# Realizing your dog is aggressive



## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

You admitted yourself that dropping him off in a tiny condo with a bunch of other dogs was not setting himself up for success. I would never subject a dog to this kind of scenario. This is a time bomb no matter who the dogs are. Even the most easy going dogs may not do well when they are crowded and have no escape route.

Turning around and taking him to another strange place an hour or two after the first incident is again, not really setting him up for success. If he doesn't get to go alot of different places and meet different dogs, this was actually pretty unfair in my book. He was already stressed out from you all being packed to leave, had the first fight and then more chaos and disruption from his normal routine and schedule. I am not trying to make excuses for anything that happened but I do think you need to realize that these were not exactly ideal situations for seeing how he reacts to other dogs.

I really recommend that you try working with an experienced dog behaviorist before labeling your boy. Neutering is not going to be a guaranteed fix for this. I don't know how old your dog is, but I hope you will hold off on fixing him until he's closer to age 2. I just wouldn't jump into that without trying to get some help.


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## Siandvm (Jun 22, 2016)

Ditto everything Nolefan said, in addition to the fact that there have been studies which show that neutering does not have the effect on aggression that we thought it did, in fact can sometimes have the opposite effect. Unless the fighting is due to a female (which this wasn't), I would not expect neutering to fix this. A behaviorist is definitely the way to go with this, to help both you and him deal with this.


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## murphy1 (Jun 21, 2012)

Many dogs are not dog friendly. Our female Golden, Kelly, was awful near other dogs. She had a few"run ins" with loose dogs that approached her, while we walked and drew blood. She was protecting her family, in my opinion. She was a ferocious watch dog, always protecting her property. Kelly was a gentle loving Golden girl with her family. SO.....we were very cautious while walking her and always kept the front door and gates locked. Not all dogs like other dogs....and that's OK, it doesn't mean there is something wrong with them. You just have to plan and handle the situation.


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## alphadude (Jan 15, 2010)

Nolefan is entirely correct in assessing the situation.

I will also echo that neutering will likely not "fix" the problem. You need to determine whether or not he is fear aggressive, needs more socialization, or is a natural dominant, and what his "triggers" are.


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## Wolfeye (Sep 15, 2015)

Thanks for all the comments. I feel like he's the best socialized dog I've ever owned. He was in puppy daycare from age 8 weeks to 6 months, with lots of dogs, and never once did anyone call him aggressive. He ran to the door of his daycare every morning, thrilled to be there. He loves to play. Even at the dog park he gets along great with the other dogs, so this was just a shock. I know he's not the kind of dog to back down from a challenge from another dog, but with people he's a total sweetheart. I can take his favorite chews away and he just patiently waits for them to be returned.


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## alphadude (Jan 15, 2010)

Wolfeye said:


> I know he's not the kind of dog to back down from a challenge from another dog, but with people he's a total sweetheart.


Well then I can certainly relate. Having had a textbook alpha male who would never back down from *ANY* challenge. Perhaps you have an alpha there Wolf.


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## ceegee (Mar 26, 2015)

Wolfeye said:


> I know he's not the kind of dog to back down from a challenge from another dog, but with people he's a total sweetheart. I can take his favorite chews away and he just patiently waits for them to be returned.


I can relate to this too. My Ruby never particularly liked other dogs, and hated to be in doggy groups. Once, while she was on leash with me, waiting our turn to go into the agility ring, she was attacked savagely by a very large German shepherd (about 100 lbs) that had escaped from its owner and really meant business. I dropped my leash so she could defend herself. The fight was impressive and terrifying. Someone was eventually able to get the shepherd's leash and pull it away. Ruby, all 55 lbs of her, came out without a scratch, while the German shepherd had to go to the vet for a torn ear and a couple of puncture wounds. This happened at the Canadian national agility championships. Five minutes later, Ruby and I entered the ring to compete and had a clean run. She was that kind of dog.

I always managed her carefully around other dogs. She was fine with about 90% of them, but it was hard to predict which ones she wouldn't like (although German shepherds were always on the list after that particular incident!). We never went for group walks, and on the rare occasions that she stayed in kennels, she was walked individually instead of going out for group playtime. Some dogs are like that.

But Ruby loved humans and was my "lap dog" all her life. She loved curling up in the armchair with me in the evening, and spent her days in my office with her head resting on my feet.


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## FosterGolden (Mar 10, 2014)

Typically dogs that go after other dogs have issues that have to do with lack of confidence, space issues, a loose screw, genetics, resources, etc. Neutering the dog is not going to fix it. If you believe the alpha theory, then you'd know that dogs do not fight for rank. You might look into a class such as reactive rover or similar to determine what is going on and how to help as well as manage it.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

Wolfeye said:


> Thanks for all the comments. I feel like he's the best socialized dog I've ever owned. He was in puppy daycare from age 8 weeks to 6 months, with lots of dogs, and never once did anyone call him aggressive. He ran to the door of his daycare every morning, thrilled to be there. He loves to play. Even at the dog park he gets along great with the other dogs, so this was just a shock. I know he's not the kind of dog to back down from a challenge from another dog, but with people he's a total sweetheart. I can take his favorite chews away and he just patiently waits for them to be returned.


