What is a dominant dog?
Some people attribute all problem behaviors to “dominance“, while others do not want to use the “dominant dog” label at all. The truth, as always, is somewhere in-between.
It is useful to recognize dominant behaviors in our dog, so that we can better manage him, keep him safe, and set him up for success. Refusing to use the word dominance, or denying its existence in dogs, is unhelpful.
Any pack animal including humans and dogs, have to deal with dominance issues, because it is part of pack dynamics.
Similarly, trying to explain everything away by using the dominant dog label or excuse, is also unhelpful. To really fix a problem behavior, we want to fully understand it, and correctly identify its source. For example, a dog may show aggression because of dominance. However, dog aggression can also be the result of fear, stress, play, curiosity, boredom, or something else.
Dog Dominance
Dominance is a fluid concept.
Dogs are not dominant all of the time.
For example, many dogs will show greater dominance when they are on home turf, or when their owners are around. Under different circumstances, these same dogs may become less assertive, or may even become submissive.
Observe our dog carefully, and identify when he is more likely to show dominance, and why.
Dominance is a relative concept.
My Shiba Inu, for example, is more dominant than most dogs I have owned. He challenges me more frequently, and is constantly testing his boundaries. He has a dominant body posture, and he will not back down when challenged by other dogs.
My Siberian Husky, is a more submissive dog. She usually stops whatever she is doing, when I tell her to. She very quickly backs down, and uses submissive body language, when confronted by other dogs.
However, this does not mean that my Husky will always back down, or never show any dominance behavior. She simply prefers to avoid conflict, and has learned that she usually gets more, by seeking a peaceful resolution. I make sure to encourage this behavior, by rewarding calmness and conflict avoidance very well.
What is a Dominant Dog?
- A dominant dog will likely respond with aggression when he is frustrated, or when he feels threatened. He may also redirect that aggression onto us, if we try to physically engage him.
- A dominant dog is more forceful when it comes to fulfilling his own needs and goals. He is not afraid to challenge those around him, and to continually test his boundaries. My Shiba Inu is always testing to see if particular rules, such as the no getting on furniture rule, still hold true.
- A dominant dog is more likely to fight, and less likely to submit or run away. My Shiba Inu likes playing with other dogs, but he generally does not get along with dogs who try to dominate him. If challenged, he will not back down, and this can result in a dog fight.
Dealing with a Dominant Dog
1. Calm and decisive pack leader
Being angry and shouting at our dog, will only worsen his behavior. Fear and uncertainty will increase his level of stress, and cause him to behave in a more erratic fashion.
The best way to deal with a dominant dog is to remain calm, and firmly remove him from the environment or object, that is causing him to act out.
2. Avoid physical corrections
Contrary to common belief, physical force or physical corrections is NOT a good way to deal with dominant dogs. If not perfectly executed (with perfect timing, force, and technique), a physical correction may further frustrate our dog, and cause him to get more aggressive.
Instead, stay calm, keep physical interactions to a minimum, and quickly leave the stressful situation. In addition, using physical force against a dog, may end up teaching him the wrong lesson; in particular, use violence against violence.
True alpha dogs lead by controlling the pack’s resources. We can control our dog’s resources by following the NILIF (Nothing in Life is Free) program, and using reward obedience training.
3. Management and supervision
We want to step in and stop any aggressive behaviors, before our dog escalates and loses control. Prevention is key when dealing with a dominant dog. It stops him from practicing aggressive behaviors, and it enforces the important lesson that we are calm and in charge.
4. Consistent rules
To become a good pack leader, it is important to develop a set of house rules and some structure, for our dog to follow. Always be consistent with enforcing all of those rules.
My Shiba Inu’s most important house rules include –
- No getting on furniture,
- No biting on people,
- No leash biting, and
- No food aggression or resource guarding.
5. Frequent obedience training sessions
Schedule at least two or more short (10 – 15 minutes) obedience training sessions with our dog, every day. It is a good idea to keep up with obedience exercises, throughout a dog’s life. This keeps him mentally sharp, and makes it clear that we are in charge.
