When dealing with dog-to-dog aggression, it is important to listen to our dog.
There are many reasons why a dog may act aggressively toward another.
- He may be afraid.
- He may be stressed because his space is being violated.
- He may feel the need to dominate.
- He may be protective of us.
- He may be very curious.
- He may just be over-excited.
Sometimes, what we perceive to be aggression may be the result of hyper energy, eagerness, or natural inquisitiveness. Therefore, in dog-to-dog aggression cases, it is important to understand what our dog is feeling, and what he is trying to say.
When my dog meets a new dog, I observe both of them carefully. As soon as my dog starts to get stressed, I step in and interrupt before the situation escalates.
For dog aggression issues, it is best to take a dog’s age, health, temperament, and preferences into account, while coming up with appropriate solutions.
1. Be Calm and Decisive
Dogs are very sensitive to what their human is feeling. My dog picks up on my emotions and reflects them, except with much more intensity. Sometimes, I am not even conscious of feeling nervous or stressed, but my dog notices it and starts to act up. Once I consciously calm myself down, his behavior also improves.
A common mistake when meeting other dogs is to tense up, and get fearful of what our dog may do. If we are afraid, our dog will pick up on that fearful energy, and that will likely trigger an aggressive reaction.
Be careful not to put undue or continuous tension on the leash. Also, do not pull the dog straight back, as that will likely cause a lunge forward response. To remove my dog, I pull him to the side and quickly walk him past the other dog.
2. Teach Our Dog Avoidance
When I see another dog, I usually just ignore him and move along.
I have found that avoidance is most effective when I avert my eyes from both dog, as well as owner. I keep my eyes forward, and keep walking at a natural pace. In this way, my dog learns that when we see other dogs, we avoid rather than confront.
Be careful not to crowd our dog while walking. If he feels trapped between us and the other dog, he may think he has no choice but to react aggressively. Do not stand still while trying to tug our dog away. Move away, and he will come along with us. At the same time, we are creating space so that he will not feel trapped.
I do not let my dog obsess or stare intensely at other dogs. Sometimes, my Shiba Inu will drop into a stalking-down-position, stare, and wait for the other dog to pass. Some people think that he is such a good boy for doing a Down, when other dogs are coming toward him, but he is actually just waiting to pounce.
Do not allow this bad behavior, do not let our dog practice it, do not even let him think about it. Just move him along, and ignore. If the other dog is somehow blocking us (e.g. if the owner is unable to control his dog), then walk away in a different direction. Do not stare the other dog down and do not confront him, either through posture or by physically engaging him.
Challenging unknown dogs is a good way to get bitten.
3. Create Space or Block the Other Dog
We can do this by moving across the road or into a driveway, and waiting for the other dog to pass.
We may also move our dog behind a barrier, for example a car. If there are no barriers available, we can try blocking the dog’s view with our body.
By doing this, we avoid a head-on, more confrontational passing.
I have tried all of these blocking techniques, but what works best for me is to create space, and quickly move past the other dog. Whenever I wait for the other dog to pass, my Shiba uses that time to start obsessing.
Dog treats and trying to get his attention do not work at this point, because the other dog is too close, and Shiba Sephy is no longer listening. The advantage of walking Sephy briskly past the other dog, is that he has less time to stare. In addition, he cannot fully obsess, because he must partly focus on walking.
However, using barriers and blocking may work better for a fearful dog.
Some trainers suggest turning and walking away when we see another dog, rather than passing him or waiting for him to pass.
There are two problems with this method:
- If we turn away, the other dog will be following us. This may cause some dogs to keep looking back, to make sure that the follower is not a threat. I have tried this, and indeed my Shiba keeps looking back.
- If we keep turning away, we may meet other dogs and get boxed in; especially if there are many dogs in our neighborhood.
4. Create Neutral Experiences
I try to create as many neutral dog-to-dog meeting experiences as possible. If every time my dog sees another dog, we just pass by and nothing interesting happens, it will become a non-event.
Being consistent with neutral greetings will build our dog’s confidence. Through repetition, we are teaching him how to behave (just avoid and move along), and how not to behave (get over-excited, frustrated, lunge, and pull). He will be more calm because he is not waiting in anticipation of a highly charged encounter, either for play or for confrontation.
