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.
Hi Shibashake – I rescued my mini aussie and border collie mix puppy when he was 9 weeks old. He is now 7 months old and was neutered 2 weeks ago. About a month ago, I started fostering a 10 month old border collie/husky mix female. She was spayed prior to her arrival. She is very sweet, and also very confident and seeks a lot of attention. I had my resident and foster dogs meet on neutral grounds before letting her into my home. The two dogs get along well for the most part – they love running, chasing each other, and wrestling; however, my resident pup was getting very territorial over his toys, and began showing aggression toward my foster pup during toy play. I have since removed all toys, and they are only allowes to play with toys when in separate rooms. Recently, I have noticed more dominant behavior from my resident pup. He uses his body to block the female from rooms or from seeing what I am doing if I leave a room. Over the weekend, I brought him to our local farmer’s market where he met a small dog about half his size. They sniffed each other and then became uninterested in one another. No problems until my puppy took a leaf in his mouth. I made him drop it, and as soon as the small dog walked close to “his leaf” he lunges, growled, and became aggressive. This morning he found a chicken bone outside that I made him drop. He dropped it, and when my foster pup went to sniff it, he lunged at her very aggressively. Just now, I came home and was petting my pup. My foster pup came for her usual greeting, and he lunged at her again. I do not think either dog is willing to step down from their desire to be the alpha. The female will be adopted soon, and will not be with us for much longer, but I need to figure out how to correct this aggressive behavior. It seems like his aggression has intensified since he was neutered 2 weeks ago. He is becoming less tolerant of the female, and my efforts to remain calm and authoritative seem to be doing no good. When he is aggressive I pull him aside and make him loom at me while I express my displeasure. He looks remorseful at that time. If we are inside, he will go in his crate for a short time. I do not think the crate is a punishment to him, though, because he likes his crate. I am at a loss of how to help him, and I am worries this is my fault for bringing in a foster pup while he is still so young, learning about his world and how to behave in his world. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
What you describe sounds like guarding behavior. More on why dogs guard their resources.
With my dogs, I help them get along by setting up clear dog-to-dog interaction rules, and one very important rule is “no-stealing”. When they are playing or eating, I supervise them closely and make sure that they do not steal each other’s stuff. If one of them starts showing an interest in burglary, I no-mark and redirect him into doing something else. Prevention is best with my dogs.
If I miss something, and an item gets stolen, then I make sure to give the victim adequate compensation. The thief goes to time-out in a very low stimulus area. I do not use a crate for time-outs. More on how I do time-outs with my dog.
In this way, my dogs learn that I will settle resource conflicts in a fair and consistent manner. They do not need to protect their stuff from each other because they know that I will be there to redirect and prevent stealing. If something gets stolen, they know that I will give them back something of equal or better value, so nothing is truly lost. On the other hand, the thief will temporarily lose his freedom to play, his access to food, his access to people, etc. Therefore, it does not pay to steal.
When I bring home a new dog, there is a lot of uncertainty and change, which will create stress. A fixed routine, close supervision, as well as clear and consistent rules help to create certainty and reduce stress for everyone involved. In addition, I also try to create as many positive and rewarding instances as I can between my existing dogs and the new dog. I want to maximize positive and successful interactions, as well as minimize negative events so that my resident dogs quickly see that the new addition is a big enhancement to their lifestyle.
More on what I do to help my dogs get along.
However, as you know, dog behavior is very context dependent. Therefore, in cases of aggression, it is usually best to consult with a good professional trainer.
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/finding-professional-help
More on dominance and aggression.
More on dominance and bad dog behavior.
We just adopted a 1 yr old westie/schnauzer mix. She is intelligent and full of energy. She loves people, but is aggressive with other dogs. I don’t understand this since she came from a rescue being fostered with 5 other dogs, they seemed to have gotten along well. When we walk, if she sees another dog even in the distance she stops, digs in, and stares. Then the growling begins. If they get too close she lunges. I have been making her sit down, be calm and focus on me until they pass, praising her for cooperating. My husband is frustrated and it seems I have more control over her than he does. Any advice?
Dog-to-dog desensitization exercises helped with my Shiba Inu (Sephy) in terms of reactivity towards other dogs. The nice thing about desensitization is that it helped him to be more calm and raised his reactivity threshold. However, it took time, repetition, and a lot of management.
