# My dog has turned snappy and has dominance issues towards other dogs



## pinkflamingo

My border collie has just turned 1 yr old and has started snapping and growling at most other dogs he meets (even ones he used to be friendly with). He has never bitten another dog just makes a lot of noise and stands on them if they are smaller than him which looks very aggressive. With him being a collie he needs to be off lead for exercise to stop him from going loopy however I am now a nervous wreck when walking him on the beach or in the fields etc as I never know what he will be like with other dogs. He particicularly hates Bedlington Terriers for some reason!??? Sometimes he is fine and wants to play then others he will have a right go at them. Is there anything I can do to stop this or is this just the way he will be from now on? He goes to dog obedience classes and there are a few others like him there but I don't want him to be like this. Anyone else been through this and managed to stop the behaviour?


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## warmglo

Oh dear, poor you! That does make life difficult. Probably just finding his feet, now he's a terrible teen'  Has he been castrated?


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## Guest

He's hit puberty and is finding his place in the world. You have to make sure that he knows his place is to do what you want him to do, before he becomes convinced that he can do just what he wants to. Have a word with your instructor at your training classes. At the one we attend, one of the things we do is to stand in rows with our dogs whilst other dogs and their owners take turns to weave through us all. The idea is that if your dog begins to go towards one of the other dogs (either in play or aggressively) you check your dog and say "Leave!" in a firm voice. A few sessions of this should have him understanding that if you tell him to "Leave" then he is not to go towards any other dog.


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## sskmick

I hit the same problem when my dog Duke was about 18 months. Duke is a SBT so I had to be firm, I'm going to get slated but I yanked him sharply back to my side and said No very authoritatively. I took him by surprise and off guard worked a dream. Once he was focused on me then I commanded him to sit and after a few seconds he got a treat. I was praised for my actions in class but the trainer must have been from the old school.

We could do the weave even with the dog Duke took a dislike to and we completed the class working alongside the same dog. I always praise and reward good behaviour.

Duke did try to assert his authority a few times when we were out and about. Depending on the circumstances depended on how I dealt with it. Sometimes a wait command would be sufficient while the other dog passed, sometimes a down command was necessary. Even today I would never put Duke in a down position if the other dog is off the lead.

It is also important how you hold your dogs lead as it acts are an aerial transporting your anxieties to the dog. That's not easy to explain or instruct in a post I would suggest you continue obedience classes.

It is possible to correct your dog, I did and its a proud moment when we walk pass a dog that is so aggressive its on its hind legs pulling against its leash and is so vocal its foaming at the mouth and Duke walks calmly passed. 

Good luck

Sue


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## pinkflamingo

I had him castrated at 11 months as he was just starting then with the snapping at other dogs however he actually got worse afterwards! He hates any other dog sniffing his rear end although he has no qualms about having a good sniff himself. We do the weaving through other dogs at obedience classes and he is really focused on me and the treat so had no problems there its when other dogs come bounding up to him he has to put them in their place. I can understand about my anxiety travelling straight down the lead as I can practically feel it myself. I do hope he calms down and as I said he hasn't actually bitten any other dog I just worry that it may get worse and do just that. I do find his ball a good distraction on the beach as he is so focused on it he sometimes doesnt realise another dog has bounded up (which usually loses interest when he doesnt respond to them.) Thank you for your comments I will keep trying!


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## Guest

pinkflamingo said:


> I had him castrated at 11 months as he was just starting then with the snapping at other dogs however he actually got worse afterwards!


Castration often doesn't work - and really it shouldn't be done until 18 months because the dog needs hormones for his growth and development until then. (Castration stops their production)



pinkflamingo said:


> We do the weaving through other dogs at obedience classes and he is really focused on me and the treat so had no problems there its when other dogs come bounding up to him he has to put them in their place.!


I know this might sound stupid, but when this happens outside the training class, do you use the same command that you are teaching him in training, or do you just panic and either shout at him or try to pull him away?


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## ally51

Hi there just read your post i am having the exact same problem with my Border Terrier, she is fantastic in evey other way except with other dogs, but unlike yours she does go for them aggressively & bites which i find very distressing & i feel awful for the other owners as their dog has come up perfectly friendly and she just flies. I'm beginning to think it may be from her past i have only owned her 4 weeks & she came from a Hunt Kennel where i'm sure it was every dog for themselves. She is 7 years old so not a pup i'm thinking of obedience classes but not sure if she'l be too old. When i'm out walking here it's like "dog alert" i'm constantly looking for other dogs, i can handle her fine is the other dog is on a lead, sometimes i even pick her up so she cannot attack. To be able to walk her off the lead i have to go where i know there's a very small chance of meeting any other dogs, she's brilliant at re-call but if there's another dog around that just goes out of the window & she's totally oblivbious to me.....oh well i hope you get the problem sorted with your dog....me? well i think i'm gunna surf the net to find a local obedience class & give them a call this problem is making dog walking a nightmare ....