I try to set my dog up for success, and do not let him practice aggressive behaviors when meeting other dogs. The more he practices, the more aggressive he will be.
If my dog becomes agitated during a walk, I try to end the outing as soon as possible. Once in this mode, his adrenaline levels will be high for a fair duration, and he will likely react aggressively to all the dogs that we meet. In this state, he will no longer be capable of learning, and will only be practicing dog aggressive behaviors.
5. Protect our Dog
I usually keep my dog away from people and dogs with weak energy (e.g. fearful, excited, or frustrated energy). In addition, I also try to keep other dogs and owners from coming into my dog’s space. I say a quick ‘hi’ to the people I meet, and move on.
If people with weak energy stop and want to meet my dog, I ask them nicely to please move on, because my dog is easily excitable.
It is fine and good to let a dog meet people with calm energy, but make sure to let them know how to best meet our dog. In particular, turn away when he jumps, no quick movements, and no petting from above.
6. Keep Greetings Short and Sweet
While greeting another dog, we want to positively interrupt our dog every so often, and get him to refocus on us. Do this as many times as necessary, so that our dog does not get over-excited, and lose control of himself.
Whenever my dog is meeting a new dog, I interrupt him after a very short duration (2-3 seconds). I quickly move or jog away from the other dog, while giving the positive interrupt command, e.g. Hey, hey. Initially, I may have to lightly tug at my dog while moving away. I make sure to treat him well for moving toward me on a loose leash.
If our dog is too obsessed to move away and is strongly standing his ground, then we have waited too long to initiate the interrupt. Positive interrupts are also useful for dealing with human greetings, and getting our dog away from a dirty or unsuitable area.
The key to successful positive interrupts is to catch a dog early, before he starts to obsess on another dog or object.
7. Be Aware of Aggressive Triggers
Some dogs, for example Spitz-type dogs, have a natural look that may appear dominant (ears up, hair out, tail up). This dominant look may instigate other dogs to respond in kind, and start posturing as well. Conflicts may occur, and if neither dog is willing to back down, this may lead to a dog fight.
If I am unsure about a dog greeting, I just move on. Better to be safe than sorry.
8. Desensitize our Dog to Other Dogs
The problem with dog-to-dog aggression issues, is that in regular situations the “other dog” stimulus is too strong, and environment is too unstructured for any learning to occur. Often, our dog overloads quickly and becomes reactive, because the other dog is too close, is staring, is hyper, or is charging toward us.
In the desensitization process, we do training in a quiet, enclosed environment, and start with a very weak version of the problem stimulus. In terms of reactivity toward other dogs, we can use distance to weaken its effect.
In this way, we also weaken the strength of our dog’s reaction, so that he will be calm enough to listen and learn. This is necessary, to create opportunities where we can begin to teach our dog to be calm and relaxed, while in the presence of another dog.
I did quite a lot of dog-to-dog desensitization sessions with Sephy, when he was young, at our local SPCA. The trainers there had many balanced, friendly dogs, that we could do training with.
First, the trainer would engage the other dog in training exercises, so that he stays in a fixed position, and is not focused on Sephy (i.e., no eye-contact). Both dogs are on-leash.
I take Sephy a far distance away, far enough away that he is still calm and able to listen to me. Then, I get his attention by calling his name. If he looks at me, I praise, and treat him for behaving well. Sometimes, I also ask him to do very simple commands, e.g. Sit.
I let Sephy sit and watch the other dog as long as he is calm, and willing to give me his attention when I ask for it. Once we are both comfortable with this, I move one step toward the other dog and repeat the Focus and Sit exercises above.
Do not move too close to the other dog, too quickly. If we move forward too fast, our dog may become reactive, and will no longer be able to give us his attention. At this point, I no-mark Sephy (uh-oh) and move back a few steps. Once we are far enough away, I try to get his attention again. When he gives it to me, I stop, praise, and treat.
Note – for desensitization to be successful, we want to keep our dog below his instinct threshold as much as possible.
I always try to make sessions short, fun, and rewarding. This helps our dog associate other dogs with being calm, and with positive experiences. I make sure to stop before my dog shows any obsessive behavior, and long before he becomes aggressive. Once a dog becomes reactive or aggressive, it is usually best to end the session soon after.