I also make sure to stay calm at all times. If I am frustrated, angry, or stressed, Sephy will pick up on my energy, get stressed himself, and act even more crazy.
The key with my dog is to maximize positive successful sessions and walks, while minimizing reactive episodes. The more success we had, the more Sephy’s behavior improved. Similarly, reactive episodes made his behavior worse and significantly set back retraining.
I talk more about desensitization and what I did with Sephy in the article above. Consistency is also very important, so I got everyone that walked Sephy to follow the same techniques.
In the beginning, I also competed with my partner. I think it is part of human nature. However, I realized that this just hindered Sephy’s progress and also my own progress. After I realized that everyone is part of the same “Sephy” team, things got a lot better. 😀
hi there, I have a 2 year old female German shepherd .
Her first year she was fantastic and non agressive to people or other dogs.
After she hit 1 it seemed to have gone down hill, she sees a dog walk by the house she is trying to bust out the window, walking her outside in parks or around town she is uncontrollable when another dog approaches or walks by . she will not listen to any commands when barking.
I have called a trainer and it does not seem to be doing anything,
Guests that she does not know cannot come over without giving notice becuase she will bark her head off if she does see them,
Any suggestions? please help!
What kind of training exercises has the trainer suggested? What was your dog’s response? What is her daily routine like? What kind of training is she used to? What was her reaction to other dogs and people in the past? Did her behavior suddenly change or did it happen gradually? Did anything unusual happen around the time of the change? What were her past experiences with other dogs like?
Dog-to-dog desensitization exercises helped to teach my Shiba to be more calm around other dogs, and helped to raise his reactivity threshold. However, it took time and a lot of management. Desensitization and counter-conditioning helps to raise the tolerance level of a dog and helps the dog to re-associate a previously negative stimulus with positive events. For it to be effective, it was necessary for me to keep my Shiba (Sephy) below his instinct threshold at all times, and to prevent further reactive episodes.
I carefully managed my dog’s environment and surrounding context so that I set him up for success. I also try to remain calm, and I make sure I have a good plan of action to prevent his behavior from escalating. For example with other dogs, distance helped a lot in weakening the stimulus, so I used distance as much as possible to ensure that Sephy does not go into reactive mode. We walked in quiet areas first, at off hours, so as to maximize success.
In general, I do not expose him to more than he can handle. The more successful walks and training sessions we had, the more calm Sephy became. Similarly, the more reactive events there were, the worse his behavior became. I talk more about how I did desensitization with Sephy and how I create neutral experiences in the article above.
However, dog behavior is very context dependent, and timing, technique, repetition and consistency are all very important while I was retraining Sephy. Therefore, each dog-trainer pair will be very different. When I was having issues with Sephy, we visited with several professional trainers who helped me with timing, technique, reading Sephy’s body language, keeping things safe, managing his environment, and more.
Finding a good professional trainer is not always easy, because the field is not well regulated. However, it was helpful for me, especially in the beginning, to have someone observe Sephy within the context of his regular environment and routine, and point out areas that I could change for the better.
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/finding-professional-help
https://apdt.com/pet-owners/choosing-a-trainer/
http://shibashake.com/dog/finding-a-dog-trainer
I also read up a lot on dog behavior, which helped me to better filter out bad trainers and also better read and respond to Sephy.
http://shibashake.com/dog/where-to-get-dog-training-and-dog-behavior-information
I have a 15 year old Pekingese. I had another 15 yr old Pekingese that passed a year ago. I just had a 14 year old chihuahua mix pass away last month. He was left alone. Didn’t eat much. Seemed to age overnight. He has never been super friendly with other dogs. Just ours. We have a 4 yr old daughter who is an only child and full of energy. My husband came across a 1 1/2 year old boston terrier/ English bulldog mix that needed a home. She’s spayed and trained. We weren’t looking for a dog but decided it would be good for our daughter and we have always been dog people and a dog family. We brought her home. Did all of the complete wrong introductions. It has been three weeks of hell. The new dog loves everyone, is not aggressive. We have taken her on walks to the dog park etc. our older dog HATES her. Since he has been about 12 we haven’t taken him on many walk because his back and joints are bad. The older one has bit and snapped at the new dog. She doesn’t do anything. She could literally snap him in half. He has bitten us when we step in and he literally growls for hours and hours straight. Even if the new dog isn’t around. We don’t know what to do. We love them both. The older one walks around and looks for the new one and wags his tail until she actually comes to him. Is it hopeless? Did we ruin our chances of being a pack family? Please help???