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## pinkflamingo

I know this might sound stupid, but when this happens outside the training class, do you use the same command that you are teaching him in training, or do you just panic and either shout at him or try to pull him away?[/QUOTE]

At training class I use "leave" sternly and pull his lead sharply back however when on the beach and he's off lead I tend to just shout "no!" and tell him to "go" to encourange him to move along. When he's on lead I don't let him sniff other dogs now as I know he'll snap which I know is just avoiding the problem. I have been to obedience classes today however and he hasn't snapped or growled once!


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## jeanie

I also have the same probs with my GSD only one of them does this , but the other will go as well once Jazz starts, he hates all other dogs and walking is a nightmare so much that we now take then in van twice a day over the moors , they are fine off lead but on it they do not hear a word and take no notice of us at all no matter what we do, this only happens if a off lead dog runs up to them , but holding two 8 stone dogs is terrible , both have had training and one to one and still they do it. Jazz has only done this since he was bitten twice by jack russels.


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## pinkflamingo

ally51 said:


> Hi there just read your post i am having the exact same problem with my Border Terrier, she is fantastic in evey other way except with other dogs, but unlike yours she does go for them aggressively & bites which i find very distressing & i feel awful for the other owners as their dog has come up perfectly friendly and she just flies. I'm beginning to think it may be from her past i have only owned her 4 weeks & she came from a Hunt Kennel where i'm sure it was every dog for themselves. She is 7 years old so not a pup i'm thinking of obedience classes but not sure if she'l be too old. When i'm out walking here it's like "dog alert" i'm constantly looking for other dogs, i can handle her fine is the other dog is on a lead, sometimes i even pick her up so she cannot attack. To be able to walk her off the lead i have to go where i know there's a very small chance of meeting any other dogs, she's brilliant at re-call but if there's another dog around that just goes out of the window & she's totally oblivbious to me.....oh well i hope you get the problem sorted with your dog....me? well i think i'm gunna surf the net to find a local obedience class & give them a call this problem is making dog walking a nightmare ....


I would definately recommend obedience classes as it does help you tackle problems with support and advice. When you get there you realise you are not the only one with problems like this and they understand how you feel more than someone you meet on the street. There is a small dog at my class who launches at other dogs aggressively and they say to the owner to just shout "no" very loudly and sharply and give it a yank with the lead to give the dog a shock each time it does it. It is getting better but it can take a while to get the message. They think my dog is just pushing his luck as he's come of age (1yr) and is trying to sound dominant first before the other dog can. My worry is he tries it with the wrong dog who shows him whos boss back and he gets hurt. It probably would teach him a lesson but I would hate for him to get hurt. Never mind I'll keep on with the programme and hopefully will look back and laugh!!!!!!!!! Hope you get sorted too.


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## pinkflamingo

jeanie said:


> I also have the same probs with my GSD only one of them does this , but the other will go as well once Jazz starts, he hates all other dogs and walking is a nightmare so much that we now take then in van twice a day over the moors , they are fine off lead but on it they do not hear a word and take no notice of us at all no matter what we do, this only happens if a off lead dog runs up to them , but holding two 8 stone dogs is terrible , both have had training and one to one and still they do it. Jazz has only done this since he was bitten twice by jack russels.


I was told that they become more protective of you when on the lead and especially if you start to get stressed and worry whats going to happen as they feel the stress and think its the other dog you're worried about not what they are going to do. Its very difficult as there are social dogs who love to greet other dogs and dogs like mine who are happy in amongst other dogs but don't want another dog rushing up to them and jumping all over them. I was on the beach the other day minding my own business throwing the ball for my dog when 2 huge Labradoodles came bounding up and were jumping all over me with their feet on my shoulders trying to snap and get hold of my ball throwing stick. I was worried as their teeth were flashing about in front of my face and they were grabbing at the fur on my daughters coat and pulling on it. They were then jumping all over my dog who was tolerant for a few minutes then snapped at one grabbing its fur on its face which soon sent it packing. I looked around for the owners and saw they were half way down the beach having a lovely chat oblivious to what was happening. I felt sad that my dog had had to react like that but realised that their behaviour was far worse than my dog who was just defending himself and his family.


