# My dog randomly hates some dogs.... does anyone have experience with this



## Lunabear (Jul 18, 2015)

My GSD is almost 2. She was socialized so much when she was a puppy and apart from always being very vocal when playing, she has done nothing that could be interpreted as unfriendly by other people. She was then bitten - not enough to draw blood. By a spaniel when she was about a year old and since then, her behavior has gone down hill. She started barking at every dog she sees in the street and whilst she did this a little before the incidence, it was a much more excitable bark before. She spends a lot of her time off her lead and recently she ran up to a dog and when it growled at her, she pinned it to the floor and growled and barked in its face. I am certain she will not bite another dog. She has been trained since she was six weeks old that she cannot use her teeth for harm in any way and does not even bite her toys particular hard if their is an person or animal nearby. We also have a dwarf rabbit and two cats who are her best friends and I trust her with them utterly. My main worry is that she has begun to do this more and it is only with certain dogs. 90% of the time she plays fine but if they growl or she simply doesn't like the look of them, she will pounce on them and pin them down. The owners start screaming at me and the second I call her away, she comes and sits by me and I put her on the lead. She also would growl at dogs if she was on the lead. She will sniff them for a few minutes and with some dogs, something sets her off - particularly if my lead is tight. If its loose, shes much more likely to be okay. I am pretty sure that its fear caused by the attack on the spaniel and I really need some advice on how to fix it. I know all about classical conditioning/positive reinforcement and desensitization as I use these techniques with people in my job daily but I am struggling to see how I can apply this to my dog when it only really occurs when she is off leash. I'm just desperate for some advice because she is such a good dog apart from this and because she is a GSD, people label her as aggressive at the first sign of a bark so I really dont want them a reason to call her that.


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

Well if your here looking for affirmation that your dog is just fine...I don't think you'll get it??

Keep your dog out of other dogs face! If he is so well trained off leash, then that should not be a problem.

Your doing a deserve to the breed by allowing your dog with "know" issues "harness" other dogs! And thus far you've been lucky you have not stumbled across the "wrong dog and owner!" 

"NO" dog I do not know gets in my dogs face! My dogs are taught to ignore other dogs, and that's what they do! 15 years and 5 dogs and they have "never" been "assaulted" by an unknow dog! I don't put them in a position where they can have a bad encounter and I don't tolerate owners who can't or won't control their dog! 

Don't know where you are but in this country, there are people who carry and won't hesitate to put your dog down! Not how I roll but it happens!

Best advice quit putting other peoples dogs at risk! Control you dog, oh and welcome aboard.


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## Kyleigh (Oct 16, 2012)

Your dog has been somewhat "traumatized" by the attack and has simply not got over it, and has learned that if she acts like that they will stay away from her. Not a fun thing to have, I share some of the same issues. 

My dog was charged / pinned / bitten on 6 occasions in a 5-6 month period. (From 18 months - 2 years). Honestly, it doesn't really matter where you live, there are stupid dog owners everywhere. 

One occasion she was off leash and two huskies took her down. Four occasions we were walking in neighbourhoods (different ones - and all NICE ones, no scummy areas) and dogs have come flying up and laid into her. On two of those occasions there were two dogs. 

On two other occasions I was biking and she was beside me, and dogs came flying out of the open doors / off the lawn and came after both of us. 

Heck, just last week, I left my house, and was walking down the driveway and my neighbour's two small terriers came flying out of the backyard (she forgot to shut the gate) and came flying over towards me and Kyleigh. (These are NOT nice dogs). I have a small picket fence that surrounds my front yard and we hustled it right back in to the front yard. These dogs were going freaking insane trying to get to Kyleigh. 

So while it's easy to say that you have 15 years and 5 dogs and they have "never" been assaulted, not everyone is so lucky. 

You are going to have to work VERY hard at management / training / obedience. 

I can walk Kyleigh anywhere, no matter the distraction. Dogs can be losing their stuff in a fenced in yard and she won't do a thing. Have a dog come in her face, and all bets are off. 

I am very alert and am always looking. I live in Canada, so I don't have to worry about someone "carrying" but I have checked with by-law. And while I don't want my dog to hurt another dog, if she's on leash and is charged / bit by an off leash dog, and she retaliates, I'm NOT at fault. 

Good luck!


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## dogma13 (Mar 8, 2014)

Keep your dog away from other dogs and as Chip says,work on him being neutral.Read the post by Bob barker"help asap!" if you think your dog won't ever hurt another dog.


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

Kyleigh said:


> So while it's easy to say that you have 15 years and 5 dogs and they have "never" been assaulted, not everyone is so lucky.


