Dog on dog aggression

BarryOBoggle

I have just obtained a 2yr old cocker spaniel.
lovely dog in the house, no problems.
with people he is fantastic.
But should we meet another dog on our walk all hell lets loose.
I hold him on a tight lead but he yaps and tries to get at the other dog regardless of its size. I fear he is going to get himself bitten.
any tips on how to get him out of it?
Someone suggested taking him to a therapist.
try anything else before that at £30 an hour

krlyr

Firstly - welcome to the club!

What you may be experiencing here, rather than true aggression, could well be dog reactivity. This is very frequently fear based - a bit of an "I'll get you, before you get me" reaction. You can, however, get barrier frustration, which is where a perfectly friendly dog turns into a lunging, barking, whirling Tasmanian Devil at the sheer excitement of wanting to greet other dogs. It can look a whole lot more intimidating than it is - do you know how he is with other dogs if he meets them? Has he interacted with any other dogs before you acquired him, or since?

The rest of my post is assuming this is fear reactivity. It may well be worth paying for at least one session with a good trainer or behaviourist to establish what the issue actually is though.

You'll probably have a good share of days where you tear your hair out and wonder what you've done, but hopefully a good amount of days where you can't help but grin at the progress you've made with your dog as you start to tackle his reactivity.

I'd recommend the Facebook group "Dog Training Advice and Support" - it's run by trainers/behaviourists who use modern, fair methods that will be far more effective on a fear reactive dog than old, aversive methods.

There's also a Facebook group called Reactive Dogs, you'll find lots of owners in the same position as you - it's great to have some likeminded people to get advice from, have a rant to and so on.

Some links that may help explain dog reactivity below

http://www.spiritdog.com/sanesolutions.htm
https://www.patriciamcconnell.com/theotherendoftheleash/dog-dog-reactivity-treatment-summary

And some basic exercises that are well worth learning
http://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/reactive-dog-foundation-exercises-for-your-leash-reactive-dog

Emily Larlham's Youtube channel is fab too, lots of videos that will help with reactivity. She has a DVD out on reactivity - many of her videos are available on the Youtube channel for free though. The DVD has some unseen footage and is arranged into a sensible order to follow the activities, but if you watch through her videos, it all makes sense anyway
http://www.youtube.com/kikopup


I'd recommend getting a muzzle too. A muzzle has quite a few benefits with a reactive dog.

For starters, you know that you're not going to get in trouble with your dog biting another. Until you're put in a situation where it can happen, you can't be sure whether he would bite another dog through fear, or perhaps even a person. That puts you in a risky position - especially with tha latest changes in the Dangerous Dogs Act.

Secondly, it will help you relax more. You know your dog can't bite, you're less likely to tense up which the dog will feel through the lead - this can often worsen reactivity.

Thirdly, people avoid you - with a reactive dog, that's good! You really need to minimise the reactions your dog experiences. You want to prevent him rehearsing the undesired behaviour (because it works, in a reactive dog's mind - they bark and lunge, and either you remove them from the situation or the other dog owner tends to make an exit sharpish - your dog then feels his reaction achieved what he wanted, the other dog going away) and also keeps his stress levels down. This article on trigger stacking helps explain why you should try to minimise all reactions, big or small - http://www.dogster.com/lifestyle/how-are-dog-bites-like-tetris

If you go down the muzzle route, do introduce it carefully. This is a fab video on conditining a dog to accept a muzzle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FABgZTFvHo&feature=kp


If you do go down the trainer or behaviourist route, I would advise you choose very carefully. Don't let money be your motivator - though do be aware that many insurance policies will cover behaviourist costs. A bad trainer can make a fearful dog a whole lot worse. I'd recommend finding one through the APDT or APBC, who will use fair, modern methods - http://www.apdt.co.uk or http://www.apbc.org.uk

Good luck If you have any specific questions that you want some help with, ask away - my first GSD pup sadly became quite dog reactive, a lot of it down to the pain of her hip dysplasia and her iffy temperament from poor breeding. I then ended up adopting another GSD with reactivity several years later, and my previously bomb-proof Rottie cross (who was a delight to own after the first GSD) developed reactivity as a side effect of her hypothyroidism (anxiety is a symptom of the condition). So I've had to deal with it for the last 10 years - you do get used to it, as such!

zaksmum

My dog Jack was a nightmare. A lovely dog in every other respect, an absolute dream to be around.

Then another male dog would only have to come racing over and have a bit of a snap at him, or - God forbid - get on his back in that dominant thing they do, and all hell broke loose.

My dog would turn into a snarling devil dog, going in for the kill. Not just seeing the other dog off, but wanting to do serious damage.

Thankfully I managed to stop the aggro before any other dog was badly hurt but he did draw blood on occasion after being attacked.

It got so my nerves were shredded with him.

After a lot of soul searching and research I decided to have him neutered which is not something I believe in doing routinely unless there are definite reasons to do so.

Almost immediately he changed. He's now been neutered for 8 months and he's so laid back now. Any dog can approach him and have a bit of a growl at him and he'll just amble away.

He'll still defend himself if need be, but only to warn the other dog off.

It was the best thing I could've done for him and thankfully there have been no unwanted side effects. he hasn't gained weight and his coat is still glossy.

So, OP, think about having your boy neutered if he is not already.

BarryOBoggle

krlyr wrote: »

Firstly - welcome to the club!

What you may be experiencing here, rather than true aggression, could well be dog reactivity. This is very frequently fear based - a bit of an "I'll get you, before you get me" reaction. You can, however, get barrier frustration, which is where a perfectly friendly dog turns into a lunging, barking, whirling Tasmanian Devil at the sheer excitement of wanting to greet other dogs. It can look a whole lot more intimidating than it is - do you know how he is with other dogs if he meets them? Has he interacted with any other dogs before you acquired him, or since?

