# Dog on dog agression



## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

> It has only gotten worse, I avoid all dogs and it makes me feel like his quality of life has decreased too since I can't bring him ANYWHERE near other dogs.


Your dog doesn't need to have dog buddies. It's frustrating when you have a golden retriever who you think should be able to handle being turned loose with any dog and every dog. But with very sensitive and smart dogs out there, it takes just one negative incident (and it could be completely stupid) to cause them to over think the approach of other dogs. With a lot of dogs there's insecurity and fear aggression issues. And those things mean that they cannot be just thrown together with unfamiliar dogs - and particularly larger and pushier dogs. 

What you can do is focus on obedience. With an aggressive dog - you want to be able to take your dog anywhere and have him be under control at all times. You get that with dedication to training your dog. 

Obedience training - you can work on building your dog's confidence + self control. He should be able to handle being about 6-10 feet away from other dogs and fixating or focusing on them. You can get there through training. 

If he's really out of control and dangerous - that does make training difficult. But not necessarily impossible. It means you have to always be 10 steps ahead of your dog and clearing the road for him so he's not being set up for fail.


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## alynn (Oct 29, 2018)

Thank you, we are working on obedience and he is so smart that it is going great. One trainer even asked what we were there to work on.... I just feel helpless having to go out of my way to avoid dogs on the walks and it hurts seeing other dogs play together and mine having to sit out. Or not being able to bring him to a friends when there’s another dog at the BBQ. I guess I am just looking for some hope, that I can get him more confident and that maybe someday down the ride things will be different?


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## gdgli (Aug 24, 2011)

You need someone to evaluate the situations. Do you have a reactive (I do not mean aggressive) dog? What is his body language? What is the body language of other dogs?


IMHO, most people misread their dog's body language. For example, is the other dog frozen and staring at your dog? Is either dog making inappropriate moves or signals?


And for the record, I do not let my dogs play with just any dog.


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## alynn (Oct 29, 2018)

I would definitely classify him as reactive (although my most recent trainer classified him as dog aggressive). It is interesting because ever since he was a puppy he would lay down (head on ground between his paws) whenever a dog was approaching him. Everyone always complimented how friendly he was because of that.
However once he started reacting to dogs, he laid down until they got up to him and that is when he would start the barking/growling/lunging/snapping. Since I do not let him lay down anymore and wait for the other dog, his reaction is more of a tail up, hair up, and the the same jumping/growling from across the street. Has anyone seen any of this behavior before (the lying down when dogs approach)? I assumed it is a confidence issue.


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## puddles everywhere (May 13, 2016)

Making your dog lay down when stranger dogs approached at 7 months could be part of your problem. That is an extremely vulnerable position for a dog that may have already felt uncomfortable. You sort of taught him to fear approaching dogs and set him up to feel like he needs to defend himself.
Keep working on the obedience, it's hard to be reactive to something or somebody if he is truly focused on you  FWIW, having doggie friends is more about your perception on what fun it is. Lots of dogs do not see group activities as a fun time. Just like some people are extraverts and love to be part of a group activity and life of the party but ask an introvert personality and they will tell you it's stressful and would prefer to be home reading a book.
Respect his perception of what a good time is and try not to force him to be who he is not. I'm also one of those people that are extremely selective on who my dog interacts with. For the most part my girls are with me, on leash and don't even allow sniffs and have extremely happy pups. You can never tell what the doggie conversation might be between your dog and the other dog and if your pup feels overwhelmed he will go into protective mode. Allow him his space


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## Charliethree (Jul 18, 2010)

If you have access to a certified canine behaviorist, who uses only reward based training methods, no corrections, no prong or choke collars, that would be a good place to start, this is someone who has skills that surpass a dog trainers, who understands dog body language, counter conditioning and desensitizing reactive dogs. Someone who can objectively assess your dog, help you understand what is going on, and guide you through a program of helping him. 'Obedience' training may give him the 'skills' but it will not change how he feels about the other dogs - he is afraid of them, you need to address the underlying problem that is driving the behavior. If your dog has dog friends, keep up the interactions with them.

