Walk on by Have your friend walk his dog slowly past the gap while you stand 20 feet away from the gap. If your dog starts to growl, give him the 'sit-stay' command to distract him. If he obeys and stops growling, praise him and give him a treat.
A dog might growl to threaten another dog, or it might be a response to feeling cornered. Growling is also a common symptom of resource guarding. An injured dog will often growl to keep others at bay. In these cases, and more, growling indicates something is bothering your dog.
If your dog does react, calmly say “nope,” block them for a moment with your body, then turn and walk away from the other dog. This creates distance between your dog and the other dog and should help to calm your pup. Try to stay as relaxed as possible when you see a dog or if your dog lunges.
If a dog exhibits a reactive behavior (lunging, barking, growling) during a walk, the owner should immediately turn and briskly walk or jog out of the situation. The owner should be firm and calm and not yell, scold, give a leash correction, or punish the dog.
Leash lunging, leash reactivity and leash aggression are all behaviors that are caused by a dog feeling restrained, frustrated and uncomfortable in a social situation while attached to a leash. In normal circumstances, an unleashed dog would be able to put sufficient distance between himself and a fear source.
Move your dog closer to the other dog one foot at a time. Keep your dog below threshold, only decreasing the distance when your dog is anticipating the treat. Once your dog can be next to the still, quiet dog, return to the 20-foot distance and have the other dog move parallel to your dog.
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.
In most cases, the best way to get a reactive dog ready for socializing is to slowly expose them to their triggers in a controlled environment and reward them with natural dog treats until they no longer react so strongly.
Don't push your dog over his tolerance threshold. Whatever you're doing, just stop. If your dog's growl threshold is near his bite threshold – that is, if there's not much time between his growl and his bite, get safe. If his growl doesn't mean a bite is imminent, stop what you're doing but stay where you are.
Here are some training tips to stop your puppy from growling: Distract them from their bad behavior. Yelp or call out if they're growling at you and step away from the situation. Remove them from the situation if they show signs of aggression.
A long-lasting fear of other dogs can result, and this fear can trigger an aggressive response. Because genetic and early environmental factors contribute to behavior, even well-socialized dogs can develop aggression toward other dogs.
By training a reactive dog you will learn more about yourself and your dog than you ever thought possible. So the answer to the question “can reactive dogs be helped?” is that yes, they can be helped, they can live a normal life and they are definitely worth the time and effort that goes into it.
This kind of work can take anywhere from two to 12 months, as that's how long it takes for a dog to learn a new behavior. After that time period, you should be able to substitute negative reactions with positive thoughts.
If you keep consistently working on your dog's reactivity, it is very likely to improve a lot over time. Plan for about 1-2 months of dedicated training. If done correctly however, you should see the first small results within as little as one week.
It's never too late to socialize an adult dog. If your woof lacks experience in the world, take them outside and get started today. We wish you the best of luck and, when your pooch is ready, we'd love to see them at Hounds Lounge for doggie daycare! While we're on the topic, get social with us.
Keep introducing your dog to other dogs
There are lots of ways to do this: dog parks, play groups, play dates with friends' dogs, and simple leash walks can all help accomplish this. Without this experience, dogs can lose their ability to know how to behave appropriately around other dogs.
Is training an aggressive dog possible? Yes. Aggression in dogs, whether it be toward a dog's owner or other dogs, is a serious behavior that should be adjusted with the help of a professional dog trainer.
Dominance
Dominance is the most common reason why dogs are aggressive toward other dogs. While it's true that as pack animals, dogs are sociable, packs have hierarchies. And usually, an alpha establishes his dominance within a pack through either threat or physical harm.
Many dogs are out of control when they see another dog. They will whine, bark, lunge, etc… even when the dog is at a great distance. Dogs can act this way out of excitement, frustration, fear, pain, and sometimes out of aggression. There is a much greater chance of improving our dogs behavior when it is predictable.
No matter what your dog's age or background, positive reinforcement of calm, non-aggressive behavior around other dogs is the key to helping your pup overcome any fear or dislike of other canines.
Reactive behaviors usually crop up in adolescence around 6 to 18 months of age and tend to get worse as the dog reaches social maturity around 2 or 3 years of age. Your pup will not “grow out of” this behavior.
A reactive dog is usually a fearful dog. Causes can be genetic, but they are more likely due to a lack of socialization, prior bad experiences or a lack of training. Aggressive dogs show similar signs but are determined to cause harm and destruction.
Keep in mind that dogs can pick up another dog's scent from a distance. That's why your dog may get excited or start barking before you even notice that another dog is in the area. In addition to using a combination of body language and scent to judge another dog, your pet may also react based on past experiences.