# off leash dog on dog aggression



## Apesan (Aug 23, 2013)

Hi! I have an almost 1 1/2 year old female Golden that we spayed after her first heat cycle. We got her from a reputable breeder at 8 weeks. I posted something in the main forum but then I saw this section and thought I might get some help here, too. 

My dog had off leash dog on dog aggression. On leash, she is fine-she will either ignore other dogs or sometimes give a little growl-rumble, but a simple "Ginger, let's go" and a tug on the leash and she moves on. She is FANTASTIC with people of all ages, has "met" other pets and been fine (she was curious but by no means aggressive when she met my niece's guinea pigs-sniffed them, licked one of them and her posture was very relaxed and easy going)

Off leash with other dogs is a different story. She will aggressively attack dogs-and it happens so fast. And it's very difficult because we live in an extremely dog friendly area-when we take the kids ice skating on the lakes (in the winter) there are dogs out there playing, when I x-country ski with friends, we all like to take our dogs, we go to the ocean with friends and we all take dogs to run the beach, play in the water, etc. This was one of the main reasons we got another dog (our other golden died about 2 years ago) I cannot do any of these things with my dog for fear that she will attack another dog and it's a HUGE bummer.

She does GREAT with my parents dog and she recently met my brother's puppy-she growled and had her hackles up but my husband was with her and introduced them slowly, now they play together like best friends. She also has some dog friends that we can get together with and she does great. But, with dogs she doesn't know, forget it. And it's getting worse. We no longer take her anywhere off leash. 

After talking to my breeder, other pet owners, going to visit different trainers, etc. we have found a specialist who works with Dog aggression. She is coming out in 2 weeks to do a full eval and help us work with her, but I just don't know what to expect. She is a compliant and sweet dog at home, well trained, great recall (unless she's in attack mode) and a super love, except for this one issue. I really dont' know what to do.

With proper training and a lot of patience and effort (which I am willing and able to give) will she ever be able to be an off leash dog? or is that unrealistic? Any help would be much appreciated.


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## Charliethree (Jul 18, 2010)

It depends. Her behavior on leash, suggests to me that she is not totally comfortable with the presence of other dogs, tail position - is an indicator of how a dog is feeling, if it is lowered, or even tucked the dog is not feeling comfortable in that situation. You can help her feel better about other dogs by taking along some high value treats, and feeding them to her when she sees another dog. Also practice, using high value treats, and frequently reward for eye contact (both 'offered' (voluntary/checking in) and when you say her name) with you. Teaching this can help to keep her focused on you, and stay relaxed and feeling safe.
Suggest getting the book 'On Talking Terms with Dogs: Calming Signals by Turid Rugaas to help you understand her body language, what she is 'telling' you. 
It is great that you have hired professional help, however, ensure that they are using reward based/positive reinforcement methods in their training. Punishing/correcting a dog that is fearful or 'aggressive', runs a very high risk of teaching the dog/confirming their fears that 'bad' things do happen in the presence of other dogs. A couple of questions you should ask the trainer: What happens when my dog gets it 'wrong'? What happens when she gets it right? What type of training equipment do you use? 'Training' collars (choke collars, prong collars) are a red flag.
With time, and appropriate help she could get better, but may never be reliable of in situations with multiple other dogs, it may be just 'too much' for her to handle. That does not mean that she and you cannot have a full and normal happy life, it just means that you may need to be mindful/aware of the types of situations that you put her in.


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## Apesan (Aug 23, 2013)

Thanks for your feedback. I ruled out several training programs because they use e-collars in ways that we just aren't comfortable with. The woman we are going with doesn't typically use an e-collar and doesn't plan to use one with us. She uses a reward based system and really works with us so that we learn to read our dog's subtle body language changes. 

I am very ready to meet with her and see where this takes us. 

At first I was very upset with the whole situation. Now I'm looking at it like a puzzle-something we have to work on to figure out-and I'm confident that with time, patience, guidance and training we will find ways to make our pup more comfortable/relaxed and learn which situations are good for her and which are not. 

I'm feeling much better about things, especially since she had such a positive experience with my brother's puppy. If she only plays with dogs she knows really well, I'll be good with that.

Thanks again for your support and I will order the book!


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## Goldylover2 (May 1, 2014)

The trainer I went to has been in the business for 28 years and he uses prong collars and e-collars when needed. He trained my pup who was aggressive in the house and he suggested a prong collar and e-collar. I was hesitate on using the e-collar at first. But it's a great tool if trained to use it. The prong collar has been on our pup since he was around 7 months old. He's almost 14 months now and his aggression in the house is gone.


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