Dog to Dog Aggression
85"Listen" to your dog.
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When dealing with dog-to-dog aggression, it is important to listen to your dog.
There are many reasons why your dog may be reacting aggressively to another dog. He may be afraid, he may be stressed because his space is being violated, he may feel the need to dominate, he may be protective of you, he may be very curious, or he may just be overly excited. Try to understand what he is trying to tell you.
As soon as you see that your dog is starting to get stressed, you should step in and interrupt before the situation escalates. You should also take your dog's age, health, temperament, and preferences into account when coming up with solutions for dog behavioral problems such as dog aggression.
Dog-to-Dog Aggression Tip 1
Be calm and assertive.
Dogs are very sensitive to what their human is feeling. My dog picks up on what I'm feeling and reflects it, with a hundred times more intensity. Sometimes I am not even conscious of feeling nervous or stressed, but my dog notices it.
Once I start to calm myself down, my dog's behavior also improves.
A common mistake when meeting other dogs is to tense up and get fearful of what your dog may do. If you are afraid, your dog will be a hundred times more afraid and that will likely trigger an aggressive reaction.
Be careful not to put undue or continuous tension on the leash. Also, do not pull your dog straight back as that will likely cause a lunge forward response. To remove your dog, pull him to the side and quickly walk him past the other dog.
Dog-to-Dog Aggression Tip 2
Ignore, Ignore, Ignore - Teach your dog avoidance.
When you see another dog, just ignore it and move along.
I have found that avoidance is most effective when **I** ignore the other dog and owner as well, i.e. no eye contact. I just keep my eyes forward and pass the other dog. That way your dog is learning from you that when we see another dog, we avoid, rather than confront.
Be careful not to crowd your dog. If he feels trapped between you and another dog, he may think he has no choice but to react aggressively. Do not stand still while trying to tug your dog away. Move away and your dog will come along with you. At the same time, you are creating space so that your dog will not feel trapped.
Do not let your dog obsess (i.e. unblinking stare) on the other dog. Sometimes my Shiba Inu will drop into a stalking-down-position, stare, and wait for the other dog to pass. Some people think that he is such a good dog for doing a Down when other dogs are coming towards him, but he is actually just waiting to pounce.
Do not allow this bad behavior, do not let your dog practice it, do not even let him think about it. Just move him along whenever you see another dog. If the other dog is somehow blocking you (e.g. if the owner is unable to control it) then turn back and walk away. Do not stare the other dog down and do not confront him, either through posture or by physically engaging him.
Challenging unknown dogs is a good way to get bitten.
Dog Aggression
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Dog-to-Dog Aggression Tip 3
Create space or block the other dog.
Another way to handle dog-to-dog aggression is to create space between your dog and the other dog by moving across the road, or into a driveway, and waiting for the other dog to pass. You may also move your dog behind a barrier (e.g. a car). If there are no barriers available, blocking your dog's view with your body is another possibility.
By doing this, you avoid a head on, more confrontational, passing.
I have tried all of these blocking techniques, but what still works best for me is to quickly move past the other dog. Whenever I wait for the other dog to pass, my dog uses that time to start obsessing. Dog treats and trying to get his attention do not work at this point because the other dog is too close and my dog is no longer listening.
The nice thing about walking my dog briskly past the other dog is that he has less time to stare, and he can't fully obsess because he must partly focus on walking.
This method of blocking, however, may work better for a fearful dog.
Be careful not to let your fearful dog forcefully pull you away as that may reinforce his phobia. Instead, create as much space as possible and move him behind some barriers. Then distract him from the other dog by doing simple commands and by using very high priority treats.
Some trainers suggest turning and walking away when you see another dog rather than passing him, or waiting for him to pass.
There are two problems with this method:
- If you turn away, the other dog will be following you and that usually causes your dog to keep looking back. I have tried this, and indeed my Shiba Inu keeps looking back.
- If you keep turning away, you may meet other dogs and get boxed in; especially if there are many dogs in your neighborhood.
Dog-to-Dog Aggression Tip 4
Create neutral experiences.
Create as many neutral dog-to-dog meeting experiences as possible. If every time your dog sees another dog, you just pass by and nothing interesting happens, he will be less aggressive towards other dogs.
