Dog-to-Dog Aggression
Question
My 2-year-old lab, Midnight, has recently become very aggressive with other dogs. When he was a puppy, I tried not to have him around other dogs too much, as the breeder suggested. He gets along really well with my sister’s golden and the poodle next door.
About a year ago, he was attacked by two Dalmatians, and, after that, he became cautious around other dogs. At first he would just bark. Then he started lunging and growling when we would pass dogs while out on our walks, so I started to walk very early in the morning or at times when I knew other dogs would not be around..
Then, last week we met up with a dog who was not on leash. The dog seemed friendly, but when he approached, Midnight lunged at him without warning and they started to fight. The owner of the other dog and I finally got them separated. This really upset me.
The final straw came yesterday. I was taking groceries into the house and trying to get Midnight out of the car and into the house. A woman was walking her little dog past our house. Midnight went flying out of the car and after the dog. The dog wasn’t hurt too badly, but the woman and I were really shaken up.
I just don’t know what to do. Midnight is really a sweet, lovable dog in every other way. Is there anything I can do to make him a more sociable dog again?
-Miriam from Andover
Response
Although we realize the futility at this point of pointing out the “should of’s” in your situation, Miriam”, for the sake of our other readers and their now and future pups, let’s take a look at the ideal scenario for a truly socialized puppy.
Although your breeder’s well intentioned advice was meant precisely to avoid the situation Midnight encountered with the Dalmatians, it would be best to qualify that advice: pups should not interact with other dogs in uncontrolled or unsupervised situations. Or to state it in positive terms, puppies need to socialize with other dogs frequently, but in controlled situations. Frequent early socialization with other dogs (and people of all ages and sexes) is an essential part of the formula for a friendly canine. Limiting a puppy’s social circle to just one or two dogs, like your sister’s and the neighbor’s, is not advisable; it does not provide sufficient exposure, so social skills are less likely to generalize to new dogs in new situations.
Even given proper socialization, dog fights do occur. What is important to understand is that (1) dogs act in the ways nature intended dogs to act,;(2)most fights are essentially a lot of noise and commotion and often result in little or no physical injury; and (3) often, a dog who has come to trust and depend on his owner as the leader will be less likely to feel the need to fight.
When a dog does begin to show signs of fear aggression—following a traumatic experience, for example—the reactions of the owner are crucial. Just as the electricity traveled down Ben Franklin’s kite, so too does an owner’s fear and nervousness travel down that leash. Of course, we realize that to tell the owner of a dog-aggressive dog to relax would be futile. It would be very difficult not to tense up every time another dog was in sight.
So what do you do? Well, the first rule of any canine behavior modification program is obedience training. An owner must have established a certain amount of trust and control before any real problem solving can begin, so early training of this type is essential; for some breeds and/or individual dogs it is crucial.
Given the many nuances of dogs and owners and resocialization programs and the limited space of this column., it is difficult to present a detailed, comprehensive guide for you and Midnight . Basically, a desensitization program would begin by placing Midnight where there are other dogs, but at a safe distance, maybe initially even in a car (over the weeks or months, the safe distance would become shorter). Then, with a variety of calming sensory techniques and rewards, Midnight would learn that good things happen when other dogs are present and he is relaxed. The techniques might utilize sound (intoning in a low, slow, calming voice) and/or touch (massaging the scruff, for example, if Midnight enjoys that area being touched) and/or smell (using aromatherapy). You would reward your dog in personally significant ways when he was relaxed and calm
Once the desensitization process was successfully underway, the next step would be reeducation: Midnight would need to learn that most dogs are fun to be around and, at the least, tolerable. This would entail putting Midnight into small, controlled, friendly social situations. Other strategies, like T-wrapping, might now be employed to facilitate the learning process.
As for how long this whole process might take, it all depends on the length of time since the onset of the problem, the temperament of the individual dog,the owner-pet relationship, and the persistence and follow through of the owner. The resocialization process can take only a few weeks or many months. In most cases, the problem can be eliminated or at least managed.
Question
Our seven-year-old female black lab has always been aggressive with other dogs and it is getting worse lately. I always thought females weren’t aggressive and I didn’t think labs were an aggressive breed. Is it too late to do anything about this?
-Selma from Beverly
Response
Both genders and all breeds can be aggressive. Most people mistakenly believe that only certain breeds, like pit bulls and Doberman Pinschers, become aggressive. In fact, many of the dogs that we see because of aggression problems, both dog-to-people and dog-to-dog aggression, are the very common family choices such as labs, Basset Hounds, and Dalmatians.
