Inter-Dog Aggression

Factors such as early experiences and genetics may play a critical role in the amount of time and effort it will take to reach the owners goals. A dog that was not adequately socialised in the first few months of his life will require more time and work than a dog that was well-socialised as a puppy. A dog that was fearful at 8 weeks of age will require more work than a dog that was confident at that age. In some cases, changing a dog’s behaviour and preventing further incidents of aggression may be relatively simple and quick. In other cases, it may be a lifelong process. When working with aggression, we have to work within the time frame the individual dogs give us.
Different resources motivate different dogs at different times. This means the relationship can change – just like you might argue with your partner occasionally about what channel on TV to watch, but at other times be quite happy to let them watch their choice. In many households the status of one dog over another is fluid; in other words, one dog may be the first to take his pick of toys but will defer to the other dog when it comes to the choice of resting places.
Dogs that use aggression to “get what they want” are not displaying ‘dominance’, but rather anxiety-based behaviours, which will only increase if they are faced with verbal and/or physical threats from their human owners. These dogs actually lack confidence and have learned that attack is the best defence.

More about this Inter-Dog Aggression Live Webinar

Let us look at a common example of what can happen with dogs who are fearful of other dogs.
The owner and their dog (dog A) walk down the road and see another dog on the other side. Dog A begins to bark. The owner of the barking dog may feel embarrassed or frustrated. A loud “No” is spoken but their dog continues to bark and lunge. The ‘No’ is now shouted, accompanied by a tug on the lead in an effort to distract the dog. Eventually, the owner manages to drag the barking, lunging dog away, shouting and smacks him.

What has this dog learned?

• That barking and lunging make the other dog go away?
• That their owner is not to be trusted?
• That seeing another dog “feels” bad – associations with increased fear from being shouted at or an association with
pain from the lead tug with other dogs?
• Not to bark and lunge at other dogs?

Common punishing or confrontational techniques used to control dogs include:

• sharp lead corrections meant to cause discomfort.
• hitting or kicking the dog.
• applying electric shock.
• applying physical force to pressure a dog into a submissive down position.
• the ‘alpha roll’ which forces the dog on its back in an apparently submissive position.
• other ‘techniques’ involving shouting, threatening stares or growls, use of water sprays or shaking a jar of
pebbles, grabbing the dog by the scruff of the neck or the jowls and shaking him, and similar procedures.

This course donates £10 to charity.

Times are tough at the moment for animal charities; many are experiencing a sharp decline in donations and animal adoptions and are under increasing pressure to survive these difficult times. We are doing all we can to support them with raising awareness and raising funds and are pleased to announce that we will be donating 50% of the fees from all our Dog Training Course Webinars. Simply enrol on to any of these three webinars, complete your purchase and £10 will be contributed on your behalf.