In the meantime: a few books to suggest for you.

The Cautious Canine by Patricia B. McConnell

Feisty Fido - Help for the Leash - Reactive Dog - by Patricia B. McConnell

On Talking Terms with Dogs by Turid Rugaas


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## daisy1234 (Jun 17, 2018)

Lots of good advice on here. My almost 7 month old has oddly started barking at other dogs. I'm not sure if she picked up on my Beagle barking at times or what happened. I have socialized her like crazy and she doesn't do this in a mall setting when we are in close contact of lots of dogs indoor. She does it in our neighborhood around our house. Anyways I won't tolerate an out of control barking lunging dog. Seriously that's why I got a Golden, the most lovable friendly dog and she is aside from this. I know you don't want to take him out and be embarrassed because of this but you really must try. Watch your dogs for signs. Always look ahead, do you see a dog approaching, be calm, are his ears going up? Is the dog pulling more? That's when you must get the dogs attention off the other dog and back on you.

I watch my dog and have been working on having her watch me. I say Rainey watch me. She automatically stops and sits and looks at me. I give her a treat and keep walking. If she keeps trying to see the dog or barks I repeat and usually the person is past by then. At first I had to stand in front of her to block her view and get control. I have crossed the street. It's a work in progress and I don't like it, but I like my dog and I like to walk. I don't expect her to be friends with every dog but I expect her to behave nicely on our walks and I will keep trying and I have seen improvement she has stopped barking at dogs and just looks at me when I tell her to. Most people will just keep walking and the situation is solved, but each time is a learning experience and I'm not giving up on my walking or dog. Try it and see, you want to be able to go out in public with a well behaved dog. Good luck!


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## Ginams (Jan 20, 2015)

My girl, Rey, is a dog reactive dog. We took a class called Reactive Rover (following a private consult with the behaviorist) and learned a lot of techniques to help manage her reactivity. The key there, is that it’s something we can manage, it’s not necessarily going to “fix” her. It might be worth looking up to see if it is offered in your area. It should be a +reward class. 

Rey’s reactivity is partly due to her being uncomfortable with other dogs and, when on leash, not having the choice to greet or exit, essentially feeling trapped. We have had her for two years now, and it’s definitely going to always be a work in progress, but we’re able to hang out at parks with dogs nearby (under her threshold, which means the dogs need to be at least 20 feet away). 

The reality is, our dogs don’t need to meet dogs in every setting. Rey also has a select few dogs she is allowed to play with. Other than those few, I do not make her greet dogs and avoid dog-heavy areas because her need to be comfortable is greater than my need to see her play with or interact with other dogs. 

You’ve gotten some good advice. I know it can be frustrating, but asking questions is the perfect way to start working. What is your boy’s name? Any pictures to share? Photos are always fun to share!


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## alynn (Oct 29, 2018)

Thank you everyone! 
With regards to the laying down as a dog approached, that was actually just something he did naturally. When he was un-reactive and dogs approached he did this (once again, not under command) and then played when they got close enough. I would even try to keep walking but he insisted on laying down, even when I pulled the leash and tried to call him to get up. It was strange but obviously once he started getting reactive I forced him to get up and keep walking (crossing the street). I never told him to lay down, it is just something that he does so I’m wondering if that gives me some insight to a part of his personality that may be more submissive or nervous. 

His name is Bear and I love him more than anything! He is so funny and makes my life 100x better, which is why I want to better his own life by bringing him to the beach/the park etc where other dogs may be. I definitely agree that I don’t need to be worried about him loving every dog and playing with them, I mostly just want the confidence to be able to bring him to these places without worrying about passing another dog on leash. It gives me hope that if we keep up with his obedience training that he can be confident enough to do so, maybe even join us for dinner outside if another dog is nearby. Thank you all! Let me know if anyone has any more ideas ?