Some things that helped when I introduced a new dog-
1. I set up clear dog-to-dog interaction rules.
I supervise my dogs closely and slowly teach them what the rules are. In this way, they know exactly what to expect from each other, what to expect from me, and what I expect from them in return. I also set up a fixed routine for all of my dogs, including my new dog. All this helps to increase certainty, and certainty helps to reduce stress and fear.
2. Supervision and management.
I supervise and manage my new dog very closely, especially in the beginning. I try to set my dogs up for success and create as many positive experiences as I can. At the same time, it is important to avoid negative experiences, so I supervise, keep my new dog on-leash with me, and use other management equipment such as crates, pens, baby-gates and more as necessary. I make sure that my new dog does not bother my existing dogs when they want some alone time or rest time.
I do not leave my new dog alone or unsupervised with my other dogs until I am very very sure that they can be calm together.
More on what I do to when introducing a new dog.
However, dog behavior is very context dependent so each dog and each situation is different. In a multi-dog situation, things become even more complicated. This is why in cases of aggression, it is usually best and safest to get help from a good professional trainer.
http://aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/finding-professional-help
http://www.apdt.com/pet-owners/choosing-a-trainer/
Whatever I do my dog, (11 year old Cocker Spaniel) is still aggressive towards other dogs. Usually male dogs, with puppies and female dogs he is OK.
I have tried the barriers, but he is still barking, pulling, and going round and round, making it difficult for me to control him. There must be someway to calm him. Thank you
Distance and desensitization worked well with my Shiba Inu. Barriers didn’t work well for him either.
Thanks so much for all of this practical and well-written advice. Learning about your experience is very helpful for other dog owners like me.
Your kind words are much appreciated. Thank you. 😀
Oh my gosh, wow thank you so much for writing such a detailed article! I was able to apply a few of the suggestions and noticed immediate results on our walk with my 2yr old female Sibe companion. We passed by two different small dogs within inches and she didn’t even look at them or tug on the lead. Looking forward to applying the other advice at the dog park so hopefully I’ll be able to let her romp around even when someone brings in small breeds.
In general, I have not had good experiences with enclosed dog parks. The parks that I have been to were often unstructured, under supervised, and risky.
http://shibashake.com/dog/enclosed-dog-parks-good-or-bad
Hi, looking at websites to see if could work out why an older Great Dane Max(3) who we see at a Great Dane play date twice a month has on the last 2 occasions attacked my 11mouth old Great Dane pup Merlin. Max is neutered and Merlin isn’t yet. Last time we thought it was because another persona came with the scent of her female Dane in heat on her and most of the males entire and not where a little crazy! but today Max again fixated on my boy and had a go at him 3-4 times the last time quite aggressively but never breaking skin etc. Merlin is already a little timid around new people etc and I am also worried this will not help him. Any idea’s why Max has fixated on him suddenly? Merlin see’s him and hides behind us or runs to us and Max will come after him. His owners are now aware and follow him but today not quite quick enough to stop him from the attacks. Spoils the day out for us and him. We have an older female Dane who is neutered and have no issues. Thanks.
Being un-neutered *can* be a factor. Here is an excerpt from an ASPCA article-
However, dog behavior is very context dependent so there could be other factors at play. Some dogs may target more vulnerable dogs, or dogs who are nervous/fearful.
With my dogs, I always try to maximize positive experiences and minimize negative encounters. Therefore, I pick their playgroup buddies very carefully. Sometimes, the temperaments of certain dogs are just not compatible.
For example, my Shiba Inu does not do well with dominant dogs because if another dog comes over and tries to bully him, he will fight back. He also does not do well with smaller dogs, because they get overwhelmed by his more intense play-style and become afraid of him. I only let him play and interact with larger dogs, who are more relaxed and playful. He does well with them and everyone has a positive experience.
