on her back is raised. I now walk my dog after midnight because of this issue and its tiring me out. My friend wanted to help, he has a 6 yr old lab mix, very calm. We had both dog on leashes. Mine was acting up so badly that she wiggled out of her harness! She made a bee line for his dog. We were able to pull her away (she did not bite the other dog). I just dont know if this is aggression towards the other dog of if she has a very rude way of playing. Any advice would be appreciated! (she is fixed as well)
All dogs are more reactive on leash than off leash, the key is to understand why your particular dog is reacting. This article should help you figure out why your dog is reacting to other dogs on leash: http://companionanimalsolutions.com/blogs/what-is-a-reactive-rover. You can find a class in your area by looking for class titles like “Feisty Fido”, “Growly Dog” or “Reactive Rover”. If you have dog training experience, I like this book/DVD combo: http://astore.amazon.com/compaanimasol-20/detail/0578033798. You can also contact me privately with your location and I can help you find a class or trainer in your area: http://www.companionanimalsolutions.com/contact-us.
I love this site! If you have time, I’d love and greatly appreciate some input. I have a 9 year old lab/pit mix (Virgil) I adopted at 9 weeks from a shelter. We got him as a companion for our then 2 year old lab who passed away in August. About 3 years ago, we boarded them both to go on vacation, and at the facility Virgil got into a very bad fight (stitches, drains, the whole nine). We were told he was NOT the aggressor, and the owner of the main aggressor paid all the bills. Before this, both dogs were well socialized and well trained. We never got a bad report card from any boarding or day care visits. Virgil played rough sometimes, but never “mean”. After the incident, we started hiring a dogsitter and made the very poor choice to neglect regular walks or playdates. I feel very guilty about this, but there it is. Since Petey’s death, Virgil is leash reactive, and actually bit a dog’s face (with blood) at the Vet’s office (I believe I botched that by allowing a tight leash). After THAT I enrolled in a Reactive Dog class, which he’s passed with flying colors. Not perfect by any means, but making great progress every day. My QUESTION (finally!) is this: how likely do you think it is that he would be aggressive off leash. We want to get another dog, but the idea of trying a pre-adoption meet and greet scares me. Other than the dog he bit at the vet, he’s not “met” another dog off leash in several years. I’d love the answer to be “don’t worry, try it,” OR “don’t even think about it”, just so I could at least stop obsessing. Ok, thanks for reading.
Hi Steph, I’ve consulted with my colleagues and we disagree with your two choices: “don’t worry about it” or “don’t try it”. Instead, we think that finding the right dog to introduce to your dog is extremely important. Some dogs are very tolerant of rude or fearful dogs while other dogs have zero tolerance for this type of behavior. How and where you introduce the dogs is also very important. We sometimes use a chain link fence or x-pen when we’re evaluating dogs. We also recommend selecting the location for the introduction carefully. We recommend neutral territory and probably not a shelter setting. So I guess what we’re saying is go ahead and think about it, just think about it carefully. If there’s a qualified dog behavior professional in your area, you could engage them to help you find the right dog: http://www.companionanimalsolutions.com/private-dog-training/semi-private-dog-training and handle the initial introduction: http://companionanimalsolutions.com/blogs/introducing-dogs-to-other-dogs.
I’m glad you enjoy our site. Thanks for reading and feel free to send any follow up questions.
Thanks so much for your answer. And of course it’s the answer I expected–nothing’s ever black and white, is it? LOL. I am meeting with a friend today who has a well-mannered dog who is a certified Search and Rescue dog. He understands my situation and the training methods I’ve learned from the excellent Buddy’s Chance here in Austin, so fingers crossed. I think I’ve memorized the relevant articles from your site, so we’ll see how it goes. I really want to believe that he *wants* to get along with other dogs, but has learned his current fear response because of the last few years of relative isolation. I’ve read that a traumatic event like the fight at the boarding place can have lasting effects, but my hope is that because that happened when he was a 6 year old, well socialized adult that it won’t be permanent. It’s so frustrating to have the capacity to adopt a rescue/shelter dog, but be so afraid of the first 10 seconds. I’d hate to make a shelter dog even more traumatized by putting them at the mercy of my reactive dog. UGH. So frustrating! Thanks again for your help and the obvious thought and time you put into each of your answers. It is SO appreciated. I’ll be back with the follow up soon!
Cara Shannon at Buddy’s Chance is a terrific dog behavior resource for you. Good luck on your search and we’re looking forward to hearing back from you!
I would really appreciate some input. My dog just turned two years old. He was neutered at about 9 months and up until that point had always been just the sweetest dog ever. We would go to the dog park every day and he’d always play well. Once he got neutered, he started acting out. He’ll “go after” another dog at the park (generally ones that are intact males, or younger dogs who will eventually get bigger than him, I’ve noticed). He has NEVER drawn blood, as I make it a point to check on the other dog whenever he gets carried away, but it looks and sounds really bad when it’s happening. Any suggestions as to what to do, short of just no longer going to the park?
It’s impossible to troubleshoot when I haven’t seen the behavior but I’ll try to make a few suggestions. I would keep moving whenever you’re at the dog park. People standing around give dogs too much opportunity to get into trouble, keep walking and if you see one of his “target” dogs, run away in the opposite direction before he locks on. I would work on his recall: http://www.dogwise.com/itemdetails.cfm?id=dtb810p. I would also tell him “too bad” and leave the dog park immediately.