Being consistent with neutral greetings will build your dog's confidence. Through repetition, you are teaching him how to behave (just avoid and move along), and how not to behave (show dog-to-dog aggression), when another dog comes along. He will be more calm because he is not waiting in anticipation of a highly charged encounter, either for play or for confrontation.
Do not let your dog practice any aggressive behaviors when meeting other dogs. The more he practices, the more aggressive he will be.
If your dog becomes aggressive during a walk, try to end the walk as soon as possible. Once in this mode, his adrenaline levels will be high for a fair duration and he will likely react aggressively to all the dogs that you meet. In this state, he will no longer be capable of learning, and will only be practicing dog aggressive behaviors.
Dog-to-Dog Aggression Tip 5
Protect your dog from rude dogs and rude people.
If your dog is aggressive to dogs, keep him away from people and dogs with weak energy (e.g. fearful, excited, or frustrated energy). Keep other dogs and owners from coming into your dog's space. I usually just say a quick 'hi' to the people I meet, and move on.
If people with weak energy stop and want to meet my dog, I ask them nicely to move on because my dog is an excitable dog. It is fine and good to let your dog meet people with calm energy, but make sure to let them know how to best greet your dog, e.g. turn away when your dog jumps, no quick movements, no petting from above.
Dog-to-Dog Aggression Tip 6
Use positive interrupts and keep encounters short.
If you are greeting another dog, you want to positively interrupt your dog every so often and make him refocus on you. Positively interrupt him many times if necessary so that he does not lose control of himself.
Whenever my dog is meeting a new dog I interrupt him after a very short duration (2-3 seconds). I quickly move/jog away from the other dog, while giving the positive interrupt command, e.g. Hey, hey. Initially, you may have to lightly tug your dog while moving away. Treat your dog for moving towards you on a loose leash. Make sure to treat well.
If your dog is too obsessed to move away and is strongly standing his ground, then you have waited too long to initiate the positive interrupt. The positive interrupt is also useful for dealing with human greetings, getting your dog away from a dirty/dangerous area, and getting your dog away from a dangerous object.
The key to a successful positive interrupt is to catch your dog early enough before he starts to obsess.
Dog-to-Dog Aggression Tip 7
Be aware that your dog's natural look may trigger a dog aggressive reaction.
Some dogs, (e.g. spitz dogs) have a natural look (ears up, hair out, tail up) that is a very confident and dominant dog posture. This dominant look may instigate other dogs to respond in kind and start posturing as well. Dog to dog aggression could occur and ultimately a dog fight; if neither dog is willing to back down.
If you are unsure about a dog greeting, then just move on.
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Dog-to-Dog Aggression Tip 8
Desensitize your dog towards other dogs.
In the desensitization process, you get your dog to focus on you instead of other dogs or objects in the environment. Find some balanced, low energy dogs that you can practice desensitization exercises with. Have a friend engage the other dog so that he is staying in a fixed position and not focused on your dog.
Take your dog a far distance away, and get his attention by calling his name. If he looks at you, praise him, treat him, and move forward. Keep doing this until you get to a point where he won't give you his attention anymore. Then non-mark him (uh-oh) and move back and away from the other dog. Try and get your dog's attention again and once he gives it to you, stop, praise, and treat.
You can let him sit and watch the other dog as long as he is willing to give you his attention when you ask for it. Once you are comfortable with this, you may start moving forward towards the other dog again.
Make sure to stop before your dog starts obsessing and long before he becomes aggressive. If your dog becomes aggressive, then end the session. As you make progress, you may slowly increase the strength of the stimulus, for example, by letting the calm dog start moving and/or by getting a more energetic dog.
The desensitization process can be long and difficult. Dogs with lower "instinct thresholds" (the point at which they lose control and switch to instinct) will be much harder to desensitize. For desensitization to be successful, it is important to keep your dog below his instinct threshold at all times. However, consistent practice will also help to raise this threshold.
What to Expect from Dog-to-Dog Aggression Training
Do not expect too much, at once, from your dog. Make sure to treat and praise your dog very well if he voluntarily engages in avoidance maneuvers when faced with another dog. This includes looking away from the direction of the other dog, smelling and exploring the environment, or looking to you for direction.
