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, ive yorkie terrier shes 8 years old, i adopted her when she was 5 years from family, she get used to me too much, sharing my bed, going out with me and acting with her like a real baby. but shes very agressive with other dogs, i brought yesterday puppie 5 months old, i kept him Inside the crate but shes attacking him for no reason. every time shes bitting him and i should interfer and separate them. this evening she bite me when i tried to stop her from attacking him and shes hiding from me in the other room, shes not letting me approach her and she will be grawling or even bitting me. the new one am keeping him Inside but he want me to stay in the same room, he start barking if am leaving for even 30 seconds, plz help am desperate
With my dogs, I set up clear dog-to-dog interaction rules and I supervise closely to make sure they follow the rules. In this way, each dog understands exactly what to expect from each other, what to expect from me, and what I expect from them in return. This creates certainty, and certainty helps to reduce stress and conflicts.
I use leashes, baby gates, and other management equipment as necessary. I use these to make sure that all my dogs and all the people around them are safe. For example, putting a leash on my dog allows me to more easily and quickly control him, with less risk of him biting at me. I only use a regular flat collar. More on structure and drag-leads.
In general, I try to set my dog up for success and prevent bad behaviors *before* they escalate. As soon as I notice the start to any anti-social behavior, I no-mark, and stop it before it escalates into anything more serious. The more negative events or fights there are, the more negative associations are formed, and the more likely it will happen in the future. Therefore, it is important to maximize successes, minimize negative events, and *not* expose my dogs to situations that they are not ready for.
Supervision, structure, and management are all very important in ensuring that my dogs get along.
More on how I help my dogs get along.
Based on what you describe, I would get help from a good professional trainer. Dog behavior is very context dependent, and it sounds like there are many issues here. A good trainer can help with reading the dogs’ body language, understanding the source of the aggressive behavior, management, safety, timing, etc.
https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/finding-professional-help
Where I get dog training and dog behavior information.
Hi, My female Kelpie 8 yrs old is a beautiful natured dog who has been non aggressive to any dog at all before , but recently i brought another pup, a female Mastiff into our home and she plays non stop with her and has no aggression towards the puppy ,She will walk with no problems and listens to all commands , But when we go to the of leash area dog park she wants to attack every dog that comes near , I don`t think it`s her being protective over the pup because the pup wonders off to play and she will still be aggressive towards any other dog that comes near her still . I have friends that bring their dogs over to my house and they play together with no aggression at all.
What are your thoughts on this ?
Regards
Danny
Before you got the puppy, how was her behavior at the dog park? Is that an enclosed dog park? If you bring her to the park without the puppy does she act the same way? How often does she go to this park? Did anything unusual happen at the dog park?
Was she previously familiar with your friends’ dogs?
I know that my dogs are a lot more confident and sure of themselves on home turf. They also feel very safe there. On the other hand, the enclosed dog park environment can be very high stimulus and can be stressful for a dog. There are often many strange, new dogs around, engaged in chasing, wrestling, and other high energy behavior. Usually, there is not much structure or supervision. My Shiba Inu picked up a lot of bad habits at the dog park, and his behavior and social skills suffered as a result.
Our enclosed dog park experiences.
Hi, I have a five month old female pit bull, who is currently at the vet now getting spayed, and she is perfectly fine with the three other dogs I have in the house. but as soon as we go on a walk, and she sees another dog, she pulls, lunges, and barks like crazy. I try to pull her away and tell her no, but she pays no attention to me. But I have noticed, that If I go up to the dog and associate then she is perfectly fine with that dog. I understand she is getting over excited over the dog, which can lead to the aggression. but I don’t understand why she acts the way she does. I just want to be able to take her for a walk and pass dogs without any issues. and I would like to get it fixed now since she is still a puppy, please, I need help!
My Shiba Inu, Sephy, was a pretty reactive dog when he was young. He is curious and very dog focused. Also, at the time, he was an only dog. As a result, when he saw another dog during walks, he would get really excited and pull to get over to smell and possibly play.
However, since he is on a leash, he is prevented from going. His excitement becomes frustration and he pulls harder and starts of vocalize. Ultimately, he redirected all of that frustrated energy onto the leash and started to do leash biting.
