How do I stop my dog from being aggressive to new dogs.

[Spirit]

Originally Posted by pitgrrl

I think it's worth adding to this, since I don't think it was mentionned anywhere, that if the dog gets so focused on whatever it's reacting to, you need to move back and find the dog's threshold. By this I mean, find the distance at which the dog can see the other dog, but is not so wound up that they cannot accept treats.
As you make progress, you can close the distance between your dog and others until you're able to pass a dog on the street, for example, without having a little doggie hissy fit.

This is very true (and effective).

I also want to add that when training, it's important to keep your goal in mind. If you want a calm submissive dog, make sure he/she sits calmly before flooding with treats (and flood in a calm manner). Otherwise you risk replacing the agressive behavior with an excited one (hense creating a whole other problem). Remember, agression is a form of excitement (in a manner of speaking). Neither emotion results in a calm state of mind.

[pitgrrl]

Originally Posted by Micky

I have a spayed male miniature poodle who is 9 years old I think he may be getting more aggressive as he gets older as he wasnt when he was younger. The other day he bit me on the hand quite hard when I was about to undo his harness and his food was nearby. He also growls and snaps at younger children and dogs and I'm afraid that if he bites a child he will have to be put down. Does anyone know how to please help me?

Originally Posted by FlynnMB

I wonder if anyone can help me, I got a puppy last March whose mother was a pure bred cocker and the father was a border collie he was 5 weeks old when I got him, he is now 11 months old and is a lovely family pet, we love him & he loves us. He is very aggressive to anyone who is not within the immediate family. He ran after my mother snarling and he bit her on the ankle, he didn't break the skin, it was, what I call, a gummy bite but my mother (who is 72) was terrified, children and the postman is terrified. What do I do? 'Cause I love him so much. His name is Hector

Not to be nit-picky, but I think it's important to differentiate between animal/dog aggression and human aggression. The original post was about dog aggression, which people provided good solutions and/or management suggestions for.

The following posts however, deal with human aggression, a potentially much more serious problem, not only for the person getting bitten, but the dog and owner. Personally, I wouldn't be relying on forums and cookies in those kind of situations, I would be getting a full vet check (if the behavior was new) to make sure nothing medical was going on and then making an appointment with a behaviorist ASAP.

[Prin]

The following posts however, deal with human aggression, a potentially much more serious problem, not only for the person getting bitten, but the dog and owner. Personally, I wouldn't be relying on forums and cookies in those kind of situations, I would be getting a full vet check (if the behavior was new) to make sure nothing medical was going on and then making an appointment with a behaviorist ASAP.

Great point, Pitgrrl.

[FlynnMB]

Hi Pitgrrl

I don't know why you think it's nit-picky it's a problem, admittedly more urgent than fighting with other dogs, but this isn't the only place I have gone for help, I have contacted a behaviourist and a vet and they will be getting back to me. This happened only 3 days ago.

Regards

[FlynnMB]

The behaviourist got back to me and she says that it is the mixed breed I'll quote

"Being the breed he is , he is a dog that was bred to chase. Collies are also very territorial. It is very important that he is put away when someone is arriving to or leaving the house. It should never be his concern who enters or leaves the property. If you are very concerned I would travel to see you in wexford. The cost would be 250 euro for an hour and a half session."

Should I call her in for help or is this poppycock?

[bevap]

Hello
All of the advice given sounds great! I am going to try the Bar open-bar closed technique on my aggressive little guy. He never has gotten along with other dogs at all. he is 4 yrs old. Is there anything special that I need to do for a smaller dog?

[pitgrrl]

I don't think the size of dog makes any difference, but re-reading this thread, it strikes me that the discussion, my posts included, sort of make it sound as if dog aggression is a black and white issue, which I think is misleading.

I'll use my own dog as an example. He was very reactive around other dogs, meaning he'd see a dog and flip out. Doing what has been described previously in this thread we made huge improvements to that point that he can go for walks in a pretty dog filled neighbourhood and remain calm.

Having gotten him, for the most part, over his reactivity, I now have a better idea of where he stands in terms of his dog tolerance. He can actually get along fine with quite a few dogs, mostly puppies, or calmer adult dogs. He has a very low tolerance, however, for pushy, overtly dominant or very boisterous adult dogs, even more so when they're large and male. This doesn't mean he can't walk by them, but I make it my business to protect his bubble of personal space.

My point in all this long windedness, is that I've found it more useful and accurate to talk about a spectrum of dog tolerance rather than just DA or not and to look at dog reactivity and/or leash reactivity as a distinct, though possibly connected, issue as well. Hopefully this is more useful than confusing