Thought I'd throw this out there...I've been crating my dogs in the house lately due to some issues with 2 of them, one of them-3yr old neutered male- acts like he wants to kill either one of my dogs if they are in the vicinity of his crate (barking and snarling.) Does anyone have ideas or reasons why he does this? He does not act like that out of the crate. I just can't believe he acts that way, makes me wonder what the hell is wrong with him??? I was hoping someone with some knowledge into dog behavior could shed some light, just so I can deal with it better and have an idea was up

Heightened territorial aggression. Again, mine does the same thing. It seems that more dominant, more territorial dogs seem to do it the most, but not always. I don't dwell on it.

Kathy,

I do not allow my dogs to go near a dog that is crated, whether it be my dogs or anyone elses dogs. (except for training and the crates are next to each other in the rig)

The crate is their "safe" or "quiet" space and needs to be respected by the others.

It might be that the dog feels threatened since they have nowhere to go to get away from the situation while in the crate.

There is nothing wrong with him at all, other than the fact (I would guess) that he does not like his space invaded when he is crated.

Jesea and Max are the same way at my house, so the others are taught to stay away from their crates while they are in them.

 Quote: Carol Boche

... I do not allow my dogs to go near a dog that is crated, whether it be my dogs or anyone elses dogs.

Neither do I. Hard-and-fast rule. No approaching another dog's dish and no crated dog having to put up with uncursions by uncrated dogs.

Either way, rules and control.

Does anybody ever correct their dog(s) for behaving this way?
My dogs routinely are around each other crated or not. My dogs can walk in and out of each others crates whether the dog is in its crate or not. I have cats that walk in to my dogs crates and lay down and sleep with them or are in their crates when I bring my dogs back in from outside. I have never tolerated any of this aggression crap between my dogs, especially in my house. I also rescue and have had over two hundred dogs go through my house in the past four or five years. I don't have problems because I don't allow problems to occur. It seems like a simple thing here. Who is in charge? You or the dog?

Kathy,
You said that you have only recently started crating your dogs because of problems with two of them.
Is this carrying over while the one dog is crated?
Do you make it abundantly clear that this behavior is not tolerated by you?
If your dogs were not raised being crated is this particular dog feeling as though it is punished when it is in its crate?
It seems like there is a little more going on here than just "territorial aggression", but, it could be that combined with some other issues.
Have you ever experimented with your dog to see if it is a "fence fighter"?
Has this dog ever been to a boarding facility where the unwanted behavior could have started?
Maybe it would work better that if you have one dog in a crate, they should all be in a crate.

Steve,

I do not really correct for it, but I do use a "stop" or "nay" command when teaching the dogs to stay at a respectful distance.

All of my dogs stay away from the crates if they are occupied and the crated dogs are quiet.

I am not big on correcting a crated dog if their space is invaded, that is their space so I feel they do not deserve a correction for invasion of "privacy" so to speak.

Kind of like the "I'm not touching you" game that kids will play.....if a child is playing and the other is bothering that child (even though the first child has asked to be left alone), which will get the correction or be told to stop the behaviour?

If the dogs respect their "leader" (us) then it is easy to teach them to respect what we claim as ours without any or very few corrections.

 Quote: stevezorn

Does anybody ever correct their dog(s) for behaving this way?
My dogs routinely are around each other crated or not. My dogs can walk in and out of each others crates whether the dog is in its crate or not. I have cats that walk in to my dogs crates and lay down and sleep with them or are in their crates when I bring my dogs back in from outside. I have never tolerated any of this aggression crap between my dogs, especially in my house. I also rescue and have had over two hundred dogs go through my house in the past four or five years. I don't have problems because I don't allow problems to occur. It seems like a simple thing here. Who is in charge? You or the dog?

Steve, c'mon here. Look at the dogs we're talking about. I know we like different kinds of dogs, but many, if not most of the dogs on this board (or at least the sport or working dogs) are going to at least have SOME desire to protect his/her stuff.

