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
I’m at my wits end and hope you can help. We rescued a border collie 3yrs ago when he was around 18mths old. Right away he showed a fear of cars, loud noises, other dogs to name but a few but was a loving dog ( and still is most of the time) within the home. I will try to give you a short overview. After a visit to the vets last year & having his temperature taken, he refuses to let us brush him near his rear, which is of course is causing matting, though not serious as yet. No groomers will take him due to his aggressive nature. In the last 6mths or so, his aggression is increasing, he will snarl at us if we pass him too quickly, hoover the house or any thing that he deems to be ‘out of order’. Today I’ve come home from work to find my husband very upset due to our dog escaping from the garden & going into a neighbours & attacking her dog. My husband is the ‘pack leader’ & so our dog does look to him for reassurance on most occasions, but now he is even testing those boundaries. He has already nipped a little girl for trying to smooth him, but we were very lucky & the mum reassured us that she realised our dog was just scared. Trying to muzzle him caused us so many problems, he tried to attack us. I’ve even been to the pet shop, who recommended a natural remedy of skullcap, which has had no success at all in helping to calm him. The only time our boy seems happy, is when he is either in the home or being taken for a drive in the car! We have to search quiet places to walk & play with him & I’m now fearing for his future with us. Please help
What is your dog’s daily routine like? What type of training is he used to?
To help my dog with his anxiety and fear, I do desensitization exercises to build trust and help him build confidence. I slowly desensitized my dog to other dogs, to touches and handling, to loud noises, etc. The key with desensitization is to start small and slowly build my dog’s confidence by tying the “bad stimulus” with positive events and being calm.
The more successful and positive experiences my dog has, the more confidence he builds, the less anxious he becomes, and the more calm he is. Similarly, bad experiences and anxiety attacks will undermine that confidence, create more anxiety, and cause his behavior to worsen. Therefore, I manage things carefully so that I set my dog up for success and protect him from situations that he is not ready for. I want to not only maximize positive experiences, but also minimize panic and anxiety attacks.
In addition, my dog is very sensitive to the energy of the people around him. If I am stressed or anxious, he will pick up on that, get even more stressed himself, and his behavior will worsen. Therefore, I need to control my own energy and try to always stay calm and in-control.
Fear aggression occurs when a dog feels under threat and tries to protect himself. Therefore I absolutely stay away from all dominance and aversive techniques which will only increase fear and make my dog feel even more threatened.
However, dog behavior is very context dependent, so each dog and situation is different. Especially in cases of aggression, it is best and safest to get help from a good, certified, professional trainer.
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/finding-professional-help
More on dog anxiety.
More on desensitization and counter-conditioning.
ASPCA article on desensitization and counter-conditioning-
https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-behavior/desensitization-and-counterconditioning
Hi there
We adopted a 7 month old pit bull mix from the shelter about a month ago. 90% of the time he’s an absolute sweetheart. He’s gentle, sweet, obedient, plays well (if energetically!) with our 18 month old coonhound girl and curls up with her when it’s time to rest. He’s great on his pack walks, is friendly to everybody he meets on the street, and seems to responds really well to training. However…he’s also started to exhibit some aggressive behaviour.
Initially we thought it was resource guarding, although there seemed to be no real pattern to what he was guarding or when. We had no problems around meal times or with toys they had both been given. Rather it seemed to be odd things like wood chips or stones in the yard that he found, became fixated on and then possessive over.
Then we had a few incidents where there was no ‘resource’, but there had been a stressful situation beforehand – once when my partner was in a store and the pup became very agitated waiting outside, and once after a dog had been slightly aggressive towards him on the street. The problem is that most of the time he doesn’t appear to give a great deal of warning that he’s stressed. He doesn’t growl or show his teeth or snap to tell our other dog to back off, it is like a switch flicks and in a nanosecond he goes from happy to attack mode.
I’m starting to become better at recognizing some of the more subtle threatened/threatening body language (the stare, the stiff posture etc) and snapping him out of it before it escalates but sometimes it really does seem to happen in the blink of an eye and he doesn’t back off once he’s lunged. He goes into full attack mode even when the other dog runs away.
Until this point these episodes have only been with our other dog and have been diffused very quickly, however this morning whilst out with somebody else he went for another dog and caused harm, also apparently ‘without warning’.
