my dog knows this little puppy and when they first meet, they were really interested in each other and then my dog started to display signs of dominance such as sitting on the puppy etc. (not humping it as he is desexed). well they still played together really well but we hadnt seen the dog in months. now, its grown up quite and just then, when they met, my dog began to furiously growl at the dog. i was so surprised. i had NEVER in my whole life seen my dog acting like this before. he had never been so fierce or growled so loud before. he looked like he was going to hurt it. i immediately seperated the two and the owner (who was a friend of mine) took her dog away and i took mine away and told him off for what he did. he knew he had down something wrong because he slinked off. what i want to know is, why would my dog would suddenly behave like this with a dog he knows?
the other dog is male so does my dog feel threatened by him?
thanks
2007-11-01 19:49:13 · 15 answers · asked by My Name Is Trip 4 in Pets ➔ Dogs
when i take him to the park, he LOVES playing with other dogs but this is the first time i've seen him react this way. i think its an issue with that dog only. with a neighbour female dog, they growl at each other but in the end, they lick each other in the nose.
2007-11-01 20:08:05 · update #1
He was still trying to be the dominant dog. It was a lot easier when the other dog was a little puppy. Now your dog is trying to intimidate the other dog, but he is bigger now, so he can't just sit on him. Dogs are still pack animals and they are either dominant or submissive. It's just the way they are. Now if they spent a lot of time together they might work it out. But if they just meet occasionally, it will probably keep happening.
2007-11-01 19:54:51 · answer #1 · answered by don_sv_az 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Sounds like -sibling- rivalry. Many dogs from the same litter will react agressively towards each other upon meeting again after a period of time with their new (separate) families.
A LOT of time in a litter is spent on establishing the "pack" order, dogs are not so far removed from the wild that this is not still of vital importance for their future in the "pack". A "dominant dog" will have first pick at the food, best places to sleep, the opportunity to mate etc.
I suspect that your dog, because they met whilst still pups, views this dog as an old litter mate, and because they are now both "only" dogs, they will now both be the Alpha dog in the "pack", this is bound to cause ructions with your dog, especially as he "knows" he was the dominant dog in the relationship before and now he has to re-establish that position with a dog that is unlikely to accept this so easily now.
2007-11-02 03:02:41 · answer #2 · answered by JA12 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can either avoid this dog or any dog that makes your dog react this way, and you certainly need to be ready to control him, but you can also work on counter conditioning your dog to feel better about other dogs. Yelling at a dog rarely works to change this kind of behavior. If your dog is not already trained to sit and focus on you, that's a good place to start. This way when something like this happens you can at least get your dog to pay attention to you. You can find info about counter conditioning on
www.fearfuldogs.com
2007-11-02 16:18:12 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have a precious little Chihuahua and I got another dog from the pound about 3 months ago and she has recently been snapping at my Chihuahua(Baby) I am very upset about this so it happens even with dogs that are living together.I guess their claiming their territory but it better stop because shes 3 times the size of Baby and I am so scared shes gonna hurt her.
2007-11-02 03:03:29 · answer #4 · answered by ladyinleppard 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
as a puppy, the other dog was no threat. Now the other dog is an adult (or almost and adule).. your dog views this as a rival for attention/food/territory.. or even just a rival for his place in the pack.
Your dog doesnt really know the other dog.. he met it as a puppy, and has not seen it for a while. The pup has now grown and become an adult.
2007-11-02 02:54:38 · answer #5 · answered by Nekkid Truth! 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He doesn't know he did something wrong. He knows that you were mad. He reads your body language and the tone of your voice and THAT is why he slunk off.
DOgs don't always get along with each other. Do you like every single person you ever meet? We set impossible standards by expecting our dogs to like every person and dog they ever meet.
Oh, and neutered dogs WILL hump each other for dominance issues.
2007-11-02 03:05:42 · answer #6 · answered by fluffy_aliens 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
if they re two male...they re dogs..and with dog instinct....as far as i know...they try to show around who is strong its bout leadership...probably he wanted to show that he is strong when new animal comes round they may not like each other...and in their past the other dog may ve done something bad that ur dog remembers it...so he may feel bad bout this dog...watch out him with other dogs...apart from this puppy if he is aggressive all the time...ask a vet...but i dont think so...
2007-11-02 02:54:58 · answer #7 · answered by SvartSjel 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Does your dog act like that around other dogs, or just that dog?
If he acts like that with every dog, it's a major behaviour problem that you need to address. If it's just that one dog... he doesn't like that dog, so just keep them away from each other.
2007-11-02 02:57:41 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
maybe he's jealous and doesn't want the other dog near you. my dog used to do the same thing with my friend's dog. it's normal...=o)
2007-11-02 02:53:12 · answer #9 · answered by The Junglemouse 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
your dog is protecting his pack from strange other dog if you leave them they usually sort out pecking order again who is allowed first drink, feed etc normal pack behavior
2007-11-02 02:54:13 · answer #10 · answered by bilbobagsend 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