# Aggressive jealousy



## Montana (Apr 10, 2011)

Montana is a social dog, has never had an altercation with another canine pal, plays wonderfully and is very respectful of smaller dogs and those who might not want to play. But lately she has been growling and snapping at other dogs if they come up to say hi and I pet them if she is near me. Me being her possession is completely unacceptable.

What techniques can I use to nip this in the bud? We'd love to adopt more dogs, but I can forsee this being a problem...


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## pandaparade (Dec 29, 2010)

My doggy gets a little rough with other dogs if I tug with another dog. It's like a panicky, whine, bite.. like omg NOO you can not do that, that is my mommy!! I practice crate games to help the situation out, but I know you can not have a crate when you are at a dog park or something else. Where is she snapping? Dog park, friends house? I would completely take the dog out of the situation for now for each time she does it.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Can you go a little more into detail about this? 

Like where it's happening? 

Is it with every dog or just some? 

If not all dogs what kinds?


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## Montana (Apr 10, 2011)

It seems to be with all dog now. 
We do not take her to the dog park anymore because she has a terrible recall, and the off leash park is not fenced in. We have been training and working on her recall although, but until it's perfected, no dog park for us. Last time we were there, she chased off a dog that came to say hi and I was petting. Yesterday was at a friends house who has a dog she's been familiar with through a fence, they finally got to meet and play, which they did with no problems, but when they both came up on the porch, I gave the boxer a pat and Montana growled and gave a snap at him. I gave her a loud 'hey!' and stepped between her and the boxer, thankfully it didn't escalate, and the boxer was unphased by it.

It seemed to be okay if other dogs are close to me, it's just when I go to give them a pet it triggers it.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

In that case I would suggest removing Montana from the area and putting her in a time out zone (make sure there are no rewards) like a bathroom. You have to grab her and take her out swiftly but without emotion, don't say anything. 

I would not let her back out until the other dog and friends leave. You want this punishment to mean that if she acts like that her time around other dogs and mama are over. Your timing has to be perfect for this. 

Is she the kind of dog that is always by your side, has her body touching you, paws or head on you while seated or relaxing?


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## Montana (Apr 10, 2011)

I will give a time out a try! Thank you so much! We're going to be moving to a new place in June with friends that live in the area who have dogs, and there will be many more dog get togethers and "dogsitting" in the future I bet, so I don't want this to become a constant issue.

No, she doesn't have to be around me at all times or touching me. She's very independent, doesn't follow me around, and is content to relax on her bed or in the other room. She gives me a lot of space, so I find it strange that she would even show this type of behavior.


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## pitbullmamaliz (May 18, 2011)

What you can also try is to teach Montana that when other dogs are by you, getting touched by you, Very Good Things come to her. I'm a big of "open bar/closed bar." Get some super high-value treats, and whenever another dog is by you, just shovel treats into Montana's mouth. When the dog leaves, the treats stop. After she's okay with that, feed her treats with one hand while reaching out to touch the other dog. When you stop touching the dog, the treats stop. Eventually she will learn that "mom touching other dogs = TREATS RAINING FROM THE HEAVENS!" 

NOW - that being said - if she resource guards high-value treats from other dogs, DO NOT attempt this.


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## Montana (Apr 10, 2011)

This is a good suggestion as well, thank you! I'm not sure how she is with resource guarding when it comes to other dogs. She doesn't guard with humans, but I have heard her let out a growl at the cats if they come close to investigate what she's doing if she's chewing on a RMB or eating a raw meal.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

I would be hesitant to try the treat method because she's already showing resource guarding around you (you being the resource). Adding treats to the mix may make it worse for her because now momma is an even higher resource worth guarding if she has food.

Maybe have your friend bring treats as well and you both work with your own dogs on leash with simple training and then SWITCH dogs. You work with their dog and they work with yours. All of this on leash of course to be safe. Start off working the dogs on opposite sides of the yard and as long as they seem content and comfortable, get gradually closer together until you can have the dogs very close to each other without showing signs of stress.

Of course I would only do sessions like this for a hour to an hour tops and always try to end the session on a high note (don't push things and end on a bad note because it's important for the dog to remember the training session as a good thing). Be patient and take things slowly, if you can only work the dogs comfortable with 30 feet between them then that's a good start.