He’s about to start a fairly full-on training program which is great. I suppose I’m just trying to better understand his behavior right now. As I said, 95% of the time this puppy seems incredibly good with other dogs – you see him and his adopted sister curled up together or chasing each other in the yard, sharing toys, and you’d never guess that there was any issue.
I suppose my concern is that I’m not easily able to predict when trouble might flare. I think the only common element is that all of the incidents have occurred when he’s stressed or has been over-stimulated in some way so I’m trying to make sure we’re always keeping his energy in check and putting lots of structure into his life.
I guess I’m just wondering if this sounds like a young pup that just hasn’t had a lot of discipline or opportunity to learn good dog behavior or something more? He was a stray and then ended up at animal control so suspect he hasn’t had much in the way of training or socialization, but it has also been suggested that he might have some deeper anxiety/insecurity issues that might need more work.
Our other dog was very straightforward in this regard so we really are very new at this. It really seems like a Jekyll and Hyde situation. He seems to adore other dogs, cant’t wait to play, will happily roll over when it’s time to be submissive, takes cues from other dogs when his behavior crosses the line…then bam, something gets triggered in him and in a second he’s trying to destroy them.
Any thoughts/comments so gratefully received!
Hello Ali,
With my Shiba Inu, his early aggressive/reactive behavior came from multiple sources.
1. Sephy is very sensitive to the energy of the people and dogs around him. If I get worried, frustrated, or angry, he would pick up on that, get stressed himself, and that would trigger a reactive episode.
2. Sephy was reactive to other dogs. When he sees other dogs, especially energetic other dogs, he would get excited and want to go over. However, since he is on a leash, he is prevented from doing so. This may sometimes cause him to redirect his over-excited energy into biting energy on the leash. This is also known as barrier frustration and redirected aggression. This energy can also be redirected at nearby dogs and people.
3. Sephy is very sensitive about his personal space, and especially with butt sniffing. Here is why. He will allow dogs that he knows and trusts to do whatever, but new dogs or dogs that are dominant, he will warn away. If they ignore his warnings, he will escalate his behavior.
BadRap article on dog social tolerances.
More on dog social boundaries by Suzanne Clothier.
4. Sephy also developed some guarding behavior, mostly because I wasn’t doing the right thing with him. More on why Sephy started guarding stuff.
5. I always manage Sephy carefully and try to set him up for success. As you say, stress or over-stimulation often trigger reactive behavior, and it was the same way with Sephy. Therefore, I manage things to reduce stress and not over-stimulate him. When he is playing with my other dogs, I do a lot of play-breaks to control his level of excitement.
I raise his tolerance level by doing dog-to-dog desensitization exercises, and at the same time, I manage his environment so that he is not exposed to situations that he cannot handle or is not ready for.
The more successful and calm encounters that Sephy has in the presence of another dog, the more relaxed and confident he becomes. Similarly, reactive, stressful episodes, erodes his trust, sets back our training, and worsens his behavior. Therefore, with Sephy, I try to not only maximimze positive experiences, but also minimize reactive occurrences (prevention is much better than cure).
That sounds good.
Dog behavior is very context dependent and what we view as “aggressive” behavior can come from multiple different sources. I would be very careful about “trainers” who attribute all aggressive issues to dominance, and who seek to simply suppress stress symptoms through the use of aversive techniques (e.g. collar corrections, alpha rolls, etc.)
I got one of those trainers early on with Sephy, and it made things a lot worse for us in the long-run.
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/finding-professional-help
Finally, let me say that I use Sephy a lot as an example of bad dog behaviors, but he is actually now a very relaxed and calm dog. In fact, he is the most calm of my 3 dogs when it comes to other dogs. 😀 I think desensitization exercises helped a lot, and also controlling my own energy and careful management. Although it may take time, with proper guidance and time, he behavior improved significantly.
More on dog socialization.
More on how I deal with bad dog behavior.
Big hugs to your furry ones!
Hi Shibashake
I have a rather shy one and a half years old cavapoo who I was taking to puppy playgroup every week since he was about eight weeks old till he was about one. And during the week we would go out for walks and car trips so he can see all sorts of different people and environments. He has never shown any signs of aggression towards any person/s or dogs.