6. Use proper equipment to control our dog
When dealing with aggression, safety should always be a primary concern.
Use whatever equipment is necessary, to keep all the people around our dominant dog safe. A drag lead may also be useful because it gives us good control of our dog, without having to lay hands on him or his collar, and without resorting to chasing games.
If our dog has a bite history, it may be necessary to use a muzzle. I like the basket muzzle because it does not overly constrain a dog’s mouth, and is more comfortable. A basket muzzle will still allow a dog to eat and pant.
Be careful not to aggravate our dog’s aggressive behavior by overly constraining him, and causing barrier frustration. When in doubt, consult a professional trainer.
7. Set our dog up for success
Try to minimize the number of dominant displays. Identify objects (e.g. other dogs, cats) and environmental conditions (e.g. loud noise) that trigger dominant behaviors, and avoid those triggers.
Then, gradually desensitize our dog to those events, in a controlled fashion.
Many dog behavioral issues, including resource guarding, biting people, dog-to-dog aggression, sensitivity to handling, growling at humans, and general disobedience, are often attributed to “the dominant dog”.
However, each of these problems are unique, and complex. They are usually the result of many factors, one of which may be dominance. In fact, many behavioral issues are the result of stress and fear, and have nothing whatsoever to do with dominance.
When dealing with dog behavioral issues, it is best to keep an open mind.
Observe our dog and his environment carefully. Identify the triggers for his aggressive behavior, and try to understand why he is responding in this way. If his aggression is extreme (e.g. he is breaking skin, and/or causing puncture wounds), hire a professional trainer to help us carefully trouble-shoot the problems.
Perhaps I missed it somewhere on the site, an important piece of body language, which once I learned to read has made a marked difference in the communication between my Shibas and I. (Had Simba for 14 years, and just rescued two 14 year olds, Rextopher and Lulu).
Pay attention to the “licking of the lips” (when there is no food involved), it’s a sign of, “Buddy, I’m not cool with this”. If my action, even petting prompts lip licking, it’s the dog telling me to “quit it”. I stop what I’m doing, and over time, they seem thankful that i finally “got it”, and they move me up on their respect ladder.
I get conflicting information on the “rub my belly” rollover…some assert if does not mean rub my belly…but rather, “I am uncomfortable with the current proceedings and I’m distracting my nervous energy.” Thoughts?
-Matt
Dog behavior is very context dependent. Therefore, to interpret what my dog is trying to tell me, I take into account his temperament, history, surrounding context, his entire body language, what the nearby people are doing, what my dog was doing before, etc.
When my dog “wags” his tail, it does not always mean that he is in a friendly mood and wants to meet.
As you pointed out, when a dog licks his lips it *can* be a sign of stress, or it can also be something else.
When my dog rolls over, sometimes it is because he is more comfortable sleeping that way, sometimes it is because he wants a tummy rub, sometimes it is his way of begging for food, sometimes it can be a sign of submission, etc. It depends on the context and the dog.
I do not know of any secret Shiba handshake. 🙂 I learn to listen to my dogs by observing them closely, carefully managing their environment, and evaluating things based on the current context as well as their temperament and history.
Hello,
I have two german shepherds, one 19 months old and one 6 months old.
The older one has always been stubborn since childhood but never showed signs of aggression before. But recently he is becoming bit aggressive not a days. Though he has never bitten any one but sometimes growls towards 2 members of our family.
Recently he scratched his skin himself, so we have to make him wear Elizabeth Collar for the first time. We made him wear it for few hour and then removed it to make him fell relax and took him for a walk for his business. When we came back he went inside the bed where he generally hides himself and sleeps at night. When we tried to call him out he became very aggressive. He growled at my husband badly and was in a complete attacking mode. We were so frightened, but then I came in and tried to bring him out. He didn’t growled at me thought came out for some time when I shared some treats , but then again went inside.
However he came out again after sometime, by a trick which my husband does generally.
He even growls at two other family members sometimes, but all this has started recently in a month. I am very much tensed about his behaviour. We all love him very much, and I don’t want him to be aggressive.