As we make progress, we can slowly increase the strength of the problem stimulus. For example, we may allow the target dog to start moving around, or we may allow him to play with his handler.
The desensitization process can be long and difficult. Dogs with lower instinct thresholds (the point at which they lose control and switch to instinct) will be harder to desensitize. However, consistent practice will also help to raise this threshold.
What to Expect from Dog-to-Dog Aggression Training
Do not expect too much, too quickly, from our dog. Make sure to treat and praise him very well, if he voluntarily engages in avoidance maneuvers, when there are other dogs around. This includes looking away from the direction of the other dog, smelling and exploring the environment, or looking at us for direction.
Initially, treat and praise even small avoidance moves, for example looking away for just 1 second. If a dog will not accept treats from us, then he is too far gone and it is best to lead him away. Treats are only effective for shaping behavior when our dog is still thinking, and not operating on instinct.
If we keep practicing desensitization exercises, and teach our dog how to behave with other dogs, he will improve. As he matures, he will become more confident, be less dog aggressive, and be more comfortable around new experiences.
For aggression issues between two family dogs, here is more on how I help my dogs get along.
I have just adopted a 4 yr old terrior mix and she did wonderfully with my dog that ive had since she was just a pup and now shes 4, and the first night that we’ve had her here in our home, i guess what im asking is, because she was so excited coming to a new home and having so much in the first day happen, can her being over excited cause her to be aggressive tord the other animals in the house, and if i lower the excitment levels in our home, will it help her adjust to everyone around here.
Introductions of a new dog can be a very stressful affair, to the new dog as well as the existing dogs. Here are some things that I do with my dogs to help them get along-
http://shibashake.com/dog/second-dog-introducing-a-second-dog
When I get a new dog, I make sure to supervise well, to set up a fixed routine and structure, and to make things as positive as possible for all the dogs.
Hi there, I came across this page because my nearly two year old American Staffy displayed some aggression to another dog today and he has never done that before. He has always been happy to meet other dogs, wagging his tail and sniffing bums but today when we were walking in the park, there was a boxer coming towards us and my dog Budda suddenly started slinking along like he was stalking the other dog and when the dog was walking past, his whole body went stiff and I told the owner of the other dog to please walk away. I have never seen this behavior from my dog before. The other dog was bigger than him but it was not pulling on its leash, it was very calm so I don’t know why my dog was so aggressive towards it. My dog is a rescue dog, I adopted him at five months old so I am unsure of his past. We had a trainer a little while ago but her method of ‘punishment’ did not work and it was scaring my dog. Why is my dog only now showing aggression to other dogs and why only certain dogs?
Just like us, different dogs have different social tolerances. Each of my dogs is different when is comes to meeting other dogs, and what causes them stress. For example, my Shiba Inu does not like unknown dogs sniffing his butt. My Husky Shania is cautious of large dogs (likely because we have been charged a few times by off-leash large dogs in the neighborhood), and little Husky Lara may get overly excited during greetings.
Interesting article on dog tolerance levels.
A dog’s social tolerance may change based on past and current experiences with other dogs. The more successful “other dog” encounters my dog has, the more confident he becomes, and the more he associates other dogs with being calm and positive. The opposite is also true.
Finally, dogs communicate with each other through a variety of methods including their body language. Since we rely a lot on verbal communication, we are not as practiced at reading body language, and catching these “non-verbal” exchanges that may occur between two dogs. It may be a change in posture, a hard stare, a tensing of the mouth, and more.
My Shiba Inu, for example, is a stubborn dog. He is friendly with playful dogs, but if another dog challenges him, he will not back down. He does not do well with dogs who want to bully him because he will absolutely not submit no matter how large the other dog is. This is why, in general, we just ignore unknown dogs and create neutral experiences. Sephy does best with friendly, relaxed dogs, so those are the ones I choose to be his playmates.
I observe each of my dogs carefully, so that I can learn their social boundaries as well as their language of communication.
More on what I did to find a trainer for my dogs.
