Greta and aggression

Greta is a 15 month old airedale terrier mix. We also have a 16 month old keeshound mix named Cassius. Both are rescue dogs, and I don't know Greta's background at all.

We're having a few problems with Greta and aggression. This only happens with dogs...never with people. She is extremely friendly and loves people of any age. She's especially good with children.

However, we're having trouble at feeding times, and also when we've attempted to take the dogs to the dog park. At feeding time, Greta will go to Cassius' bowl and attempt to stop him from eating. If we are not in the room, she will also "attack" him to get him away from his bowl. Cassius will always back down to her. This is the only time she is aggresive towards him...they sleep together and play together with no aggression at all.

At the dog park, we have had 3 separate episodes where Greta has gone after another dog. The last one scared me so badly (it was a small furry thing, and she was on top with her mouth around its neck and meant business) that we haven't gone to a dog park since.

I would very much like to get them back to the dog park if its possible, and also be able to leave the room if the dogs are eating.

I would try some classical conditioning. If you have ever read Jean Donaldson's "Dogs are from Neptune", she has a whole chapter dealing with this type of situation.

Get some really yummy treats (chicken, hot dogs, steak pieces - whatever she likes a lot). Either take her to the park or our for a walk. Whenever she sees another dog approach and starts being a little aggressive, start feeding her tasty tidbits (BAR IS OPEN). When the dog leaves stop feeding her yummy treats (BAR IS CLOSED). Keep repeating this over time with dogs getting closer and closer. You want her to associate other dogs with great things. It doesn't matter if she is snarling or growling at the other dog - all you want to do is establish the association of OTHER DOGS = GOOD THINGS.

As far as her being food aggressive with your other dog, I would just feed them separate, and make sure they understand that you are the one that controls the food by making them do behaviors before they get dinner. Sit or Down or Stay.

Good Luck

We don't allow no growling at meal times. Our male can walk over and just take over the female's bowl of food, she just steps back lets him. so, what I did was separate them and stay with them the whole time they eat and I do not allow the male to come over and eat or stop her or make her go away.
when they were little puppies, we just put her and her bowl of food in her crate and shut the door and so she could eat at her own pace and not be bothered.
You might have to do that with yours. Separate them way apart and stand by the one that needs protecting. Or shut them in a crate to be protected.

WE had trouble when our male dog was operated on when he was 2 years old. HE would growl at the vet and men after that.
He never did that before. I read that sometimes they come too while being operated on or after it was done and they see who it was doing that to them and they don't like them as they associated with pain and what they went through.

Well, he is a cutie and cute face and people just want to lean down and pat him. He would growl and I was afraid of him nipping someone in fear. So, I worked on him. I would give the person a treat but I would put my hand right down there with the other person's hand tell him its okay and pat him and love him up and reassure him that its fine. He also watched his sister who loves people and soon after me working on him with treats and patting him and my hand down there, he knew it was safe because I was down there too. Now he no longer growls and actually now goes to some people.

It takes a long time, keep working but always be there and have your hand with your neighbours hand and keep popping treats that your dog loves. And talk and reassure your dog too. Maybe ask your neighbour for something with his scent on it and put it in his room he stays in and let him get used to the scent and see if that will work.

We have had that problem with our female dog with other dogs. She doesn't always react the same way though with other dogs. She is scared of big dogs and especially big puppies that gallop towards her. We went on a socializing walk with other people and their dogs and found they are all the same, they don't like certain dogs, their personalities clash just like people.
Its up to you to learn how to control you dog and get by safely.
We will tell people ahead of time when we see them coming to us that our female dog is not good with other dogs but our male is fine with them. Most people all smile when they see our female growl and do her jaw snap. Then she can go by and be so nice.

We asked this dog trainer what to do. And we use the words, NO BARK when she does her whining scare cry and growls. And we also as the dog comes up tells her to LEAVE IT and pull her along.

And if she is actually using her mouth on the dog, that is extremely dangerous and you will have to do like many other dog owners and put on a muzzle on her.

If you can afford it, hire a really good dog trainer and get help with your dog's problems.

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Originally posted by honor_fl
we haven't gone to a dog park since.

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Good. I'm actually very happy to hear this. Good for you! :D
You have no idea what damage can be done in the wrong circumstances to your dog or your dog to another dog and I'm glad that you are begining to at least understand that. I strongly disagree with dog parks because people who can't control their dogs always tend to continue to bring them anyway. They just can't grasp the fact that their dog can't handle it for some reason and they continue to be in denial until it is too late. I refuse to set foot in one because of that. So I applaud you!