I helped Sephy to be more calm around other dogs by doing dog-to-dog desensitization exercises. We did desensitization training in a structured environment, under the guidance of a professional trainer, and with trainer chosen dogs. I used distance and barriers to create neutral experiences during our regular walks. We drove him to quiet, low stimulus areas to walk, and did it during off hours as necessary.
I talk about what I did with Sephy in the article above. However, just like people behavior, dog behavior is complex and will take time, patience, repetition, and consistency to change.
https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/finding-professional-help
https://apdt.com/pet-owners/choosing-a-trainer/
The most important thing with Sephy is not only to maximize positive events, but also to minimize reactive episodes. Reactive episodes will significantly set back our training, undermine his trust, as well as cause him to associate other dogs with frustration and crazy behavior. Therefore, I had to manage his environment carefully and set him up for success by not exposing him to situations that he is not yet ready for.
okay so, Me and my fiancé own a pitbull Australian shepard mix, and he has food aggression with only one of the other dogs, I am wondering if it’s a dominance thing toward him or is it just the fact that she gets to close to him… I have done everything I could, did research…and yet no result has appeared…
How many dogs are there? Which other dog is he food aggressive with? Age? Breed? Temperament? How long have they been together? What is their history? What are their daily routines? What are their interactions like when there is no food? What retraining exercises have you tried? For how long? What is the situation like during feeding time?
With my dogs, I set up clear dog-to-dog interaction rules and I slowly teach each new dog what the rules are. I supervise well during meal-time to make sure there is no stealing and that everyone is following the rules. I try to set my dogs up for success by managing their environment, and not exposing them to situations that they are not ready to handle. I supervise closely and redirect questionable behaviors *before* they escalate into anything more serious. More on what I do to help my dogs get along.
However, dog behavior is very context dependent, so a dog’s past history, temperament, routine, environment, and more will all play a role. Things become even more complicated when there are multiple dogs involved. This is why in dog aggression cases, it is usually best and safest to get help from a good professional trainer/behaviorist.
https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/finding-professional-help
https://apdt.com/pet-owners/choosing-a-trainer/
I own a Shiba Inu (Leon). He is a great dog except for his aggression towards other dogs, and his tendency to pull when on leash. There are a few dogs that he knew as a puppy that he still gets along with. But any new dog we pass on our walk he immediately stands guard and will attack. (He once slipped off his collar and tried to pick a fight with a great dane)
There has also been an instance where we came across a dog unleashed and he attacked that dog as well. It scares me now more than ever because I usually have my 2 yo son with me. We switched to an easy walk harness, but nothing seems to help, he still lunges at other dogs.
He has always been very hyper, so not going on a walk isn’t an option. Not sure what to do at this point.
I did dog-to-dog desensitization exercises with my Shiba and that was helpful. I talk more about desensitization at the end of the article above.
With Sephy, management is key. The more structured, positive, and calm experiences he has with other dogs, the more confidence and trust he gains, and the better his behavior becomes. However, reactive episodes (e.g. where he lunges or loses control) will undermine his trust, significantly set back training, and worsen his behavior.
Therefore, I need to manage him carefully so that I do not expose him to situations that he is not ready to handle. I drive him to quiet trails if necessary, and we walk during off hours, etc. I use distance, barriers, and more to weaken the other dog stimulus and set him up for success. At the same time, I do desensitization exercises in a structured and controlled environment, with a trainer, to help raise his reactivity threshold.
I talk more about what I did with Sephy in the article above.
More on desensitization and counter-conditioning.
To add to my previous comment/question, Sundance refuses any form of food when on walks…
Hi,
Thanks for your article. I thought it was helpful, however I do still have some questions. I have a three year old male Texas Heeler (Australian Cattle Dog and Australian Shepherd cross) who is extremely reactive towards other dogs (and people in some instances). He was from a backyard breeder and has genetic fear aggression issues. Dogs (big or small) who show up on walks are instantly growled and lunged at (interestingly, he doesn’t bark). Sometimes he will hide behind me as they approach before lunging out. I never allow interaction with unknown dogs. He pulls like crazy on the leash, but once the dog passes us, he is completely fine. People can walk by and, as long as they say nothing to him, he doesn’t seem to care (if a person does speak to him, they are immediately growled at). This makes walks very stressful. Would you please offer me some advice? Sundance (the dog) doesn’t like other dogs… period, but he can be around them (like in a house or in someone’s yard), though I have to be alert of his body language and make sure no toys or food are around. Thanks again for taking the time to help me.