Some articles on how to assess a dog trainer –
1. Dog Welfare Campaign
2. Association of Professional Dog Trainers
3. Vet Learn
have a 9 month akita male very nice dog 1 great dog he and my 15 year old male dog are great and each other he will play with other dog that he know , but when walking him if he see another dog he become very wild like he want to go after the dog not sure if it to play or that he just don;t like some dog and the person with the other dog don’t want to find out which one it maybe and i realy can understand there feeling i would feel the same, would like to stop him from doing it
My Shiba Inu was also very reactive to other dogs when he was young. Dog-to-dog desensitization exercises helped a lot with my Shiba. We used to go to our local SPCA and do training exercises with their dogs (under the supervision of a trainer).
I talk more about desensitization exercises and what I did with Sephy in the article above.
Hello,
I have a two-year-old pit bull mix, I rescued her when she was 4.5 months old. She and my older cat tolerate each other, she’s great with all people and she used to be great with most dogs. Friends brought their own pups over and they would play for hours, I could take her to dog parts and she immediately got along great with strange dogs and old friends. However, she was attacked three different times over the course of a year and now she doesn’t have any tolerance for dogs anymore, new or old friends. She’ll approach with tail wagging and a friendly demeanor but all of a sudden she snaps. She’s never connected her bite or drawn blood but it’s definitely an aggressive snap.
because of this change in behavior, I have kept her away from other dogs, practicing the ignore technique. She’ll wine and pull towards the other dog but I’ll calmly have her follow me in the other direction. Today, she backed out of her leash and charged another dog. Luckily she was muzzled so not much damage was done, but she still got a bit of the other dogs cheek and drew some blood. She would not back off when I asked her to, I had to pull them off of each other. I feel so horrible, especially for the woman and her poor dog, and I have no idea how this happened or what to do about it. Nor do I know what measures to take to prevent it from happening again.
Please, help with any suggestions or advice you can give.
Yeah, I took Sephy to enclosed dog parks as well when he was young. However, I noticed that instead of becoming more social, his behavior toward other dogs actually worsened. This was because the park environment was too unstructured and chaotic for him. Here are some of our dog park experiences.
Did your girl get attacked at the park or during walks? Was it loose dogs that attacked her? Are there a lot of loose dogs in the neighborhood?
With Sephy, I did dog-to-dog desensitization exercises together with creating neutral experiences. The important thing with Sephy is to maximize positive experiences with other dogs, as well as minimize bad encounters. I create distance as soon as I see another dog, and *before* Sephy loses control. I also needed to stay calm and control my own energy. If I got stressed or afraid, Sephy would pick up on my energy and he would become even more reactive.
At the same time, we did a lot of structured desensitization exercises at our local SPCA (under the direction of their trainer). Desensitization and counter-conditioning exercises helped Sephy to stay more calm and in control while in the presence of another dog. He also learned to re-associate other dogs with positive events. I talk more about what I did with Sephy in the article above.
The more positive experiences Sephy had, the more confident and calm he became with other dogs. The opposite is also true, which is why it is crucial to minimize bad encounters.
However, dog behavior is very dependent on the dog and the surrounding context. Timing, body language, our energy, and technique, are also very important. This is why in cases of aggression, it is best to get help from a good professional trainer.
http://www.apdt.com/pet-owners/choosing-a-trainer/
I need help! I have a 4 year old sweet chihuahua, about 11 months ago I got another chihuahua. The younger one is very aggressive and kind of picks on the older chihuahua. If I give them a treat he scarfs his down and then chases after the older one and tries to steal the others treat, he gets jealous when I give the older one attention. I do not know what to do… I don’t want to get rid of the younger chihuahua I just don’t know what I need to do. Please give suggestions..
With my dogs, I set up clear dog-to-dog interaction rules. I *do not* let them steal from each other and there is no humping or bullying. I supervise my dogs and use leads, gates, and other management equipment as necessary, so that I have better control and can keep everyone safe.
Here is more on what I do when introducing a new dog.
However, dog behavior is very dependent on the temperament of the dogs and the surrounding context. Timing, reading body language, and technique are also very important. For cases of aggression, it is usually best to get help from a good professional trainer.
http://www.apdt.com/pet-owners/choosing-a-trainer/
I feel ridiculous saying this but I have a highly aggressive Dachshund. Yeap, a wiener dog. I adopted him a month ago from a shelter. He is very good with people, including children. He is quite submissive with me &, from his behavior, it is obvious he was abused.