He has never bitten anyone yet, but is not friendly with strange dogs now. Was fine with them before but not now..
I wanted to know are we really dealing with a very aggressive dog here?
And what can I do to make him less aggressive?
Sorry for so long comment.
Thank you in advance.
– Chetena
Has he been to the vet recently? Is he losing fur? Does he seem uncomfortable? Is he eating and drinking normally? Are there other changes in behavior?
Sudden changes in behavior *can* be caused by physical issues. The first thing that I do when I notice sudden unusual behavior in my dog, is to rule out physical issues first. I take my dog to the vet if necessary.
Hey thanks for the reply.
Yes we took him to the vet the next day itself.
He asked us to let him wear the collar for few days. He still wears it but is clam now. And yes he has been loosing his fur too.
He seems better now 🙂 May be it was the pain which caused the issue?
Pain, discomfort, or feeling vulnerable (e.g. because of sickness or physical impairment) can cause significant changes in a dog’s behavior. It is the same way with people.
I am glad that he is feeling better. 🙂
Hi there!! I also have a Shiba Inu, she is about 4 years old and is dominant (as most shibas are) But she also has fear aggression. For a bit of history, we also tried ceasar’s techniques when she was a puppy at about 6 months of age because she was absolutely horrendous. She was so bad that we were told to put her down when she was 6 months so we tried every type of training possible. We all assumed that she was just down-right aggressive for no reason, because she would show no signs of fear and just attack instantly. Much like you, I found ceasar’s methods only backtracked my dog and made her not trust me. Shortly after I figured that wasn’t working I jumped to positive rewards based training and saw tremendous improvement in a short amount of time. Fast forward a few years, she still has fear aggression, but has improved a lot. I can trust her to no longer bite people at all, she just has to be introduced slowly to new people, but she warms up shortly after, running and bringing her toys to new company shortly after. What’s great is that now she will actually show fear-responses and I can get her out of the situation if need-be. She knows all basic commands and right now we are slowly working on desensitizing and socializing her with dogs. The reason why I’m typing this is because I’m really struggling at where to go next with the training. She’s able to get right up next to the dog (about 2 feet away). However, I don’t let her anywhere closer, because I don’t know if she’ll attack or not. She gets over-stimulated very easy and can NOT stand butt-sniffing. So as a safety measure I have considered getting a basket-type muzzle. But I was wondering if this would make her regress? She has been doing so well the past few years and especially improving with actually being able to be NEXT to a dog. However, I wasn’t sure if a muzzle would be a good idea or not. I know if I DID use a muzzle I would have to do a lot of conditioning to get her used to it. But I don’t know if it would stress her out too much when near the other dog and cause aggression when she gets frustrated??
Sorry for the really bad explanation, I wish I could talk to you over the phone or something, it’s really hard to type all of this out especially when it’s so late. This has just really been plaguing my mind now for a few weeks as to where to go next with the training. If you have any questions, feel free to ask! I could really use your advice especially since you actually own a Shiba!
With Sephy it really depends a lot on his body language, past experiences, as well as on the energy and temperament of the other dog.
Sephy also does not like butt sniffing from new dogs. Here is why. With dogs that he already knows and trusts, he is ok with most things except challenges and bullying behavior.
What is your dog’s body language like when she is close to the other dog? Are both dogs on-leash? What is the energy and temperament of the other dog? Is the other dog engaged with his handler or is he focused on your dog? What is the history of your Shiba in terms of other dogs? Have there been any fights? If so, how serious? What was the context? What type of dogs were involved?
I observe Sephy very closely when other dogs are around and try to read his body language. Based on our experiences together, I know that he does not get along with dominant dogs. He does well with relaxed playful dogs, who like wrestling and rougher type of play. Small dogs or dogs his own size don’t do well with him because they easily get overwhelmed by his intense play-style and become fearful. Sephy does best with larger, playful dogs. From observing Sephy, I know what dogs to protect him from and how I can set him up for success.
