Dog on dog Agression…
I have a 3-year-old cockapoo named Milo . He is a good dog with humans, but he is very aggressive to most other dogs. He will break through our invisible fence to attack a dog, no matter how big the dog is. When I say attack, I mean barking fiercely, baring his teeth and nipping at the dog while the horrified owner tries to control his/her own dog. Milo weighs 20 pounds. He has not bitten a dog’s skin (to my knowledge) but he has bitten off tufts of fur in long-haired dogs. I now put Milo on a 20-foot vinyl cord that is screwed into the ground in our front yard. I don’t like to do this because I think he needs to be able to romp around. I do plan on putting a real fence in our backyard in a few weeks.)
I try to walk Milo and my other dog every day. My other dog is a peaceful labrador retriever. I have Milo on a prong collar because it’s the only way I can control him when other dogs pass us—without the prong collar, Milo barks and lunges toward the other dog. I tried bringing treats with me on walks and using them to get him to focus on me instead of other dogs, but this didn’t work. Milo is not interested in food even when he’s hungry. (My labrador will do anything for a single Cheerio.) I think one reason that food doesn’t work with Milo is that he is just a very insecure guy—he’s always watching his back for other dogs.
I should also say that Milo does have playdates with my friend’s 2 bouchons. They are small like Milo , and Milo does well with these dogs. Other than these “playdates” I just try to avoid contact with other dogs, which is really hard. Sometimes we pass by people who are walking their dogs off leash, or we walk past homes where dogs are not fenced, and when a dog approaches Milo, especially a high-energy dog, he just plain freaks out, even if I yank his prong collar he will try to lung at the dog while crying in pain. This is AWFUL.
We had a stressful year because we renovated our home, moved out for 6 months, moved back in. There are alot of workers coming and going still…(but my other dog has not been at all stressed out)…My hope is that once we fence the backyard, Milo will settle down a bit….but I fear he will always be aggressive with other dogs. Is there anything I can do to help him gain confidence? Anything I can do to get him to stop being aggressive with other dogs? Or do I just accept that this is the way he is?
Adrienne
Dear Adrienne,
It seems to me that Milo has a little bit more poodle in him then cocker spaniel. Poodles can be high-strung, but luckily poodles are extremely intelligent and easy to train. At the same time, cocker spaniels are known to be fearful and/or nervous around strangers (dog or human). As a cockapoo, Milo ’s got the best and worst of both breeds. DO NOT accept Milo ’s aggressive behavior. Giving up on your dog will only make his behavior worse. What Milo needs is some socialization training. Milo does not have to get along with every dog he sees, but he does have to at least learn to tolerate other dogs.
First of all, you need to stop pulling back on Milo ’s leash when another dog is near. I know pulling on the leash is a natural reflex that humans have, but the truth is when you pull tight on the leash, it triggers your dog’s guarding instincts which makes your dog want to attack even more. Most dogs are experts at reading human body language and sensing our feelings. When you see another dog walking towards you and you get nervous, start pulling on the leash, or start walking away to avoid the dog, Milo picks up those feelings within seconds. When a dog senses that his leader (owner) is nervous or scared, then the dog immediately goes into attack mode as an attempt to protect you. Do this often enough and Milo eventually realizes that it’s other dogs that make you nervous. So Milo gets used to being in attack mode at the very sight of another dog. Unfortunately, dogs don’t realize that’s actually their bad behavior that makes you nervous to be around other dogs.
Socializing Milo correctly, along with reminding yourself to be calm and collect, should do the trick. No more avoiding dogs. Instead, you should want Milo meet at least one new dog a day. Start slow. The next time you go for a walk with Milo and another dog comes along, ask the owner if it’s ok for the dogs to meet each other. Assuming the owner says yes, let Milo go up to the other dog and let them sniff each other for a few minutes. Remember to keep the leash loose!!!! Praise Milo for sniffing and checking out the other dog. Pet the other dog yourself and say “good doggy!” This will show Milo that you are not afraid of other dogs and he shouldn’t be either. Take no longer then a few minutes to do this, thank the dog’s owner, and continue on your way.
It’s ok if Milo barks and pulls on the leash to get to other dogs in the beginning. But if he nips, if he cowers with his tail between his legs and/or looks scared, then do not bother greeting that dog. Just continue on past them. If Milo will not fallow you willingly because he’s to busy trying to lung at another dog, try calling him in a happy, excited voice and give the leash a few little tugs while you walk away. This usually works better then dragging him off while scolding him. By the way, you do not want to scold him for his behavior in the beginning because this will cause Milo to associate strange dogs with negative attention. You want Milo to associate other dogs with positive attention, so try calling him excitedly and pat your legs or clap your hands to get his attention. Or just walk away without saying anything.
As for his behavior at home/in the yard, this may be a little more difficult to control because he may be guarding his territory. I recommend using a citronella collar if he usually barks while attacking. Citronella collars are the most human and the most effective and will work even when you are not home. All you do is fill the collar once a day with citronella spray (basically a solution of water and lemon juice) and turn the collar on. When your dog barks, the collar will automatically spray your dog. Dogs hate the way citronella smells and many dogs also hate being sprayed. It’s a very mild punishment, but it works wonders. Add a command such as “no” or “leave it” and Milo will soon learn to stop his bad behavior before he gets sprayed. The true beauty of a citronella collar is that it works even when you are not home. You can do the same thing a citronella collar does yourself by squirting your dog with a squirt bottle or by using a shaker-can, but the problem with those is that dogs quickly learn that they can still misbehave when you are not home to administer the punishment, and so training takes a lot longer. If you want to, you can use the citronella collar when going for walks too. But I strongly recommend that you turn the collar off when going for a walk and try to socialize Milo instead so you can get to the heart of the problem.
Let me know how it goes. Remember to go slow, at Milo ’s pace and comfort level. It will probably take a few months of daily practice until you see a major difference in his behavior. Good Luck J
Jenn