Slight over site on my part! Due vigilance, head up eyes and ears open, scan ahead and behind, beware look and listen. But yes...*"Luck"* also plays a role, no disrespect to others who have not been so fortunate intended! :blush:

This dog however is not the victim, it is the perpetrator and other dogs are it's "victims!" Just wanted to make the OP be aware that there are "some" "dog owners" that won't tolerate it!


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## newlie (Feb 12, 2013)

Lunabear said:


> My GSD is almost 2. She was socialized so much when she was a puppy and apart from always being very vocal when playing, she has done nothing that could be interpreted as unfriendly by other people. She was then bitten - not enough to draw blood. By a spaniel when she was about a year old and since then, her behavior has gone down hill. She started barking at every dog she sees in the street and whilst she did this a little before the incidence, it was a much more excitable bark before. She spends a lot of her time off her lead and recently she ran up to a dog and when it growled at her, she pinned it to the floor and growled and barked in its face. I am certain she will not bite another dog. She has been trained since she was six weeks old that she cannot use her teeth for harm in any way and does not even bite her toys particular hard if their is an person or animal nearby. We also have a dwarf rabbit and two cats who are her best friends and I trust her with them utterly. My main worry is that she has begun to do this more and it is only with certain dogs. 90% of the time she plays fine but if they growl or she simply doesn't like the look of them, she will pounce on them and pin them down. The owners start screaming at me and the second I call her away, she comes and sits by me and I put her on the lead. She also would growl at dogs if she was on the lead. She will sniff them for a few minutes and with some dogs, something sets her off - particularly if my lead is tight. If its loose, shes much more likely to be okay. I am pretty sure that its fear caused by the attack on the spaniel and I really need some advice on how to fix it. I know all about classical conditioning/positive reinforcement and desensitization as I use these techniques with people in my job daily but I am struggling to see how I can apply this to my dog when it only really occurs when she is off leash. I'm just desperate for some advice because she is such a good dog apart from this and because she is a GSD, people label her as aggressive at the first sign of a bark so I really dont want them a reason to call her that.


If I were you, I would not take the chance that my dog would not hurt another dog. My Newlie is fine with some dogs, but not with others, and I can't predict which dogs are going to mean trouble. He was licked in the face by a massive pitbull at one point and he licked him right back, but at another point, he had an altercation with a small dog through the fence in our respective backyards. The little dog probably weighed about 5 pounds and Newlie weighed 80-85 so you can guess who got hurt. The little dog had to have surgery, I paid half of the medical bills, had a visit from animal control and footed the bill to put up a privacy fence on that side. And it could have been a lot worse.

Newlie's trainer wants to work to get him off-leash but I don't know that I will ever be comfortable with that. He will never go to a dog park or doggie daycare and, right now, the only time he gets to play with other dogs is when he spends the day with his trainer, plays with his dogs and other dogs in training, and is closely supervised the whole time. Newlie is good as gold with people.

I know that you don't think that your dog would ever actually hurt another dog...but what if you are wrong?


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## bob_barker (Dec 31, 2013)

Lunabear.... Please go read my most recent thread. 
I thought I could trust my dogs as well, you never know.


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## DutchKarin (Nov 23, 2013)

Maybe she was traumatized by the bite, maybe she is a nervy dog that has matured and is using fear aggression to influence other dogs? I would not let her off leash until she learns to ignore other dogs and engage with you. Up your training, especially training with distraction. If you don't know how to apply OPERANT conditioning to a dog, get a good trainer. 

Loose the absolutes too. While I'm sure you know your dog well, she is young and maturing. You cannot say with certainly that she will never bite another dog. This is not a human being (not that you can predict escalation in that species either), she is a dog that appears to be operating out of fear. At some threshold, she probably will bite.


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

hi.

but getting right to it without candy coating 

"She started barking at every dog she sees in the street and whilst she did this a little before the incidence, it was a much more excitable bark before"

so you assign the nip from a spaniel to have changed her behaviour.

what we don't know is why did the spaniel nip / bite her?
self defence ? did your dog push the limits , play too rough , provoke a defensive reaction?

so not cause and effect . Your dog did this before and it was accepted . A bad habit allowed to continue will escalate . Your dog is mostly off lead . Mistake. 

"recently she ran up to a dog and when it growled at her, she pinned it to the floor and growled and barked in its face. "

are you kidding? 

" My main worry is that she has begun to do this more and it is only with certain dogs. 90% of the time she plays fine but if they growl or she simply doesn't like the look of them, she will pounce on them and pin them down"

again , are you kidding? One day your dog will meet her match and there will be some serious retaliation. 