Unfortunately, in the last six months one of my family members got seriously ill which resulted in me taking him to an enclosed dog park closer to home whenever I had the time to do so. However, lately I noticed a change in his behavior… Sometimes when playing chase with another dog he would suddenly turn around and start growling and baring his teeth at the other dog even though just moments before they were happily taking turns chasing each other. This appears to happen at random and I haven’t been able to pinpoint what characteristic or behavior of the other dog is causing him to react. Usually when this happens we grab him and carry him to the other side of the park, where we have him sit until he is calm, and then we’ll walk him to the door, put his leash on, and take him home. Unfortunately, these incidents are starting to become more frequent. I feel like I may be somehow encouraging him to keep reacting in this way and sadly if his behavior continues we will no longer be able to bring him to an enclosed dog park. And now I’m also too afraid to let him play with my friends’ dogs in fear of him potentially attacking them. Do you have any advice for me?
Thanks in advance!
My Shiba Inu is a very reactive dog, and he loses control a lot more easily than my other dogs. One thing that really helps with Sephy is to manage his excitement level during play. I do this by throwing in many play-breaks.
More on how I do play-breaks and manage my dogs’ excitement level.
I supervise during play-time, and set up clear play rules. In this way, play is structured, and my dogs learn good interaction habits from their sessions together.
However, that is much more difficult to do in an enclosed dog park. There are many dogs there, it is a very high stimulus and exciting environment, there is very little supervision, and very little structure.
I used to take Sephy to enclosed dog parks when he was young, but we stopped going because he was picking up a lot of bad habits, he got hurt a couple of times, and the unstructured environment was just not suited to his more reactive temperament.
More on our enclosed dog park experiences.
Sephy does well in smaller play groups that are structured and supervised. He also enjoys going on walks, especially to hiking trails. Although we no longer go to enclosed dog parks, daily exercise is still very important for Sephy. It provides him with a positive outlet for his doggy energy. If he does not get enough exercise, he becomes more reactive and engages in his Shiba hijinks. 😀
I have more time now, but in the past, if I got busy, dog daycare or hiring a good dog walker was helpful. I make sure to research both very carefully before signing up.
Hello Shibashake, I have just gotten a 4 month old spayed Border Collie x Kelpie Bitch. She is a bit shy, keeps to her human contact and is very cuddly. Today we visited some friends at their house and they have a neutered 1 yr old Male Husky who is twice her size. As we walked towards the screen door for her to visit him, she attacked the door and had her tail between her legs. We tried for half an hour to socialize them, but every time his face came near hers she would attack. If he walked away, she tried to follow him, but would drop down and get aggressive if he turned back towards her. No blood or anything but how do I handle this. I have never had an aggressive dog before so am not sure what to do here.
Based on your description, it sounds like fear aggression. Face to face greetings with eye-contact, can be intimidating, especially for a shy dog.
I helped my Shiba Inu to be more calm around other dogs by doing dog-to-dog desensitization exercises. The important thing with desensitization is that I need to start small, with a very weakened version of the stimulus, and then very slowly build up my dog’s tolerance and confidence.
The more successful and positive controlled encounters that my dog has, the more confidence he builds and the more calm he becomes. Similarly, reactive/fearful encounters will undermine his confidence and significantly set back training. With Sephy, I was very careful to not only maximize positive events, but also to minimize stressful greetings that he was not ready for.
More on how I did dog-to-dog desensitization with my dog.
ASPCA article on desensitization and counter-conditioning.
More on dog socialization.
However, dog behavior is very context dependent, so the temperament of the dogs, background, environment, routine, training, and more, all matter. Therefore, when in doubt, especially in cases of aggression, I get help from a good professional trainer.
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/finding-professional-help
During Sephy’s difficult period, we visited with a bunch of trainers. It was especially helpful to find a trainer who had calm and well trained dogs, that she could use to help Sephy during training.
Hi Shibashake!
I have two Shiba brothers age 2 (got them at age 8weeks). They love each other but food guarding is starting to happen. I have set two different bowls in different rooms but then neither will eat. They like to watch each other and be in the same room. Do you have any suggestions with this? There is lots of low growling when one dog gets too close to the food bowl. I’m sick of the guarding and the growling! Help!!!
-Morgan
Hmmm, when did this behavior start? What type of training are they used to? How are they with people? Do they guard objects and food from people? Have they stolen food or toys from each other before? What do you do when they start staring and growling?
Dog behavior is very context dependent. The temperament of the dogs, surrounding environment, history, routine, and everything else will affect their behavior. This is why in cases of aggression, it is usually best and safest to get help from a good professional trainer who can visit with the dogs, and observe them within their regular environment and routine.
