Hard Truth - Dog on Dog Aggression (in-home)

One of the most common things I hear when people have multiple dog households and are experiencing behaviour problems is…

“he/she is such a sweet dog… except when they are attacking my other dog.”

Read that again. A dog that is repeatedly attacking, bullying, intimidating or causing conflict with another dog in the home, has a behavioural issue that needs to be addressed. Being affectionate with their owners does not cancel out aggression and reactivity towards other dogs. Calling a dog “sweet” while they are actively making life miserable for other dogs is exactly the kind of thinking that allows these problems to continue.

Too often owners focus on protecting the feelings and emotions of the aggressor while overlooking the wellbeing of the victim.

 “I don’t want to muzzle my dog.”

 “I don’t want to crate and rotate.”

 “I don’t want to separate them.”

 “I don’t want to stress them out.”

 “I don’t want to leash them in the house”

But what about the other dog? The one who is repeatedly being harassed, chased, pinned, attacked, guarded from resources and has to live with the constant social pressure, conflict and uncertainty of when they are going to be the punching bag next.

Management tools such as muzzles, crates, leashes and separation are not punishments, they are safety measures. Their purpose is to prevent injuries and opportunities for conflict while training and behaviour modification take place.

Hope, love and good intentions are not a training plan and making excuses for the problem doesn’t make it go away. Labeling aggression as “just wanting to play”, “being dominant” or “being a bully” doesn’t change what it is. Every time aggressive behaviour is rehearsed, it becomes more established and more likely to happen again.

The first step to solving a problem is being honest with yourself and acknowledge the fact that it exists. Your dog can be wonderful with people and still have serious issues with other dogs. Both things can be true at the same time.

A dogs character and temperament isn't measured solely by how they behave around their favorite people. It’s measured by how they handle conflict, frustration, arousal, stress, the environment and social interactions with other dogs and people. Too many dog owners minimize serious behavioural issues because the dog is loving at home, cuddles on the couch or is great with “most” people and dogs. Do you want a dog that is good “most” of the time ?

Owners need to stop worrying about labels and start focusing on safety, management, and training before the next incident is worse than the last. Whether you call it aggression, reactivity, bullying, dominance or “just being a dog”, it doesn’t change the impact it has on the dog living on the receiving end. Dogs don’t care what you’ve named the problem, they care that they have to live with it.

The sooner owners stop making excuses for misbehaviour, stop putting their wants before the dogs needs and start addressing the issues honestly, the sooner we can actually help the dogs involved. Even then, sometimes despite everyone’s best efforts, rehoming may be the best and only realistic option for everyone involved. Keeping dogs in a situation where someone is living in fear and a dog is repeatedly rehearsing aggression is not in anyones best interest, especially the dogs involved