Treat and praise even for small avoidance moves, e.g. looking away for only 1 second. If your dog will not accept treats from you, then he is too far gone and it is best to lead him away. Treats are only effective, for shaping behavior, when your dog is still thinking and not operating on instinct.
Keep practicing the exercises above with your dog and he will improve. As he matures, he will become more confident, be less dog aggressive, and be more comfortable around new things.
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Comments
You are definitely right on here Jim. My neighborhood is the same way and maybe even a bit worse because there are dogs that get really barky and growly when on walks with their owners. Mine used to be that way too :-) I suppose many of the dogs bark because 1. the have too much energy and have barrier frustration; 2. they are trying to protect their den. It is something that is difficult to stop unless owners are home most of the time, which is rarely the case. Doggie day care or getting a dog walker can be helpful in these situations.
Your dog sounds wonderful :) She must be a beauty too - I really love the way chow mixes look.
My dog is very good on walks with other dogs and gets a lot of exercise. He follows commands well, but whenever meeting a dog face on, he has about 3 seconds before he lunges and bites it. This is a new behavior that I have been dealing with for a few months and it eliminates a lot of possibilities when it comes to dog sitting/boarding/playtime. He is a pitbull so I very much want to have a balanced dog so the stereotypes don't continue on. I am just asking if there is anyway to help him meet other dogs and play/avoid without attacking them.
Hi Alexandra,
The best thing to do is to practice desensitization exercises with other dogs. It is probably a good idea to use a basket muzzle during these exercises so that you will be more relaxed, and so that nothing really bad will happen.
I have listed out the general steps to take in desensitizing a dog to other dogs in Tip 8 above. You will need someone else with a very calm dog to work with you initially.
I would also look into getting a positive reinforcement professional trainer. A trainer will be able to observe your dog in real time and be able to accurately diagnose what the source of the aggression is - dominance, fear, or something else. This will help you come up with a better training plan for your dog.
For example, my Shiba Inu does not like it when new dogs sniff his butt because it is a dominance move. So when he meets dogs, I don't let them go there until he is more familiar with them.
The more you know about the aggression triggers, the better it will be and a professional trainer will be able to help you with that.
I have a shepard/huskey mix, she is afraid of other dogs. If a dog approaches on our walks she will try to run. She has on one occassion slipped out of her collar and ran home. We have since then made sure her collar was tighter for our walks. We adopted her from the spca about a year ago, she is now approximately 3 years old. We have been trying to help her with her fear by going to the dog park and socializing from a distance, we will eventually venture closer as she feels more comfortable. When dogs approach her she gets whines, barks and gets aggressive. None of my friends own dogs for us to practice with. We did have another dog (we had to put her down because of old age) when we adopted her and she got along excellent with her. Any suggestions?
I would visit the SPCA you got her from and talk to the trainers there. I am thinking that it could be useful to enroll her in a group class so that she can focus on you and doing commands when there are other dogs around. That will be a very positive experience for her, but only if the space where they hold the classes is large enough that she doesn't get too fearful.
Talk to the trainers at the SPCA and you could even do some tests with bringing her into the classroom and then bringing in another dog to see how she reacts.
The trainers at my SPCA were very helpful in terms of coming up with different scenarios for my dog. Given that you adopted your dog from them, they should definitely be willing to help.
If you think that a group class would be too much at this point, then consider doing some private sessions with the SPCA trainers - where it is just you, your dog, the trainer, and another dog. Both pairs start off being far from each other and doing commands. Then you can walk a bit closer, stop, and do more commands. I used to do this at my SPCA to help get my dog focus on me when there are other dogs around.
Hope this helps. Let me know how it goes.
Would love to see pictures of your girl. I love the look of both shepherds and huskies.
I have visited the SPCA where she came from and they did not have her very long, maybe two weeks before we adopted her. She was found wondering on a major highway, a concerned person stopped and coaxed her into his vehicle and brought her to the SPCA. We only have one trainer in town and there is a waiting list to get into any class. They recently moved from the space they were holding classes and have not found new space yet. We live a 5 hour drive from the nearest city. I am kinda on my own with this one. I appreciate any advice you can give me. I will definately post a picture, she is beautiful.
Hello Tammy,
Btw, what is your dog's name?