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/finding-professional-help
My Shiba does best with positive based training. Dominance and aversive based training caused his behavior to worsen in the long-term.
Dogs usually start guarding their food, toys, and other resources because they learn that when people or other dogs come near them, they may lose their stuff. Therefore, they growl to warn the other dog or person away. If their growls are not heeded, they may escalate to air-snaps and then something more. I always try to set my dog up for success, and redirect behavior early, before things start to escalate. Prevention is much better than cure.
More on why dogs get aggressive over food and other resources.
With my dogs, I set up clear dog-to-dog interaction rules so that they know exactly what to expect from each other, what to expect from me, and what I expect from them in return. Certainty helps to keep my Shiba happy, calm, and more relaxed. I motivate my dogs to follow rules by following the Nothing in Life is Free program. My dogs work for all of their food, either through doing commands for me, by following house rules, or through interactive food toys.
One very important rule that I have for all of my dogs is the no-stealing rule. I set them up for success by making sure that they give each other space during meal-time. I supervise closely during meal-time and play-time, and I settle things in a fair and very consistent manner. If I notice that one is getting into the space of another, I no-mark, and get him to move in a different direction.
More on what I do during meal-time.
More on how I prevent food and resource guarding behavior.
However, as I said earlier, dog behavior is very context dependent so each dog and each situation is different. All my dogs have good bite inhibition, and I know them very well, so I know the best way to redirect them and prevent any escalation of behavior. Timing, energy, consistency, and repetition are all very important in training my dogs. This is why especially in cases of aggression, it is usually best to get help from a good professional trainer.
My Shiba was very reactive when he was young, and during his difficult period, we visited with many trainers. It was a challenge to find good trainers, but we found a few and they were helpful in guiding me, helping me with timing, reading my dog’s body language, and more.
More on how I went about finding a trainer for my Shiba.
Hello,
Very interesting, I can now understand some of my Dogs behaviors.
I have a question, My female beabull (beagle American bulldog) is four, she has not been spayed but it’s definitely a must now! Recently I moved to a neighborhood where theres a nice park one block away so of course we run into several dogs during our walks. My dog has an extreme aggression issue with ALL dogs (&stollers) that are in sight. She barks pulls towards them but at first she gets really low, as if she’s going to creep up on them! And when they come close or if I try to avoid the dog by walking the opposite direction she goes nuts! She’s a very strong dog & honestly Im scared of her now. She’s no longer my sweet little dog. She’s a hassle to take out on walks and Im rather petite….im overwhelmed by her actions during her walks. Is there anything I can do? I don’t know where to start. I feel like I can’t ignore other dogs because it has previously ended up with my dog harming a puppy; It was a very scary situation to say the least. Any type of advice would help. Thank you!
When dealing with my Shiba Inu’s reactivity issues, it was important for me to start small (in a low stimulus environment) and to take prevention steps early (while I am still able to redirect and prevent him from going into reactive mode).
At first, I start leash training him in my backyard, which is very low stimulus and where I am in good control of the environment. In this way, I get him used to walking on a leash together with me, without pulling. Once we are good with that, then I *very very* slowly increase the environmental challenge. For example, I walk him outside but in a very quiet part of the neighborhood and during off hours so that I set him up for success. We drove him to quiet areas or *on-leash* hiking trails when necessary.
At the same time, I also did a lot of controlled dog-to-dog desensitization exercises with him, in a structured environment, with an appropriate dog, and under the direction of a trainer. I talk more about desensitization at the end of the article above.
The key with Sephy is to maximize positive calm walk experiences, while at the same time minimizing reactive episodes. The more calm experiences Sephy has, the more he learns to stay calm while in the presence of another dog. Similarly, reactive experiences will undermine what he has learned, significantly set back training, and cause his behavior to become worse.
Therefore, I always try to set Sephy up for success by carefully managing his environment, I do not expose him to more than he can handle, I create distance to weaken the other dog stimulus, and I redirect and avoid early on, *before* Sephy goes into reactive mode.
Hi,
Thanks so much for all your hard work responding to people and outlinning all your tips. This is really great for dog owners all over the world who are trying to train their dogs!
