Need some advice on aggressive behavior

[lori_a_j]

My dog has had a few issues with other dogs. He doesn't start fights and he has no issue with dogs who aren't dominant or aggressive. His issue is with other dogs who are. If he comes up on another dog who growls at him or is aggressive in any way he will try to fight them. He will also play with other dogs as long as they aren't dominant. I need to know how to stop the behavior. He has gotten into two fights, both with little dogs. The first was when my brother was walking him and he got into a fight with a VERY dominant wiener dog in a yard with a underground fence but no above ground fence. The second was recent. We just made a military move to germany and had to leave him with some friends for a couple weeks before he could come over. He got out of the door before she could get the leash on him and he got into a fight with a small dog across the street, who now has stiches on both sides of him. Btw the two incidents happened a year and a half apart. We are getting him neutered but I would like to know if that will lessen this behavior or what else we can do? He only reacts if another dog is aggressive first, but when he reacts he does not back down at all. But if something happens again the repercussions will be much worse, especially here in germany. He has had basic training but we are considering training him further. And how much of an effect will neutering him have? He is almost 3 years old.

[codmaster]

I wouldn't expect much of a change in his behavior with the neutering - not likely.

Perhaps more obedience training (for the control) woul;d help in modifying his behavior.

[msvette2u]

Neutering cannot hurt in the least and I'd recommend it.

However, "The first was when my brother was walking him and he got into a fight with a VERY dominant wiener dog in a yard with a underground fence but no above ground fence. "

Um, the dog was on his own property - unless he broke the barrier. Dachshunds are protective, that is not "dominance".

I have no idea what your walks are like, but if I was walking in a neighborhood full of dogs, I'd never let my dog have enough leash/freedom to get in fights with other dogs in their own yards. That's a good way to get your dog confiscated and even put to sleep.

[lori_a_j]

The fence was an issue though because their backyard was 2 feet away from the walkway and the dog was left outside by himself. I'm not sure about the dog being protective or just aggressive but the wiener dog was the one who bit first. That was the first incident though. Nothing like that had ever happened before then. It's only since then that we've had the issues. And our dog was still pretty young then, about a year and a half old. We more than likely will get him into some more extensive training, because we just want to make sure it doesn't happen. He's like our kid and we just want to keep him safe

[lar07]

Originally Posted by lori_a_j

The fence was an issue though because their backyard was 2 feet away from the walkway and the dog was left outside by himself. I'm not sure about the dog being protective or just aggressive but the wiener dog was the one who bit first. That was the first incident though. Nothing like that had ever happened before then. It's only since then that we've had the issues. And our dog was still pretty young then, about a year and a half old. We more than likely will get him into some more extensive training, because we just want to make sure it doesn't happen. He's like our kid and we just want to keep him safe

Did the Dachshund stay in the electric fence, or did he get out and attack your dog? I would say, yes, neuter him, but don't expect it to be an end-all-be-all kind of fix. It may take the edge off. However, that Dachshund was in its own yard. I hate electric fences by the way.. I would advise you to be more aware of the surroundings when walking your dog. More training will be a good thing for sure. It definitely will not hurt the situation.

[sashadog]

I have two girls who are the same way, they won't start anything but if another dog is overly dominant or even just plain rude, they won't back down. We have done pretty intense obedience training with both of them but in my opinion, the best way to control this issue is to simply keep him out of the situation.

You need to be the one to evaluate any dog before they are allowed to meet your boy. Pay attention to their body language and energy/anxiety level. If there is any sign that the other dog may set your dog off, move on.

And also as several others have suggested, training is key to any well behaved dog. Teaching our dogs a solid "leave it" has saved their skins a couple of times when off leash dogs come charging over to us looking for a confrontation. Of course their owners are always running behind them yelling how friendly they are. All you can do is control your dog Good luck!

[pets4life]

I have not met many gsd's that will put up with another dogs crap. I never go to dog parks I dont think this is the right breed to be social with alpha dogs that have no manners.


u can double ur fence for really cheap with those ready made wodden fences from home depot we did it just to be safe

[Castlemaid]

This is not something that neutering will likely change - as others have said, this is behaviour that needs to be managed. Regardless of why or how or what the other dogs are doing, you are responsible for your dog's actions and the outcome. It may not be fair, but now that you know that you have a dog that will engage and fight, you need to prevent engagement and fighting with unknown dogs.

I suggest all of the following:

No interaction at all with unknown dogs - so on leash, and focused on handler if loose dogs approach.

Intense and on-going obedience training so dog learns to ignore other dogs and to focus on handler.

Avoid situations where things may get out of hand. Make sure your dog is always under control. You won't be able to change who he is, and if he wants to fight dogs that challenge him, then you have to keep him away from other dogs that might challenge him. Limit his interactions to known dogs that you know he gets along with.

[DunRingill]

Neutering probably isn't going to change anything.

Very often people think their dogs aren't starting anything, but often those dogs are walking ahead of the person and you can't tell much of anything when all you can see is the dog's butt! I have a dog who would like to hard-stare every dog in the area, and the best way to keep the peace is to not allow any hard staring, EVER. This is a lot of work.

Preventing hard-staring is very important. Most people are completely unaware that their dog is even doing that. You also have to be very careful with on-leash interaction. The tight leash encourages dogs to get into it.

A solid recall is very important. It's important to be able to call a dog out of a situation before anything starts.....even (and especially) when the dog is on lead, get behind him and call him away from whatever he is staring at. It's important to do this EARLY, waiting until your dog is growling or lunging is way WAY too late. Big reward if he turns away and comes to you, correction if he does not. You're correcting the dog for the failure to recall, NOT for the staring at the other dog.