In terms of a basket muzzle, I have used those on Sephy a few times for vet visits. The thing is, when Sephy has the muzzle on and we go into the vet’s examination room, he just shuts down. His behavior is very different when he has the muzzle on and when he does not. The vet kept saying that he is so well behaved, but if I remove his muzzle, he will go into reactive mode very quickly. This makes it less useful for counter-conditioning and creating positive experiences.
It is important to note though that dog behavior is very context dependent, so each dog and each situation will be different. Sephy may respond to the muzzle by shutting down, and other dogs may respond differently. I think if I were in a similar situation to what you describe, I would consult with some good professional trainers and get their thoughts and recommendations. This has always helped me make better decisions for Sephy.
Hope this helps. Big hugs to your Shiba girl.
Thought I should give you an update on my shiba girl! So when she’s with other dogs (before) any of the aggression behavior starts, she’ll get very still for a split second and then lunge. But her body language is different depending on the dog. If it’s a bigger dog, her hind legs might start shaking out of fear, if it’s a smaller dog, she’ll start pulling on the leash to get to them. However, every situation she’s on a leash. Which made me wonder if she’s leash-reactive more than anything. So I decided to take her to our local dog park. The one closest to us has two sides a big dog side and a little dog side. They’re divided between each other by a chain-link fence so they can say hello to each other but nothing can happen. So I went on the small dog side while there were no dogs there and let her lose, keeping an eye out for anyone else in case they came on the same side. And she actually did great. She didn’t bare her teeth at ANY dog. And she was able to greet nose-to-nose only which is her preference. So all in all it was good. The only trouble we encountered was towards the end when someone came in with two very excited Aussies who were veeeerry talkative while running around so I leashed my girl up and started towards the exit. I picked her up as we got closer to the dogs, and she let out a huge “shiba scream” trying to get lose from me. So the next day I went to try again and went at a more busy time. And I wanted to test something out. So. I did end up testing to see how a muzzle would work on her. I praised her when it was on, have her some treats. Of course at first she was not happy about it, but once we went on a walk with it on, she wasn’t even fazed by it. It was like it didn’t even exist. Her body language was positive, tail curled over her back with her ears perked-up, but relaxed. So YESTERDAY we ended up going to the dog park again and did the same routine. This time with the muzzle on, and someone from the big-dog side ended up encouraging me to come over. So I decided hey. Why not. If it doesn’t work out, we’ll just come back over. And oh my gosh. She was a bit hesitant at first, but that tail of hers never went down. She actually ended up playing with some of the big dogs (there were about 8 dogs total on that side) and I was so proud of her! The only dog she disapproved of was a female husky who got a little to close to comfort for her and so I got between them and just blocked her off from sniffing my dog’s bottom. But all-in-all she did wonderful. Of course, she was more interested with the people there and acted so sweet towards them all which made them ask why on earth would such a sweet dog have a muzzle on. Until they saw how she was with the husky lol. But all-in-all it was a great day and I’m really wondering if she’s just more leash-reactive than anything. I was incredibly impressed that the muzzle didn’t change her mood. After about 30 minutes of running around with the dogs, she came up onto the bench and laid next to me, letting all the other dogs come up to her. I was in utter shock! I truly think it really helped because I was the most calm with her that I had ever been when she was near dogs because I knew if something happened the other dogs were safe, which meant she was safe as well. And thankfully all the dogs there are very laid back and all well behaved so I don’t have to worry about any of the dogs attacking her while she’s defenseless but I still keep my eyes on her at all times. But she really seemed to enjoy it and slept sooooo well last night!
That is great to hear Ashley! I am so glad that she is doing so well.
