Dog growling at other dogs

[naveenjiram]

Hi all, first time posting here. I have a 20 month old golden retriever x border collie female - currently unspayed awaiting this to be done soon.

In the past 2/3 months she has started growling at other dogs on walks/anywhere she meets them. It’s slowly getting worse and is becoming embarrassing now. She has just growled at and barked at a dog that she knows well that we bumped into on a walk. I have absolutely no idea what’s causing this and the growling is getting much louder and lasts for longer. She is perfect at home with me and loves all people she meets so much! She is cuddly and very friendly towards everyone- just seems to hate other dogs. Any ideas or theories what could be causing this and any advice from experienced owners on how to tackle this? As I’m close to having to avoid all other dogs entirely on walks now which would be hard to do where I live in the UK. Thanks

 

[johnabill]

@naveenjiram You need a trainer. The dog needs to be seen so they can judge if it's a form of frustration or if it's aggression.

 

[kumari5050]

@johnabill As a trainer I agree. Dog needs to be assessed as to what is triggering behavior

 

[neens]

@naveenjiram Are you stressed out when the dog is growling? Are you embarrassed by the dog growling?

What do you do when your dog growls at another dog?

If you're stressed out or embarrassed by your dog's behavior they will fill your tension but they do not know what is causing your reaction.

Have you tried just ignoring the behavior keep walking and no stress on your part?

I wouldn't go with a trainer I would go with a dog behavioralist. A dog behaviorist will look at the dogs behavior and I understanding the underlying behaviors that that is contributing to the dogs behavior. Trainers emphasize teaching specific skills. They also teach positive association with specific behaviors.

Do your due diligence whether you get a trainer or a behaviorist because anybody can say that they are a dog trainer or a behaviorist. Some are good some are very bad and some are just okay. Look for reference from others.

A behaviorist was able to help me with my Australian Shepherd. I had no idea how to introduce a new dog into my pack because my Australian shepherd seemed to hate other dogs. That wasn't the case she likes some dogs and she loves playing with dogs that she knows. Anyway I didn't need a dog trainer I needed somebody to help me understand why my dog did what she did.

 

[neens]

Also forgot to mention that my Australian Shepherd talks a lot. My mom thought she was growling at her but she wasn't growling she was just talking she was making very happy noises. But to my mom it sounded like growling.

So maybe your dog is talking to other dogs and you might think it's growling.

Just a thought.

My pit lab I know it's 100% friendly yet he barks at dogs that he sees. He is trying to initiate playing. But they're on leashes so they can't play.