Dog aggression to other dogs

People who have the misfortune to own dogs which are aggressive to their own kind are frequent visitors to the centre often desperately trying to find a solution. A nightmare for city dwellers, less so for country dwellers and hardly an issue for the hill farmer whose dog hardly meets other dogs. It is still the same behaviour and most of all, the same dog. So when people say to us do you think my dog’s behaviour is bad, dangerous or otherwise? I reply by asking them about their lifestyle before answering as their circumstances truly dictate what measures I will recommend to remove that behaviour.

Dogs which are aggressive to any dog, irrespective of sex, size or breed, tend to be motivated by fear. Dominance aggression to dogs of the opposite sex tends to be stimulated by competition coupled with a strong inherited drive to be boss in the main, though there are exceptions.Either type can be caused or fuelled by lack of early socialisation with other canines. Alternatively, fear aggression can be learnt by a traumatic experience when young. It may be inherited, though this is rarer in our view. Certain breeds of dogs, like(shepherding breeds), & some toy breeds, are more predisposed to inherit a sensitive temperament, and are therefore need much more in depth socialisation when very young. Fearfulness in dogs is quite variable too: some dogs are afraid of certain dogs, but not all, and some are apprehensive of certain places; still others may have a combination of these. Some dogs are more aggressive when in a restricted area, on a lead or in a car. During the consultation, we use our own trained dogs for temperament tests and observations in the centre consulting rooms and grounds. Once cause is established, we can go on to set down programmes to follow through with your dog.