# sudden aggression (long)



## happyblond (Sep 14, 2012)

Please i need some advice or clue as to what going on with my dog today clay (neutered 15 months old) really suprised me by going for another dog we were talking to another gsd owner her dog was 6 months old intact male clay was fine with him no problems at all then a collie dog comes along whith his owner the dog stands underneath clays head tucked right into his cheast i could feel the tention in clay riseing so i start pulling him away and all of a sudden he make a throty growing noise and go's for the dog, the friend i was walking with said he grabbed the dogs scruff it was all over in about 2 seconds

The owner of the dog was off walking down the path ahead so he had no idear what had happend the dog was fine it diddent yelp or even seem to register what had happent it just whent back to chaseing its ball i was devistated 

about 5 steeps later we come across a huge gsd clay is on his lead the dog comes to say hello clay is fine arfter what had just happend i dont what to linger so i start to pull clay away and he lunges for the dog no noise he dident make contact, the other gsd just walks away with his owner 

i almost start crying on the spot clay has never acted this way befor this was totaly out of the blue im not sure if it was because we were in a narrow space or what but im at a loss arfter this i dont feel i can trust him around other dogs anymore even my friend was even in shock anyone who knows my boy wouldent believe it 

another sudden behavioral change more worring than the above is he has in the past week started trying to grab motorcycles and just to day he was eyeing a cyclist a they road past and just as we were walking home he tryed to chase a bus he has never showed any intresed what so ever in any of them before.

i know my dog and this just isnt like him at all


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## MadLab (Jan 7, 2013)

Note how your dog got aggressive when you pulled him back by the leash. This is normal enough. Leash aggression. It is hard to deal with though. You need to show the dog this behavior is not to be tolerated. If the dog was off leash he wouldn't act in this way. You need to think about it and see why it works like this.

It's best to avoid other dogs a bit more and work on leash control.

When the dog gets focused on another you need to do a turn and leash pop and capture the dogs attention. You need to get stricter as the dog won't listen to you other wise.

The same goes for bikes and things the dog wants to go after.



> i almost start crying on the spot


You need to show some strength when dealing with dogs. Dogs can flip into a fight in seconds. That is normal for them. After wards they can be calm in seconds too. You need to try to remain in control

There are many ways to deal with these issues. You need to start researching.


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## angryrainbow (Jul 1, 2012)

honestly this all sounds like you.
i bet the 'tension' you felt rising between the dogs was actually you gripping the leash and sending signals to him. by pulling him away you further escalate the problem (note how you say he lunged every time you tried to pull him away.

i am guilty of doing this too.. and i know it will be a tad hard to put trust in your dog after this, even if it was your fault and you fully acknowledge that (like i said, been there and done that).

Might have just been a bad day for you. but remember, as your dog grows he does NOT need to meet every dog he sees. If someone walking by gives their dog slack so their dog can say hi to yours, say yours is in training or does not feel social today. by showing him that you are in control of the situation, he will deffer to you instead of thinking he must take action and protect you and himself. 

but really. try calming down lol. hes a dog and dogs make dumb decisions sometimes. try to remain confident and maybe work a little more on obedience.


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## OUbrat79 (Jan 21, 2013)

Ok I have a question. Everyone seems to agree that the dog is showing leash aggression. How should she have taken the dog out of the situation? I know pulling on the lead with a leash aggressive dog isn't a good idea, but what is the alternative?


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## MadLab (Jan 7, 2013)

It is hard to suggest an alternative in the moment of 2 dogs greeting like this.

I would try to avoid the situation as the tension on the leash is encouraging the lunge and the aggression. 

But a leash pop side ways(controlling the dogs head) can work rather than pulling the leash straight back along the line of the dogs back(as this projects the dog forward). 

Another way is let the dogs do their business. Drop the leash or keep it loose. I will sometimes do this if I know the dogs have a bit of space. The dogs naturally want to sniff each other and although it looks aggressive it usually doesn't start a fight.

