Dog Aggression

[Guest ctb108]

Hello! I need some advice on my dogs odd snapping aggression.

 

My girlfriend and I adopted a 2 year old female racer 3 months ago. According to greyhound data she was the run of her litter and was retired at a young age because of being a poor racer. She is incredibly sweet and playful and has transitioned into our home very well. House training went smoothly, selectively uses her crate and also uses it when we aren't home. Over the first few weeks she would occasionally show a bit of ownership aggression over a bone or toy but we quickly addressed it and now she shares everything great. She loves new people and loves attention and getting pet.

 

She is a very interested and confident girl. She will prance happily up to any dog and be friendly and playful. Always drops into the "get low" position. I would say 90% of our dog interactions are positive however she will occasionally snap and get very bitey. Shes never actually bit another dog but she will lunge and snap her jaws. I will immediately pull her back on the leash and within 30 seconds she acts like nothing happened. This has happened around 3-4 times over the 3 months we have had her.

 

It always seems to be with other dogs that are a bit timid and skidish but completely non aggressive. Today it happened with a male weimaraner that was doing absolutely nothing aggressive, just a bit shy.

 

I know she is still developing her social skills and it will take some time. Just scared me a bit how much of a contrast it was from her normal behavior.

 

Is this common? Ways to improve the situation?

 

Any recommendations would be helpful!

 

Thanks in advance,

Clint

 

 

[a_daerr]

One of my boys is leash aggressive with other dogs. For whatever reason, the leash is 100% the problem. Even if seemed like your girl was fine afterwards, her behavior is definitely telling you that she's uncomfortable. In many cases, leashes can make some dogs feel restricted and unable to escape, causing the dog to panic and lash out. Truman and I worked through it in obedience classes and lots and lots of positive reinforcement training. Even so, I'm very careful because certain dogs still make him nervous. My advice is to carry high-value treats in your pocket whenever you're out. If you see another dog, reward her for calm behavior at a safe distance. For now, it's very important for you to observe her body language and thresholds. When she looks at the dog, then back at you, treat and praise. Do not let other dogs get too close until she's had a few positive leash interactions- preferably with dogs she knows or is familiar with. It sucks, because you don't want people to think you have a "dangerous" dog, but you have to be your dog's advocate. I've gotten used to telling people, "NO! Nothing personal, but please do not come any closer! My dog is uncomfortable with strange dogs!"

The other thing is to understand is that a face-to-face on-leash introduction is very threatening to a dog, especially one with some underlying fear issues. As humans, we are so used to doing that, but it's very rude in dog language. You can make the situation better by giving more slack on the leash, or even better, parallel walking (walking both dogs next to one another side by side). A basic obedience class would be a great place to start. Feisty Fido by Patricia McConnell is also an excellent resource if you have the time to read a short book.

 

I will immediately pull her back on the leash

 

Also, be careful jerking the leash back. I know firsthand, it's very easy to do because your instinct is to pull her back and avoid an above-threshold response. But if everytime she interacts with another dog and gets a painful leash correction, it creates a negative association and makes the problem much harder to reverse.

[Guest ctb108]

Thanks for the advice and the resource. I will definitely read up on and it and see how to improve.

 

Just to clarify - I do not jerk her leash back every time she interacts with another dog. Her aggressive behavior on the leash has only happened a few times over 3 months. We live in a large city so we interact with multiple dogs on leash every day. I would say it happens maybe 1 out of 50 times.

 

Thanks -

[Pennymom]

I don't know if this is helpful, but it may be that what you see as "shy" behavior in the other dogs, she reads as "unpredictable" or "threatening" behavior, and she's decided a good offense is the best defense. It may also be that she's reading something into the behavior of the people walking these "shy" dogs that is making her react as if the situation were threatening. Just a thought. One of our dogs has similar behavior, and it's never directed toward confident dogs, or even obnoxious dogs, but always the dogs that seem shy and "sketchy." We worked with a trainer who first had us learn more about dog body language to be able to identify the dogs that were likely to provoke this behavior in ours.

[Guest Giselle]

First, whenever you're dealing with a dog showing aggressive behavior, try your hardest to find a professional to provide in-person help. Aggression is a complex behavior, and it is dangerous. Complexity and danger are not two things you want to be dealing with on your own. Some good resources:

Behavior consultants: www.iaabc.org

Find a CPDT-KA trainer: http://www.ccpdt.org/

If you have the means, a veterinary behaviorist: www.dacvb.org

She is a very interested and confident girl. She will prance happily up to any dog and be friendly and playful. Always drops into the "get low" position. I would say 90% of our dog interactions are positive however she will occasionally snap and get very bitey. Shes never actually bit another dog but she will lunge and snap her jaws. I will immediately pull her back on the leash and within 30 seconds she acts like nothing happened. This has happened around 3-4 times over the 3 months we have had her.

