Sudden Agression

[Guest Duke]

Duke is a good boy; he gets along with my friend’s dogs and my boyfriend’s dog. I take him to the people park and he enjoys meeting all the other dogs even the little owns. I am careful around smaller dogs with him but he has not shown aggression. He was recently at a pet store with no aggressive sings at all. However, there has been at least five times now when I am walking him and there is a dog on the other side of the road, he suddenly turns aggressive; he growls, snarls, lunges and bucks. I am able to control him and reprimand him. I just don’t know what sets him off, I tend to notice his body stiffen and his ears are a tell tale sign, so I was wondering if he picks up my body language reacting to him but there are other times when a dog does not cause the same reaction. It is never the same dog and it varies. I hate it because it is such a vicious growl that is so unlike him. Any thoughts?

 

 

[Guest MyBoys]

I am sure he picks up on your body language and feels you tense up. Sometimes when a dog is approaching another dog head on it sometimes becomes an eye contact and body language thing for the dogs, one of my bridge boys who was such a gentle soul did that whenever we would pass another dog while walking, what I did was shorten the leash and keep him right next to me and continue walking without slowing down, and at the same time use a word command, I used to say to him "keep walking" over and over, I didn't even give him time to turn his head as the dog passed. I did this over and over until finally he was able to pass another dog without even looking at it. It took some time and patience but he caught on, make sure you are cool and calm.

[Guest LindsaySF]

Honey does this sometimes too, in her case it's leash reactivity. She gets overly excited, and sometimes nervous, when we encounter dogs and she can't get to them because she's leashed. If she meets them she's fine.

 

Do a search for LAT Training and posts by Giselle. Will help a lot.

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

If you react, by reprimanding him, you are feeding his emotions. You need to be calm, and non-reactive. You simply remove him from the stimulus. Either back the other way, or another direction where he cannot see the stimulus. Yes, Look at that LAT training is very effective.

 

Another option is desensitization training. Basically you need to desensitize him from whatever is causing the issue. One way to do this is to bring along treats, when you see another dog, and he is being calm, treat. Pay very close attention to his body language. The second you see him start to tense up, remove him. If you allow him to react, you have pushed him too far, and need to back away from the stimulus to allow him to calm down. Once he reacts, he no longer is open to training or desensitization. It may take time, but keep at it and you will be able to walk without issues with hard work and perseverance.

 

 

Chad

Edited May 18, 2010 by Greyt_dog_lover

[Guest Duke]

Last night when we encountered another dog on the other side of the street, for the second time, I did try to become aware of my body language and said, "keep going” in a casual voice. If I shorten the leash it is almost a signal that something is wrong and then he reacts. Would anyone suggest that I just cross the street to where the dog is? It does seem that it occurs when they are head on. I think I will take the advice and turn around in the opposite direction. Argh! He is such a sweet boy it kills me when he does this. thanks for the feedback, you folks are always helpful

 

 

[Guest SusanP]

Our Spinner became leash reactive "out of the blue" about 2 months after we got him. I was talking to a friend from the distance of about 2 yards, because her very elderly sheltie wasn't keen on being approached by other dogs. As we talked, Spinner began growling at the sheltie, who was just lying there looking sleepy. After that, he did it to every dog we saw on our walks.

 

We have had some success with solo walks and squeeze cheese or lots of praise when we see another dog, but I think it's less fear-based than excitement based, and Spinner is one to get very over-stimulated very easily. (He barks, growls, and bites when I take him to the back yard to go out or change my clothes around walk time, for example). He behaves better on solo walks than with his pack mates, and he has better days and worse days.

 

Funny thing is, when loose dogs have run right up to him, he has been fine--usually greets them happily, except for one crazed boxer who slid into his face. He wasn't happy with her, but he didn't bite her, either. But because Spinner can bite at me and our other hounds, and because he frightens other dog owners, I do muzzle him on most walks.

 

Don't you wish they could talk?

[JaneW]

Sounds like my life with Greta! Dog body language can be very subtle--you notice Duke's (which is great), but the other dog may be posturing, too, and setting him off. Greta still ticks off other dogs just by raising the base of her tail a little! I require Greta to stop and sit behind me whenever she begins reacting too strongly to another dog (with me between her and the other dog and me facing the other one). Basically, I'm requiring her to be passive and letting me deal with the situation, not punishing her, just taking charge. I also put her on the opposite side of me from other dogs in order to walk past. Now, she will often just move to my other side when she sees another dog that she doesn't like.

[Guest Fasave]

Last night when we encountered another dog on the other side of the street, for the second time, I did try to become aware of my body language and said, "keep going” in a casual voice. If I shorten the leash it is almost a signal that something is wrong and then he reacts. Would anyone suggest that I just cross the street to where the dog is? It does seem that it occurs when they are head on. I think I will take the advice and turn around in the opposite direction. Argh! He is such a sweet boy it kills me when he does this. thanks for the feedback, you folks are always helpful

 

 

I have two greys who have issues with non-greys. One of my boys is exactly like what you describe. I would NOT move to the same side of the street as it will just escalate and become very dangerous for both dogs. He needs to be able to move by at a distance without reaction before you can move closer. Lots of great tips in this thread. Don't get discouraged. It takes time. I know it's hard to think that other people will view your pup as aggressive or "bad" but at the end of the day, you know how sweet your boy is and that's all that matters.

 

Good luck and keep us updated.

[Batmom]

Do a search for LAT Training and posts by Giselle. Will help a lot.

 

Ditto.