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## jeanie

I thi nk this could be the same reason with mine , the other sunday oh took them over the road to a lane there was a dog running up there straight to Jazz and it went for him , up to then they sat for my oh then they went teeth showing and pulled my oh off his feet , hes 16 stone so no lightweight, he shouted to the woman to put her dog on lead she ignored him just kept walking toward him and our dogs , hers didnt even have a collar on, my two went crazy and pulled my oh on his stomach till he hit a fence which stopped them and him, then the dog ran away im sure if he had not managed to keep hold of leads they might have killed it , he came home covered in blood and took two weeks for all his wounds to heal , he was not expecting the dog to attack Jazz so wasnt ready for it as ours were sat nice till that point , we are now afraid to walk local as the same woman still never has dog on lead, and wont stop it attacking ours, it bit Jazz under the neck he had to have a couple of stiches , so now he hates all other dogs ,


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## pinkflamingo

She sounds completely irresponsible! What breed of dog was it? Must be pretty confident to approach 2 GSD!


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## jeanie

It looked like a cross with a boxer and collie , mine are still pups only 13mths old, but are big dogs , i have talked to other people around and they say its done the same to their dogs, we live in a village and i know this woman but she wont lead it she was way behind her dog when it attacked ours ,who were at a loss as oh wouldnt let leads go he thought we would get the blame if ours attacked back , just by the reputation GSDS have in this area . mainly by silly people who think we should all have jack Russels in the country.


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## Guest

spellweaver said:


> I know this might sound stupid, but when this happens outside the training class, do you use the same command that you are teaching him in training, or do you just panic and either shout at him or try to pull him away?





pinkflamingo said:


> At training class I use "leave" sternly and pull his lead sharply back however when on the beach and he's off lead I tend to just shout "no!" and tell him to "go" to encourange him to move along. When he's on lead I don't let him sniff other dogs now as I know he'll snap which I know is just avoiding the problem. I have been to obedience classes today however and he hasn't snapped or growled once!


At the risk of sounding stupid again, when you are out walking with him, why don't you try using the same commands you teach him at training school? He has obviously learned that "Leave!" in a stern voice means he should not advance towards other dogs, so wouldn't it be sensible to use that commmand when you are out in the real world instead of just at training?


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## Guest

spellweaver said:


> Castration often doesn't work - and really it shouldn't be done until 18 months because the dog needs hormones for his growth and development until then. (Castration stops their production)
> 
> I didnt know this - my vet has advised me to get my boy castrated at 6 months???! What have other people heard? sorry this is a little off subject but i only have a month to go til the 6 month stage so I'd like to clear this up x


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## pinkflamingo

louise5031 said:


> spellweaver said:
> 
> 
> 
> Castration often doesn't work - and really it shouldn't be done until 18 months because the dog needs hormones for his growth and development until then. (Castration stops their production)
> 
> I didnt know this - my vet has advised me to get my boy castrated at 6 months???! What have other people heard? sorry this is a little off subject but i only have a month to go til the 6 month stage so I'd like to clear this up x
> 
> 
> 
> I didn't know this either - my vet said it was fine to castrate boys from 9 mths onwards. He said it was different for females who had to wait for their first season before having them done to avoid incontinence problems.
> It makes sense thinking about puberty and the growth and hormones released are relative to growth in humans so will probably be the same for dogs!!!!!!!! too late now for my dog!!!!!!!!
Click to expand...


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## pinkflamingo

spellweaver said:


> At the risk of sounding stupid again, when you are out walking with him, why don't you try using the same commands you teach him at training school? He has obviously learned that "Leave!" in a stern voice means he should not advance towards other dogs, so wouldn't it be sensible to use that commmand when you are out in the real world instead of just at training?


You don't sound stupid at all in fact very sensible. It is just a spur of the moment thing I guess (with panic & embarrassment thrown in!) - you are right I will try "leave" consistently as it is relative to the same behaviour. I have just read that when you shout angrily at your dog instead of issuing a clear command they think that you are shouting at the other dog to go away and joins in with you to drive them away instead of realising it is them you are cross with! Interesting stuff. I am fast learning you have to think everything through the mind of a dog in order to stay two steps ahead of them!


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## Natik

spellweaver said:


> Castration often doesn't work - and really it shouldn't be done until 18 months because the dog needs hormones for his growth and development until then. (Castration stops their production)


I have heard about this too...It also lets the dogs character develope and mature better.