Second, 3-4 snapping events in just 3 months is pretty significant to me. Also, her behavior is troubling to me. When she snaps at other dogs, does she sort of freeze and then explode? And then, when you get her back, do her eyes look glazed for a moment before "coming out of it"? This type of aggressive pattern suggests strongly of dogs who have underlying anxiety issues in dog-dog greetings or social events. They don't know how to communicate clearly or how to extricate themselves from these situations, so their anxiety pushes them to react reflexively. In my experience, they just cannot seem to "think through" the situation.

 

So, your goal is to teach your dog how to think through these situations, how to greet appropriately, and also when/how to leave the situation. It's not an easy task, and it requires a keen eye for body language coupled with the right techniques and skills. Here's a quick video demo of my favorite method, but, like I said, you should really find a professional trainer or behaviorist to help you:

http://drsophiayin.com/videos/entry/podees_aggressive_to_other_dogs

I also use this as a first line of defense in teaching dogs impulse control when greeting:

http://www.progressdog.com/automatic-sits.html

Edited February 25, 2014 by Giselle

[NeylasMom]

When you say low to the ground do you mean in the plawbow position, or laying completely or nearly completely on the ground in a submissive position?

 

Are you sure her behavior is aggressive and not playful? What is the rest of her body doing when she's reacting? Is she vocalizing at all? Any chance you could video it and share it without risking anyone getting hurt?

[Guest ctb108]

Pennymom - This seems to be what is happening. Now that it has happened a few times I can definitely recognize her change in body language. She keeps her head a bit lower, moves slower and pauses.

 

Giselle- Definitely agree 3-4 is significant. And that does seem to be what is happening. She isn't sure what to do and does seem to just react reflexively. I haven't been able to look at her eyes immediately after incident. As far as I can tell they seem pretty normal. Her body language pretty much instantly goes back to normal after she is removed from the situation. She will either look back at the dog with curiosity or continue walking forward both like nothing had happened. Thank you for the resources.

 

NeylasMom- Playbow position. Definitely aggressive. Lower head, slower movements, pause before reflex. No vocalizing. Just the "rawwwr" sound that comes with a lunging snapping dog.

 

Thanks again. I will report back with updates.

[Guest Giselle]

It sounds very strongly like an anxious dog who doesn't know how to act in social situations. Normally, dogs' brains will inhibit reflexive behaviors, like lashing out and lunging. Dogs typically only greet for ~5-10 seconds before turning their heads and moving away. But when dogs don't know how to stop the interaction and move away, their stress builds up, they get more anxious, and this anxiety causes them to react reflexively - like snapping and lunging. Commonly, they will "snap right out of it" and act like nothing happened after an aggressive episode. So, as mentioned, your goal is to teach your dog how to greet, how long to greet, and to remove your dog from a situation before her anxiety builds up. Until then, try to avoid uncontrolled dog-dog greetings and please try your hardest to find a behaviorist or trainer! The process will go much faster with a professional.

[Guest itsagreytlife]

Hmmm.. this is definitely food for thought for me. My boy has had a few wierd interactions with a random dog or two and he is definitely the more shy of my greys. Reminds me of human behavior--when in doubt, lash out! (or is that just me?) I will pay more attention and maybe get a bit of training going with him. Thanks for the post and the info!

[Guest rarmstrong]

Hmmm.. this is definitely food for thought for me. My boy has had a few wierd interactions with a random dog or two and he is definitely the more shy of my greys. Reminds me of human behavior--when in doubt, lash out! (or is that just me?) I will pay more attention and maybe get a bit of training going with him. Thanks for the post and the info!

My guy is like that too. Definitely a shy, reflexive aggression. Trying my best to be in control of his interactions with other dogs to make sure his boundaries are respected, building his confidence (and mine) with obedience training...and will probably look into a behaviorist now.

 

It sounds very strongly like an anxious dog who doesn't know how to act in social situations. Normally, dogs' brains will inhibit reflexive behaviors, like lashing out and lunging. Dogs typically only greet for ~5-10 seconds before turning their heads and moving away. But when dogs don't know how to stop the interaction and move away, their stress builds up, they get more anxious, and this anxiety causes them to react reflexively - like snapping and lunging. Commonly, they will "snap right out of it" and act like nothing happened after an aggressive episode. So, as mentioned, your goal is to teach your dog how to greet, how long to greet, and to remove your dog from a situation before her anxiety builds up. Until then, try to avoid uncontrolled dog-dog greetings and please try your hardest to find a behaviorist or trainer! The process will go much faster with a professional.

If I haven't said this before, you are the best! So, so sooooo helpful!

Edited February 27, 2014 by rarmstrong

[GeorgeofNE]

I am curious to know what you saw on Greyhound Data that would indicate she was the "runt" (I assume you meant) of her litter? And yeah, if she's only 2 now, she wasn't a good racer or you wouldn't have her!