I have recently rescued an RSPCA dog that bites/snaps at other dogs? help!?

Question

Rescued a 9 y/o jack russell x from the RSPCA. I dont know the history apart from he's been in the home 3 months and dropped off by an old lady who is going into a home (true or not). The dog is fine in the house and around kids. The problem arises when he meets another dog on a walk, he will sniff then 2 secs later snap/ bite at it in aggression. Heeeeelp.

he is neutered

Answer 1

Your dog has dog aggression. Could be as a result of fear. I have a 75lb Belgian Shepherd who is very aggressive to strange dogs. His hair raises up when he spots a strange dog coming our way. When dogs have been attacked by a strange dog in the past, it will scar them for life. It's a very traumatic experience for them, and it will never go away. Good news is that it CAN be controlled.

You're best advised to look for an experienced dog behaviorist who understands pack behavior. If you do not understand pack behavior, you will NEVER be able to control your dog. Unfortunately, there aren't too many dog behaviorist who do. Dog biscuits/treats for good behavior does not work for aggression, either. Behaviorists who work with aggressive dogs typically understand pack behavior. Dog trainers who train dogs to sit, come, stay, etc will not touch your dog with a 10 foot pole.

Dogs with any type of aggression should NEVER, EVER be off-leash in public. If you do, you're setting yourself up for a potential lawsuit/jail time. Be a responsible pet owner (keep doing what you're doing, keep him on-leash during walks), not a dumb a**. You can keep him off-leash in a confined area, where you know for sure that he can't escape. Some dogs (nowadays, most) are very good at controlling their owners, because dogs are good at picking up patterns. Dogs will act a certain way to have things their way.

Personally, thanks to good info and experienced trainers, I am able to control my dog's aggression. You can email me at [e-mail] and will offer to give you some tips. Don't worry, you're not at a complete loss. I know, dog aggression is a real pain, but you can control it.

Answer 2

I have a jack russel cross who is exactly the same. She was attacted as a pup and over the years her behaviour has got worse. The best advice i can give you is to contact a behaviourist and don't let your dog off the lead when there are other dogs around.

Answer 3

Fear biting and aggression. Not fun.

Obedience training. That's the cure - takes a lot of patience and time - but a good Obedience class will help with the socialization and help curb the biting.

Best thing next to spay/neuter you can do with/for your dog.

Answer 4

Put water in a trigger spay and every time the dog bites/snaps squirt it at its face and sternly say no it should learn through time but you need to have patience it does work

Answer 5

he may have been attacked by another dog as a pup, this happened to my mums dog and he was never the same after, he always attacked other dogs if they came over to us, we were never able to get him out of it, ask your vet to recommend a good dog trainer, i wish you luck! its very difficult to reverse, also if the behaviour is set in then castration may not do much.

Answer 6

is he on the lead when he attacks other dog?
we were told when we rescued our JRT that he would attack any other dog he saw, and he certainly was agressive when we passed other dogs.
we got another dog owner who was agreeable and let him off the lead, at which point he ran off to investigate smells and never even looked at the other dog.
this is now his behaviour, completely ignoring dogs, unless he is on the lead. if on the lead he barks and growls.

Answer 7

try putting a muzzle on him and introducing him to different known friendly dogs, over a period of time, daily, that way it may help him to overcome his fear of other dogs and he won't be able to hurt them.