Is she afraid of dog noises as well? What about if she sees a dog on television?
I was thinking that you could start by doing desensitization exercises with soft dog noises that you play from your computer. Then you can slowly increase the volume as she gets more comfortable with it. Then you can move on to a dog on television.
If she is already unafraid of both these scenarios, then the next stage is to practice with other dogs. Are there a lot of dogs that pass by your house?
My Sibe used to be really afraid of the garbage truck. She would get really wild, and want to rush home. So I started desensitizing her to the garbage truck from inside the house. Every garbage day morning I would sit with her and do desensitization when the garbage truck came.
Then I moved on to having her on leash, and sitting with her by the door. Then we progressed to sitting on our lawn and so on.
If there are a fair number of dogs that pass by your house, perhaps you could try something similar? Dogs are usually a lot more confident on their home turf so it is easier for them to face their fears when doing it close to home.
The goal is just to get her to focus on you and ignore the other dogs. At this point, do not do any greetings.
In terms of dogs you see on the street, try to always create as much space as possible. Go far into driveways if you have to, cross the street, etc. But you want to keep random encounters to a minimum while you are desensitizing her so that she never has to go into full flight mode.
Try to meet and make friends with the calm and balanced dogs in your neighborhood (when you are alone). Calm dogs are usually pretty rare in most neighborhoods - but if there are some, they can be a great resource.
Hello! Her name is Tika. Dog noises don't bother her, when I have to leave her in her kennel we have the Animal Channel on for her. lol I know it is more my comfort than hers, but she is not startled by outside noise then. When she is in the vehicle and sees another dog outside she gets excited and very interested to go to it. Open the door and she will not leave the vehicle. Our friends that live in our town do not have dogs. I have on one occasion had a person walking a dog on our street and asked them if I could bring Tika out to see their dog. When I did, Tika was normal not afraid when she was in her own yard. The dog was a small dog and seemed balance and calm. I have not seen them since. Normally on our walks we do avoid any contact with other dogs. I really worry because while we were on holidays this summer, we were walking her and another dog (small one) ran up to her then just before it approached her it turned and ran from her. As soon as it ran from her, she chased it. She caught it and pinned it down, she seemed to be acting on instinct for as soon as she seemed to realize what she had, she let go of it and ran back to us. She didn't hurt it not even a scratch. She is a tall and strong we were lucky that the she did not harm the small dog. We also have a cat who shares our household. Tika gets along great with JD. In fact JD will tackle Tika and take her to the floor. JD is about the same size of Tikas head! The odd time that Tika has caused JD to squeal, because she has been too rough, Tika stops playing immediately with her. I have been going for long walks with her that end with us at the dog park. She is usually a little tired by the time we get there. There is also dog jumps and tubes and slides there that I have been introducing her to. Mainly to distract her from the other dogs. We stop at at spot away from the other dogs and rest, she has started relaxing and wanting her belly rubbed. She is still very stressed and aggressive when we leave as we are ultimately approached by a dog. She is fine with the owners! Should I continue with the dog park visits? Is there anything else I can do? I am interested in adopting another dog but I don't want her anxieties to rub off. Her and I need to deal with this first. We are not in a hurry to adopt but purhaps in the next year or so.
lol Tammy, cats really rule don't they? :)
Yeah, my Husky has really strong prey instinct as well. She gets tense when she sees stray cats about, so I have been slowly desensitizing her to them. Cats are easier though because most of the time they are lying about sunning themselves - so they are a nice stationary target that I can use for desensitization.
The only issue with dog parks is that they tend to be overly busy with too many dogs and it may be too much stimulus for a dog. However, it sounds like you have done a lot of research on this, know what you are doing, and are staying far enough away, so it sounds pretty good.
Getting her relaxed in a spot away with tummy rubs is really good. You can also do some training exercises with her - mostly involving movement to keep her distracted.
Once she is totally ok with being a certain distance away, you can slowly reduce that distance. Bring her a few steps closer the next day etc. Make sure not to push her too fast, too quickly. You want to do it at her pace.
Another thing that would be useful, is to train her to focus on you when she gets fearful. So bring her one step closer, call her name, and treat her for giving you her attention. And then just keep repeating so that in the future, when she sees dogs, that will be her cue to look at you.