Thanks for the update and big hugs to your Shiba girl. 😀
need help
I have a shepherd/chow dog not quite a year old. My mom just moved in with her small dog who barks excessively at anything that moves or loud noises. My dog, Charlie has made friends with our cat. took a while but worked it out. Charlie has allowed my moms dog to even eat out of his food bowl without getting aggressive about it at all. Although, my moms dog would not allow Charlie to share the food and attacked charlie. Now Charlie wants to stand over the little dog and corner him and not let him move. He doesn’t try to hurt him, but I feel like he’s trying to dominate the little one now. The little dog from day one refused to let Charlie smell him and my mom just never allowed that to happen from day one and now its getting to the point any time the little dog ventures out of the room charlie wants to charge him and corner him. No growling or barking, just stand over him. So, I’m at a point where I don’t know what to do to get them used to each other. I need some ideas or help on how to fix the situation.
my mom also has a perceived perception of a chow mix and thinks that he is just always in aggressive mode.
With my dogs, I set up a consistent set of rules. I do not allow any kind of bullying and there is absolutely no stealing. Stealing can encourage resource guarding behavior and aggression. Consistency is important, so all my dogs follow house rules. I get everyone in the house to pitch in, use the same training techniques, and institute the same rules.
In this way, my dogs know exactly what to expect from each other, what to expect from the people around them, and what I expect from them in return. They know that I will resolve conflicts in a fair and consistent manner. Consistency creates certainty, and certainty reduces stress and reactive behavior.
More on what I do to help my dogs get along.
More on how dogs learn.
Note however, that dog behavior is very context dependent. Each dog and each situation is different. Therefore when in doubt, or in cases of aggression, 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 there. I have 2 dogs, a year old husky and a 6 month old german shepherd. My husky was attacked by a dog when she was 3 months old, it was really bad and she was lucky she pulled though. Before she was attacked we were about to take her to puppy preschool so anyway after her attacked she recovered and she was about 16 weeks and we took her to puppy pre school so she has been socialize around other dogs since she was little. She is the dominant dog to my shepherd. And to my cousins dogs I look after everyday. She’s still friendly and plays but if something happens she makes sure it’s her way. Or she always steals there toys. Anyway recent we went to the beach we walked past these dogs and my 2 dogs sniffed like always and one of there dogs growled it looked like it was scared and my husky decided to jump on her back and looked like she was trying to hump this dog, I called her and she came. Then also my mate got a new dog and we let our dogs meet, I only let my husky out at this stage and she started getting get snappy at this other dog and I told her to stop it and be nice and she was fine and happy to play. I’ve never seen her act like this and it seems to only be by dogs she’s never meet? Why could this me and how can I stop it?
Yeah, my dogs are also more wary of new dogs. I think that is natural, because they do not know what the new dog will be like, and whether he will be a threat. It is the same with people, we are more wary of strangers because we do not know them, how they will act, or what their intentions are.
Also, different dogs have different social tolerances. Good article on dog social tolerance.
Suzanne Clothier also has a great article on dog social boundaries titled He Just Wants to Say Hi.
With my dog, I try to understand what his social boundaries are, and then I set him up for success by only letting him do greetings that will have a positive or at worst, neutral outcome. The more positive and successful greetings my dog has, the more he learns to associate other dogs with being calm and safe. The opposite is also true, so I try to minimize negative events.
I also did a lot of dog-to-dog desensitization exercises with my Shiba to help raise his dog tolerance level, and teach him alternate behaviors when he gets stressed.
I was wonder if I could get your opinion on our adjacent marking situation.
We have a 6yr old Yorkie-mix. She is a rescue. And we have had her for almost two years. In that time she has come a long way with her trust issues.
Her toughest hurdle has been other dogs. She barks and lunges, but then tries to hide. It’s as though she is trying to pretend to be dominant but isn’t fooling anyone.
We were starting to think she would never meet another dog she liked. But a puppy was brought over to our house and no barking, only playing! We ended up keeping this new puppy and for the most part it has been wonderful for both of them. The older dog has helped the puppy with her separation issues. And the puppy has helped the older dog with her acceptance of other dogs (she is learning to ignore other dogs on walks, barks less, and doesn’t give visiting dogs at our home a hard time). They play, they cuddle, but still have their limits. They act like big sister and little sister.
There’s just one problem(maybe?)
Whenever we take them both out for a potty break, the older dog will wait for the puppy to pee and then will do some adjacent marking.
