# My dog growls at other dogs.



## Natcar1 (Jun 12, 2011)

I have an 18 month old border collie and when we take him for a walk to the park, he has started growling at other dogs. He has recently started weeing in different places around the park so I thought that this might have something to do with this. But I am unsure. He used to be fine with other dogs and just wanted to play, but he has since been growling at some dogs, it is not all dogs though.

He also barks whenever people are leaving the house, and I am unsure why this is.

I would be greatful for any tips and idea's on how to tackle these problems.


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## Jonesey (Dec 30, 2010)

I haven't a clue, but didn't want to read and run. I'm sure some good advice will be coming along shortly.


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## leoti (Dec 9, 2007)

Natcar1 said:


> I have an 18 month old border collie and when we take him for a walk to the park, he has started growling at other dogs. He has recently started weeing in different places around the park so I thought that this might have something to do with this. But I am unsure. He used to be fine with other dogs and just wanted to play, but he has since been growling at some dogs, it is not all dogs though.
> 
> He also barks whenever people are leaving the house, and I am unsure why this is.
> 
> I would be greatful for any tips and idea's on how to tackle these problems.


I will presume at this stage you havent had him neutered , i have just gone through this with my boy who is now 20 months old , the weeing in different places is scent marking , he is growing up and is now trying to accesert him self with the other dogs , if you are not going to show him or breed from him then my best advice would be to have him neutered sooner rather than later


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## RobD-BCactive (Jul 1, 2010)

Keep your dog under threshold. Read up on body language, see sticky and use distance. Excess marking could be a sign of stress.

You can proceed in similar manner to counter condition as explained in this thread http://www.petforums.co.uk/dog-training-behaviour/158018-training-social-humans-dogs.html#post2359496

If the human directed behavious escalates because you fail to "protect" then sorting it will get much more expensive, so try to avoid "rude" encounters. Perhaps he went for a while without meeting stranger dogs and is out the groove?

Another body language link - Body Language in Dogs: how to read what your dog is saying, from Stacy's Wag'N'Train

Dogstardaily has advice for adolescent dog issues, worth a look - Adolescent Dog Training (18 weeks - 2 years) | Dog Star Daily

I wouldn't have much faith in neutering as first choice "solution", it's likely fear based. Vets love it because they get a fee (and it's what they do), but it can back fire for numbers on neuterings effectiveness, see The Effects of Spaying and Neutering on Canine Behavior | Association of Animal Behavior Professionals. Remember that's general breed advice, not a breed like a Collie which requires more socialisation than average, as it's a nervy pastoral type dog, bred for performance rather than a lap dog type animal.


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## Natcar1 (Jun 12, 2011)

I had him neutered at 6 months old. We are now trying to avoid other dogs. I think it is a fear thing and I am unsure on how to get him to overcome this fear. We have a tennis ball, which he only gets when we go for walks, we thought this might help him relax because he loves his ball.


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## Cleo38 (Jan 22, 2010)

I can understand why you may want to avoid other dogs but really you will be making this situation worse by doing so. 

Please re-read RobD-BCactives post again especially the links, there is some fantastic advice there


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## LouJ69 (Feb 28, 2009)

I've been having a very similar problem with my 14 month old Sibe. She's very growly and lunges towards other dogs when she is on lead. Off lead she'll play with them fine, no confrontation at all, but she sounds like a right vicious little madam when she's on lead. Originally i thought it was her fight/flight instinct kicking in as she was at her second fear impact stage when it started, but she doesn't seem to be afraid of them.
Maybe she's resource guarding me or the treats that i always carry, I'm still not too sure, but the way that I've been dealing with it is through systematic desensitisation along with counter conditioning. 
I try to keep her at her threshold distance from other dogs (this is the closest distance that you can have your dog to another dog without him reacting) while reinforcing any positive behaviour with a treat of high value. Obviously its not always easy to control this as sometimes other dogs are off lead etc. If i can't keep her away from the other dog, then I redirect her attention away from the other dog by giving her something else to concentrate on. Usually it's a touch behaviour or a watch me. If you just try to stop your dog reacting to another dog it can be confusing to your dog so giving it something else to focus on makes it easier for your dog.
It's going well, although slow!:mad2: Lol Having 2 dogs to walk at the same time makes it harder, but my sheer determination will win out in the end! 
I hope this post makes sense and it's not too long winded! Feel free to ask me any more questions if you like! Good luck. Just remember, patience is the key as well as keeping your cool as hard as it may seem sometimes. Never punish your dog when he's reacting to the other dogs as he may just end up associating them with negative things and may end up more aggressive than before! 
It's not gonna stop overnight, but find something that your dog values highly. One of mine is a ball, the other one is food. For some dogs it's simply your positive attention.
Ok, gonna shut up now! Lol
Xxx


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