Puppy snapping at other dogs?

Question

I have a 5 month old puppy who doesn't really like other dogs coming up to him, if they do he will just allow them to sniff him then run away as soon as he has the chance and claw up me to be picked up. I never pick him up in this situation as I think that may indicate to him theres something to be scared of. Is that right? He shows no interest in going up to other dogs but if he does run off with my other dog (a very friendly 11 year old) I always call him back for fear of him being attacked until i can see the other dogs body language. Suddenly he has started to snap at other dogs sometimes unprovoked like today i stood talking to a man with a pup of the same age and he just snapped at him. He doesn't growl/try to snap again he hides behind me, if the dog tries to get behind me to sniff him he will snap again. But there is no growling and he doesn't lunge foreword to make contact or show teeth nothing like that. Is he being aggressive? I usually grab his collar and give a firm NO! place him on his lead until we get home but i really don't know why he does it? or what I should do to correct him. Any help would be appreciated.

Answer 1

It sounds like your puppy needs more socialization skills.  I do not think he is being dog aggressive.    Do you have a small- bred puppy of a large-bred?  When did you get your puppy, how young?  

Answer 2

Your puppy is doing this because he is afraid of other dogs. Here are some things that may help:

1. Desensitize him to other dogs:

Start this in a quite place, e.g. a large school field after all the students have gone home. Get a friend to bring their dog. Stand far away from their dog and start walking towards them. While walking towards them, praise and treat your dog well if he is not showing any aggressive behaviors. Once he starts getting stressed, stop and move back until he gives you his attention again. Stop there and do some obedience commands with him. Let him sit and watch the other dog if he wants to, but get his attention every few seconds and treat him.

Once he is comfortable with this, you can reduce the distance. Reduce the distance slowly so that you do not spook him. When you see him getting stressed again, move back and restart. Keep sessions short and end on a positive note.

2. Be calm and assertive.

Dogs are very sensitive to what their human is feeling. My dog picks up on what I'm feeling and reflects it, with a hundred times more intensity. Even though you may be worried that your dog may react to another dog, if is important to stay calm and assertive. Make sure you do not put continous tension on the leash.

3. Ignore, Ignore, Ignore - Teach your dog avoidance.

When you see another dog, just ignore it and move along. I have found that avoidance is most effective when **I** ignore the other dog and owner as well, i.e. no eye contact. Just say a quick hi and move on, this shows your dog that nothing happens when other dogs come along so he shouldn't get stressed. Only start greeting again, once your dog does well with (1)

4. Use positive interrupts and keep encounters short.

If you are greeting another dog, you want to positively interrupt your dog every so often and make him refocus on you. Positively interrupt him many times if necessary so that he does not lose control of himself.. Whenever my dog is meeting a new dog I interrupt him after a very short duration (2-3 seconds).

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

He is probably scared of the other dogs because they are bigger then him or he's very shy.

I used to have two big dogs and when I babysat 2 small terrier's the smaller dogs would always bark whenever they saw my dogs and they would never go anywhere near them because they were intimidated even though my dogs were very gentle.

It's really good that you don't pick up your dog when he wants you to in this situation. You have to show him there's nothing to be afraid of. When he runs and hides behind you, tell him it's OK in a gentle voice and nudge him beside you instead of behind. Show him there's nothing to be afraid of by petting the other dog if you can.

Answer 4

I would find a local obedience club, or an animal behaviorist, in you area.  Perhaps there is a medical problem.  Have you talked to your vet about this?  Also breeding has some to do with this kind of problem.  What were the parents of your pup like?  Hopefully you had some interaction with them before you purchased your pup.  If things are really bad, you might talk to the breeder about taking the pup back and trade for another one, if all else fails.  

Also, a good slap under the jaw can work, but you have to be quick about it.

Good luck!

Answer 5

correcting him when he does this reinforces the idea that the other dog is causing his discomfort. IOW, he is already afraid of other dogs, when he snaps at them to tell them to go away and you grab his collar and say NO! to him, he is only learning that other dogs really do mean trouble - even mom thinks so, otherwise why would she get so upset?

he does need to learn that other dogs mean good things. this means you have to create the positive association. this will likely get worse if you continue to correct him.

for now keeping him away from strange, new dogs is your best option to decrease his reactivity. when he is ready you can start introducing them at a distance and making sure he gets rewarded heavily for looking at the dogs without reacting. if he starts reacting, you are too close.

many people find consulting with a qualified, positive only based trainer helps with this kind of reactivity.

these links may help you get started and this group is incomparable for support and advice (note however that it is positive only, so if you are firm about using corrections, you will not get support here):

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Pos-4...

Do note that the stress of being reactive is hard on your dog and you should try to keep opportunities for him to react to a minimum.