More on dog socialization.
More on dog tolerance levels.
Hello I agree with all your advice but my dog is a Newfoundland and unfortunately now he is 4 years old he has become aggresive with dogs tha he doesnt know, he lives with 4 labradors and a cat, but when i walk him he has become very aggressive and dominant and will pull with all his strenght, i have tried all of the above, he is very obedeient and listens to me in all cases except the agression with strange dogs.
Dog behavior is very context dependent so details are important. How far away was the other dog when your dog gets reactive? Does he fixate on the other dog first? What do you do when he starts to get reactive, what is your dog’s response, what do you do in response to that?
Have you tried structured desensitization exercises? What kind of dog did you practice with? How many desensitization sessions? What are the details of the exercise?
Desensitization exercises were helpful for my Shiba Inu. However, I had to start with a *very weak* version of the “other dog” stimulus. I do that by using distance, using a calm “other dog”, and having the other dog be engaged with his handler and not on my Shiba. I talk more about what we did at the end of the article above. We did desensitization training under the direction of a handler at our local SPCA.
As for controlling a large dog, some people use the head-halti. However, just like any piece of equipment, it has its pros and cons. It is important to read the fitting and use instructions carefully for proper use.
http://shibashake.com/dog/dog-leash-training-equipment#halti
Note that dog behavior is context dependent, therefore each dog and each situation is different. This is why in cases of aggression, it is usually best and safest to get help from a good professional trainer.
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/finding-professional-help
Dear Shiba Shake,
One of our dogs got killed today in our garden by one of the others or perhaps a group attack.
It is not the first time it happened. We had three dogs, a German Sheppard not pure blood, a Labrador also not pure blood and finally a Mini Schnauzer. Once grandpa could not take care of his dogs, four in total, we took care of those dogs since we have the space. A little later an English Sheppard who was also living with those four from gramps joined us still a puppy. Those four dogs are all smaller dogs and all from the street. So in total we had eight. Those smaller dogs were isolated from the others out of fear that something could happen to them since they were so old and formed their own pack. The English sheep dog joined our three dogs. So we had two groups of four. In that setting three of the smaller dogs were killed in a short time frame by one of the others or like I wrote before perhaps more than one. The remaining one joined our pack after that and all went well for year without any problems or aggression towards one an other.
The German Sheppard very docile and timid (male).
The English Sheppard is still juvenile and wants to play all the time and very protective of our property (female)
The Labrador (female) was the dominant one but due to some allergic health issues had to step back and was replaced in order by the English Sheppard.
All the dogs were by alone outside the house without human observation when it happened, the Schnauzer was inside the house.
All are great with kids and other humans. I observed them all closely since we have a six year old daughter and also since six dogs came from the streets. I myself have been living with dogs since I was eight and although I am not Cesar Milan I have experience handling and correcting unwanted behavior.
I am drawing a blanc at this one and need some advice as to what action to take. My wife suspects the German. I suspect the English one. Please help.
Best regards, Tim from Chile
Given the seriousness of what you describe, and the complexity of situation, I would get help from a good professional trainer.
aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/finding-professional-help
With my dogs,
1. I set up clear dog-to-dog interaction rules and I teach each new dog what the rules are. In this way, there is certainty, and each dog knows exactly what to expect from me, what to expect from the other dogs, and what I expect from him in return.
2. I carefully manage my dogs’ environment and I set them up for success. Smaller dogs, older dogs, and dogs with disability are more vulnerable, therefore I make sure to supervise my dogs when they are together. If I cannot supervise, then I separate them so that the more vulnerable dog(s) cannot get hurt accidentally or otherwise by my other dogs.
More on dog predatory behavior.
3. I redirect my dogs and manage their excitement levels before things escalate into anything serious.
4. I use management equipment such as gates, leashes, a basket muzzle, and more as necessary to keep all my dogs and the people around them safe.
5. Structure, rules, a fixed routine, supervision, management, and training, are all important in keeping my dogs safe and helping them get along.
How I help my dogs get along.
It is important to note, however, that dog behavior is very context dependent. Each dog and each situation is different. Which is why in serious cases of aggression, it is best and safest to get help from a good professional trainer.