Today my mom and I took her pup and Kodee out for a while on their leashes, since it was really nice out. My 3 small children were with us. While we were out, we encountered a few (maybe 3-4) dogs total (one at a time, also on leashes). Kodee barked and/or growled at every single one of them. I also kept him separated from Maddie (my mom's tiny little Havanese pup), b/c he barked at her when they came over. Kodee knows my mom, but the pup is new. So anyway, each time he barked/growled at another dog, I corrected him with a firm 'no", and put him in a sit. He seemed to calm down, but I think if I'd have let him loose, he may have gone after the dog(s). Sometimes Kodee barks when he wants to play, but this didn't sound like his "play bark."

Kodee has been around lots of dogs out in public in the past, as I started socializing the heck out of him at 7-8 weeks old. He has never acted aggressively towards another dog until today, except once, when that dog barked and growled at Kodee first, and that dog's owner and I kept the dogs separated, so there was no fight. He's never been hurt, or attacked by another dog.

So I'm wondering: Is this just something that happens with some dogs as they begin to mature? Kodee is almost 8 mos, and is not neutered (and I don't plan on neutering). Does this one day indicate that he is suddenly "dog aggressive?" Or does dog aggression come on gradually? I can't figure out why all of a sudden, he wants to fight (unless I am totally interpreting him wrong, but I don't think I am).

What I'm planning to do is continue to expose him to other dogs, but I will make sure to take treats w/me, and everytime we encounter a strange dog, I will put Kodee in a sit, and treat him. Does this sound ok? Any better ideas on how to handle this?

(The last thing is that after Kodee was around Maddie for a while, he stopped growling/barking at her. He seemed interested in her, but not "alert like I wanna attack her interested", if that makes sense. He watched her a lot, but did not act like he wanted to go after her, just more like he was watching her....I don't know what to make of that, either.) We continued to keep them separated, as even if Kodee were friendly towards her, he weighs over 60 lbs, and she's 5-1/2 lbs, so I'm afraid he'd hurt her by accident).

I would really appreciate any insight/advice to this issue, as I absolutely don't want to end up w/a dog aggressive dog, if that's what this is...

*Kodee was just as friendly to strange people as he always is, if that means anything.

Sounds like he's being a pup and coming into his own.

Your mom brought her pup over to your house *Kodee's territory* ?

Has he been socialized in a specific way, in a specific place or type of atmosphere? Like only at pet stores or certain parks or places? Or was it just any dog anywhere? What about at home?

At almost 8 months it wouldn't surprise me that he would start to get defensive towards other dogs/territorial. Did you take him to an area he goes really often? (Extended territory?) Or to an area he had never been? Were these dogs he had seen before, that he barked at?

How well did he respond to being told no and put into a sit? Did he calm quickly or was he aggitated?

Take a toy or something with you (hidden if you can) so that you can redirect after correcting him and reward his sit and attention to you.

Kodee has been around other dogs a lot at parks, petstores, and downtown walking on the sidewalk w/me. This was the first time another dog ever came to our house. But up til now I hadn't had an opportunity to have a dog over here, so this was our starting point for dogs in "his territory." We were walking in a familiar area, not part of his "territory" though I don't think(in another town, but he has been there before multiple times). He barked/growled at every dog we came across (like I said, 3 or 4 total, all on leashes).

He responded pretty well to being put in a sit. He would sit (I had to physically press his butt downwards, though) and be quiet for a few moments, then start getting worked up again - but he did calm down briefly - wasn't going nuts the whole time or anything. But he didn't stay calm, if you know what I mean. As soon as we or the other dog moved on, he just seemed to totally relax. He wasn't interested in following the other dog.

I will definitely take a toy w/me in my pocket, and probably treats as well to reward him for good behavior around other dogs.

So are you thinking this is not "dog aggression", but just a pup becoming more confident/assertive? We were not in his territory (at least not to my human way of thinking), but maybe he thought he was protecting his people (like I said, I had all 3 of my little ones with me, as well)? I'm assuming also that his "big boy hormones" are kicking in around this age, but I'm not sure.

So what do you think after hearing more details? This is really bothering/perplexing me. This is my first dog (as an adult) and I want to do everything possible to make sure he's well adjusted. I just do not know anyone else w/dogs that could come over to get him used to dogs in our house (excluding my mom, but Maddie's too small for me to be comfortable with them even playing nicely together)...I haven't enrolled him in any training classes, as I'm training him myself. Plus, my schedule is pretty tight w/3 kids 6 and under...

Kori - regarding territory. A dog can have been somewhere only once before and consider it part of the territory. When did you start noticing him lift his leg to urinate? (if he does at all) Ususally leg lifting happens when the dog is gaining a sense of territory. The most dominant canine more regularly lifts its leg, even females. It is part of reaching higher/nose level areas to scent mark.

Anywhere a dog pees generally becomes part of the territory.

