Why Is My Dog Aggressive Towards Other Dogs [8 Reasons]
People ask why is my dog aggressive towards other dogs, and I will put such a question to an end in this article.
In this article, you get to know all the possible reasons why your dog is aggressive towards other dogs, how to fix and many more.
The number of dog-related bites that happen each year is astonishing, especially considering the number of people that own a dog.
I am including a few insights that I have found that might help lessen the chances of your dog biting someone or another dog.
Why is my dog aggressive towards other dogs?
Dogs are aggressive toward other dogs due to poor socialization, territorial instincts, frustration, fear, possessive behavior, prey drive, most importantly lack of proper training by their owners.
If your dog is exhibiting aggressive behavior towards other dogs, it is recommended to work with a professional dog trainer or animal behaviorist to determine the underlying cause and develop an appropriate plan to address the problem.
Types of Dog Aggression
There are several types of dog aggression, each with its own causes and triggers. Here are some of the most common types:
- Fear aggression: This type of aggression occurs when a dog feels threatened or afraid and responds by lashing out. It can be triggered by loud noises, sudden movements, or unfamiliar people or animals.
- Territorial aggression: Dogs are protective animals by nature, and they may exhibit aggressive behavior if they feel their territory or belongings are being threatened.
- Dominance aggression: Dogs that view themselves as leaders of their pack may become aggressive toward humans or other dogs in an attempt to assert their dominance.
- Protective aggression: Dogs may exhibit aggressive behavior when trying to protect their human family members or their puppies.
- Pain-related aggression: If a dog is in pain or discomfort, it may become aggressive if someone touches the affected area or tries to move them.
- Predatory aggression: Some dogs have a strong instinct to hunt and may exhibit aggressive behavior toward small animals or children who they perceive as prey.
- Redirected aggression: This occurs when a dog is provoked or agitated but cannot act on their aggression toward the source of their frustration. They may instead act aggressively toward someone or something nearby.
How to identify dog aggression early
Here are some common behaviors to look out for:
- Less responsive to the command given
- Showing its teeth unnecessarily
- Unnecessary constant growling
- Always barking with no cause
- Pulling you back while you want forward
- Snapping a lot
- Lunging
Reasons for aggressive behavior in dogs
Here are some reasons why your dog might be aggressive towards other dogs:
Poor Socialization
The socialization factor can be difficult for you because one day your dog will jump or attack your visitor, or other dogs then you call him an aggressive dog.
An unsocialized dog is a dog that you keep in your yard and train yourself without walking them or letting them explore other dogs, pets, or even humans.
Sometimes the dog doesn’t even know what the outside world is like. You can’t even tell your neighbors your dog’s name with this type of training because you expect your dog to be less socially aggressive.
Solution
Start socializing your dog from the puppy phase, I mean taking him for an afternoon walk or visiting the neighbors so that when the dog grows up it won’t be a problem seeing people.
Fear
Fear in dogs is said to be an uncomfortable feeling caused by the perception of danger, evil, and pain, even if the feeling is real or just imaginary.
It is important to note that when dogs sense danger at any time, whether at night or during the day, they are aggressive toward other people or animals around them.
Fear can also make dogs aggressive toward their owners, I’ve seen it often.
Solutions
So try to eliminate all forms of fear in your home, be it other dogs or humans.
Fear is the answer to why is my dog aggressive towards other dogs.
The simple solution to fear is to socialize your dog with other dogs as early as possible.
This will teach your dog that other dogs are not a threat around them.
It will also make your dog be calm around other dogs and not attack unnecessarily. We will still talk about socialization so keep reading.
Frustration
A frustrated dog can attack anyone, even its owner. When a frustrated dog exhibits a high level of aggression there are a few factors that cause dog frustration;
Not paying attention to the dog, interfering with the dog’s eating behavior, paying less attention than usual, etc.
Even humans are aggressive when they’re frustrated, so why shouldn’t dogs be aggressive when they’re frustrated?
Solutions
Frustrated dogs can do things you never expect, so make sure your dog doesn’t always get upset.
To solve the problem of frustration in dogs you need to identify the cause and eliminate it as fast as possible.
Avoid not paying attention to the dog when they need your attention.
Don’t allow other dogs or animals to interfere with the dog’s eating area.
Avoid paying less attention than usual.
Social aggression
This aggression stems from the fact that your dog isn’t meeting other dogs or people, and that’s bad.
So try going out with your dog for a while or visiting other dog owners during the dog training phase.
This is serious and can cause you problems, let’s see an example. Suppose you have a dog and you never walk it and people don’t visit you often.
Then one day you invite people to a house party or go on a trip with your dog (German Shepherd), what outcome do you expect?
Solutions
The only solution to the problem of social aggression is early socialization of your pup as soon as possible.
Territorial Behavior
It has to do with love, if you train your dog properly and your dog is very loyal to you then you can expect a high level of aggression towards foreign visitors who try to harm you.
This is the main reason dogs become aggressive, as it applies to all guard dogs as they will always defend their owners aggressively.
The dog is also aggressive when trying to protect his pups or home from other dogs.
Solution
Again, early socialization and obedience training are simple ways to solve the problem of territorial behavior in dogs.
Possessive Behavior
Ownership can include strict dog ownership of its owner or resources.
Examples can be seen every day when you have a dog, when you get your dog’s toy and your neighbor’s kids want to touch the toy, I’m sure the kids will regret coming to your house first.
Another example is if your dog is eating and someone tries to approach the dog food area, you should expect some level of aggression.
Another example is when a dog protects you or the environment from strangers or dogs.
If have to answer the question why is my dog aggressive towards other dogs? then possessive behavior is the simple answer.