In the instances in this post the handler assumes the dogs are about to fight and pulls the leash which then actually triggers the aggression. Maybe a more experienced handler would wait a bit longer.

Sometimes a dog needs to be picked up by the collar like a bag of potatoes and carried away from the situation. 

Other times the dog needs a verbal warning and then a physical punishment.

To carry out these techniques one needs confidence handling the dog. And people should have the confidence but usually it doesn't come until one is more experienced handling dogs. 

It is not easy.


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## lorihd (Nov 30, 2011)

your boy is maturing and feeling his oats. sign up for dog obedience classes with a good trainer and they can help you with this problems. car chasing is a common problem that is easily fixed with the right consistent correction. now about the dog aggression, well don't have him go up to meet and greet other dogs, again a good trainer will help you. good luck


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## angryrainbow (Jul 1, 2012)

I've bopped dogs on the nose before in this situation, you can see their intention in their eyes. They'll think twice and that gives you enough time to shuffle away.

but really, in these situations there is enough forewarning.. the signs are easily recognizable, and need to be dealt with swiftly. At 15 months old you can start laying down rules, which means prong/fur saver goes on and correction is dealt before things escalate.. Remember it ALL starts with a look!

Honestly I wouldn't chalk this up to just leash aggression. This is a maturing dog who does not want other dogs in his face. It starts with leash aggression then it is just aggressive tendencies in general.


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## Springbrz (Aug 13, 2013)

Maybe I'm wrong, but I read the OP to be saying the initial incident as being an off leash dog running up to her dog and making contact and encroaching on it's space. That appeared to make not only her but her dog nervous so she reacted by pulling back on the leash and causing the dog to react. I don't see this as leash aggression at all. 
Then before either could recover their composure another leashed dog tried to say hello and the OP again (being nervous) pulled back on the leash again, creating agitation in her dog. 
I wouldn't like it if some stranger came running up and getting in my face...I'd be a bit snarky too. 
I wouldn't panic just yet. It may very well be a one-off incident. If it happens again then I would definitely address the issue with a qualified trainer.


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## happyblond (Sep 14, 2012)

Thank you all for you swift replys im just wondering if i should avoid my normal walking place as it is very dog crowded and walk a much less dog populated area or would this make thing worse?


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## happyblond (Sep 14, 2012)

Springbrz said:


> Maybe I'm wrong, but I read the OP to be saying the initial incident as being an off leash dog running up to her dog and making contact and encroaching on it's space. That appeared to make not only her but her dog nervous so she reacted by pulling back on the leash and causing the dog to react. I don't see this as leash aggression at all.
> Then before either could recover their composure another leashed dog tried to say hello and the OP again (being nervous) pulled back on the leash again, creating agitation in her dog.
> I wouldn't like it if some stranger came running up and getting in my face...I'd be a bit snarky too.
> I wouldn't panic just yet. It may very well be a one-off incident. If it happens again then I would definitely address the issue with a qualified trainer.


I really hope this was a one off incident im still not sure as we havent seen another dog all day i guess only time will tell.


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## happyblond (Sep 14, 2012)

[email protected] said:


> your boy is maturing and feeling his oats. sign up for dog obedience classes with a good trainer and they can help you with this problems. car chasing is a common problem that is easily fixed with the right consistent correction. now about the dog aggression, well don't have him go up to meet and greet other dogs, again a good trainer will help you. good luck


Thank u we were in an obediance he acttualy got his bronze kc award and i was thinking about joining an agilaty group with him as he loves to jump on and over everything arfter this im not to sure now


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## happyblond (Sep 14, 2012)

MadLab said:


> It is hard to suggest an alternative in the moment of 2 dogs greeting like this.
> 
> I would try to avoid the situation as the tension on the leash is encouraging the lunge and the aggression.
> 
> ...


