Breaking the aggressiveness toward other dogs...

[Guest Daniel Long]

My little cairn terrier was a stray, and I got him from a shelter, so I don't know anything about his life before I got him. He is wonderful around the house. He was already housetrained when I got him. He gets along well with all people, including children, and is the type of dog would let you eat out of the same bowl if you wanted to. He is NOT nudered yet; the shelter I got him from does not perform operations. So on to my question...while a normally extremely docile animal, when he sees another dog, be it male, female, big, small, fat, skinny, he goes EXTREMELY CRAZY! He is like a different dog. I have a choker collar on him and it does nothing to stop him. He'll go crazy until the dog is out of sight, then he'll still go crazy for another few minutes. I've been yelled at by some other dog owners and people in the neighborhood b/c he is that loud and aggressive. I saw a tip to start giving him treats when another dog approaches, and I've tried that. I've also tried to keep his attention away from them, but he is fixated and will not succumb to any treats or distractions. I need to take him out but it's to the point now where I've had to carry a muzzle with me. When he goes crazy, I stick the anti-bark and bite muzzle on. He still tries to bark and give chase, but isn't as loud and of course he hates the muzzle. I want him (and me) to enjoy our walks, and I know there has to be a way to break this crazy behavior. Any tips would be appreciated. Thanks. One more thing...the vet said he is about 9 mos. to 1 yr. old.

Dan

[Guest posting as: dan]

I wrote 'nudered' for some reason...he's not NEUTERED! duh.

[bradl]

Boot camp.

I know, that's my answer to everything. I just don't think there's an easy answer to this kind of behavior. It takes a lot of time, effort, and attention to build a dog's confidence to the point where it is calm in the face of other dogs. (I'm told that much of what we perceive as 'aggression' is actually 'loud fear.') The reason I like and recommend obedience class for these things is because it can be fun for you as well as the dog; it teaches many other valuable skills; it deepens your relationship with your dog. It gives you both time to work on fun, positive things instead of only focusing on the negative stuff. Even if you never totally change the behavior, you will be able to get his attention and steer him away from trouble -- you'll have new coping skills (and some tricks!). Neutering is a good idea for a number of reasons, but it won't set back the clock and socialize him with other dogs. You'll have to do that day by day, dog by dog.

Don't forget to do some reading at the bookstore. I like Carol Lea Benjamin's stuff. Maybe Dog Problems or Surviving Your Dog's Adolescence would address this. There are lots of good books.