If at any point she shows any kind of resource guarding the session ends.


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## Ania's Mommy (Feb 8, 2009)

DaneMama said:


> All of this on leash of course to be safe.


I have a question: I have heard that it is better to work with a dog OFF leash. The reason being that they feel restricted/inhibited from being able to deal with a situation as they see fit when they're on leash, so they are maybe more assertive/aggressive than they would be if they were in the same situation off leash. Any merit to this rumor? 

Of course I DO understand why you would want to do things such as this while your dog is on leash for safety, but would the dog perhaps act a bit more mild if they were off leash?

Ania tends to get jealous when Andrew or I pets another dog in her presence. So unfortunately, we just avoid doing it. :frown: The only exception being my mom's dog, Mocha, (who has her own issues to worry about...). Mocha is a freaking adorable lab/Golden mix who just wants to cuddle all the time. But she is ALWAYS top dog and gets there in an aggressive way. Ania just cowers whenever she's around. :sad:


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

This is true, that dogs feel inhibited on leash. But in my suggestion above I made sure to say that both dogs must show NO signs of stress or being uncomfortable. This includes leash reactivity. If the two handlers have adequate attention from both dogs there shouldn't be a problem unless one of them has a bad case of leash reactivity. In which case they would immediately have to stop this technique. 

People have to remember that a leash conveys a ton of information from the handler to the dog, most often unknowingly. Dogs that have leash reactivity feed off of the nervous energy they receive coming down the leash from their owners. Just by changing the way you hold the leash can make a huge difference. Most people I know hold the leash too tight even when things are calm. A constant tense leash tells the dog "you betta be ready at any minute..." where as a very loose leash tells the dog "I ain't worried...it's cool." 

I highly recommend getting a hands free leash system (aka a waist leash) because not having your hands on the leash helps immensely. Plus it's easier to have both hands at the ready :thumb:


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

Yes, dogs are much more reactive on leash. Not as much when the leash is loose. Yes to everything Natalie said.


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## Montana (Apr 10, 2011)

Unfortunately I don't know anyone who is into training, or even dogs for that matter, as I am. I'll see if I can't work on this matter with the trainer I have been working with perhaps with her own dogs. I think the idea of a time out may be our best option to try at this time, because although Montana enjoys treats, and they work well for many training methods so far with her, she is not extremely food motivated, and can become easily distracted from them.

Thank you so much for all your advise! I'll keep you posted and really hope this doesn't become an escalating issue...


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## Catahoula (Jul 13, 2011)

I know this thread has been quiet for a while, but I was hoping I could get some response. I have a very similar situation with Sonia.

She seems particular about what dogs she gets along with and which ones she doesn't. I used to be able to take her to the dog park and as long as I stayed away from her she was fine running around playing. But, over time she quit wandering as far from me and she was just "protecting" me from dogs that would come up to say hi to both of us.

I like to take her with me to the feed store and pet shops, but LOTS of other people bring their dogs too. I always have to go around the corner of an aisle before Sonia to check if its "clear." I don't think she would start a fight...She talks the talk, but doesn't walk the walk.

I just wish I could take her out ANYWHERE and not have to worry about what other dogs we might encounter. And I think my pre-disposition to being worried doesn't help the situation, because she senses I'm nervous which puts her on guard.

Any Help???


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## SilverBeat (Jan 16, 2011)

Catahoula said:


> And I think my pre-disposition to being worried doesn't help the situation, because she senses I'm nervous which puts her on guard.


I think this is your biggest problem. In my opinion you need to desensitize yourself to new/strange dogs being around your dog. 
I used to be this way with Wallaby around kids. A couple of the kids at my mom's daycare are very afraid of dogs, and this would put me on edge when I had him around them, until I realized Wallaby is AMAZING with kids and he would never hurt a child. He did used to be a little rough with them [jumping or getting in their faces too much] so I started bringing treats with me when we'd visit the daycare and I rewarded him for calm behaviors around the kids. Now when he sees a kid he immediately sits or downs and starts wagging like a madman.
Your dog could probably benefit from the same kind of thing.. rewards for being calm and collected while around other dogs [do this first with dogs she knows, set her up for success]. When you start with new dogs, maybe reward her for being calm when the dog is at a distance, and gradually work up to face-to-face encounters.


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