"The owners start screaming " I guess so . I'm surprised someone hasn't whipped out their cell phone and caught all this on video. 

prevention, prevention, prevention if "the second I call her away" and you know that your dog is not predictable , then why not call her back to you BEFORE contact, and better yet , keep her on lead and let the other people enjoy an uneventful walk with their dogs. 

" I am pretty sure that its fear caused by the attack on the spaniel " that is an excuse . Mismanagement is the cause . 

this is pretty unreal " She has been trained since she was six weeks old that she cannot use her teeth for harm in any way " 

"She will sniff them for a few minutes " -- inviting problems -- keep her out of other dog's faces . Dogs do not have to have physical contact with other dogs to be social.

"She was socialized so much when she was a puppy " wonder how this was done.

"but I am struggling to see how I can apply this to my dog when it only really occurs when she is off leash."

you answered your own question -- keep the dog on the leash .

" because she is a GSD, people label her as aggressive at the first sign of a bark so I really dont want them a reason to call her that. "

as someone else said you are doing a disservice to the breed -- they label her aggressive , because she has shown herself to be aggressive . If you want to be seen in a better light , then get some rules and regs for the dog , get some good training - basic , as if you were going for a Companion Dog title in obedience -- and respect other peoples right to be in the same space as yours without them being vigilant , worried about your dog rushing up .

only bad things will come from your current management .

the dog could be maced, whacked, seriously bitten up by a dog fed up by your dog .

why am I so hot about this -- just the other day while unloading some plants at a friend's house . I have my tail gate down with a line up of bushes ready to be taken into the yard in order . Take a moment to take a breather when I spot a young lady walking a beautiful dobermann pup with nice attentive heeling along the sidewalk. It was so nice to see . As she comes closer two doors down a screen door swings open and out comes this rusty fury of barking dog , golden retriever , circling her dog taking nips. Her dog did not get involved. I told her to keep moving and to watch her self from getting bitten. Meanwhile I step between voice at top level for anyone to hear to come and get the dog -- which has now focused it's attention , aggressively on me . There was a hoe in my truck which I use to drag heavy objects from the back to the tail gate. I did grab it and thumped it on the ground . 
Neighbours came out at this time , but not the owner of the dog . Had it attempted to bite me I would have used the hoe . Last resort and only if I felt an imminent bite . Sorry . 
Even the people said they would have done so . Apparently a problem dog .


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## Kyleigh (Oct 16, 2012)

carmspack said:


> why am I so hot about this -- just the other day while unloading some plants at a friend's house . I have my tail gate down with a line up of bushes ready to be taken into the yard in order . Take a moment to take a breather when I spot a young lady walking a beautiful dobermann pup with nice attentive heeling along the sidewalk. It was so nice to see . As she comes closer two doors down a screen door swings open and out comes this rusty fury of barking dog , golden retriever , circling her dog taking nips. Her dog did not get involved. I told her to keep moving and to watch her self from getting bitten. Meanwhile I step between voice at top level for anyone to hear to come and get the dog -- which has now focused it's attention , aggressively on me . There was a hoe in my truck which I use to drag heavy objects from the back to the tail gate. I did grab it and thumped it on the ground .
> Neighbours came out at this time , but not the owner of the dog . Had it attempted to bite me I would have used the hoe . Last resort and only if I felt an imminent bite . Sorry .
> Even the people said they would have done so . Apparently a problem dog .


 Great post as usual from Carmspack, but I kept this part of the quote to show that NO MATTER HOW VIGILANT you are, there CAN always be some twit out there who has ZERO control over their off leash dog. 

Kudos to you for coming to that woman's defense, and awesome that he dog didn't react.


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## PoukieBear (Mar 25, 2014)

Kyleigh said:


> I am very alert and am always looking. I live in Canada, so I don't have to worry about someone "carrying" but I have checked with by-law. And while I don't want my dog to hurt another dog, if she's on leash and is charged / bit by an off leash dog, and she retaliates, I'm NOT at fault.
> 
> Good luck!


OMG, your poor pup! I can't believe she had to go through all that, i'm glad she (and you) are ok!

Just a quick note about By-Law... THEY SUCK! 

I'm not sure where you are located in Ontario, but here in Ottawa, my friend had an incident exactly like you described.

Her dog was ON a leash during a walk, a loose dog attacked her and she retaliated. She diddn't hurt the other dog, no pucture wounds or anything, but the owners of the offleash dog call bylaw and my friend was charged. She was fined $600 which she faught in court and lost.

Her poor dog now has a muzzle order and can't leave the house without one. She is honest to god the SWEETEST dog i have ever met, EVER! And because someone else broke the leash law, she is the one being punished.