Is it best to put a stop to it (take them out for separate pees? When we do this, the older dog rarely finds, or bothers to find the puppy’s puddle), or let her continue to build her confidence?
Hello Becky,
So far, I have not seen anything which shows that adjacent marking is an issue. Are you concerned about dominance issues?
The only thing I have seen so far is this study by Lisberg and Snowdon, which showed that
where TBP = tail base position
If you know of other articles about this, please post us some links. Thanks.
Hi there. I wonder if you could help with my dog’s very selective aggression! She’s around 4-5 years old (neutered), and I adopted her just over 2 years ago. She is usually very calm and not at all aggressive (no aggression at all towards people or my recently rescued kitten), and if we are out walking and meet stray or unknown dogs she is generally pretty disinterested. I’ve always taken her to the park to play with other dogs, and she has both female and male friends she plays will well. I have noticed sometimes that she seems to get overwhelmed if there are more than a couple of dogs playing together, it’s like she doesn´t know where to fit in, and and she gets frustrated. This leads to her sometimes barking at them and trying to mount the dogs. But this is very manageable and does not turn aggressive. But recently there is a new dog in the neighbourhood who mine has behaved aggressively towards right from the start. The other dog is also female, around 6 months old but almost the same size as her. This dog is quite nervous nervous owner) and seems playful but submissive. My dog sniffs her, walks around her and inevitably growls and quickly gets aggressive, trying to bite her. The strange thing is that this aggression seemed to be triggered by the other dog actually submitting to her, rolling onto her back. I get that my dog is probably wanting to dominate. But what I don´t get is why she seems to attack when the other dog has already submitted. Is there something I’m not seeing? I would love to be able to stop this behaviour. Any help would be really great! Thanks a lot.
My Shiba Inu, Sephy, is very sensitive to the energy of the dogs and people around him. If I am stressed or nervous, he will quickly pick up on my energy, get stressed himself, and become even more reactive. He will also pick up on the energy of nearby people and dogs. For this reason, we avoid people and dogs who are fearful, nervous, or over-excited. I try to set Sephy up for success so we only meet more calm or playful/relaxed dogs.
With Sephy, I want to maximize positive, successful greetings, and minimize reactive events. I noticed that the more reactive events that Sephy had, the more reactive he is likely to become. If I am unsure about a dog or person, then we just avoid and create a neutral experience.
I also set up clear dog-to-dog interaction rules with Sephy. I try to be very consistent about stopping all undesirable behavior, so that he learns which behaviors are acceptable and which are not. I set the rules, and I enforce them in a fair and consistent way so that my dogs know exactly what to expect from each other, what to expect from me, and what I expect from them.
With Sephy, dog-to-dog desensitization exercises were also helpful in getting him to stay more calm with other dogs.
http://shibashake.com/dog/dog-to-dog-aggression#desensitize
When in doubt about my dog’s behavior (especially aggressive type behaviors), I consult with a good professional trainer who can observe Sephy and read his body language within the context of his environment.
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/finding-professional-help
I have a Rottweiler mix, possibly with shepherd. Dominant, intelligent, but needy. We rescued him when he was about 3, and have had him for 2 years. He had been found as a stray, kept at animal control and then rescued by a local rescue group. He was there for about 6 months when we found him. Severe separation anxiety at first, took about a month of working with him before we could both leave the house at the same time. (We are both retired). Never shown any type of aggression, but very defensive with touching, especially with feet. Gotten past that, hates the vet, but we work with that.
Now he has started what I think is guarding. He will grab napkins, or food that drops…we have been successfully trading with him. Doesn’t work to try to dominate and try to just take it back! He has always been very friendly with other dogs…greeted them nicely off or on lease. Until now. If a dog he does not know approaches him when we are walking, on leash, especially if the other dog is running with its owner, Lucas jumps, barks, lunges, growls,…you name it. My husband tried to physically stop him today and Lucas almost bit…stopped as soon as he realized what he was doing.(my interpretation) I had him on a walk outside of our neighborhood, and this did. Jot happen. We are seriously considering a shock collar, which is what brought me to your website. A trainer we have used in the past suggested letting the leash out and not restraining him, but that is difficult if I do. It know the owner and dog. We have successfully met some of the dogs after asking the owners permission, and Lucas is fine! Sweet, friendly with both owner and dog. But if they are coming at him and he doesn’t recognize them, the lunging and aggressive behavior starts.