I have a 14 month old American Staffy/Pitbull (whatever you want to call it) but have the 3 following problems –
1) She steals toys when off leash in the park
2) Her recall isn’t great when there are distractions
3) Her manners aren’t great off lead and at times this has gotten her into trouble – she has punctured 2 dogs in the last month because she has been harassing them and then they retaliate but because she is the bigger dog can do more damage.
We go to the same park every morning for 45 minutes. I am worried because this is the only time slot I have but she has had some altercations with other dogs and typically they remember her now and are scared/defensive which further escalates problems if we want to share the park. I practise training every day with her at home and take treat to the park to try and enforce good behaviour too. She has been through a number of obedience courses but I can’t seem to shake the habits.
I have sought the expertise of a professional trainer now to do some sessions with us.
From reading your blog, I am going to try and do the following –
1) Train on the lead in the park with a lead – working on eye contact and focus
2) Slow introductions for 2-3 seconds and then “hey hey”
3) Don’t let her adrenaline get too high when training
4) Find another dog and walk them both on the lead and practice training around just 1 dog
Is there anything I have missed? I really want to enjoy the park off the lead with my dog but I am scared now that she could hurt another dog.
What would you recommend I do to stop her from stealing toys in the park? If another dog resources guards she is typically the more dominant one and this can cause trouble.
Any help would be much appreciated!
Cheers,
Cameron
Hello Cameron,
Yeah, in general I start small and slowly build up my dog’s tolerance. With my Shiba Inu, the park environment was too high stimulus for him, so I started training in a much quieter environment first, and only very slowly increase the challenge. I try to set him up for success as much as I can, so that I can keep reinforcing good behavior.
In terms of off-leash exercises, this ASPCA article has a good list of recall training techniques.
Recall is probably the most important thing for an off-leash type park environment. The most successful dogs that I see at the park, are those with extremely solid recall. In the park that I used to frequent, there was this fireman with an Australian Cattle Dog. His recall was just superb. Every time the owner saw that trouble was about to start, he just recalled his dog and leashed him up. He was also great about watching his dog so that he can recall before things escalate.
Sephy also used to steal toys at the park. It is a self reinforcing behavior because every time he succeeds, he gets rewarded with a fun game of chase with dogs and people; which encourages him to keep repeating the behavior. To stop such self-rewarding behaviors, I need to make sure that he *never* gets rewarded for it, i.e. I have to make sure Sephy never succeeds in stealing a toy and that he loses something good (e.g. play stops) when he tries to steal. At home or in a smaller and structured environment, I am able to do this. However, doing this in a park situation was much harder ~ unless there is good recall.
I no longer take my dogs to enclosed dog parks. The environment was just too unstructured and chaotic for Sephy, and he was picking up a lot of bad habits. Here is a bit more on my enclosed dog park experiences with Sephy.
Thank you for your information. Trying out some walking techniques, but I have a question. I have 2 litter mates adopted. I was told they are boxer lab mix but who knows for sure 🙂 Both female and one is clearly dominate and the other is A ok with it. They are about a year and a half. When I walk them they do great until the submissive dog sees another dog. She will stare and then bark and try to lunge. When she does this my dominate dog will jump at the submissive dog and snarl and growl until it breaks her attention and then we keep walking. At least I think that is what’s happening. Eventually will the sub dog learn from the dominate? And could this be what my dominate dog is actually doing? She is really smart 🙂 lastly… Should I let her correct her sister? I try to correct but she does get beyond listening to me so her sister steps in. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this.
In general, I *do not* let my dogs correct each other because-
1. I set the human-rules, so I decide when to correct and how best to correct.
2. I do not want my dog to over-correct or try to correct in the wrong circumstance.
3. When one corrects, the other has to submit. If the other chooses not to submit, then things may quickly escalate into something more.
4. I do not want my dog practicing ‘aggressive’ behavior or behavior that may lead to aggression with each other. If they keep doing this, they may repeat it in other contexts that may not be appropriate.
5. I want to maximize positive interactions between my dogs so that they learn to trust each other, to relax with each other, and to associate other dogs with positive experiences.
In addition, I have a three legged dog, and it is important that I set clear interaction boundaries for my dogs so that they do not accidentally hurt each other.
When I leash train a new dog or a reactive dog, I walk her by herself first. My younger Husky, for example, is a lot more reactive when walking together with one of my other dogs. This is because she is a lot more excited and bold when we go out in a group, and sometimes the dogs may amp each other up. I talk more about how I deal with my dog’s reactivity in the article above.
