Aggression On Leash ?

[sibe1]

I have noticed recently that my 3 year old is aggressive towards other dogs while on the leash.  He is perfectly fine if I take him to daycare, he gets along with the other dogs just fine.  But when we are on walks  we have met people with other dogs on leash, the other dogs will want to do the nose touch and Yotie growls and hackles go up, I then have to tell him to sit and behave, which he will do grudgingly.  As far as I can tell the other dogs do not appear to be approaching Yotie with an attitude, however maybe they are silently calling each other names and only they can hear ! 

 

Yotie has been attacked while on a leash, the pitbull was not on a leash and had to charge at us from about 30 feet away.  Yotie was not hurt, the pitt came out on the short stick on that one, fortunately it was a young dog so kicking the @#$% out of him/her made it want to leave. That was about 2 years ago though, Yotie didn't appear to have the aggression on leash until about two months ago.  Nothing I can think of would have changed except we have a puppy that is now 6 months old, they get along fine.  Could Yotie be protecting Rocky? 

 

Yotie has been neutered, so I am assuming it is not an intact male issue.

[Elyse]

Pay attention to your dog's (and the other dog's) body language very carefully, as soon as you see the other dog. That can help you make an educated guess if they are going to like each other or not. See below...

Mine can be leash aggressive, and while I'm not sure if its entirely dominance, I know it has a role in it. Suka's a dominant dog, so he postures a lot around other dogs. If other dogs postures back, then that's when we have trouble...

By 'posturing', I mean the following:

- The dog's gait changes to a more 'uptight' and stiff walk. 
- Hackles rise

- They walk a little bit on their toes, making them look bigger.
- They stare directly at the other dog
- Tail is up. It can be wagging, but a wagging tail does not necessarily mean happiness. I've learnt that, in my dog atleast, a tight stiff wag of the tail (that doesn't swish that much side to side) is more assertive or 'dominant'

If the other dog continues to posture, and if we are approaching them, that's when the growling and the lunging starts. Sometimes the other dog lunges first, other times its Suka that makes the first move.

When he was younger, I made a point to avoid other dogs while walking because this would always happen (the other dog would posture, then Suka would posture...or vice versa). Now that he's an old dog now (it makes me sad...), I've been able to train him to ignore other dogs, but with a younger dog it is harder to do this. 

So, just watch out for their body language. If either dog postures, watch the other dog....if the other dog postures back, then promptly turn down the next street (or turn around and walk the other way or cross the street). If those dogs continue to walk towards each other, and neither one will 'submit', that's when you'll get the growling, snarling, barking, and leash lunging.

If the other dog doesn't posture, and seems to lower himself down (this is rare during walks, I've seen, because owners tend to let their dogs pee everywhere (marking their territory), so every dog thinks that the walking route is their territory. Which is why many dogs will only make certain areas, or prefer certain areas to mark, but I digress...), then you are okay and passing by should be safe. If you are unsure, I find the best policy is to avoid the other dog.

Good luck.

 

 

[sibe1]

Thank You, I will pay attention to the other dogs posturing as it approaches, also Yotie's.  I usually am aware of Yotie's body language, so I probably am looking more at him and not the other dog.  Yotie will not back down from a fight, so it could escalate very rapidly.  I usually avoid other dogs while on walks, but lately people want to see the puppy.  Which is a good thing for Rocky since we are trying to socialize him.