Thanks for replying so quicky. Yeah, we could be playing fetch (both of my dogs LOVE the frisbee) and a dog can try to join them or we could just be walking and he sees a dog from far away and does the same thing. I think we are going to avoid the dog park for awhile though…it’s causing me more stress than anything.
I also am thinking of trying to keep him on a long lead if we do go back because when it happens and he takes off after a dog, it’s impossible for me to catch him. When he knows he’s in trouble, he refuses to listen to me, even though his recall is wonderful any other time. Stubborn little Klee Kai.
Hi, I just read your article and I’m hoping you have a few minutes to help me out. Under the “fear aggression” category I saw you noted that having a traumatizing experience at the dog park may lead to aggression toward dogs and this is just the issue I am now dealing with. I have a female purebred yellow lab that’s 3.5 years old. We’ve gone to the same park at least 4 times a week but she has recently been attacked by a 7mo male great dane and 4yo female lab/bulldog in the same day. Today i brought her back to the park and another dog attacked her (and bit me too). After that point any dog that came close she lunged and barked at. How can I solve this problem? I don’t want to give up going to the park as it is the only exercise outlet for her besides walking on the busy streets of downtown. Please Help!!
I’m so sorry that you and your dog have both been attacked and bitten at the park. It sounds to me like your dog has pretty good common sense. If the park you’re using isn’t safe, then I would recommend that you not use that park. Even if you successfully counter condition your dog’s fear of other dogs, if she’s attacked again, you’re right back at square one. I’m curious about the limitations you’ve put on your options for your dog: either go to a dangerous park or walk busy city streets. Are those really your only two options?
If you decide to counter condition your dog’s fear of other dogs, you’re going to have to find a different off leash park. Have you read this article? http://companionanimalsolutions.com/blogs/dog-park-safety-tips. You don’t say what kind of physical condition you’re in but can you jog with your dog? I say this having started jogging at 6:30 in the morning with my Australian Shepherd and it’s nearly killing me at this point but I know I’ll get into better condition over time. There are devices you can hook up to a bike to jog your dog. Since your dog is already 3.5 years old, have you considered clicker training tricks? Most dogs who are over three years old thrive on 30 minute per day vigorous walks combined with mental stimulation. I live with two male Australian Shepherds and I can tell you from experience that 60 seconds of clicker training tricks wears them out more than any amount of physical exercise (except herding which requires them to use their brains).
If you want to learn about counter conditioning a dog’s fear, I can recommend this inexpensive booklet very highly: http://astore.amazon.com/compaanimasol-20/detail/1891767003
Hello, I need some serious guidance to help my 1 year old pitbull/heeler mix Eyla. She is my first dog and I thought I was doing a pretty good job raising her so far until yesterday. I have an invisible fence system that worked 100% of the time until a couple of months ago. Now she knows if she runs really fast she can make it though. Yesterday a woman was walking her 2 dogs who were very complacent, yet Eyla darted through to the dogs and was very aggressive/dominant towards them. Then at the dog park a little “yappy” dog went nuts (probably scared of her) and she went after him standing over him and chasing him. There is no real danger here (yet), just aggressive, dominant behavior that scares me and other dog owners. She also freaks out on leash or in the car when she sees other dogs. Over the holidays a dog went after her and I got in the middle and even got bit by the other dog…then a week later I watched a friends dog for 10 days. Now that she’s back to being alone she is just going nuts with other dogs. Did this series of events put her over the edge and over her stress threshold? She plays with the 4 neighboring dogs everyday and is totally fine with them. It is just dogs she hasn’t met yet that seem to set her off. How do I resolve this aggressive and freaking out behavior before something bad happens. I have never been scared to have her off leash before yesterday as she has always been an extremely playful & social puppy.
Hi, I have a question. I have a male 7 month old lab/akita/sharpei mix. I recently moved across the country with him, which seemed to be a stressful experience. He was the sweetest dog prior to the move, but now he is acting really aggressive. We now live with a roommate who has a 6 month old male lab. I don’t know what to do. Any advice will help.
Hi Kelly, you haven’t given me enough information to really be able to evaluate what is happening with your dog. Is you dog aggressive with people? other dogs? In what situations is your dog aggressive? Is your dog generally anxious or does your dog respond to specific triggers? You don’t say where you live but I recommend that you engage a qualified Animal Behavior Consultant to help you: http://www.companionanimalsolutions.com/why-choose-us-2/qualified-animal-behavior-specialists. You can also contact us directly at http://companionanimalsolutions.com and we’d be happy to help you find someone in your area.
Hi Jamey, it’s hard for me to know what happening with Eyla but given your description, she sounds conflicted. She likes other dogs and gets excited but lacks confidence so can be a bully with strange dogs. Here are some articles that might help you:
http://companionanimalsolutions.com/blogs/what-is-a-reactive-rover/
http://companionanimalsolutions.com/blogs/invisible-fences-not-a-recommended-solution/
I recommend that you find a qualified professional in your area to help you sort this out. This article contains information on how to evaluate whether someone is qualified to work with you: http://www.companionanimalsolutions.com/why-choose-us-2/qualified-animal-behavior-specialists. If you need help finding someone, we’re happy to help.