Did he know you were going away? Did he see suitcases and packing? He may have already been a bit anxious and worried when you first brought him to that condo. They're very perceptive. Your going-to-work routine and daycare drop-off would not be the same as a going away scenario and being dropped at a strange place.


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## Wolfeye (Sep 15, 2015)

Well, he may be an alpha dog, I can't really tell for sure because he doesn't get much interaction with other dogs. He's certainly never submitted to any other dog that I've witnessed. That said, he submits to me if he's done something bad and I point at it, even though he's never been harshly disciplined in any way. Voice alone, and the most terrifying question in dogdom, "Did you do this?" will make his ears go down and his tail go low. 

His only "aggressive" action with humans is taking their hats off. It's amusing to me. In the Navy we were always told you never wear your hat indoors. I imagine Bagheera would be an ideal enforcer.


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## Wolfeye (Sep 15, 2015)

ceegee said:


> ... This happened at the Canadian national agility championships. Five minutes later, Ruby and I entered the ring to compete and had a clean run. She was that kind of dog.
> 
> I always managed her carefully around other dogs. She was fine with about 90% of them, but it was hard to predict which ones she wouldn't like (although German shepherds were always on the list after that particular incident!). We never went for group walks, and on the rare occasions that she stayed in kennels, she was walked individually instead of going out for group playtime. Some dogs are like that.
> 
> But Ruby loved humans and was my "lap dog" all her life. She loved curling up in the armchair with me in the evening, and spent her days in my office with her head resting on my feet.


The great ones surprise us in many ways we didn't expect. That's why they live on forever in our hearts. I feel so strongly that Bagheera is my Lupo, reincarnated, that I've had to rethink the whole idea of a dog of a lifetime. It's also why I have had such a hard time seeing him as aggressive. Love can be so blinding; which is why I wanted to hear from the folks on the board about this. I don't want anyone, any dog, to get hurt because I misjudged my dog and made a mistake.


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## Peri29 (Aug 5, 2017)

This incident does not indicate that he is an aggressive dog. After hours of driving he find himself in a strange environment in the middle of other dogs that he does not know at all. If you were even a little nervous on your way there he could have sensed it . And just trying to share a toy ( stick) before even the dogs are introduced beforehand is not a good idea. In terms of neutering I have other experiences. I am always pro-neutering. I do not want that a dog has his testosterone levels reaching the clouds and gets erected for nothing. It sure is stressing. I have also realized a "neutered" dog and one which is not send eachother mixed signals .We face this a lot in the dog hotels or shelters. Two neutered male dogs get alone better than one neutered and the other one not. And you shall wait at least 6 months sometimes upto a year till the hormones are stabilized.


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## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

I would suggest a complete medical workup.

Oftentimes the 1st symptom for one of my dogs having anaplasmosis (tick borne disease) is him becoming quarrelsome.

Once treated he happily reverts to his usual happy go lucky self.


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## CedarFurbaby (Jun 6, 2016)

Wolfeye said:


> Thanks for all the comments. I feel like he's the best socialized dog I've ever owned. He was in puppy daycare from age 8 weeks to 6 months, with lots of dogs, and never once did anyone call him aggressive. He ran to the door of his daycare every morning, thrilled to be there. He loves to play. Even at the dog park he gets along great with the other dogs, so this was just a shock.


This sounds like Cedar at the start. He was very sociable as a puppy. However I'm now thinking that it wasn't a good thing to just let him go hang around lots of unknown dogs. Good socialization is about good experiences with other dogs, not random experiences with other dogs. At some point the scale tipped over, more dogs growled at him and he's now not so keen on them. Some of them were aggressive for no reason, some were no ones fault like not enough space, but each time my puppy learnt that no one is there to protect him or stop what was happening. So he learns to protect himself, to growl first, and to overreact. 

My suggestion is to create good experiences from now on. If your dog gets too worked up, separate him from the greeting or the play. You probably know him well enough to recognize the moment before he gets worked up. 

I'm quite wary about dog sitting so i probably try it out before going on an actual holiday. make sure they have dogs that the dogs will get along and if they don't, make sure they're experienced enough to handle anything on a normal walk. For example, a young dog would get along with my young dog, but would probably annoy older dogs too much. As others have said the first situation there were too many dogs. And I'm the second I can't tell - if it were me I would let the dogs greet each other on their own in a neutral area without anyone interfering, this way they have the best chance of getting along. As dogs grow older they're more selective of their friends so I wouldn't expect them to get along with every dog.


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