# Aggresive toward other dogs



## mytucker (Apr 11, 2013)

About a month ago I adopted a 3 year old Havanese from a rescue org. He is a sweetheart, loves to play, loves to take walks - great on the leash - and is great playing with my 9 year old Bichon. However, when walking he is very aggressive to other dogs.....also, jumps and barks at the TV when animals are on the screen. Any suggestions to stop this aggressive behavior?


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

mytucker said:


> About a month ago I adopted a 3 year old Havanese from a rescue org. He is a sweetheart, loves to play, loves to take walks - great on the leash - and is great playing with my 9 year old Bichon. However, when walking he is very aggressive to other dogs.....also, jumps and barks at the TV when animals are on the screen. Any suggestions to stop this aggressive behavior?


So called "leash aggression" is really a fear-based behavior. Sort of, "If I bark at you first, maybe I can scare you away so you won't bother me!" It is usually seen in a dog who has not been properly socialized as a young dog, or in one that has been restrained too often by uneducated owners in the presence of other dogs. When they are restrained, they worry that they can't get away, so show that "aggression" instead.

If the problem is mild, you can try putting your dog in a sit as soon as YOU see a dog in the distance, before your dog has a chance to react. Then feed him lots of yummy cookies and tell him what a good dog he is for keeping his attention on you. Eventually (though it takes a LOT of practice!!!) he will start to feel more confident that you are in control of the situation, everything is calm, and you won't let him get hurt or scared.

If the problem is more severe, you probably should get a good, local, positive-based trainer involved. Or another good option is a reactive dog class if you can find one nearby. Learning how to manage the fears of a reactive dog while slowly getting them to be LESS reactive is a wonderful long-term solution.


----------



## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

leash reactivity is usually fairly complicated to deal with. If you have good dog skills you can do it yourself, if not I would recommend a professional. here is an article. five pages long. lol http://functionalrewards.com/BAT-basics.pdf


----------

