Hi All,
I'm wondering, how do you determine if the said behavior (lunging at other dogs, while on a leash) is a fear based behavior or related to a dominance issue??

Would you deal with it the same or differently, depending on the underlying issue??

Thanks for you input!

Linda

Well Fear and Dominance are definetly different behaviors. So, yes you would definetly deal with them differently. You determine the difference by knowing the dog you are dealing with. It isn't too hard to figure out. I will try to give you an easy example. If a dominant dog decides to attack you, he will do so whether you are facing him, attacking him, running away from him etc. He doesn't care about your position he only cares about what he is inclined to do.

A fearful dog will leave his teeth marks in your ass, when you have turned your back on him. Or if you have pushed him into a corner and he has no other recourse but to use his last defense.

So, to apply this same principle as animal aggression, you have to look for behaviors that tell you this dog is truly dominant or just bluffing. Bluffing dogs will rush up like they are tough but usually the posturing will change depending on the dog they are trying to bluff. If a fearful dog rushes a dominant dog, the fearful dog will be running in fear very shortly or laying on it's back. A dominant dog will rush with full authority and correct for the other dog not submitting. Hope that helps. There are lots of books and articles on this and I just tried to sum it up in a few paragraphs.

a fearful dog has ears back, tail tucked, and dodges in and out. a dominant dog stands up tall on its toes, its tail is up and wags slowly back and forth, its ears are cocked forward and very alert, and it doesn't hesitate.

in both cases, the dog needs to believe that i am in charge, and that i will make all the decisions about other dogs. commands and corrections must happen long before the dog becomes aggressive. they must happen the minute your dog's body language indicates an interest in the other dog.

in the case of the fearful dog, he needs to trust that i'm going to protect him and he can safely let me deal with the other dog. in the case of the dominant dog, he needs to look up to me as a leader and defer to my judgment.

a "no" said calmly the second you see your dog beginning to look at or react to the other dog, and then a swift collar correction within seconds if they don't immediately return to a submissive, calm posture, is the way to teach the dog that he's not in charge, and to not even look at other dogs.

if a strange, off-leash dog approaches, step in between your dog and the other dog, and order the off-leash dog sternly to "go home!" this tells the fearful dog you are going to protect him, and it tells the dominant dog that you are in charge.

alice,

very informative post. i was inclined to say the same stuff about body language, but i wasn't really sure (i'm still learning). thanks for helping me as well.

Hi,
Thanks for all the information. My dog's body language would lead me to believe that she is not acting on fear since she gets puffed up, the tail springs over her back, her ears and body language are all forward. But, she does tend to lack confidence, especially when I am not around (according to my husband) She is not comfortable around men, will generally hang out in her crate alone, when I am not home. So she does seem fearful, unless I am with her???? Seems weird, but there are times she will attempt to "herd" or put herself between me and say my husband, on occassion, or other family member. I have NO children. I can not trust her around kids, she snapped once. I will NEVER allow her that opportunity. She is not confident around strange people. And I think it is compounded when she is on a lease.

Right now, I try to refocus her on me,if we are out walking and encounter another dog. I really try to avoid putting her in a situation that will likely elicit this response, (wanting to lunge/charge another dog.)

I guess, my question is, if it is based on fear, won't punishing her compound her fear of these situations?? Hence, right now I refocus, reward her staying focused on me. I will correct her with a "NO" but right now, I'm not inclined to use a leash correction, for fear that I'm confirming for her that she does have something to fear, getting corrected/hurt by me. Does that make sense??

hope I'm not rambling.

Linda

Linda, try searching this site (including Q & A sections) where Ed Frawley gives advice on handling nervous dogs that are sharp/shy, or also fear-biters -- He has a saying that goes something like, "You must train the dog to be more concerned with obeying you, than it is with fearing the 'ghosts' in its head" (but that's much easier said than done for most novice pet trainers, admittedly)...

a dog can be confident and dominant with other dogs, but submissive or fearful with humans.

your question was about how to handle your dog with other dogs. what to do if the dog is afraid of people is a different question.

your leash correction is for not obeying your "no." if she obeys the "no", then you don't need a leash correction. the leash correction should always come after "no." then it's an obedience issue, not a strange/scary dog issue. she didn't get a correction because the dog is there, she got it because she disobeyed.

the second part of this is that the minute she relaxes and becomes calm, you praise her. i sometimes even reward my dog for ignoring another dog by speeding up to a quick, happy jog, so we're running along together at heel, kind of a play reward. use a happy, upbeat, encouraging voice to reward her for her obedience.

Hi,
Thanks for everyones thoughtful advice/information. You have helped clarify some "fuzzy" areas for me.

I guess I tend to be a bit more reluctant to commit to a correction, unless I'm sure I'm being accurate and fair. Esp. since she can be soft/timid generally speaking. I ALWAYS have a pocket full of treats and reward her whenever she ignores another dog!!

Thanks,

Linda

Time to post my usual disclaimer regarding advice and training techniques:

Folks, the advice given on this forum ( or any forum ) can range from excellent to terrible. The experience of people giving such advice also ranges - from new first time pet owners to highly experienced professional dog trainers. That's the nature of any forum, really - and at least this forum requires a real name so that we don't fall into the "anonymous armchair experts" giving advice like happens on so many other forums.

But *everyone* is free to post an opinion - and it's up to the reader to determine what is good advice and who may be worth listening to. Consider the source of the advice you recieve.....

Will Rambeau
Moderator

will, i appreciate your disclaimer, and since i'm definitely an amateur, not a professional, i defer to your expertise.

it would really add a lot of value to the board if when you disagree with advice given, you would offer your own advice for how to handle the situation. it would help educate all of us.

pretty please?