The rest of my post is assuming this is fear reactivity. It may well be worth paying for at least one session with a good trainer or behaviourist to establish what the issue actually is though.

You'll probably have a good share of days where you tear your hair out and wonder what you've done, but hopefully a good amount of days where you can't help but grin at the progress you've made with your dog as you start to tackle his reactivity.

I'd recommend the Facebook group "Dog Training Advice and Support" - it's run by trainers/behaviourists who use modern, fair methods that will be far more effective on a fear reactive dog than old, aversive methods.

There's also a Facebook group called Reactive Dogs, you'll find lots of owners in the same position as you - it's great to have some likeminded people to get advice from, have a rant to and so on.

Some links that may help explain dog reactivity below

http://www.spiritdog.com/sanesolutions.htm
https://www.patriciamcconnell.com/theotherendoftheleash/dog-dog-reactivity-treatment-summary

And some basic exercises that are well worth learning
http://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/reactive-dog-foundation-exercises-for-your-leash-reactive-dog

Emily Larlham's Youtube channel is fab too, lots of videos that will help with reactivity. She has a DVD out on reactivity - many of her videos are available on the Youtube channel for free though. The DVD has some unseen footage and is arranged into a sensible order to follow the activities, but if you watch through her videos, it all makes sense anyway
http://www.youtube.com/kikopup


I'd recommend getting a muzzle too. A muzzle has quite a few benefits with a reactive dog.

For starters, you know that you're not going to get in trouble with your dog biting another. Until you're put in a situation where it can happen, you can't be sure whether he would bite another dog through fear, or perhaps even a person. That puts you in a risky position - especially with tha latest changes in the Dangerous Dogs Act.

Secondly, it will help you relax more. You know your dog can't bite, you're less likely to tense up which the dog will feel through the lead - this can often worsen reactivity.

Thirdly, people avoid you - with a reactive dog, that's good! You really need to minimise the reactions your dog experiences. You want to prevent him rehearsing the undesired behaviour (because it works, in a reactive dog's mind - they bark and lunge, and either you remove them from the situation or the other dog owner tends to make an exit sharpish - your dog then feels his reaction achieved what he wanted, the other dog going away) and also keeps his stress levels down. This article on trigger stacking helps explain why you should try to minimise all reactions, big or small - http://www.dogster.com/lifestyle/how-are-dog-bites-like-tetris

If you go down the muzzle route, do introduce it carefully. This is a fab video on conditining a dog to accept a muzzle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FABgZTFvHo&feature=kp


If you do go down the trainer or behaviourist route, I would advise you choose very carefully. Don't let money be your motivator - though do be aware that many insurance policies will cover behaviourist costs. A bad trainer can make a fearful dog a whole lot worse. I'd recommend finding one through the APDT or APBC, who will use fair, modern methods - http://www.apdt.co.uk or http://www.apbc.org.uk

Good luck If you have any specific questions that you want some help with, ask away - my first GSD pup sadly became quite dog reactive, a lot of it down to the pain of her hip dysplasia and her iffy temperament from poor breeding. I then ended up adopting another GSD with reactivity several years later, and my previously bomb-proof Rottie cross (who was a delight to own after the first GSD) developed reactivity as a side effect of her hypothyroidism (anxiety is a symptom of the condition). So I've had to deal with it for the last 10 years - you do get used to it, as such!

Thank you. A lot for me to digest there
I am really grateful.
I will give him my best shot.
Start with getting him properly assessed.
I will keep you posted

Crisp_£_note

I dont feel qualified to reply to your post but it's advice we followed so will share.

We had similar problems with our Greyhound X being attacked by smaller dogs to the point it became traumatised. It was bitten by a westie which had slipped its lead in owners grasp and we hadnt noticed the tiny pin hole sized puncture wounds until it had sloughed and was a gaping hole overnight and bruzed ribs as it was kicked hard by other owner defending their dog - despit ours being on the lead she was still adamant it was our fault Huge vet bill later as their owner didnt have insurance.

Anyway the advice we were given was to muzzle our dog whilst on walks to protect it from other dogs - at first it didn't make sense but the more you think about it it does.

Anything is worth a try and it works for ours - but the muzzle doesn't stop it squealing with excitement at the site of the park so I am told!

Hope you find an answer

zaksmum

The trouble with a muzzle is that your dog is left unable to defend himself if attacked. I'd never muzzle my dogs.

BleepinHell

zaksmum wrote: »

My dog Jack was a nightmare. A lovely dog in every other respect, an absolute dream to be around.

Then another male dog would only have to come racing over and have a bit of a snap at him, or - God forbid - get on his back in that dominant thing they do, and all hell broke loose.

My dog would turn into a snarling devil dog, going in for the kill. Not just seeing the other dog off, but wanting to do serious damage.

Thankfully I managed to stop the aggro before any other dog was badly hurt but he did draw blood on occasion after being attacked.

It got so my nerves were shredded with him.

After a lot of soul searching and research I decided to have him neutered which is not something I believe in doing routinely unless there are definite reasons to do so.

Almost immediately he changed. He's now been neutered for 8 months and he's so laid back now. Any dog can approach him and have a bit of a growl at him and he'll just amble away.

He'll still defend himself if need be, but only to warn the other dog off.

It was the best thing I could've done for him and thankfully there have been no unwanted side effects. he hasn't gained weight and his coat is still glossy.

So, OP, think about having your boy neutered if he is not already.

He has been so obviously its an inherited problem.
I have him on a one to one tomorrow night. See what transpires

zaksmum

BleepinHell wrote: »

He has been so obviously its an inherited problem.
I have him on a one to one tomorrow night. See what transpires

How did you get on, OP?