The Guild of Dog Trainers

Handling Dog Aggression to Dogs

By Ross McCarthy MCFBA MBIPDT MGoDT

In this month’s issue, I have decided to write about one of the most common problems that my colleagues and I are asked to deal with each week. The problem of dog on dog aggression is always a hot topic due to the obvious dangers associated with dog bites and the legal implications of owning a dog that is dangerous. I was somewhat shocked to hear recently from a behaviour counsellor that there is nothing that you can do to reform a dogs view of other dogs and that one has to accept the problem and learn to manage it. That is not the case and the purpose of this article is to give hope and information to people who may have a dog that is aggressive to other dogs.

Aggression Types

Aggression to other dogs can be caused from a variety of reasons. The most common type of aggression that I see is fear triggered aggression with the cause generally being lack of socialisation, traumas at young age by being attacked or frightened by another dog and in a few cases the cause appears to be an innate predisposition, but this can be difficult to discern. Much the same as people, some dogs can shake off an attack and recover whilst another dog can be severely traumatised by the mildest altercation.

I always prefer to see dogs that are aggressive to others of their kind at the centre. The reason for this is so that tests can be conducted using the dogs that we have available. There is no use hypothesising to the owner, and giving some verbal advice that they may be unable to implement. To judge the owners skills, attitude and abilities one has to see them in the situation that they daily engage in. When people are describing a problem, it sometimes is the case that they try to underplay the severity, it appears to be human nature to defend our dogs, and on that information alone they would receive the wrong advice. One can not test dog on dog aggression in public places legally or safely.

At the centre we have an array of suitable trained dogs that we can use for temperament tests. We have both male and female dogs of varying sizes. Many dogs that are starting out on their aggressive learning curve begin by selecting small dogs that they perceive as easy targets. It is critical to conduct a large number of tests with many different dogs to establish the root of the problem and the dogs’ modus operandi and in relation to the information gathered through the detective work in consultation.

When a client arrives at the centre with their dog, I go through the dog’s antecedence and the history of the problem. (Many owners are exasperated by their dogs barking and lunging on the lead towards other dogs). It is most common that people do not seek professional help in the very early stages and so by the time most dogs arrive at the centre, the aggression is firmly embedded and the dog has learnt with much repetition that aggression sees the dog (perceived threat) retreat. Their handlers’ behaviour, panic, stress and verbal reprimands add to the atmosphere of fear.

Once the chronology of events has been taken down, I am generally able to decide what type of aggression we are dealing with and I explain this to the owners. I then prepare the owners for the temperament observations and tests. There is always risk, primarily to our dogs, but also to the antagonist dog. Tests are conducted as safely as is possible, however dogs that are not accustomed to wearing a muzzle (which is over 98% of the dogs that I see) can not be muzzled for the tests because the distraction of the muzzle will greatly influence the behaviour that we see and will affect the outcome of my advice. In the last 500 tests in the centre grounds in my presence, we have had two minor connections without a mark on any dog, which constantly surprises me especially with the severity of the aggression that we deal with.

Once the owners have a clear understanding of what we are about to do, we go in to the secure centre grounds. Most owners are very nervous, knowing how their dogs are likely to react and this often compounds the problem.

Temperament Observation and Tests

All of the tests that we do, vary depending on the dog and the aggression type. Some dogs display a very high level of aggression on the lead with raised hackles, teeth bared, lunging forward with apparent confidence and snapping. Once released from the lead, the aggression can stop instantly and the dog goes into flight or panics and jumps at the owner or other displacement behaviours. Many dogs of course once released will simply launch a full on attack upon the other dog and that is why one should seek professional help when dealing with this problem use experts who are fully trained in these disciplines. The training, handling and observational skills in reading canine and (owner-human body language) and that same expert making the correct decisions about a dog’s intent is critical

Reading body language is not always easy, a German shepherd often displays very clear signals, but conversely when dealing with a Boston terrier, for example, that has no tail and few readable facial expressions; the next likely behaviour move is more difficult to gauge.

German Shepherd Puppy, Tia

Tia, the dog in the adjacent pictures is nine months old and was obtained by her owners at eight weeks of age. They purchased her from a rescue organisation and when she was collected by the new owners, they found her in a shed on her own with no canine or human company. The last few weeks of her life had been spent in isolation. Tia was a nervous wreck. It took them some considerable time, to get Tia to accept being stroked by guests to the home without her running behind the sofa. The owners were not really aware of the critical stages of puppy socialisation. They applied some common sense and took Tia into the local villages to get her accustomed to people which has worked well, and although she is still a little shy initially with strangers, she is generally gregarious and playful and enjoys interaction with people in the street and this improvement continues.

Tia’s owners had given little thought to her mixing with other dogs, but when they began walking in the parks and woodland, Tia’s aggression to dogs increased at a rapid rate. Having discussed Tia’s early start in life, I was certain that the cause of this aggression was fear through no exposure to her own kind. At the time when Tia should have been mixed with lots of other dogs in the local parks, under control, she was in a shed alone. She now viewed all dogs with suspicion and fear and had learnt over many months that attack was the best form of defence. Of course, her owners like others who walk such a dog suffered embarrassment and social isolation by fellow dog owners who kept away.

I and my associates began to conduct the tests with Tia in the centre grounds. True to form, Tia began barking and jumping in the air when, Vhko, one of my German Shepherd dogs was brought out on a lead. When we stood still in relatively close proximity, Tia began to panic and her learnt aggression was not effective in making him recoil, her fear was displayed by pulling away and yelping. She was then released form her lead, the trained dog left in a ‘Down-Stay’ Over the course of ten minutes, Tia came forward to investigate the other dog very cautiously, slowly gaining confidence; this was a first.

Having trained dogs for the tests is vital, so that they can be controlled by voice at any stage to stop the interaction.

After thirty minutes and meeting seven different dogs of different sizes and breeds and at the distance she would accept them, Tia became far more confident with those dogs and began to play. For the first time she has experienced the pleasure of play and games with others of her species. This is stage one of many stages in altering her views.

The rest of the consultation is spent discussing and demonstrating control, training methods, socialisation and behaviour reformation and all that the owners need to implement when walking Tia.

The first stages taught are stopping any of Tia’s vocalised aggression on command and recall to an exceptionally high standard regardless of distractions – obedience is critical.

Aggression in its many forms is a complex problem to deal with. Management and safety should be the first port of call without exception before commencing on reforming the dogs views of their own kind.

Aggression needs assessment by qualified hands on trainers or behaviour practitioners, a chat about the dog and guess work is not sufficient. One should seek an experienced person who will demonstrate by example, methods of control and how to begin socialisation with other dogs.

So when you sometimes read that dogs with such aberrant behaviour are beyond the pale by an advisor, make sure that you seek the expert that is right for you and who has multiple skills, facilities and trained dogs to at least give your dog a chance. Quite a few dogs learn to interact and even engage in play with other dogs, others are managed well and virtually all stop the lunging, barking and attacking of other dogs on the lead.

The critical factor in success is your choice of expert. He or she should be a skilled dog trainer combined with behavioural knowledge and be able to lead by example, not just words and should have training facilities for such serious rehabilitation training. Our success rate would be higher if many of our clients had not been through the plethora of paper experts or people who do not know when to refer to others. The earlier one finds the right help, the better the chance of success.