What can I do to make my dog less aggressive towards other dogs?
Julie asked:
I have a Pit bull/ Lab mix that is 4 years old. We got him from a shelter where he was rescued at about 4 months old. We did bring him to an obedience school, and he did great in it. When he was younger we would always bring him to the local dog park, which he loved. Within the last year he has become very aggressive towards all dogs, big or small. Whenever we bring him for a walk, he tries to go after every dog and occasionally will pull us down. He is especially aggressive towards our neighbor’s dogs. He will try and push under the fence, and cut his head, and bark and run up and down the yard staring at the dog. He did have an incident where he was at a family member’s house with another relatives dog. It was neither dog’s home. They growled at each other quite a bit, so I tried to keep them away from each other. Somehow they got reunited and went off. Although the other dog was in control, our dog ended up drawing some blood from the other dog’s ear. It caused a huge clash within the family and we are no longer as close as we used to be. He is SO friendly towards people, he just NEEDS to chill out around dogs. Please help me with anything! I want to be able to bring him on walks where it can be peaceful, and possibly bring him back to the dog park.
He IS neutered. When we walk him we do have a gentle leader that does go around his nose.
Lanora
I have a Pit bull/ Lab mix that is 4 years old. We got him from a shelter where he was rescued at about 4 months old. We did bring him to an obedience school, and he did great in it. When he was younger we would always bring him to the local dog park, which he loved. Within the last year he has become very aggressive towards all dogs, big or small. Whenever we bring him for a walk, he tries to go after every dog and occasionally will pull us down. He is especially aggressive towards our neighbor’s dogs. He will try and push under the fence, and cut his head, and bark and run up and down the yard staring at the dog. He did have an incident where he was at a family member’s house with another relatives dog. It was neither dog’s home. They growled at each other quite a bit, so I tried to keep them away from each other. Somehow they got reunited and went off. Although the other dog was in control, our dog ended up drawing some blood from the other dog’s ear. It caused a huge clash within the family and we are no longer as close as we used to be. He is SO friendly towards people, he just NEEDS to chill out around dogs. Please help me with anything! I want to be able to bring him on walks where it can be peaceful, and possibly bring him back to the dog park.
He IS neutered. When we walk him we do have a gentle leader that does go around his nose.
Lanora
February 6th, 2010 at 6:35 am
Les
Time for a behaviorist. Call around to local vets, shelters, rescues or trainers to find a behaviorist. You need to nip this in the bud before something more dangerous happens.
In the meantime, muzzle him on walks or when other dogs are around.
February 9th, 2010 at 7:59 am
Corene
Training and socialization via a trainer. More specifically, a behaviorist.
Check with your Vet and local animal organizations for a list of recommended trainers with experience in socialization.
February 10th, 2010 at 9:06 pm
Gail
behavior training is a must. and to avoid this in the future all new pets should be taken and socialized before the 16 week marker
February 13th, 2010 at 9:19 pm
Leora
Is the dog fixed because that can cause huge behavioural issues. Also, depending on the nature. Most labs get aggressive when they think that you are in danger.
For walking, buy a gentle leader collar. It goes around the neck and nose so he won’t pull as much because you have control of his head.
We have two lab/great Pyrenees dogs and they both are very aggressive towards each other and other dogs. We bought them the gentle leader collar and now even I, a thirteen year-old weakling can control them and take both of them for a walk without any problems.