Nadine W: My dog hates other dogs!?
My dog doesnt bother other dogs when im walking him, but if dogs come up to him,, just to sniff, he will go mad, bark growel, and try to bite the other dog.
Once he had a fight with this little dog, and it ripped a piece of the dogs hair off. The dog was ok, but im scared if it will happen again. What if its a big dog he trys to attack next time,as my dog is only little, he will stand no chance against a big dog.I also really want another dog, but i cant cos my dog hates them.
Answers and Views:
Answer by TONY
you must have a pit bull.....oops wasn't supposed to say that!
Answer by Pluffdaddy
call a trainer guy or something to see if he can break the habit, but he could just be really territorial or protective of you. my neighbor has a dog named pumpkin (also a small dog) whos friendly to people he knows, but once after i hadn't seen him in a while he went insane trying to bite me when i got near him and his owner. so he might just be really protective of you
Answer by ♀♥♥Edward Cuℓℓεns Wifε™♥♥♀
Well take him to a vet, see what's wrong. And if nothing happens for the next week or even a month, you have to get rid of him.
And then you would have no problem on any dog fights, or dog -not- liking -other-dog.
I ♥ dogs, they are my whole life but sometimes it's going to have to be that way.
Answer by Nancy B
Terriers are likely to be aggressive to other dogs. It is part of their personalites. What I would do is take him out and give him a small delicious treat when you start seeing another dog. Then gradually over days let him get closer to other dogs continually giving him treats.
Back off when he shows aggression. He will begin to associate other dogs with yummy treats.
Answer by Haleigh
How old is your dog? How much socialization did your dog get as a puppy, if he's an adult?
I would start a very strict desensitization process. Get your dog a Halti, or a Gentle Leader. The people at petsmart can help with sizing. They are just like horse halters. You have total control of the head (which, in turn can control the body), and can control the mouth to prevent biting. You can jerk on the leash, though, because it can injure necks like that.
The biggest thing is to NEVER NEVER EVER correct behavior like this. From your first sentence (only if other dogs approach him), he seems to be fearful. You have an unconfident dog, who is trying to scare the other dogs away. He is scared. You need to protect your dog by being very firm with other people. If you are at the pet store and someone walks up to you with another dog, you need to tell them to leave, or their dog will get bit. Not only is your dog a liability to other dogs, you need to protect his sanity.
I would start off with distance work. Start off with a friend (who has a really calm, unshakable dog) and walk around in a field. Have her start at one end, and you at the other. Slowly walk towards each other, and closely watch your dog. The moment he starts to stiffen up, back up and tell her to stop. This is your threshold. This is the point where he starts to feel threatened. Break out some tasty treats and work with him.
Practice sits, stays and watches. Do that for about 10 minutes for a few days, to the point where he can be totally stress free at that distance. Then, advance a couple steps. Keep doing that until you can have the dogs a few feet away from each other. Then you can bring in other dogs. The key to this is have him around stable dogs. Dog's energy bounces off each other like a ping pong tournament.
By genetics, they need to know who is weak, who is strong, who is afraid, who is stressed...etc. If one dog is afraid and barking, it can drive an uncofident dog up the wall.
Good luck!
Answer by Wheaten Mom
I have a reactive dog.
It takes dedication and a lot of commitment on your end.
You need to start a behavior modification program. To that end you should probably seek out a behaviorist. Even a couple of visits with one may be of great benefit to you and your dog. Someone who has a great positive approach.
Training classes also might be good. See if your local place has a reactive rover class.
Beyond that, right now, you need to be proactive. When a dog comes near you, does your dog stiffen up? Does he preemptive growl? You need to manage his world. Do not let dogs corner him, yes even if your dog is leashed. Wait on the dog meet and greets for right now.
Look up Nothing In Life Is Free (NILIF).
Books- almost too many to name but...
Aggression in Dogs (Brenda Aloff)
Calming Signals (Turid Rugaas)
Canine Body Language: A Photographic Guide (Brenda Aloff)
Cautious Canine (Patricia McConnell)
Feisty Fido (Patricia McConnell)
Fight! (Jean Donaldson)
Focus Not Fear (Ali Brown)
Answer by Caitlin T
There are many things that can be causing this behavior. Was your dog abused or neglected bfr you got him? If so your dog might fear that happening to him again. Also if your dog was used in fights bfr this can also cause major agression issues. I would consult a person that specializes in dog behavior so that an incident like this doesn't happen again.
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