Don't move her too close to the other dogs before she is ready. It is ok to let her sit and watch as long as she is calm and willing to give you her attention. If it looks like she is starting to get stressed, move her back a few steps.
If other dogs approach, you could try to body block the other dog from getting too close. In this way, Tika learns that you do the protecting, so she doesn't have to herself.
The toughest part in this process I think, is controlling our own energy. It is difficult not to tense up a bit when dogs approach my Shiba because he can get somewhat reactive to certain dogs. He also does not like strange dogs sniffing his butt so I protect him from that. But I am still working on staying totally calm because if I get tense, this will transfer to my Shiba.
Hope this helps. Let me know how it goes and what works well for Tika. This is a difficult issue that I am also helping my Shiba with.
I have bull mastiff mix, Sahara, and a mutt, Tuna. They have grown up since they were puppies together. There has never been an issue of Sahara showing agression towards me or my boyfriend, but she often (approx 1x per week lately) attacks Tuna. I can not see any precursers to her attacks and they are often quite agressive, leaving Tuna bloody and shook up. Tuna is nothing but a submissive dog who immediately rolls over and urinates when Sahara attacks. So far we've tried doing nothing - not scolding Sahara or coddling Tuna and tying Sahara up for a time out after wards. Even though we know Sahara knows what she has done is wrong as she hangs her head and walks to place we chain her, this does not seem to deter her from doing it again. What can we do?
Hello Angela,
It sounds quite serious, so it may be best to get a professional trainer who can observe them in real time, and identify the root of the issue.
In general you want to manage Sahara so that you reduce these aggressive episodes. The more she does it, the more it will become a habit, which you want to prevent at all costs. You want to set her up for success, and teach her alternate behaviors when the trigger event occurs (a trainer can help identify what the trigger event is).
For now, it may be best to keep them separated when they are not closely supervised.
You can also start to desensitize Sahara to Tuna. Engage Sahara and be in the room with her (have her on leash and hold the leash to keep things safe. Just with a flat-collar.). Then have your bf bring in Tuna (also on leash). As soon as Tuna enters the room, engage Sahara in doing commands and play and make sure to treat her well for staying calm and ignoring Tuna. Then have Tuna leave, and stop treating.
This will start in helping her re-associate Tuna with positive things. If Sahara obsesses on Tuna, and will not engage with you, then take Tuna out, and the next time, try bringing him in from farther away.
Try repeating this many times every day, while at the same time keeping them separated so that no negative encounters occur.
Let us know how things go.
Thanks for your help. We will definitely try this desensitizing exercise, although except during the actual attacks, the 2 are best friends - running around, kissing, sleeping, and playing together. However, Sahara can get quite jealous if you're calling Tuna's name or only petting Tuna - she always nudges her way between.
Sahara is also sometimes aggressive towards our gardener. She has never bit him or pushed him over, but she nips and jumps around him. To see it, you might think she was going to attack him, but she has never actually hurt him. He is scared of her and I think she senses that.
Again, thanks for your fast response and your guidance. We're looking for a trainer to see if we can't get this sorted.
Getting a 'professional' to observe is a good idea, but finding a good dog professional is every bit as hard as finding a good plumber, a good lawyer, a good painter, etc.
It's very catch-22-like, in that if you are good at spotting a qualified dog trainer then you probably don't Need one. The universe has a weird sense of humor.
If you could post a video of the behavior it would be most helpful. Short of that, in what you wrote you said 3 things that are possible clues: you chain Sahara, he nudges between you and Tuna, and you do nothing to correct the behaviors. The chaining makes me think Sahara gets insufficient exercise, building up frustrated energy seeking an outlet. The nudging in between is a dominant behavior, as is the nipping of the gardener, and your failure to correct these behaviors just reinforces in the dog's mind that the pack is His to lead.
The dogs know each other well and for a long time, so the desensitization advice makes no sense to me (sorry Shibashake). Sahara is asserting himself over Tuna when he nudges, and with the gardener, because you are not taking that role. You must get the dogs to think of themselves as team members, with you as the coach, not Separate them but Unite them. Separating them just creates two competing packs. You want One pack, with you as the leader.