I look forward to hearing from you.
In terms of other dogs, I create distance to weaken the other dog stimulus, I use barriers if they are available, and I also do dog-to-dog and dog-to-people desensitization exercises to raise my dog’s reactivity threshold.
The more calm or successful events my dog has in the presence of another dog, the more confidence he gains, the more he associates other dogs with positive events, and the better his behavior becomes. Similarly, reactive events (where he becomes fearful and starts lunging) will undermine that confidence, significantly set back desensitization training, and cause his behavior to become much worse.
Therefore, it was very important for me to minimize the number of reactive episodes that my dog has. To do this, I manage his environment carefully, and I make sure not to expose him to more than he can handle. I drive him to more quiet areas if necessary, we walk during off-hours, etc. I need to start small, and in an environment that sets him up for success. As he progresses with desensitization and gains more confidence, then I can very slowly increase the environmental challenge.
Desensitization exercises need to be carried out in a very structured and specific way, so it was helpful for me to get guidance from a good professional trainer/behaviorist, especially in the beginning. We did desensitization at our local SPCA, under the direction of a trainer, and with trainer chosen dogs. I talk more about what I do with desensitization and creating neutral experiences in the article above.
https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/finding-professional-help
https://apdt.com/pet-owners/choosing-a-trainer/
More on desensitization and counter-conditioning.
More on dog socialization.
As for food and toys, that sounds more like resource guarding.
http://shibashake.com/dog/why-dogs-get-aggressive-over-food-toys
We have had our malinois for four weeks now, she is a 6 year old rescue dog and until she has been settled in her new home we have been trying to avoid other dogs until we could take her to a socialisation class. .
At first we thought her problem was that she would be aggressive towards other dogs if she was on the lead and the other dog was not (despite our efforts to keep her away from other dogs this has happened a couple of times where the other dog has been off the lead and trotted right up to us. In one case she knocked a newfoundland to the ground, in the other she snapped at a boxer. Neither dog showed aggression towards her at all)
We have been taking her to a field where we have been letting her off the lead to run around, since she needs plenty of exercise we’ve been there about an hour each day, there’s plenty of space to avoid other dogs and you can easily see all around you. So we can see other dog walkers before she can and avoid them easily. She’s good on recall and always comes back to us. She did this even when she saw a Black lab she came back when I called.
Unfortunately she did not come back to me when she saw two dogs that I had failed to see because they were hidden in the trees. She’s as fast as a greyhound so she was over there in an instant. I couldn’t see what was happening due to the trees but I heard the other owner shouting. She’s gone over, started a fight and from what I can tell, injured the other dogs leg.
She was rehomed shortly before we got her but then taken back to the shelter, we were told this was because she was fighting with that woman’s other dog. This woman had her for three weeks and couldn’t stop her fighting. We were lead to believe that this was just a problem with that specific dog. From what we can glean, it is every dog. Unfortunately we live in a built up area. We can’t avoid other dogs, but I’ve been doing everything you said in this article about moving away from the other dog if I see them on the street. We can’t distract her with treats as she has little interest in food.
Any advice would be seriously appreciated. We are not letting her off the lead again. And before she goes out again we are getting a muzzle since we can’t guarantee that another dog who is off the lead won’t come up to her. I wasn’t nervous about walking her before, I’ve dealt with dogs that have bad socialisation skills so I’m pretty laid back when avoiding other dogs. Now I’m worried about her hurting other dogs. Please,Any help to avoid any harm to someone else’s pet would be really appreciated
With my Shiba Inu, I did dog-to-dog desensitization and counter-conditioning exercises to help him be more comfortable around other dogs. We did the exercises in a very structured and controlled environment, under the direction of a trainer, and with trainer chosen dogs.
https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-behavior/desensitization-and-counterconditioning
The key with desensitizing Sephy is in managing his environment. I want to not only maximize positive and controlled events with other dogs but also minimize bad or reactive episodes. The more calm and successful experiences Sephy has in the presence of another dog, the more comfortable he becomes, and the more he associates other dogs with something positive. Similarly, reactive events will undermine his comfort level, significantly set back training, and worsen his behavior. I talk more about what I do in the article above.
