Riley's Dog Aggression (ISGrl)

 I'm certainly no expert, so consider the source. My first thought when I read your story was this is not what I call dog agresssion but rather dog communication.

IrishSetterGrl

I knew this dog was going to come up to Riley when I opened the gate, and it made me nervous because Riley does not like dogs who won't leave him alone.

Riley told the mastiff he wanted him to leave him alone. The growling and showing teeth. When the other dog didn't back off Riley upped the stakes. If Riley was truly dog aggressive you probably would have seen some injuries. It sound like it was short and sweet to me. My new dog and I go to a dog park type area as well. Buddy is extremely well mannered around other dogs and gives and receives all the appropriate dog  messages. The one thing he will not tolerate however is being mounted.  He will first just walk off. If the dog tries again (which they usually do) Buddy will growl and show his teeth. If that fails Buddy will get into a what I call 'scruff'.  To be honest IMO that is perfectly fine and I rarely intervene. The thing is it works. The dog doesn't try to mount and they often end up running and playing together. Now I wasn't there, so it may have been more serious. When dogs fight it always seems to scary.

Having said that, I noticed Riley at the age of maturity now. Male dogs often become more assertive at that age - not aggressive. 

If he doesn't care for larger males, and is fearful of them to the point of having to bluster at them, then why take him to the park where there are larger males?  Doesn't it make more sense to find a few compatible dogs that he can actually have fun with and set up a play date?  You may also want to consider that some breeds, and some individual dogs, once they reach age 2 or 3, don't really like physical play any more and are more content to do other things.  Dogs tend to choose their own friends, and only a really mellow dog belongs at the dog park IMO.  Other dogs usually prefer smaller groups.

IrishSetterGrl

I knew this dog was going to come up to Riley when I opened the gate, and it made me nervous because Riley does not like dogs who won't leave him alone.  I opened the gate and Riley and the mastiff mix started sniffing each other. The hair on Riley's back goes up, and he starts growling. The other dog doesn't leave and just kept standing there, sniffing him, and then Riley starts showing his teeth and snarling. Of course I was freaking out but before I knew it, Riley started getting into a fight with this dog.

I agree with others who have suggestion prevention is the best step - don't take him into places where there are dogs you know will get his back up. A lot of dogs who aren't typically aggressive can be threatened by big dogs standing over them and staring at them. My bitch who wouldn't hurt a fly would find that intimidating. I actually avoid dog parks for this reason. I take my dogs in there when they are empty, or when I am running them with dogs I know.

I also bet that you starting to feel uneasy as soon as you spotted the other dog in there didn't help the situation, either. My fear aggressive dog picks up on my unease too and you can guarantee that makes him more likely to be reactive.

I've noticed its definitely primarily male dogs that are bigger than him that seem to be the issue.  I honestly think that he is unsure if I am able to control scary situations (maybe I haven't been firm enough in being the pack leader), so he thinks, "hey, I'll get this big threatening dog before it can get me."

A big part of managing my dog aggressive dog was to teach him that he had other options than aggression when it came to dealing with other dogs. I do everything I can not to put him in situations where he is likely to aggress, but I also teach him that looking to me is far better than taking matters into his own paws (so to speak).

He doesn't sound dog-aggressive, he sounds like an adult male dog who doesn't like other large adult males pestering him. Many people see this happen when they take their dogs to dog parks... the dogs are perfectly fine up until they are about 2-3 years old, and then they start showing more and more intolerance of other dogs. It's perfectly natural! Adult dogs do not need to accept strangers into their bubble if they do not want them there, and if the other dog fails to listen, then of course they are going to up their threat display. I personally do not like dog parks, and do not take my dogs to them.

Personally, I would only take him to the dog park when dogs you know he likes are there. You could always set up play-dates with dogs he enjoys, and fore-go the unknowns of a dog park. PREVENT him from feeling to the need to be aggressive by not allowing him into situations where dogs he dislikes are going to annoy him.

denise m

Riley told the mastiff he wanted him to leave him alone. The growling and showing teeth. When the other dog didn't back off Riley upped the stakes.

Agreed, this is not Riley's fault but the other dog's since he didnt listen to what Riley had to say. I also dont like dog parks for the same reason, too many dogs that will do whatever they want and will get into fights because poor communication skills or just too pushy with others. I rather to choose myself which dogs i will let my dog to socialize with based on the other dog's manners and socialization skills.

"Socializing"  your dog with the wrong ones could also cause problems, not all socialization is good

Thanks for the reassuring replies everyone!

Reading these made me feel a lot better. The reason I thought he was dog aggressive is because the other dog wasn't even jumping on him, he just came up to Riley and started sniffing him, so I thought Riley overreacted, but I guess he didn't? It just seemed like they were very close to getting in a fight.

This is a private dog psrk and I have been a member since March. But I haven't gotten to bring him in about month (except the other day) because of school. I won't be going to the dog park anymore.

It makes sense that he would be more assertive at this age too, you guys made a good point.

Thanks again for the advice/explanation. I think part of the problem is I'm just used to Cadie's behavior. She could care less about other dogs (besides Riley), and if she gets annoyed with one, she just walks away. Obviously Riley is a little more to-the-point! Since he growled and snarled to let the dog know he was annoyed,I saw that as overreacting, and frankly, him being a brat.

I'm so glad I asked because now I know he doesn't have a "problem" that needs worked on - but I will take better measures to prevent putting him in situations where an incident could occur.

Regardless of whether you think your dog is over-reacting, always remember and keep in the back of your mind that aggression is a way for dogs to communicate, both to each other and to us. Even if you feel that he SHOULD feel comfortable and perfectly OK in a situation, his aggression is telling you he does not feel safe or comfortable, or that he is irritated, upset, or some other negative feeling. And even if you feel he shouldn't feel a need to display aggression, always respect that he's trying to communicate to you that he's not feeling comfortable with what is happening. So back up, and see if there is a way to make him feel comfortable with what is happening (if reasonable!)

To me, it's reasonable for a dog to growl at a strange dog approaching him head-on and getting into his bubble. So to me, I'd work on preventing strange dogs from entering my dog's bubble head-on, and instead try introducing him to dogs I feel he will be compatible with. Now, if he were growling at strangers walking past in the street, I would feel that that is unreasonable, and would work hard on getting him to feel comfortable in that situation.

IrishSetterGrl

Riley does not like dogs who won't leave him alone.  I opened the gate and Riley and the mastiff mix started sniffing each other. The hair on Riley's back goes up, and he starts growling. The other dog doesn't leave and just kept standing there, sniffing him, and then Riley starts showing his teeth and snarling.

You said Riley doesn't like dogs who won't leave him alone, I don't think the mastiff was doing anything to him? they were simply sniffing each other and then Riley started growling. 

When you came out, the dog was already there, it's not like he came running to meet Riley. So definitely the problem is with Riley, I am sorry to say.

You need to bring it to a trainor, as in this article I read, it says - the puppy will not "grow out of" aggressive behavior, which often becomes worse with age.

So it is best to seek help at this early age.

Good luck! 

 I wouldn't stop going to the dog park.  Your dog is a gentleman in an upstart world. You are always going to run into dogs that are not socially apt, or who are going to play alpha dog.  At least in the dog park, with the dogs off leash, your dog is able to move away from another dog.  In the future, when you see your dog curling his lip ask the owner of the other dog to call off their dog.  With a setters droopy ears and saggy lips, other dogs don't always pick up social cues as readily as they would with *** ears and wolf mouth.