Solution
You need to train your dog not to be too possessive of you or its resources, you need to teach your dog that other dogs being around you doesn’t translate to your insecurity.
Visit other dog owners as often as you can and take your dog to dog parks, while in the dog park cuddle with other well-trained dogs while you tell your dog to sit and watch.
By doing so your dog will start learning that other dogs being around is not a threat to you or its resources.
Lack of Proper Training
This is the best answer to your question about why is my dog aggressive toward other dogs
60% of dog aggression towards other dogs comes from improper training, even the military men must train their dogs before their dogs start following orders.
So you need to give your dog adequate training to minimize or eliminate aggression toward other dogs or humans.
Most of the time, dog owners think that eating only involves training, far from the fact that proper training results in less aggression.
Solution
There are many online training rangers to help you train your dog properly. Or you can attend dog classes or visit a dog behaviorist.
Illness
We can think of dog illness as an illness or phase of an illness that affects the body or mind.
Injection of spoiled food or microbes into the body can cause this.
If your dog is sick and you don’t pay attention to him most of the time, he is very aggressive towards you, your family, or other dogs.
A sick dog will always be aggressive because of illness and can attack other dogs.
Solution
These are the many factors that can lead to canine disease; Parasites, fungi, bacteria, viruses, etc.
This can come from the environment or from food. This answers the question of why is my dog aggressive towards other dogs.
So pay close attention when your dog is showing signs of illness, and take him to the vet for treatment.
Learn more about caring for dogs.
Here are some tips on how to get your dog to be more social with other dogs:
Visit Dog Parks
Visiting dog parks will cost you nothing but a chunk of your time, but the benefits are worth it.
Be sure to put your dog on a leash the first time you visit the dog park and do not let your dog go off the leash to avoid unnecessary attacks on other dogs.
Register for Dog Classes
Taking your pup to dog classes might seem time and money-consuming, but the benefits are worth it.
You can register your pup for dog classes, during which your pup sees and learn how to socialize with other dogs and this will answer your question of why is my dog aggressive towards other dogs.
Visit Other Dog Owners
Make time out to visit other dog owners and let your dog interact and explore other dogs from the puppy stages.
You can visit twice a week or visit other dog owners at your own pace, but one thing is sure the benefits worth it.
Take Your Dog on Walks
Dog walks are a simple way your show your dog around town and let your pup feel his or her environment.
Just to make sure, put your dog on a good leash and go on morning walks or evening walks around your neighborhood.
Dog TV Shows
There are lots of dog TV shows you can watch with your dog, by doing this your pup can see other dogs on TV and learn what those dogs are doing.
When they now see other dogs in real life they will be calmer because they are used to seeing other dogs.
Train Your Dog With Commands
The words Stop, Sit, Go, Come are very powerful in a dog’s life so do your best to make sure your dog gets used to these words.
If you train your dog with these words your dog will respond when they see other dogs or pets.
Desensitize Your Dog to Other Dogs
In desensitization, you practice in a quiet, closed environment and start with a very weak version of the problem stimulus. In terms of reactivity to other dogs, you can attenuate the effect with distance.
By doing this, you also weaken our dog’s responsiveness so that he is calm enough to listen and learn.
This is necessary to create opportunities where you can teach your dogs to be calm and relaxed in the presence of other dogs.
What not to do when your dog is aggressive toward other dogs
Here are some tips on what not to do when your dog is aggressive toward other dogs;
- Don’t shout at your dog, shouting can only encourage the behavior.
- Never remove your dog from his or her leash when other dogs are around.
- Keeping quiet or doing nothing to fix your dog is bad so seek solutions.
- Beating your dog is something you should never do, rather use positive reinforcement or simply walk away.
- Do not punish your dog for being aggressive towards other dogs after all you caused it by not socializing your pup when you are supposed to.
- Stopping continuing visits to other dogs until you fix your dog
Training tips for aggressive behavior?
Here are some common tips for training aggressive dogs:
- Continue teaching and practicing commands.
- Engage in dog-to-dog aggressive training.
- Visit other dog owners as often as possible.
- Watch more dog TV shows with your dog.
- Positive reinforcement pays more than punishment.
- Visit experienced dog owners as often as possible
- Register for dog classes
- Seeking professional help if all your efforts are not working.
When should I contact a professional behaviorist or trainer?
Here are some tips on when to contact a professional behaviorist:
- When you have properly socialized your dog with other dogs and your dog is still unnecessarily aggressive towards other dogs.
- When you are very sure your dog is leaving with a horrible experience from fighting with other dogs.
- When you live in an area with no dog classes, no dog parks, and no other dog owners.
- After proper training and your dog keeps charging at other dogs.
- When your dog has grown too big to listen to your commands or answer when you call.
- When you have little kids around your home, be it your kids or not.
- When you have a Senior Citizen around who can do nothing when your dog attacks him or her.
Where to surrender an aggressive dog
If you have done all you have learned from this post and still your dog is aggressive then you need to surrender the dog to any of the following places:
- Experience dog owner: if you notice your dog is been too aggressive and you can’t apply any of the tips given here or you have applied it and your dog is still aggressive, try seeing an experienced dog owner.
- Dog training facilities: there are lots of dog training facilities in every state, these facilities already have a special way of dealing with an aggressive dog just contact them.
- Dog rescue groups: dog rescue groups are groups dedicated to helping dogs that lost their way or that escaped from their owner. This group has a way of dealing with aggressive dogs.
- Good dog sanctuaries and shelters: the shelter is a good place to keep an aggressive dog or a homeless dog. They also have a way of dealing with aggressive dogs.
- Dog rehabilitation centers: A dog rehabilitation center is the perfect place to drop or rehabilitate your aggressive dog.
Read more about dog-possessive of toys with other dogs.
Cheers!!!