For dog-reactivity issues, I would get help from a good professional trainer who has access to dogs that can be used during training. We did training at our local SPCA and it was great because they had many different dogs that they can use to help Sephy with desensitization. In addition, the trainer helped us to keep things safe for everyone, and ensured that we carried out the steps for desensitization in an effective way.
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/finding-professional-help
https://apdt.com/pet-owners/choosing-a-trainer/
Thank you so much for this article. I have a 1 yr old rat terrier chihuahua mix that is in obedience class right now, and although I was told his aggression would be addressed, it is absolutely not (which is quite frustrating). My dog has aggression issues with people as well, and any doors that go to the outside, and a male member of my household (whom he barks at agressively and attempts to bite whenever he comes home). This means he barks at strangers and dogs outside, strangers inside, and even a family member. I try to walk him calmly by but it does not work too often.
Do you recommend this type of training for his aggression towards people as well? I have tried both positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement, but I must be doing something wrong for it not to work. I appreciate any help and advice you have to offer.
Thank you!!
With my Shiba Inu, I did desensitization and counter-conditioning exercises with other dogs and with people. However, the process requires a lot of management and must be done in a specific and structured way. To do it right, we did private sessions with professional trainers at our local SPCA, with trainer chosen dogs.
The more positive and calm experiences my dog has, the more confidence he gains, the more he associates other dogs with good things, and the better his behavior becomes. Similarly, reactive events will undermine that confidence, significantly set back our training, and cause his behavior to worsen. Therefore, an extremely important part of my dog’s training involved managing his environment carefully, so that I do not expose him to situations that he is not ready to handle. I want to not only maximize positive experiences, but also minimize reactive events.
More on how I did people desensitization exercises.
Dog behavior is very context dependent so each dog and situation are different. For something like this, I would get private lessons from a good professional trainer, who has access to dogs that he can use to help with training.
https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/finding-professional-help
https://apdt.com/pet-owners/choosing-a-trainer/
I understand that judging a dog by its breed is predjustice but my 5 year old lab/terrier mix (65lbs) does not interact well with small breeds particularly chihuahuas, shit-shuz, and other companion breeds. If the small breed is calm and uninterested in my dog Foxy than everything goes well. But Foxy has been aggressive towards 2 chihuahuas now, one requiring medical needs and neither instances was she the initial aggressor. I need advice and help to train Foxy to relax and stay calm when small breeds become aggressive towards her. She is stocky and very strong with the potential to seriously injure or kill a small breed. Large breeds she is calm, playful, and sometimes intimidated by but I have never had to seriously correct her behaviors before with breeds her size.
I don’t want anyone’s dog to get hurt, especially at the mouth of mine. But when a small breed acts aggressively I’m not sure I have the knowledge to help Foxy.
I can’t help but feel that small breeds get away with being undisciplined and poorly trained too often because their size makes them manageable to pick up and remove from situations. That because they’re small they really can’t do much damage. But acting aggressively has lead my dog to dominate and inflict pain causing damage to a small dog. Someone’s baby.
I need the dog on dog aggression to stop. I need to become a stronger leader with clearer expectations for my dog. But now everyte even we see a small breed, I become nervous.
Some Tiny Aggressive Yappers
Are the little dogs loose?
In general, I try to set my dogs up for success by staying away from reactive dogs and reactive people. I also did structured desensitization exercises with my Shiba to help him be more comfortable around other dogs. We did desensitization at our local SPCA, with a trainer, and with trainer chosen dogs. In this way, we are in control of the environment and the experience.
The more positive experiences Sephy had with other dogs, the more comfortable he became and the more he associated other dogs with something good. Similarly, reactive experiences will undermine his comfort level, make him be more reactive, and significantly set back our training. Therefore, I manage Sephy carefully and I do not expose him to situations that he is not ready for.
I talk about what I did with Sephy in the article above, including creating neutral experiences and desensitization.