I think with consistent handling he should do fine. He didn't act crazy and he was able to calm down, even though it may have been brief. Do you use a prong on walks? If you don't you could start putting one on him for extra control. When he first sees another dog redirect him. Don't allow him to become focused on the other dog. Treats, toys, look at me game, etc. Don't allow him to develope the habit of anything other than paying attention to you. If his behavior gets worse, address it if it happens. Just keep up the pack structure (very important as a dog matures not to slacken in the structure department) work and focusing on you.

I would not recommend bringing dogs over to your house. I don't personally require my dogs to be or get used to strange dogs in the pack territory/yard/home. I don't see much of a point to it unless you expect your dog and another dog to play inside your home or in your yard. This is usually only good for dogs that are mellow or with dogs the other dog has known and seen regularly since a young age that has no conflict. But any time you bring another/new dog or animal into the territory, existing pack members see it as their job to make sure the newbie understands their place(subordinate) and the rules of the roost.

 Quote: kori bigge

I just do not know anyone else w/dogs that could come over to get him used to dogs in our house (excluding my mom, but Maddie's too small for me to be comfortable with them even playing nicely together)...

Hi Kori, Kodee will most likely change dramatically over the next year - my boy didn't start getting really territorial and consider "starting things" with other dogs until around 18 months - and it came on FAST!... but every dog is different. Prepare yourself for unexpected behavior and just be ready to handle it calmly (getting worked up and bothered for too long doesn't do anything but stress yourself out, and it won't help you help your dog learn what's expected of him).

Regarding the quote above - Territorial behavior can develop as the dog matures, and I don't believe you can "socialize" this out of them. Likewise, what you consider his territory and what HE considers his territory may be very different (you might be surprised at how many blocks he considers his own by now!). You can train your dog to listen to you and ignore other dogs while out an about, but in your own home - THE most important territory your dog "owns" - I would not advise bringing random dogs over just to get him used to it. If he's at all territorial, he'll feel the need to assert his rank in the home, or just plain neutralize the perceived "threat" to his space. Specific areas of the house might elicit more reaction than others (feeding places, sleeping places, particular items of YOURs, etc.). I have a territorial dog and I would NEVER bring another dog inside our house without putting him away first. *This is not to say we'll never get another dog... slowly learning to accept a new pack member and share territory is one thing - random "visitors" are quite another.

I would also be very careful with your mom's tiny pup around Kodee. Young male dogs define unpredictability, and unless you feel like you've got him trained to the hilt, it's not worth the risk of injury, or worse, should something "inspire" him (play or otherwise). Speaking from experience, situations can change in a heartbeat...

Good luck!

~Natalya

Sometimes you just have to accept that your dog will never like other dogs. Some dogs are just like that. Not saying yours is, but I know my dog Cujo was socialized extensively as a pup and loved other dogs. Now he is an adult and hates all other male dogs. He can be a jerk with females too, but once he "knows" them and they figure out their rank he is fine.

If thats what happens, and im not saying it will, the best you can do is to control the behavior, but he shouldnt be allowed to play with or interact with other dogs of the same sex.

Just wondering why you wouldn't neuter him? Are you going to breed him or use him for working purposes?

Not to turn this into a neuter vs no neuter debate....... but a) Surgery is not a solution to behavioral problems, training is. b) Even a pet should be allowed to grow to their full potential, physically and mentally. Its my pet peeve that people resort to surgery to solve training issues.

I wasn't suggesting at all that neutering would be the fix all solution and is no replacement for training and dealing with behavior issues that all dogs have that come up as they mature. It was just a question I was asking as it is a simple fact that early neutering can help to minimize greatly problems of dominance that can later crop up and if your only purpose for having a dog is a having a lovely family pet you can take everywhere than it can be something to help.

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I will just continue to expose him to other dogs (just not at home ) and reward good behavior/correct inappropriate behavior. He already wears a prong for walks, which helped a lot when he was upset re: the other dogs. I paid attention also to whether the prong seemed to aggravate him, and it didn't seem to. I didn't give any hard corrections, but it helped me get him to settle into the sit. I was pretty proud of myself, as I didn't get upset or worked up or anything. I am pretty assertive and Kodee knows I don't let him get away w/nonsense. Not that this doesn't keep him from trying occassionally...

One thing that I am constantly trying to evaluate is whether he has an appropriate temperament to be a therapy dog. So far he seems good, other than this recent problem w/other dogs, which I really think I can train out of him (I hope). That's another reason why I work really hard to nip bad behavior in the bud, but you are all a tremendous help to me, since I am not experienced in handling/training dogs. I feel very confident about the advice I get from all of you, and just want to say "thanks!"

Re: neuter - unless there's a medical reason somewhere along the line, I don't want to alter what God gave him... I don't want to resort to neuter for behavioral problems especially because 1) if I can't control him by training him correctly, that's my fault, not his, and 2) it woudn't necessarily fix the problem. This is coming from someone who always thought you should spay/neuter at 6 mos, but I have seen the light...thank you Leerburg!