My main problem is that he is very aggressive with cats & other dogs. He even attacked & bit a stuffed animal that was incredibly realistic looking. I don’t want him biting another dog. Also, I worry that he will bit a much larger dog & end up getting hurt.
I have no idea what to do or where to start. I’m an experienced dachshund owner but I’ve never seen anything quite like this…
Hello I also have a miniature dachshund who is aggressive towards other dogs I have tried everything but keep hoping for an answer to stop this behaviour, but he was attacked by fox hounds last year they broke his pelvis, I like yourself am an experienced dachshund owner. We have been to all the training classes and ernie, the dachie, has attained the KC good citizen gold award. Please let me know if you have found a way of stopping his behaviour.
Hello Jennifer,
My Shiba Inu (Sephy) also used to be reactive to other dogs. Some things that helped with him-
1. Dog-to-dog desensitization exercises.
These exercises allowed Sephy to meet other dogs in a controlled environment and in a structured way. By controlling the strength of the ‘other dog’ stimulus using distance, I was able to teach Sephy what to do, redirect him so that he stays calm, and also help him associate other dogs with positive experiences. The more success Sephy had, the more confident he became, and the more calm he was with other dogs. The opposite is also true, so I try to minimize negative encounters.
2. Neutral meetings.
When we go on walks, I first teach my dogs to ignore other dogs. I find that this is a good first step, because it gets them to start controlling their impulses, and when they do greet other dogs, they do it from a calm state of mind. It also teaches them to be in the presence of other dogs without the excitement and stress of a charged greeting.
Once we are familiar with a friendly dog and his owner, we may start to do greetings. I pick what dogs we do greetings with carefully, so that we usually have a positive experience.
3. Social preferences and tolerances.
I try to observe my dog’s social preferences and tolerances. Sephy is a more confident dog and he will rise to whatever challenge that comes his way, so he does not do well with dominant dogs. He also does not like new dogs sniffing his butt so I make sure there is no rear greeting. Shania is a more submissive dog and she is a bit afraid of large dogs. We have gotten charged by a couple of large off-leash dogs before, so now she is cautious. She likes meeting dogs that she is more familiar with, and has seen out and about on a regular basis. Lara still gets very excited when other dogs are nearby, so I use distance to weaken the stimulus, and we work on ignoring other dogs.
I talk more about these things and what I do with my dogs in the article above. We also visited with several professional trainers who helped us with Sephy. In particular, it was helpful for us to do desensitization exercises at our nearby SPCA. They have many friendly dogs that the trainer used to help us with our training.
hi i have a 2 year old pit bull that i adopted two month ago. When on walks if there is a strange dog he pulls on the leash and wont listen to any commands. He also lets out a whine/howl/bark if he cant get to the dog. His tail and ears stand straight up and stares intensly. I let him sniff another dog once and he snapped at her. He gets along great with my other dog and my grandmas dog its just dogs he doesnt know. Recently he tried to attack the neighbors little dog and ran over it thankfully he didnt bite it. I dont know what to do about it any advice would help. Thank you.
What helped most with my Shiba Inu were dog-to-dog desensitization exercises. I talk more about what I did in the article above.
We also worked with several professional trainers. In particular, we did a lot of training at our nearby SPCA. They have a variety of dogs that we could do desensitization exercises with, under the direction of their trainer.
http://www.apdt.com/pet-owners/choosing-a-trainer/
Hi,
What a wonderful site you have. Our 10 yr old retriever/chow mix, who we adopted from a family moving oversees last year, has attacked some of the neighborhood dogs, thankfully there have been no injuries. We live in the foothills and have 2 acres of a fenced yard but occasionally the dogs find a way out. The aggression occurs when the dogs and their owners ,usually on horseback, walk past our home (we also have a horse). He does have food aggression issues with our other dog (5yr old female shepherd mix) but feeding them in separate places helps. Both dogs are good with other dogs that come in the yard with family members. He usually seems like a big sissy, the female is the one who barks at things at night while he sleeps on our doorstep. I’ve thought of an electric fence for containment of at least the male but our yard is so big he wouldn’t have the run of it. Also the electric fence instructions say the collars should only be on 12 hours a day and these are outside dogs. Right now I’m in the process of establishing myself as the pack leader by making both dogs have eye contact with me prior to feeding. I have him tied on a long rope and let him loose or on a leash supervised a few times a day. Of course these incidents have happened when I’m not home and they don’t happen every time someone comes by. I’m concerned that while they escape they may target other peoples dogs or animals. I know I’m rambling but I guess I need a starting point/ plan of correction. i don’t want to be one of those that gives up :-). Any advice is appreciated.