Any ideas on how to train him without the collar?
Thank you!
Dogs have social rules and different social tolerances, just as we do. For example, my Shiba Inu does not like strange dogs sniffing his butt or invading his space. However, with dogs that he trusts, he is totally ok with those behaviors.
A very good article on this by Suzanne Clothier – He Just Wants to Say Hi
More on dog social tolerance.
I help Shiba Sephy by –
1. Creating neutral experiences.
2. Doing dog-to-dog desensitization exercises.
3. Protecting him from negative encounters.
Sephy is also very sensitive to the energy of the people around him. If I am stressed or anxious, he will pick up on that, get stressed himself, and become even more reactive. Therefore, I make sure to control my own energy, and stay as calm as possible.
More on what I do for Sephy’s dog-to-dog reactivity.
More on the friendly dog.
The key with Sephy is to maximize successful outings and minimize negative encounters. I want to teach him how to be calm and relaxed around other dogs, and that other dogs being nearby is nothing to worry about. I do this in a structured and controlled environment through desensitization exercises. At other times, I avoid and create neutral experiences. Punishing him only made him associate other dogs with even more negative experiences, and made him even more reactive.
During Sephy’s difficult period, we did a lot of desensitization exercises at our local SPCA under the direction of one of their trainers. Dog behavior is very context dependent, and the desensitization process is not exactly intuitive, therefore it was helpful for us to have private lessons with a trainer who was experienced with such behavior and techniques. I also wanted to make sure that everybody stayed safe.
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/finding-professional-help
https://apdt.com/pet-owners/choosing-a-trainer/
Thank you. I read the first two articles, but the one thing that stood out was your comment on context dependent. This is new behavior, past 2 months, and only happens on our neighborhood walk. I had him in a park setting with a friend and her golden. No problem with other dogs approaching us…ears perked up, sniffing, but no lunging, growling and barking. Just a normal interaction…they passed and we kept on walking. This also only happens when it is a dog we have not met…usually a runner and dog, whom we cannot stop and ask to meet. Off leash, he has played well with new dogs. But he did get more aggressive with my friend’s dog a week ago when we were at her house and they were playing, before we took them to the park. Her dog went down as he usually does after they race around, but this time Lucas went for his neck instead of just barking. No blood, no damage, but clearly more aggressive than before with a dog he has known for 2 years. Stymied….this was a dog who clearly wanted only people when we first adopted him. Just ignored other dogs, leaning on whoever we met. Now, he heads straight for the dog, sniffing and sometimes mounting. I’ve adopted before, so I know behaviors change, but this is a first for me.
Appreciate your time.
JoAnn
My family and I have a 2year old female pug/shitzu mix (looks more pug than shitzu). We just recently moved to another state and have been trying to get things straightened up with all of that. Since our move she has become very aggressive with other dogs around her as well as people. She chases people, nipping at their heels, & barks. We have another dog whose a mix, he’s only 8 months old and she has become very over protective with him. If any other dogs start to play with him, she suddenly becomes ‘Cujo’ and attacks the other dog. I believe she has separation anxiety right now because of being in an unfamiliar place. We’ve been using the NILIF concept to work with her, am I being impatient with her? Could she be feeding off of the stress all of us are going through from the move?
When my dog has anxiety issues, the first thing that I do is try to figure out the source of his anxiety. Once I do that, I can-
1. Manage his environment so as to reduce his anxiety.
2. Help him cope with his anxiety through desensitization and counter-conditioning exercises.
Does your dog only show signs of stress when there are no family members around? What was her behavior with other dogs before the move? What was her behavior with people before the move?