You could contact a trainer or behaviorist for help. However, at this stage the chances are slim that you could "cure" her. Management of the behavior is a more likely scenario.
Good luck.
Question
My sister and brother-in-law divorced recently. Neither of them can care for their 2-year-old Doberman, so I decided to adopt him. I have an 8-year-old male Rottweiler. At first, the dogs were cautious around each other. I thought it would just take time for them to warm up to each other, but the opposite happened. The Doberman has become more and more aggressive towards our Rottweiler. In fact, they have had some fights, always provoked by the Doberman. I have tried in every way to let our new dog know that his behavior is not acceptable. Whenever I try to separate them, it seems the fight becomes even more heated. Rudolph is a beautiful dog and is good in every other way. If I take him to a shelter, he might be put down. On the other hand, I love my dog, Butch, and don’t want to sacrifice his place in my home to the new dog? Is there anything I can do to help them accept each other?
-Ernie from Dracut
Response
The short of it is that Rudolph, who would seem to be the more dominant of the two dogs, feels the need to "duke it out" to establish the pecking order because you, the alpha, are elevating the position of Butch in the pack in ways both obvious and subtle.
If this is the case, then you will have to swallow your love for your boy, Butch, and begin to treat Rudolph as the dominant in the household pack hierarchy.
What this means is that you must allow the new dog to be first after you but before Butch in all ways, such as in passing through doorways, being fed, being greeted, and receiving other kinds of attention.If you support and make clear the dominant position of the new dog in these ways, then it is less likely that the dogs will feel the need to "duke it out" to see who will be dominant in the pack.
Meanwhile, avoid situations that cause any tension between Rudolph and Butch until the hierarchy is clearly established. For example, you might feed them in separate rooms (feeding Rudolph first).
Chances are slight that the dogs will feel the need to fight if you do your job in communicating the hierarchy to Butch and Rudolph.
If the dogs do get into a fight, you should not intervene. It may prove difficult for you to stand by and watch, but chances are that they will resolve this quickly and with little physical trauma. If you feel a fight is truly life threatening, you would then have to disable (without putting yourself into jeopardy) the subordinate dog, i.e. Butch. You might try to pull his legs out from under him.
We know that sounds cruel, but going with the flow of nature is ultimately our best course of action.
Dog-to-People Aggression
QuestionWe have a 5-year-old Akita that we've had since mid-February. He's a great dog for me and the kids (ages 7 and 11), but he is deathly afraid of my husband. At first he cowered and shook terribly when my husband was near. At this point, he cowers, but is also starting to growl (no teeth showing). We can find no reason for this. My husband has never mistreated nor threatened the dog in any way. Quite the opposite. He is not this way with any other person, male or female, young or old. The dog was given to me by a friend who swears he was not mistreated in any way. Any ideas/solutions you can give us would be great.
-Craig from Hamilton
Response
In order to effectively address your problem, there is much additional information we would need: Is your Akita neutered or intact; this could have a bearing on the situation. How did you and your husband react the first time your dog shook and cowered? Did you coddle him or correct him? Was the previous owner male or female? When did the cowering begin? From day one? What was going on the day the dog came home with you? Did your husband have to reprimand the kids that first day? What is your husband like physically? Is his voice particularly deep? When did the growling begin? What does your husband do for a living? Perhaps there is some negative association for the dog with certain smells (doctor, auto mechanic etc.). The list of questions could go on and on.
Since we don’t have much information, we can only give you limited advice and insight into the problem.
First of all, make the dog dependent on your husband for most things—walks, food, praise, treats, toys and fun time—at least for now until the problem is resolved. For example, your husband should be the one that feeds the dog.
At least once a day, your husband, along with a "secure person," should take the dog for a walk. Have the dog walk in the middle. Take walks in areas where the dog will be distracted by lots of sights, sounds, and smells. The other person should start out holding the leash; when the dog is sufficiently distracted, that person should pass the leash to your husband. Also, put some of your husband’s unwashed clothing in the dog’s sleeping area. In the meantime, caution your husband never to have direct eye contact with the dog. He can look at the dog’s ears or shoulders, for example. Your husband should never approach the dog too quickly or too slowly, as either can trigger a negative emotional response. In addition, your husband should never get down to the dog’s eye level. He should never bend over the dog. All of these behaviors can be misconstrued.
Whenever the dog does growl, say "easy, relax." in a calm soothing tone of voice. Avoid saying, "It’s ok. Good dog." The latter will only reinforce the negative behavior.
Our best advice would be for you to consult with a professional, who can do a thorough evaluation. A five-year-old Akita that is presenting in the way you describe can definitely cause some serious problems.