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## puddles everywhere (May 13, 2016)

Bear is precious! Thanks for the clarification however you may have missed a signal from your pup... going down this way is a sign he was feeling insecure or just a little overwhelmed with the situation. I believe they go through a fear phase about 7 months so this may have been just a little more than he was ready for at that moment. Hey, every dog is going to be different and we all learn something new from each one of them. 

You are doing good by taking classes. You might also look into something like agility as it helps with confidence... besides it's fun! Just remember to remain calm and confident when you take him out, if you are overly cautious & concerned he will feel your anxiety and feel the need to protect you. Your instinct to continue walking was a good one, he needs to feel confident that you have everything under control. Great job!!

Daisy, getting a golden doesn't guarantee a social butterfly personality. Every puppy comes with their own personality regardless of the breed. Getting a golden from a really good breeder helps to ensure good temperament but a good golden comes from lots of time & training.


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## myluckypenny (Nov 29, 2016)

Bear is so dang cute! I'm just going to tell you about my experience with my girl. When she was a puppy she would do the same thing, with submitting to dogs before they even approached. Now she never got to the point where she would lash out, but it was very obvious (to me now anyway) that she didn't trust that I could handle things. I think your dog is likely fear reactive, again only someone in person would be able to actually evaluate your dog and I encourage you to seek some professional help. What helped my dog is completely stopping interaction with strange dogs. They don't need buddies! She was so much happier when I just focused on my relationship with her. Instead of going to a dog park we would play fetch or go on a hike. She became more and more confident! Now she can totally ignore another dog off leash and recalls perfectly. However, the key was foundation work and relationship building. Your dog needs to trust that you won't put them in situations they are uncomfortable with. To this day, my dog has no interest in playing with dogs she doesn't know and that's completely fine. She plays with my other dog and my brother's dog and that's it! If you look up engagement work you should see lots of great ideas!


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## ceegee (Mar 26, 2015)

I agree that you need help from someone who can teach you how to read the body language of your own dog and other dogs. My last Golden was reactive: she was attacked by another dog when she was about 6 months old, and was, let us say, extremely selective about her interactions after that. What worked for me: She was my agility dog, so it was out of the question to stay away from other dogs. I taught her to focus on me (a "look at me" command), and I worked very hard to have a rock-solid recall. If we met other dogs when we were out walking on leash, and her hackles went up, I would tell her to cut it out and "look at me" (she was rewarded for doing so). With time, she learned to ignore passing dogs. I think it was a question of her gaining confidence in me - that I wouldn't let her get hurt. We competed without incident in agility trials from the time she turned 18 months old until her death at age 8. 



However, I never went on group off-leash walks with her and I never took her to a dog park. She enjoyed playing with our other family dogs (our lab mix and eventually our toy poodle), but we didn't do doggy playtime with anyone else's dogs. When she was about 6 years old, we dog-sat another toy poodle for a week. This was not my idea and I was a bit concerned about it, but to my amazement she welcomed the visiting dog into our pack and even shared a couch with it. As she learned to ignore other dogs we were able to take her to the beach, on hiking trips and so on. Her reactivity didn't stop us from including her in all our family activities, and it certainly didn't hinder her agility career.



Keeping her safe was a lifelong project but it became second nature. It's important not to stress out about it. Find what works for you and be confident. Don't let your dog take control by freezing or lying down when he sees other dogs: find a system that puts you in charge, not him. E.g. make him keep walking, do a series of obedience commands, teach "look at me" and reward it, and so on - whatever works for you.


I'm just throwing this out there because it hasn't been mentioned yet, but has your dog been neutered? Neutering can sometimes trigger aggression. I ask because many people neuter their dogs at around 6 months of age, and your dog's problems appear to have started around then. It happened to a friend of mine with her previously laid-back dog.


I hope you find a solution, but in the meantime please don't despair. It can be done.


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