Daily walks really helped a lot with my Husky Lara.
I think a problem with the backyard is that it is not very interesting from a “smell” perspective. The only people and animals who go in there are members of the family, so after a while, the smells are always the same.
Sometimes, a skunk or raccoon will pass by our yard, and my dogs will get excited and go explore all over again. My Huskies will sometimes hunt for rodents, but I think the rodents now stay away from the property.
My dogs use the backyard to sun themselves when it is nice out, or we play games out there together. For exploration purposes, they love their daily walks a lot more, because the smell-scape is much more interesting and dynamic. Outside, it smells like many different dogs, many different people, cats, wild turkeys, and more.
In addition to increasing her daily exercise, I also made sure that my fence line is very secure. Lara escaped by digging under the fence, so we put in concrete blocks all along our fence line to prevent digging. Some people build a smaller but more secure dog run to prevent escapes, especially when there is no one home to supervise.
Here is more on how I deal with dog escapes.
I have a spayed five-year-old German shepherd female we got when she was four. I bring her everywhere with me; to my office, for rides in my vehicles, etc. From the very beginning, she showed extreme aggression toward other dogs, no matter the circumstances. Walking her in the city immediately ceased due to her attempts to fight any dog she saw, no matter the size of her potential opponent. While she is with me in my truck and I have the window partially down on her side, she will see a dog being walked by its owner; the same applies to dogs she sees on my side, which can potentially result in my loosing control of the truck, since she tries to get out of either window to fight. When a dog walks on the street by my office door, my dog will attempt to break through the door to attack it. She is fine with humans after an initial barking at them.
The previous owner sold me the dog after it saw dogs being walked by their owners and went over a five-foot chain link fence and tore up two dogs to the tune of $1,000 in veterinarian bills for the victims. She got away from me once and that vet bill cost me $350.00
She was trained in the Czech language and responded to commands very well for the first few months. However, she no longer rapidly responds to commands in any language unless they are repeated several times. The command, “Not say,” Czech for “heel” is no longer a command, but a suggestion she generaly ignores, especaily when the command is contrary to what she wants to do.
Suggestions?
For serious cases for dog aggression, I would get help from a good professional trainer-
http://www.apdt.com/pet-owners/choosing-a-trainer/
My Shiba was pretty reactive to other dogs when he was young, and we did a lot of training with him at our local SPCA. They had a great variety of dogs that we could do desensitization exercises with, under the direction of a trainer there.
Hi, I have serious problem which I’m hoping someone can help me with. My 6 year old black lab/bordercollie cross Rufus is showing aggression with other dogs and people. I think he’s trying to protect me. He is also very insecure. My wife is pack leader, our cat is 2nd fiddle , Rufus and I are duking it out for 3rd. He never shows aggression when my wife walks him, only with me. He hasn’t bit anyone yet but I’m hoping to correct it before he does. I use a power wheelchair and Rufus thinks I need special protection. Do you have any advice?
What helped most with my Shiba Inu were dog-to-dog desensitization exercises. I use distance to weaken the ‘other dog’ stimulus, and paired it with positive experiences. I describe more of what I did in the article above.
Another thing that was very important with my Shiba was to control my own energy. I used to get somewhat stressed while walking him because I was afraid that he would start to act out. Sadly, this only made his behavior worse because he would sense my anxiety, get anxious himself, and become even more reactive towards other dogs. After I learned to control my own energy and remain calm, Sephy’s behavior improved as well.
I talk more about what I did with Sephy in the article above, and in my pack leadership article.
We also visited with several professional trainers, which can be helpful. Much of it depends on finding a good trainer, which is not easy, because the field is not regulated and there is a lot of misinformation out there.
More on how to choose a trainer from the APDT
http://www.apdt.com/pet-owners/choosing-a-trainer/