Question
I'm not sure you can answer my question but it’s worth a try. My husband and I recently purchased a golden retriever puppy and are having some problems. We obtained the dog at 6 1/2 weeks. We now know that was illegal and that we should have looked for a more reputable breeder. Anyway, from about week 8 the dog has displayed food aggression around his bowl and the same behavior if we try to take a particularly delicious bone away from him. We have consulted some vets and some breeders/ trainers for their opinions. Now we are more confused than ever. Some say this dog is aggressive by nature and that we should have him put down. Others say he is an alpha dog just testing the waters. We have secured a good trainer and are willing to work with the dog IF AND ONLY IF this problem is not a huge red flag about how the dog is going to act the rest of its life (constantly testing us and not safe around visitors). What do you think?
--Danielle via e-mail
Response
Our first reaction is that if, indeed, you have located a reputable trainer, then you need to trust that person’s professional judgment. We are assuming the trainer feels your dog can become a well-adjusted member of your household.
However, you do need to realize that in working with dogs to modify behavior, just as in working with people, there are no guarantees. There are any number of variables, the most difficult of which to control is owner input.
It is our experience that MOST dogs and humans can peacefully co-exist. This can be achieved by using positive training techniques, being consistent and persistent in training, being proactive rather than reactive, and understanding canine behavior.
All of this is to say that it is ultimately the owners (not the trainer) that will effect the change. The trainer is merely a coach or facilitator.
It is true that pups should not be taken from the litter too early, as much is learned from both the mother and littermates. However, even pups that are not taken too early can display food/possession aggression.
The number of dogs whose behaviors cannot be modified due to genetic predisposition is comparatively low. From what you have described and given the breed, we would venture that you will be able to successfully work with your pet to modify this behavior.
Question
My puppy growls every time anyone gets too close to his dish while he is eating. I have warned my children not to touch the dish or get too close to it when my dog is eating. Should I be concerned or is it normal for a dog to guard his food in this way?Response
“Don’t bother the dog while he is eating,” “Don’t go near the dish,” "Stay out of the kitchen while the dog is eating,” “Don’t go downstairs when the dog is eating” … Sound familiar?
It may be “normal” for some dogs to guard their food this way , but it is UNACCEPTABLE for ALL dogs.
You could try instituting the following changes.
Increase the number of meals (four to six a day) and randomize feeding times, so that your dog never knows when his next meal is coming. This will lessen the heightened peaks of excitement that often occur just before his expected meals.
Continually change the place where your dog eats (in different sections of the kitchen, for example, or in different rooms). This will diffuse any territorial guarding behavior.
Be sure that your dog earns his meals. Have your dog sit or lie down or follow some other command to earn his food. If he does not obey, he does not eat at this time. Leave the feeding area. Try again a few minutes later.
Getting him to obey your commands increases your control and his respect for you. Eventually, even the children (under adult supervision) should be able to do this.
If the behavior continues, get professional help. Often this type of food aggression indicates that a bigger problem exists.
Food/Possession Aggression
QuestionA problem seems to exist between Ollie, our 4-year-old English springer spaniel, and my husband. Ollie is doing well in most respects, but the only thing we can't seem to "cross the line" with Ollie on is his rawhide bone. He growls -- at anyone, everyone, dogs and human -- who approach him when he has a bone in his mouth. I've simply told all the kids -- my own, and others --- not to go near him if he has a bone. My husband believes even the bone should belong to "us," not him. Ollie will growl and fight with my husband. I don't believe he's ever bitten or nipped, but it is quite scary to watch. I don't know what to make of it.Ever since attending your obedience classes, I have been able to take the bone right from his mouth, first by saying "Give, Ollie.... give" and putting one hand on his neck to massage his scruff, and one hand in front of his face so he can see that I am coming for the bone. Then I tell him, "Leave it, leave it....." and gently take it from him. He doesn't like it, and immediately wants it back, but I don't let him have it until I say the words "Take it." So far, though, I am still the only one who can do this. My husband is unsuccessful, and I am still very concerned about children and other dogs. What are your thoughts on this?
-Gail
Response
We would suggest no rawhide bones for Ollie at all right now. His response when your husband tries to take the bone—growling and snapping—is self-reinforcing, so the more often this happens, the more entrenched the behavior becomes. Eventually, his response could generalize to other objects.
Make a list of objects that Ollie likes. Rank them in importance to him. Then your husband (and the children, under your guidance) should start the "give" & "take" exercise using the object of lowest value to Ollie. After a while, slowly work your way up the list. Eventually, you may even be able to give him rawhide bones again. A professional evaluation at that point would be wise.