Asserting your leadership role is a life-long job. Cesar Millan's Dog Whisperer show has lots of useful examples of specifics. He always says to begin each day by taking them both for a long disciplined walk, together, with you in the lead. It gives them needed exercise both physically, and if done right, mentally. When Sahara nudges between you and Tuna, correct it immediately. MUse feeding time to again assert your leadership role. When Sahara tries to dominate the gardener, correct it -- pretend the gardener is a baby, not a grown adult, and act to protect it, not leave it to defend itself. Give the gardener some treats to give to the dog and help the gardener become another pack leader himself -- all the humans need to be seen as top dogs, not just you.
Buy one of Cesar's books, or even his new magazine, for much more helpful information. He's an Expert on misbehavior in dogs and the training of their owners. If you decide to use a professional, asking what he/she thinks of Cesar is an excellent predictor of how much the person will be able to help you.
Thanks for your comment. Having the gardener spend time with Sahara using treats and commands is definitely a great idea. As far as chaining and exercise - Sahara is only chained after she attacks Tuna and only for 30 minutes. She hates being chained even for this short time as she cries and moans but she definitely associates it with her attacks on Tuna because she walks to the chain after she's attacked Tuna without being dragged. I think she could get more exercise from walks which she currently is only getting 1-2 times a week but they do have a half acre yard that they run around in. My goal from now is to walk them everyday.
You're right about finding a trainer as well, especially as we live in Uganda and most we have found are training guard dogs not managing behavior problems which would be the opposite thing we need for Sahara.
What is the best way to correct Sahara when she nudges between us and Tuna? Or nips at the gardener? We often say no or ah ah. Sometimes my boyfriend flicks her on the nose which from what I've read is not useful in correcting this behavior.
All bad behavior when spotted is repremanded vocally which Sahara responds to, but it does not seem to deter her from doing it in the future.
We will try to get some of this on video, but it's very sporadic and usually completely unexpected by us.
Thanks again for all your help.
Hello Angela,
"What is the best way to correct Sahara when she nudges between us and Tuna? Or nips at the gardener? We often say no or ah ah. Sometimes my boyfriend flicks her on the nose which from what I've read is not useful in correcting this behavior."
There are generally two schools of dog training - aversive training and reward training. I started with aversive training (collar corrections, alpha rolls, flick on muzzle, etc.) and it did not work out well for my Shiba Inu. After I switched to reward training, things got a lot better.
Here is an article about the pros-and-cons of the two types of training -
http://www.shibashake.com/dog-obedience/dog-obedie
Also, there are many people who disagree with some of Cesar Millan's dog training methods. Here is an article from the American Humane Association about Cesar Millan's dog training -
http://www.americanhumane.org/about-us/newsroom/ne
Here are some of my articles about Cesar Millan -
http://www.shibashake.com/cesar-millan-dog-whisper
There often are many disagreements between people who support reward training vs. aversive training. When it comes to dog training, everyone seems to be an expert and will tell you what is the 'right' way to bring up your dog. :) It is best to go through the information and decide which most suits your dogs' temperament and what you want from your human-dog relationship.
Personally, I think that physically correcting Sahara would be a bad idea. Desensitization is a better way to go because you will be teaching her to view Tuna as something positive rather than someone who competes for your attention. You are not desensitizing Sahara to Tuna, but rather to the 'trigger event' - i.e. the event that causes the aggression. Just as having the gardener give treats to Sahara creates a positive association, you want to create the same positive association for Sahara and Tuna for the 'trigger' event - which could be competition for resources (e.g. food, attention, etc.).
In terms of the nudging, I would verbally correct, and then body block her away. She has to stay away from you for a while. Then let her come back in -and just repeat. If she escalates, I would put her in time-out. But if she comes back and does not nudge, then make sure to praise her and reward her for her good behavior. Usually it is best if time-out is in a boring room, e.g. laundry room so that there is no visual stimulus to get her more excited.
In general you want to interrupt and stop Sahara before she escalates into a fight. The less she practices fighting, the less likely she will do it in the future. That is why it is important to identify what the trigger event is so that you can interrupt before things escalate.