Of course, I don't allow a dog to be tormented while crated or any other time, but most of mine are territorial. Just happen to be the kinds of dogs I like. And don't even tell me Elba (Caleb's dam) didn't surprise you a bit at first w/her dominance and "all mine" attitude...a bit different from the rescues...

You have rescues, except for a few. Also, your dogs are used to rescues, and different dogs coming and going. This changes the dynamic a bit, don't you agree? My dogs don't care about a visiting dog playing w/their stuff, but a resident better not instigate outside the crate. Qira growled at Mia at 10 weeks old for trying to sniff her while she was in the crate. I told Mia to knock it off, so yes, I correct, but I correct the one instigating, unless the one inside is really having a fit. Your house is very different; you have a lot of animals in a small space, and the only analogy I can think of is Cichlids; if you overcrowd them they don't become territorial and eat each other. I think it's similar w/your household, in that the number of dogs and proximity, and the fact that they come and go makes them less likely to become very territorial. It's an opinion, and I guess I could be wrong, but I don't think it's the same thing at your place as the rest of us who have mostly the same dogs (mostly of the same or similar temperament) for the duration of their lives.

IMO,crates are a safe haven, and should be respected. I can go in and out of whosever crate I want to (cleaning, etc.) but no other dogs can. I will say that my dogs do not guard their crates unless they are in them; we're not talking about monsters who will lash out at a dog for walking by their empty crate. Dogs have very little that is really "theirs." Why deny them of this simple comfort of a den of their own?

 Quote: SteveZorn

.... I don't allow problems to occur. It seems like a simple thing here. Who is in charge? You or the dog?

Exactly. I am in charge, and I say no sticking your doggy face into the face of a crated dog, and I say no dogs approaching another dog's bowl of food. It is a simple thing.

My rules.

Thanks for the responses - actually my other 2 dogs (sampson and major) have not gone up directly to his cage to make him do this (like to sniff him, etc) major will just be going by from one room to the other and actually seeming to give his cage space and Fero will still do it (its like major knows he is going to go off) - Sampson is scared of Fero and I keep him on leash with me when he's out of his crate but we will walk into the tv room (next to cage room) and sometimes he will go off -
Steve, I think I failed at being a leader of my dogs- Fero was starting small "squabbles" with Sampson (only a couple times) but I felt I better nip it in the bud before it escalates, so I got out Ed's Establishing pack leadership and have been doing that for just about 10 days now- all dogs are crate trained but only were crated on occassion- most of the time when I was home they were out together in the house and when I was not home they were out in the backyard. I just don't know how to respond when he acts like that - I have been ignoring him. Yes, I would say Fero and Major are fence fighters - when they are out in the back yard and someone would walk down the street with their dogs they run out and bark and act aggressive.

See, that's better! Now we are having a discussion that might actually help Kathy instead of passing it off as something simple.

Carol, I don't treat my dogs like they are kids. They get very offended if I try to. They like being dogs and respect and enjoy having me as the their leader. I believe that they live much happier lives without the threat of being attacked by one of my other dogs. How many successful wolf packs do you see when there is constant fighting amongst it members? None!
They survive because they have a strong leader that does not tolerate infighting.

Jen, I was not one bit surprised by Elba's attitude that everything is hers. She is still that way (and I love it, that's why I also have Vlad) but, she knows that whatever she has is mine. I don't think that she had that type of discipline previously.

Connie, I agree with you, especially about the food bowls, but, I still do not have problems with this either. I have an incredibly food aggressive dog in my house. He is there because others can not handle him. With me he does not eat (by this I mean he will not touch his food) without sitting and waiting for me to pet him on the head and tell him he is a good boy. He does not eat in a crate and cats sit right next to him while he eats. Without this type of discipline this dog would be dead. He would have failed every ridiculous temperament test created by animal behaviorists for evaluating dogs in pounds and shelters.