My Shiba Inu, Sephy, also got somewhat stressed when we moved houses. This was because there were large changes to his environment and normal routine, which creates a lot of uncertainty, which leads to stress. Sephy is also very sensitive to the energy of the people around him, so if I am stressed, he will quickly pick up on that and become stressed himself.
This is different from separation anxiety, because Sephy will be stressed even when we are around. In his case, the stress was the result of changes in his regular surroundings and routine, rather than from being alone or away from his people.
After the move,
1. I quickly set up a fixed schedule and routine.
In the beginning, I make sure to stick to the routine as much as possible. I also establish a set of consistent rules ~ similar to the rules and routine we had when in the old house. In this way, Sephy knows exactly what to expect from me, what to expect from others, what to expect from other dogs, and what I expect from him in return. This created certainty, which helps to reduce his stress.
During this time I also try to keep things as low-key and stable as possible. Introducing more changes will only exacerbate his anxiety.
2. I stay calm and decisive.
I make sure to control my own energy and to stay calm whenever Sephy is around. I also have a plan of what to do when Sephy loses control of himself, so that I can quickly stop and redirect him. Being decisive helped a lot because then Sephy knows that I will always take care of things, and handle him in a consistent way.
3. I give him outlets for his anxious energy.
I took Sephy out on longer walks in quiet trails. Sephy enjoys exploring the environment, so this gave him a fun way to release his stressful energy. I picked quiet trails with few people and we went during off hours so that we usually have the place to ourselves, and it is a relaxing outing. It is important that the alternate activity be quiet, low-key, and relaxing.
I also did a lot of dog and people desensitization exercises with Sephy. This helped him to learn what to do around other dogs and people, and it also helped him to be more calm.
More on dog anxiety.
More on people desensitization exercises.
More on dog-to-dog desensitization exercises.
However, dog behavior is very context dependent. Aggressive behavior can be the result of many different things, so the first thing that I always do is try to accurately identify the source of my dog’s reactive behavior. During Sephy’s difficult period, we visited with several professional trainers who helped us with this and with coming up with a good and safe plan for retraining.
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/finding-professional-help
https://apdt.com/pet-owners/choosing-a-trainer/
More on how I change my dog’s behavior.
Please help! my mum has a spaniel cross that even as a puppy was aggressive and timid. you can visit my mother and he will come up excited then when you go to show affection he starts growling. my mum has let him rule the house eg on the sofa with her even sleeps with her. when he gets aggressive she tells us to be careful and gets him up on the chair with her. when you go to leave and kiss her goodbye he goes for you and she tells you to be careful!. she is scared of him and hence he gets away with anything he does. on a serious note he has bitten her twice now and has bitten my granddad and my 2 year old nephew before and most recently tonight my nephew, sister & my mum in the same attack which was unprovoked. after this she had him sitting up on the sofa with her!! she is in total denial and blames everyone else which I feel is not fair as surely if you let a dog get away with biting anyone for no reason it is going to do it again & again. the attacks are getting more vicious and more frequent and she defends him. please advise what you feel is appropriate action as this has now caused a problem as she is blaming my sister when clearly being unprovoked this is not right! please please help…
I would get help from a good professional trainer. It is usually easier to accept dog advice from an outside professional, rather than from family or friends. In addition, dog behavior is very context dependent, so especially in cases of aggression, it is usually a good idea to consult with a professional who can observe the dog within his normal environment and routine.
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/finding-professional-help
https://apdt.com/pet-owners/choosing-a-trainer/
When I was having issues with my Shiba Inu (Sephy), we visited with several trainers. The dog training field is not well regulated, so it is not always easy to find a good trainer. However, I learned some really useful things from the ones I visited with. I also read up a lot on dog behavior so that I could more easily screen out the bad trainers, and could better read and understand Sephy.
More on where I get my dog training and dog behavior information.
I also made sure to always keep things safe by using management equipment such as leashes, gates, and a basket muzzle if necessary. If my dog should accidentally hurt someone and it gets reported, it would be really bad news for him. Preventing accidental attacks is important not just for the people around, but also to keep our dogs safe.