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## pinkflamingo

jeanie said:


> It looked like a cross with a boxer and collie , mine are still pups only 13mths old, but are big dogs , i have talked to other people around and they say its done the same to their dogs, we live in a village and i know this woman but she wont lead it she was way behind her dog when it attacked ours ,who were at a loss as oh wouldnt let leads go he thought we would get the blame if ours attacked back , just by the reputation GSDS have in this area . mainly by silly people who think we should all have jack Russels in the country.


I feel bad when Archie growls at other dogs so would be mortified if he actually bit one savagely. I couldn't put up with the stress thinking he was going to do that and he would be confined to his lead forever more! It needs to be muzzled at least before it badly harms another dog. Jack Russells are one of the most aggressive breeds from what I've seen and will go for anything bigger than them - they just get away with it more as the damage they do is on a smaller scale. If a big dog retaliated and bit one back they would look like the viscious one for biting a smaller dog no matter how it provoked them.


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## boxer2008

I totally understand where you are coming from. 16month old boxer was bitten by a staffie and the week before by a jack russell (believe it or not!!), and just stood there until i removed him from the situation, and since then he has taken to displaying dominent behaviour with more and more dogs. we have attended obedience class since he was a pup, and normally he is great with other dogs, most of the time wanting to play. But he is very much more on guard as a dog approaches him and will attempt to mount the other dog which often leads to alot of aggressive growling and a bit of a a tussle! Ricky is also quite bad at lunging at other dogs on the lead too, and he's fit, muscley and 8 stone too, so i know about trying to drag a big dog back! since he was bit i have also become more anxious, often attempting to avoid other dogs, as it is often the other owners who then belive your dog is nasty, which is quite embarrassing, especially when i know how friendly he is with people, and used to be with almost all dogs. I have definately noticed a difference in him since he was bitten. We have not had dog class for a while, and the trainer has looked after Ricky on numerous occasions, so i will be definately asking if she notices a difference and how to handle the situation.
Any advice of others would be great too.


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## caelsgirl

I knew a lady who owned a fantastic great dane, beautiful temperament. The lady had a baby and the big boy was fantastic with her child. One day she was walking with her child in a buggy and her dog beside her. A lady with a Jack russel came towards them. The jack started growling and leapt into the oncoming buggy! With that the great dane snatched the jack up killing it instantly, the owner of the jack sued and the poor great dane had to be PTS! all he was doing was protecting his family  Goes to show huh?

Hope you find a solution soon, I'm no expert i'm afraid but maybe you should ask advice from your trainer?


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## boxer2008

Ricky is not dominant all the time, just recently more so, but dont know whether it is to do with his age or whether it is because he is much mroe wary of other dogs since being bit, both would be understandable. He's been out today and was playing lovely with five other dogs, including a german shepard and a manchester terrier! He has never showed his teeth to another dog, or actually gone to bite, it is all alot of noise and him wanting to get on top of them more than anything.I am sure my trainer will be able to help me understand more and show me how to handle those situations. He is a very typical boxer who is very clumsy and playful much of the time, which some dogs don't appreciate, which is understandable! Ive got a feeling that the dog knows when i become anxious, which the other posts have pointed out to me. Also, instead of becoming anxious today when walking past other dogs, and just shouting his name and grabbing hold of him, i remembered to use the command 'leave' which he is a master at, just as someone suggested on here, and it worked a treat! He sniffed the dog (which was a staffie), and as soon as i said leave and carried on walking away he soon followed! Thanks for that advice and reminding me to use what we have already learnt and what he is good at.


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## Donnakebab79

Hello. My 15 month border collie/ lab puppy had her first season last month and since then has become very aggressive to all the male dogs that she played with since being a pup. It's getting to the point where I am dreading having to take her out. Before her season she was the most playful dog in the park. Pls help


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## Sairy

Donnakebab79 said:


> Hello. My 15 month border collie/ lab puppy had her first season last month and since then has become very aggressive to all the male dogs that she played with since being a pup. It's getting to the point where I am dreading having to take her out. Before her season she was the most playful dog in the park. Pls help


This thread is ancient. Probably best to start a new thread


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## LinznMilly

Donnakebab79 said:


> Hello. My 15 month border collie/ lab puppy had her first season last month and since then has become very aggressive to all the male dogs that she played with since being a pup. It's getting to the point where I am dreading having to take her out. Before her season she was the most playful dog in the park. Pls help





Sairy said:


> This thread is ancient. Probably best to start a new thread


Yup. I'm not sure any of the members who contributed to this thread are still active. @Donnakebab79 you probably would be better off starting your own thread. 

:Locktopic


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