In general, I start small, manage my dog’s environment, and do my best to set my dog up for success.
However, dog behavior is very context dependent, therefore each dog and each situation is different. When in doubt, especially in cases of aggressive behavior, I consult with a good professional trainer.
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/finding-professional-help
https://apdt.com/pet-owners/choosing-a-trainer/
Hi Shibashake
Thanks for sharing your knowledge in doggies. =) I had a little bit of an “incident” a couple of days ago with one of my dogs:
He’s a mix lab/beagle neutered super friendly one year old doggie, but we were in the park nearby my place throwing the ball and looking at our dogs play nicely with the other dogs there and a lady passed by with a dog on a leash (wearing a muzzle) and my dog went running towards the doggie and actually bit his leg. I’ve never seen him like that before. His way to be friendly is running towards the dogs and just be playful (I didn’t even tell him to stop because of that) but this time was different. =(
Now I really don’t know what to do to “educate” my dog better, or am I over-reacting?. He’s well socialized, zero violence until now, but maybe something in us is missing to educate our doggie in a better way?
Thanks
What seems to work well at my local park is that people keep their off-leash dogs away from on-leash dogs, unless the owner says it is ok.
Different dogs have different tolerance levels, and my dog reacts differently depending on the temperament and actions of the other dog. Some dogs may be fearful of other dogs, some dogs may not be tolerant of other dogs invading their space, etc.
My dog is also sensitive to the energy of nearby people and dogs, and will react differently to calm energy vs stressful energy.
He Just Wants to Say Hi by Suzanne Clothier.
More on dog tolerance levels.
Thank you for the information. We have a large neutered 7 year old Lab and a medium size two year old spayed pit bull, both rescues we adopted when they were one year old. The very wizened lab promptly put the pit in her place when we brought her home and continues to be very patient and tolerant but dominant with her. She has made doggy buddies, but meeting in our yard first is imperative. She has developed strong alpha male behaviors outside our home/yard. She is aggressive towards strange dogs (particularly submissive ones), marks and even lifts her leg when she does her business, pulling, attitude etc., more so when our male dog and her male owner are present. She is also much less attentive when we walk as a family. We have been working to desensitize her to other dogs, but it has been a tough road. Just when she starts to show improvement walking with me (I am female), she turns into a monster dog again when we walk as a family. Do you have any suggestions regarding increased aggression and general “tude” when particular people and sibling dogs are present outside the house/yard? Thank you!
My young Husky, Lara, is also a lot more reactive when we walk her with our other dogs. I think that is common because –
1. It is more exciting when everyone is out together on a trip.
2. She is more confident and sure of herself when out in a larger group.
3. Their excited energy feeds off each other.
With desensitization, I always start small and very slowly build up Lara’s tolerance and reactivity threshold. Therefore, I start training with just her. The key with desensitization is not only to maximize calm and successful experiences with other dogs, but also to minimize reactive encounters by always keeping my dog below threshold. I talk more about how I teach my dog avoidance, and how I create neutral experiences, in the article above.
The more calm experiences Lara has, the better her behavior becomes. Similarly, reactive events worsen her behavior and sets back our desensitization work. Therefore, I very slowly increase the environmental challenge, and I only increase one thing at a time. I did not attempt to walk Lara with my other dogs until she was already very very solid with singleton walks.
Currently, we only walk Lara together with our Shiba, who is now very Zen during walks. This helps to set Lara up for success, because the two dogs do not amp each other up. In the beginning, I walk Lara and I get somebody else to walk Shiba Sephy. In this way, I can focus solely on training, redirecting, and controlling Lara.
Since walking together with Sephy is more exciting and therefore a greater challenge for Lara, I set her up for success by tuning down the environmental challenge. We start walking them in the backyard first, then move on to quiet areas of the neighborhood during off hours, and slowly build up from there again. This is similar to what I did during our single walks.
Desensitization can often be counter-intuitive and is dependent on timing, reading my dog’s body language, and managing his environment. When I was doing desensitization work with Sephy, it was helpful to do the exercises under the direction of a professional trainer. We did a lot of exercises at our local SPCA, with one of their trainers, and with appropriate dogs that were chosen based on Sephy’s temperament. I talk more about our desensitization experiences at the end of the article above.
More on finding a good trainer-
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/finding-professional-help
https://apdt.com/pet-owners/choosing-a-trainer/