The most common symptoms of inter-dog aggression include growling, biting, lip lifting, snapping, and lunging toward another dog.
The most-common symptoms of canine aggression include growling, biting, or snapping, lip lifting, staring, and lunging towards another dog. In some cases, an aggressive dog may show fearful or submissive body postures and expressions such as crouching, tucking of the tail, and backing away.
But not all dogs are a fan of making friends with their own kind. Some dogs may be reactive or hide when faced with a new potential canine friend, avoiding other dogs at all costs. This kind of antisocial behavior is especially problematic when adding a new pup to your household.
Dogs in the same household can become aggressive toward each other for a variety of different reasons. Aggression may be dominance-related, territorial, possessive, or caused by fear/anxiety. Some dogs have “alliance aggression”.
Because genetic and early environmental factors contribute to behavior, even well-socialized dogs can develop aggression toward other dogs. (See the handout “Puppy Behavior and Training – Socialization and Fear Prevention” for more information.)
It's not uncommon for a dog to take a dislike to a whole breed or type of dog for seemingly no reason.
Dogs are social animals and usually happier around other dogs, but a second dog will never be a substitute for inattentive, absent or too busy owners.
When a dog determines their initial impression of another, it's generally based on the dog's body language and how the dog smells. The combination of these two things can be enough for a dog to decide whether they like or dislike another dog. Keep in mind that dogs can pick up another dog's scent from a distance.
It can take up to one month for an old dog and new dog to really settle in and accept each other's position in the pack. If you want a second dog, you need to be ready to commit to this process and not panic.
If both dogs are play bowing, bouncy, or seem to exaggerate their movements and vocalizations, it's likely a play session. Another good indication of play is sneezing. Dogs sneeze as a way to communicate to their play partners (human or canine) that they want to keep things safe and fun.
Bringing home a new puppy or another adult dog can trigger jealousy in your dog, and they may show signs of aggression toward the new addition. Your dog might growl at the new dog, guard your lap, or try to get in between you and your new furry family member.
Introduce on neutral territory.
If the dogs are not showing any negative behaviors, reward them with treats just for seeing each other. For example, when the dog you're walking looks at the other dog, you can say “Good boy!” in a happy, friendly voice and give him a treat. Repeat often.
Dogs do not always like every dog they meet. The reasons are plain to see. Not every dog is overly friendly, and dogs do have a long checklist of criteria for making friends. Dogs can be as different as people in their relationships.
Food and toys are common triggers for fights. We all want what we don't have, dogs included. Many dogs are inherently possessive and aggressive of their possessions, like chew bones, food and squeaky toys. Never feed two dogs next to each other.
There are some behaviors you don't want to ignore, such as puppy nipping or pulling on leash. Any behavior that feels good to your dog, is naturally calming (such as licking or chewing), or is fun to do is not likely to go away when ignored.
Because of sexual and social maturity, dogs normally start to show aggression to people between 6 - 24 months of age. Why? The dog gets big enough to be able to scare people with aggressive behaviors while simultaneously perfecting their skills in how to do this during this period in their development.
Hold your dog back firmly (don't tug suddenly as this may also distress them) and calmly walk on. Block Their View Of The Other Dog- If your dog cannot see the other dog, they are likely to calm down.
The answer is both yes and no. Dogs do not learn as we do, but there are situations where they can certainly pick up behaviors from other dogs around them – for better or for worse.
Dogs who bite at other dogs' faces or ears are angry, but not usually serious about causing damage. Next up in the hierarchy of seriousness are bites to the sides of the neck, shoulders, or hips.