If it is indeed competition for your affection which is the trigger event, then you can do desensitization exercises based on that. For example, start by having Sahara on a leash and have you bf hold her a distance away. Then you can give attention to Tuna. At the same time have your bf engage Sahara and treat her for being calm and not showing any aggression wrt. you giving attention to Tuna. If Sahara is acting very well, then your bf can slowly move her towards you and Tuna. If she starts to show signs of aggression, then non-mark and move her away. This teaches her that being calm gets her good rewards but showing aggression gets her no attention and no rewards.
We have a three year old female shiba, Sophie. Today, we rescued another female shiba (age unknown). The new female is very aggressive toward Sophie and attacks her if she gets close. Sophie cowers and shakes when she just sees the new dog. I would like to overcome this aggressive behavior. Any suggestions? For now, we are keeping the two dogs apart. The new dog is very loving and gentle, except when she is around other dogs. Thanks.
Hi Karen,
The new dog probably sees Sophie as competition for resources - (your attention, food, etc.)
I would try to desensitize the new dog to the presence of Sophie so that she re-associates Sophie with something positive, rather than as competition.
Engage the new Shiba and be in the room with her (have her on leash and hold the leash to keep things safe. Just with a flat-collar.). Then have someone else bring in Sophie (also on leash).
As soon as Sophie enters the room, engage the new Shiba in doing commands and play and make sure to treat her well for staying calm and ignoring Sophie. Then have Sophie leave, and stop the food and attention.
This will help the new Shiba learn that when Sophie is around, good, positive things happen. If the new shiba obsesses on Sophie, and will not engage with you, then take Sophie away and, try bringing her in from farther away. Make sure Sophie has fun too during these exercises so that she becomes less fearful of the other Shiba.
As things improve, you can slowly (very slowly) bring Sophie closer and closer. If the new Shiba becomes reactive - then you have moved forward too quickly so just move Sophie back and repeat the exercise.
I think what you are doing with separating the dogs is already a good step because it reduces the number of aggressive episodes. By reducing the number of negative encounters and increasing the number of positive experiences, things can only improve.
Good luck and two big paws up to you for rescuing a Shiba.
Hi!
I had emailed you recently about the Siberian I adopted and I really appreciate the tips. The leash training techniques have been working great :). But she is very on edge whenever she sees other dogs or animals like cats or squirrels,I can see that she instantly tenses up and points straight in their direction. If other dogs get too close she will automatically either growl, bark or even nip at them. Which is the complete opposite of when she is in the house, she is so well behaved it is unbelievable.
Another question I have is that since we just got her yesterday, I think she misses her old home a lot which I figured would be the case. Since she came from a very loving home, but they just couldn't keep her anymore. As I said before she is extremely well behaved indoors, but it is kind of hard to get her attention and she seems bored a lot while we are inside. I was wondering if you have any suggestions for this? Maybe some games or techniques that might grab her attention.
Thanks :)
Hello Ricardo,
My Siberian also has very high prey drive so she gets really obsessed with cats and squirrels. Whenever I see such things, I will try and get her attention. If she gives it to me, she gets rewarded, and she gets to stay and watch - as long as she gives me her attention when I ask for it. If she is too obsessed, I move her farther away from the trigger object and try again. If she is just too amped up, we leave the area.
For dog-to-dog aggression, the techniques above helped with my reactive Shiba Inu. For now, you want to make seeing dogs be a neutral experience (i.e. nothing happens) so that she doesn't always wait in anticipation for an explosive greeting. For now, it may be best not to let her meet and greet random dogs.
At the same time, you want to try and desensitize her to other dogs in a controlled environment. Get a friend with a calm dog to help you with desensitization exercises.
Note though that dog-to-dog reactivity training can be a lot of work and can take a long time. The important first step is to just get her to ignore other dogs.
As for getting her attention and forming a bond - that will take time. I would just leave her be for a bit, and let her come to you rather than the other way around. Make sure she gets rewarded well when she comes to you and chooses to interact with you on her own. She will come around once she has some time to adapt to the big changes in her life.
She sounds like a real sweetie and I am glad she found a great new home :)
Hi Shiba,
So it has been a full week so we adopted our new Siberian Sasha. I feel like she has finally relaxed and started to enjoy her new home. We have been able to minimize her pulling which I am very surprised with, I thought that it would take longer. Her Dog aggression is still there but we are slowly working on that.
