Aggression with other dogs

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Aggression with other dogs

Posted : 11/26/2007 4:33:46 PM

I have two schnoodle dogs, one who is 18 mos and one who is 13 mos. They get along great, although they do play a lot... and during their play there is a lot of growling/curling of lips/mouthing but never any injuries or what appears to be fighting (i.e., it just looks bad).

The problem is with my youngest, Sydney. we got him from a breeder (the same breeder as my oldest) when he was approx. 10 weeks. Unfortunately we got him in the winter, so we weren't outdoors as much and the only dog he really socialized with was his sister. a friend of ours brought her dog over a couple times and sydney would just bark and whine the whole time becuase his sister was playing with someone else and he was left out. he did growl and snap at this dog, and this was our first taste of his aggression.

he has also bit people. we consulted a trainer about this and it has gotten slightly better, i.e., he follows commands to sit and stay when people come over and he hasn't bit or acted aggressive to anyone in a while (knock on wood). he HAS growled though...

in the summer i brought him to my parents' house (without his sister) to try to socialize him with their dog, Ginger, who is a 10-yr old beagle-basset hound mix. this did not go over well. my parents' dog would sniff sydney's snout, and sydney would growl and snap at her. this happened constantly thoughout my time there. i had to muzzle him. i should say though, that i went out and left my dad to watch the dogs and he took syd's muzzle off and syd never even peeped at Ginger the whole time i was out.

now christmas is coming, and we want to bring our dogs to my parents' place again. i am terrified. i could use some suggestions...should i take him around some other dogs for short periods of time, using plenty of reinforcement for not snapping/biting? i was planning on bringing him over to my friend's place (she has a large, calm, female spaniel mix) with muzzle on, and see how it goes...i just don't want disaster to strike over christmas!! and i really don't want to leave them at a kennel.

AuroraLove

Posted : 11/26/2007 7:55:48 PM

Its sounds as if your pooch has missed out on some serious socialization time. It is natural for a dog to be testy when you bring another dog into their home without proper introductions. Next time have the visitor meet you all outside on leash and go for a walk prior to coming in the yard. Don't leave time for leash lunging, just start walking and keep the excited human greetings to a minimum so they dont get all excited by your tone. Getting them walking together hels calm the excitement and if it is at all posssible try and wear your dog out prior to these introductions so his energy level isnt so high.

Also keep up with obedinace work, if he dosnt see you as the leader ALL THE TIME it will be harder to get him to listen to you in high stress situations like when meeting other dogs. Make sure to keep all food, toys and treats seperate from the othe dogs, anything that could be foughtr should be monitored by a human.

I doubt this can be fixed by Xmas but its a start and it would be less stressful to keep Ginger away from Sydney when there are no humans present.

christieanne

Posted : 11/27/2007 9:02:00 AM

yes, we would definitely not leave them unsupervised. the funny thing is, the last time i brought sydney home to see my parents i walked him 3-4 times a day, to try to wear him out... but i will try walking him with ginger next time as well. i had their first 'meeting' outside on the sidewalk in front of their house, and approached slowly, having sydney sit every 5 steps or so and gave him some treats if he stayed quiet. i think my problem is timing with the rewards...just because he's quiet doesn't mean he is calm and i think sometimes i reward the 'quiet anxiety' :)