i used to be very confedent with him untill he was attacked by another dog 
it just so hard to hide your emotions to the one thing that know how to read you like a book


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## happyblond (Sep 14, 2012)

angryrainbow said:


> honestly this all sounds like you.
> i bet the 'tension' you felt rising between the dogs was actually you gripping the leash and sending signals to him. by pulling him away you further escalate the problem (note how you say he lunged every time you tried to pull him away.
> 
> i am guilty of doing this too.. and i know it will be a tad hard to put trust in your dog after this, even if it was your fault and you fully acknowledge that (like i said, been there and done that).
> ...


so will i still be socializing him if i dont let him greet another dog. im going to spend the next however many week makeing sure his focus, heeling and recall are as close to perfect as can be.


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## happyblond (Sep 14, 2012)

MadLab said:


> Note how your dog got aggressive when you pulled him back by the leash. This is normal enough. Leash aggression. It is hard to deal with though. You need to show the dog this behavior is not to be tolerated. If the dog was off leash he wouldn't act in this way. You need to think about it and see why it works like this.
> 
> It's best to avoid other dogs a bit more and work on leash control.
> 
> ...


me pulling back on the leash make alot of sence would he have still done what he did if i haddent well i hope i never find out i really hope we were having an off day


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## MadLab (Jan 7, 2013)

Basically this is just the start if the pup is only 6 months. As they get older they get more interested in checking out the competition and the females available in the area.

I would think dogs are less likely to fight, if they meet and can have a sniff and go on there way. They want to get information about each other and they get it through scent. That's why they wag their tails quickly and then go side ways to each other. It is like a conversation. 

Note dogs never touch in this greeting. They are flexing and posturing, spreading their scent and then sniffing the other and gauging it's age, strength etc.

If you interrupt this by pulling your dog back by the neck then it can suddenly get aggressive as it is totally focused on the other dog. I think the harsh physical contact of the collar on the dogs neck triggers a reaction in the dog.


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## happyblond (Sep 14, 2012)

MadLab said:


> Basically this is just the start if the pup is only 6 months. As they get older they get more interested in checking out the competition and the females available in the area.
> 
> I would think dogs are less likely to fight, if they meet and can have a sniff and go on there way. They want to get information about each other and they get it through scent. That's why they wag their tails quickly and then go side ways to each other. It is like a conversation.
> 
> ...


my dog is 15 months old the lady who we were talking to had a 6 month old gsd and my dog was fine with him it was a collie type dog he had the problem with.


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## MadLab (Jan 7, 2013)

Yea 15 months makes more sense for this behavior.

I found my male acted like this from that age til around 2 years old.

Your bound to run into to other dogs on your travels, keep your cool and you'll be grand.


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

Treats help too! Here is what my trainer taught me to do when my dog was younger and acting in a similar manner.

If you feel that tenseness is building or you aren't feeling confident yourself rather then pulling on the leash redirect with some especially yummy treats. If you are feeling unsure and want to give yourself and your dog space this is a safe way to do it.

Back away, sort of quick step away from the other dog, make happy higher pitched sounds calling his name to lure him, not pull him and when your dog comes to you mark it with a praise word (good!) and give the treat. Put him in a sit, mark with your praise word, then give a treat. Make it all happy happy and this way you are redirecting his attention in a positive way. You can repeat this maneuver more then once if needed. He will be less likely to tense up with other dogs as he matures and he'll learn to focus more on you then other dogs.

Perhaps try this technique with a dog & friend you know he is friendly with so that you can practice your timing while not feeling stressed.

Once you feel you have the tools and timing you'll feel more empowered in these situations and less anxious yourself.

We often talk about setting dogs up to succeed but we dog owners need to practice and give ourselves a chance to succeed as well.

Good luck. 



happyblond said:


> me pulling back on the leash make alot of sence would he have still done what he did if i haddent well i hope i never find out i really hope we were having an off day


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