But the thing that worries me the most is that she is SO lazy, it is unbelievable. She will not work for anything and only gives you her attention when she wants. It is next to impossible to get her attention, she barely responds to her name or when we try to call her. Especially when we are outside, she has the worst case of selective hearing. Which leads me to believe that she was VERY spoiled in her old home and got whatever she wanted when SHE wanted.
Any ideas on how to break this habit? Squeak toys are the one thing that grab her attention, but they don't work when we are outside. She also barely takes treats while we are outside and try to reward her for good behavior.
Any suggestions?
Thanks
Hello Ricardo,
Glad to hear that things are going so well.
"But the thing that worries me the most is that she is SO lazy, it is unbelievable."
lol - sounds like my Shiba. He is also not very food motivated. But he truly loves his freedom to explore, and he really likes new things. Therefore, I make him work for those things that he likes best.
There are also certain foods that he likes more than others, and that can motivate him to work as well - especially when he is hungry.
When I need him to do something(e.g. teeth brushing), I make sure he is more on the hungry side, then I bring out one of his favorite foods and he is usually very willing to work in those times.
You have only had Sasha for a week, and already you have done so much. It will take some time to build a bond and for her to start looking to you for direction. It will take some time to observe her and see what she likes best, then use those things to motivate her.
Siberians are an independent breed though, so they will always think for themselves - but with time and a good relationship, they will take what you have to say into account :)
Here are some games I play with my dogs -
http://hubpages.com/hub/Dog-Play-Fun-Games-to-Play
My Sibe also has great fun playing with interactive food toys and she loves to dig :)
We have a 10 month old shiba inu mix. She is very hyper and and excited dog. She pulls on the leash when we give her walks and always barks and growls when there are people or another dog nearby. She also will not go outside when we tell her to we have to physically pick her up and put her outside everyday. And when we do this she growls and bites. We do not know how to help her become a well balanced dog, we have seeked training at a retail store but it did not work. Any suggestions??
Hello shibashake,
i seem to be having problems whenever i walk my two shibas and i was wondering if you have any advice for training them...
Whenever i walk them they always fight when a person or dog comes into veiw. They dont try to attack the people or dog, its just like they see something and they just start fighting. Having this problem makes it vary difficult because i have to walk the dogs to get them to pee but then theres always complications.
I really enjoyed reading your tips and have been trying to apply them where I can. We've had a boxer/border collie mix that is the sweetest dog we could have ever asked for. He was adopted from the SPCA after being there for 6 months and is clearly well socialized. He never fights with any of the dogs at our local dog park which we take him there very often.
We recently adopted a shepard mix puppy so he would have a friend at the house. She couldn't be more the opposite. At the park she seems to bark at everything, but usually plays pretty well. However, in the house, she is very aggresive to our resident dog. Jackson, our first dog is 1 1/2 years ago, full of energy and loves to play. The puppy was the first and only dog i've ever seen to get jackson riled up to the point of snarling and snapping.
We are trying to have the two play together at the park, and give them treats when they are being nice around each other. I know this is quite the story, but we're really worried jackson and molly wont be able to play nice. Any situation specific tips?
Aggressive Dog in the News
- Aggressive dog needs to be put on a short leashToronto Sun27 hours ago
Dear John: We have a one-year-old adorable Labrador which has acquired a very bad habit which so far have defied all efforts to change. She is fearless and very aggressive towards other dogs. It unfortunately makes her a menace to herself and other dogs. Is there a cure for such behaviour?
- Dog killed during disputeColumbia Daily Tribune3 days ago
Columbia police shot and killed an aggressive dog Friday morning while responding to a domestic assault call.
- He speaks the dogs' languageThe Record and Herald News22 hours ago
"Dog Whisperer" Cesar Millan shares his tips on canine behavior problems when he speaks in Englewood Monday.
jim10 says:
15 months ago
I have black lab mixed with a chow and she is always very friendly. Often times I will be walking her and other dogs will start barking at her so then she wants to go see them and of course they just keep barking. It seems like so many of the dogs in my neighborhood are pretty territorial. They seem fine when they are on a leash and walking with their owner, but when they are in their yard they bark at everything that goes by.