If your dog were to attack a puppy badly enough...god forbid a very submissive pup and it wouldn't even have to be a bad attack, it could do irreparable mental damage to that dog for life. That pup would more likely than not be extremely fear aggressive for the rest of it's life. It's far too tramatic. Not something they could re-train. It would be from then on, with one attack embedded in that dog for life.

If your dog were to happen upon another larger, stronger more dominant dog...of course there is nothing to say your dog would make it out alive. Even if it were bad enough it could make your issues that much worse and again if bad enough a lot less likely to change that.

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I would very much like to get them back to the dog park if its possible, and also be able to leave the room if the dogs are eating.

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Personally, I say stay away from the dog park. Your dog needs some heavy duty work dog to dog wise. I have trained these issues very sucessfully ....

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Originally posted by clara4457
I would try some classical conditioning. If you have ever read Jean Donaldson's "Dogs are from Neptune", she has a whole chapter dealing with this type of situation.

Get some really yummy treats (chicken, hot dogs, steak pieces - whatever she likes a lot). Either take her to the park or our for a walk. Whenever she sees another dog approach and starts being a little aggressive, start feeding her tasty tidbits (BAR IS OPEN). When the dog leaves stop feeding her yummy treats (BAR IS CLOSED). Keep repeating this over time with dogs getting closer and closer. You want her to associate other dogs with great things. It doesn't matter if she is snarling or growling at the other dog - all you want to do is establish the association of OTHER DOGS = GOOD THINGS.

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This is not the way to do it I'm sorry to say. No offense or anything but you are in effect rewarding the dog for aggression. That is exactly how dogs train of thinking work. You need to correct bad behavior and treat good behavior. "Let's see, I growled, snarled and got ticked off at this other dogs presence and my owner not only gave me a treat but the best kind!" ... What exactly does that tell the dog?

I would keep this dog on a standard 4 ft lead. I would take the dog to a neutral place where you could allow her to meet other dogs from the opposite side of the fence that they are on. Let them sniff. If she gets rowdy, or noisy in anyway...pop the leash, if she is quiet treat and praise like crazy.

From there, once she has down the calmness you can move forward to where there is no barrier. Keep her on the lead (with you attached of course). Both dogs should be restrained on leads. Allow the dogs to sniff. Praise all the while she is good and correct motivationally if she does bad. Make sure that there is no tension in the lead while sniffing. Tension transmits exactly that, tension. Uneasiness in you. It transmits fear into your dog and for that she may react. You should always have slack in the lead unless you are offering a pop correction. The worse the behavior the harder the pop.

Allow them to sniff butts...this is canine profiling. It also allows them to have a route of escape if the other dog were to try and domiate or attack. It should bring a sense of more security if they don't meet nose to nose. The neck...is the most vulnerable area on a dog or any animal for that matter. This is where the main arteries are wide open and that is why it is the first method of attack for any animal. It is the quickest easiest way to win the fight, even if that means death and death comes the quickest through the neck.

Watch the signals your dog sends. Is the tail wagging? Is it high or low? Is she staring the other dog down (this is a big one)? Are the ears back or down? Is she posturing? Don't allow her to T off on the dog...which means she puts her self on top of the dog. She stands at a t position to the dog with her front legs over the other dogs back. She shouldn't be allowed to do this at all. Correct for this. You really have to tune into the signals your dog is sending.

I would also start with NILIF ( Nothing In Life Is Free). She should work for her dinner. Meaning she should do a down stay or a sit stay to get her food. Go to put her food down and if she stands up without a release you pick the bowl back up or don't put it down all together. Make her sit and stay until you release her before she gets the food. I'll even make my dogs wait a couple minutes while I finish up in the kitchen till I release them.

If you let her on the couch she must earn it the same way.NILIF. She must earn her toys. She needs to learn there is no reason to fight. You are Alpha, whether it be in your home or anywhere else and you take care of the issues. Just remember correct for all bad behavior and reward for the good.

I also agree definately feed the dogs separately. This was hard for me at first to adjust to as well, I can understand it but it comes with the territory when you have these issues. You can learn to live with it or deal with these issues forever. It is necissary to separate for a few reasons if you have more than one dog it especially because of the dominance issue BUT you need to ensure that one dog isn't going to be over fed and the other under fed.

You should have certain feeding times and they should both be fed at the same time. Make them both do the down stays and they both get released to eat at the same time. Get baby gates and feed them in separate rooms. I feed my dogs right next to eachother but with the baby gate separating.

whoops double posted :p