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## Kyleigh (Oct 16, 2012)

HMM, there must be more to the story, because I too live in Ottawa, and I was out with my dog and we got charged / taken down by two dogs. One of them bit me, the other bit Kyleigh. And I whaled on one of the dogs. THEY got charged and their dogs were both ordered to wear muzzles. 

Ky was on leash and these two dogs literally went through the front screen door to get to us.


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## PoukieBear (Mar 25, 2014)

Kyleigh said:


> HMM, there must be more to the story, because I too live in Ottawa, and I was out with my dog and we got charged / taken down by two dogs. One of them bit me, the other bit Kyleigh. And I whaled on one of the dogs. THEY got charged and their dogs were both ordered to wear muzzles.
> 
> Ky was on leash and these two dogs literally went through the front screen door to get to us.


I guess it all depends on the by-law officer you are dealing with. 

Back in Feb, my dog and I were attacked by an offleash dog, and I got bitten on my leg, right through my thick snow pants and ended up in the hospital.

I reported it to bylaw, and they charged the girl $360.
She fought it and tried to say that it was my own dog who attacked me and chewed me up. 

Thankfully, the officer told her that if it went to court, I would be there with pictures and evidence to testify against her. She eventually paid the fine and the whole thing was finished. Not sure if her dog has a muzzle order or not.


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## Lunabear (Jul 18, 2015)

Not once did i want anyone to say ito okay so dont jump to conclusion. I also do not do the breed a disservice. Most oeople who see her comment on how well mannered and behaved she is. Its just the odd time and i see small dog breeds doing it all the time - this doesnt make it okay hense why i am asking for advice. I was simply asking if anyone else had experienced similar. She goes on regular GSD walks with over 200 GSD and never has a problem with a single one. My trainer says she isnt the instigator and it is in fact the other dog acting in an aggressive way whether us as humans see it or not and i need to teach her how to react politely as she becomes very fearful. The spaniel attacked her because she was near his ball btw. Also i live in the uk so nobody will be shooting my dog. its just frustrating because her obedience is perfect and she comes away immediately when shes called, i just cant seem to crack the initail starting growl


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## bob_barker (Dec 31, 2013)

Again, read my post "Help, ASAP" 

My boys are not instigators either, but they are always going to be the bigger dogs and therefore going to be the ones doing the most damage, whether they "started it" or not. 
Not worth the risk, take it from me. I lost one of my very favourite dogs because of my own stupidity. Dogs can't talk, therefore cannot tell us what they like and don't like... We have to be the ones to figure it out... And VERY VERY carefully.


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## GSDourBestFriend (Jul 8, 2015)

I think the main point folks are trying to tell you here is: since you claim your dog has such a great recall, keep your dog close and don't allow her to run up on other dogs or to their toys, etc. Dogs can be territorial over those things. Favorite bone, food bowl...

If your dog starts growling at other dogs from a distance, correct the behavior since you have her close. Anticipate the situation and correct it right at the start. 




Lunabear said:


> Not once did i want anyone to say ito okay so dont jump to conclusion. I also do not do the breed a disservice. Most oeople who see her comment on how well mannered and behaved she is. Its just the odd time and i see small dog breeds doing it all the time - this doesnt make it okay hense why i am asking for advice. I was simply asking if anyone else had experienced similar. She goes on regular GSD walks with over 200 GSD and never has a problem with a single one. My trainer says she isnt the instigator and it is in fact the other dog acting in an aggressive way whether us as humans see it or not and i need to teach her how to react politely as she becomes very fearful. The spaniel attacked her because she was near his ball btw. Also i live in the uk so nobody will be shooting my dog. its just frustrating because her obedience is perfect and she comes away immediately when shes called, i just cant seem to crack the initail starting growl


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## Chai (Dec 11, 2014)

I understand if you feel that your dog is not the instigator, but maybe she is provoking or inviting a certain reaction out of the other dogs? I say this because I am going through some training with my 11 month old. He is very boisterous and used to get in dogs' faces, he went back on lead immediately because that type of behaviour is rude and upsets dogs, not matter how well meaning my boy was. We are now working on ignoring other dogs. This is unlike behaviour of his parents, and so I feel that my intensive dog-socialising in the past is partly to blame, as well as a lack of training on my part when he first started. 

It's annoying, since we had more freedom off lead when he was younger, but it's for the best until he knows better.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

https://sarahwilsondogexpert.com/why-does-my-herding-dog-seem-to-hate-labs/


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## Saphire (Apr 1, 2005)

onyx'girl said:


> https://sarahwilsondogexpert.com/why-does-my-herding-dog-seem-to-hate-labs/


Great explanation!!!

"while the Lab does a Matrix-like move to get out of the way"*

LMAO


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