My dog is getting increasingly aggresive towards other dogs

[imbadatmakingusernames]

I am the proud owner of a mixed race dog. He is about 6-7 years now. I adopted him 5 years ago and since day one he was the most social and well-behaved dog that I have ever seen before to the point of being uncanny: he only barks when he hears someone is inside our property, never destroys anything inside the house, he only goes to pee and poo on grass, etc.

When I adopted him he was very playful with other dogs, from big to small, from young to old and regardless of the dog's gender.

Two years ago he bit my sister's dog pretty bad because he bit him. I thought it would be an isolated incident because he was attacked first, but ever since he has been more territorial to other male dogs to the point in which I cannot take him to the dog park if there are male dogs. He has no problem playing with female dogs.

I was hoping someone can give me any theories of why this is happening at this point of his life and to receive advice on what to do, because I am afraid I'm doing something wrong and that the aggression may escalate to any dog or even humans.

My dog is nuetered, by the way.

 

[kylein]

@imbadatmakingusernames If the dog is showing more aggression than normal, and it's really sticking out - it's time to look for possible underlying causes. You know how a person's temper is short when they feel sick or have pain? Dogs get that too. It's worth an extended vet exam.

There are also age-related changes. I've often heard it said that male dogs can give some pushback around that age - didn't happen with my previous boy, but then he was a gratitude machine - he knew how much better he had it than before.

My current girl is a Heeler cross, and up to the age of two she had zero, zero aggression - tail between legs if challenged, roll on back if bothered, hide behind my legs if threatened. All of a sudden she sprouted her confidence - and now I have to watch her interactions, because she don't take no shit no more.

Anyway, as usual - vet visit! Find out if the dog is ill before going to more complex solutions.

 

[kilroy59]

@kylein My dog is completely submissive, zero aggression the only time my dog has ever growled was at my nephew when he went to pet her. Since it was so out of character (she is amazing with kids, he used to feed her her dinner one kibble at a time) I took her to the vet the next day. They x-rayed her legs since she'd had 3 previous knee surgeries to find that one of the titanium screws holding a plate in place was sheared.

They gave her pain meds and scheduled her in for her fourth surgery, luckily it was all healed up so they could remove the plate and screws. After that no issues with any interactions with the kids, she was in pain and didn't want to be touched

 

[adrianemarthe]

@imbadatmakingusernames Dogs are in the moment... if you feel anxious at all... without saying it, the dog will feel the need to protect you cuz your anxiety feeling he picks up on the energy.

Work on your confidence..

 

[imbadatmakingusernames]

@adrianemarthe Thank you. Maybe I am making the problem worse by being anxious when he is with other dogs. I will check with a vet too.

 

[dworldsgreatest]

@imbadatmakingusernames You definitely are. He thinks/smells you're nervous about the other dogs and goes into protective mode on your behalf. If you tell him it's ok then you're reinforcing his behavior.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@imbadatmakingusernames Most dogs have the attitude of "offense is the best defense". That other dog that bit him has made your dog feel threatened by other male dogs so he's defending himself before he can be attacked. I think you'll need a trainer to help correct this.

 

[imbadatmakingusernames]

I am thankful for the advices and support. I feel a little disappointed for some of the comments, specially the ones that criticized my use of "mixed race". In Mexico we use that term "cruza de razas" or "mestizo". I didn't know it was a big problem in other countries.

 

[by_grace28]

@imbadatmakingusernames To be fair I think people find it funny, but aren’t mocking you. My Latina friend says the same and it makes me laugh!

 

[ronna]

@imbadatmakingusernames Same sex aggression can be more common in some breeds than others. Look into hiring a professional trainer/behaviourist, and building your confidence. If your dog feels that you're anxious he may be more inclined to try to protect you from what he perceives as threats. Many dogs have same sex aggression and live happy and full lives, you just need to be on the lookout for their triggers and make sure you're in control during those situations.

If the change was sudden I'd recommend talking to a vet and doing blood work but it seems that this has happened over time.

It's also important to remember your dog was a rescue, you don't know what the start of his life was like and he may not have had the chance to build proper social skills. Dogs shouldn't be removed from their siblings and mom until at least 8 weeks because they learn a lot of very valuable social skills in that time.

That's the best advice I have, hopefully it helps.

 

[lafe]

@imbadatmakingusernames It could be because he's getting older and just like people, he's starting to feel his age and thus feels insecure around other dogs. Especially younger dogs.

 

[fidelisenabsentis]

@imbadatmakingusernames Your dog was traumatized. It’s very normal for him not to want to be bitten again and this is his way of doing that. Somehow you have to convince him that not all male dogs are going to bite him. There are trainers who can help with that type of behaviour issue. Hope he gets better.

 

[kirutu3]

@imbadatmakingusernames A trainer for some private sessions would be ideal but you can also work on desensitizing the dog by working under their threshold (when they are far enough away from a dog they would be scared of). You can look up ‘engage disengage’ on YouTube and also ‘look at that’/BAT training by Grisha Stewart.

Would be good also to look at the reactive dogs subreddit - their big guides are very similar to what a private trainer would tell you!

 

[samcsingh]

@imbadatmakingusernames Mixed race? You mean mixed breed? Lol

 

[borisv]

@imbadatmakingusernames Get a trainer.

 

[matthew1982]

@borisv wow what a completely insightful comment, very detailed, complex and nuanced, can i pay you for your secret insightful advice?

 

[beckju]

@matthew1982 I’ll take your money

 

[hknight]

@imbadatmakingusernames Mixed race, lol

 

[anonymouspenguin]

@hknight Thank god someone else noticed

 

[imbadatmakingusernames]

@hknight Wow. Sorry, I don't live in the US. I live in Mexico and we called them liked that. That or "mestizos". I didn't know this community was not very supportive.

I just wanted some advices to be a better owner.