Barking at other dogs

[SamuelBunte]

Hello.  I’ve seen various posts on this topic, but wanted your opinion on my issue. 
I have a 10 month old male intact GSD.  I have no concerns with him around people as he lets people come up to him and pet him pretty much wherever we go, especially on daily walks with kids to school.  
However, if another dog comes into the picture, the hair on the back of his neck goes up and he gets fixated on the dog.  Sometimes he goes wild lunging, pulling and barking and sometimes it’s just growl and I get him to move on.   If possible, I’ll take a turn another way just to avoid.  
Worth noting, this mainly happens in our neighborhood or places we routinely walk him or while in our cars.   
For example, inside the vet waiting room all is well with dogs around.  During group training with 15 dogs around, no aggression or barking.   I kind of think he views the entire neighborhood as his yard and gets this way when he feels it’s his domain. 
Today he got loose during a walk and charged a Husky a little further down the street while on a full sprint. But, he hit the brakes about 5-10 feet from the husky and it turned into a barking event with some teeth bearing.  No contact, just a bunch of noise. 
The only negative experience I can think of is when he was 10 weeks old, he was trying to play with our senior dachshund and he ended up getting bit hard on his nose by the dachshund. 
I originally some issues with just walking him, but the Herm Sprenger collar and some group training fixed that in a day. This is way different and it’s going to take more than a collar.  Plus, he’s already a little over 80 pounds and pretty strong. Does being an intact male puppy have something to do with this behavior?  Or is that irrelevant to my situation?  I do plan on getting him fixed, but our vet says she wants to wait until he’s at least a year old.  Any advice is appreciated. 
Thanks. 
 

[Adrienne]

Hello and welcome to the forums,

It is great that your GSD is so social and he's fine with people approaching him. With the whole COVID19 and social distancing, there's an influx in dogs who are becoming more and more de-socialized and reactive so it's nice to hear a dog who is doing so well around people. 

There is such a thing as territorial aggression in dogs, and it's main characteristic is that the aggressive display takes place in areas the dog perceives as his/her territory. This is therefore a very contextual type of aggression, meaning that it happens in specific areas perceived as territory and doesn't occur in areas that aren't associated with such perceived territory. 

In your case, it does seem like your GSD matches such criteria. In other words, you describe that he is reactive in your neighborhood and places where you routinely walk him as well as in the car (which can be perceived as territory as well). 

Unlike fear aggression which can have an early onset, in the case of territorial aggression, this behavior is though not expected to occur at least until the dog is 6 months of age or older. In particular, the onset of territorial behavior is expected to start at around 8 to 10 months of age and gets progressively worse over the next 12 to 24 months, especially if a dog’s environment isn't correctly managed (dog is allowed to rehearse the behavior).

Certain dog breeds are more predisposed to territorial aggression. Typically affected dogs are guarding breeds and herding breeds. However, it's important to consider the environment in which the dog is raised as well.

While territorial aggression may appear like a bold behavior, where the dog simply sends off intruder dogs from his territory, it is believed to have some fear components too. Typically, the presence of boundaries (like a door, gate or fence-line) tends to intensify the behavior. Dogs who engage in a lot of fence running and tend to escape their yards and spend time patrolling are more likely to attack or bite other dogs. 

In regards to him being an intact male dog, this may or may not have an impact. For example, if there is a female dog in heat nearby, your dog may feel more likely to roam and engage in competitive behavior with other male dogs (intermale aggression) approaching his territory. Once neutered, any hormonally-related behaviors tend to fade, but if the behaviors are driven by other factors such as fear/territoriality they are likely to persist.

You are correct in saying that it will take more to work on this than using a collar (more on this discussed below).  Territoriality requires management, behavior modification and training. I will be posting shortly some tips based on the assumption that this is truly territoriality-driven behavior. 

 

[Adrienne]

Tips for dealing with territorial behaviors directed towards dogs. 

Treating territorial aggression towards other dogs requires a mixture of behavior modification and training. For safety and correct implementation of behavior modification, it's important enlisting the help of a professional. The below tips are therefore just examples of what a behavior modification plan may entail, as every dog will need an individualized approach.

Use Management Techniques

Have you ever heard the saying "practice makes perfect?" Well, on top of allowing actors to perform well after rehearsing a play over and over, dogs practicing territorial behaviors over and over allows them to get particularly good at it, turning it into an established habit that is more difficult to eradicate.

Here's the thing, every time your dog barks, growls or lunges towards other dogs, he will come to think that it's thanks to his barking, growling or lunging that the other dog ends up moving away. This allows the behavior to establish a strong reinforcement history.

Management therefore entails taking steps to prevent dogs from rehearsing their problematic behaviors. Here are just a few examples:

• If your dog escapes the yard, steps must be taken to prevent this from happening. 
• If your dog acts territorial towards other dogs that walk by the yard, prevent access to the yard when such dogs are walking by. If your dog must be taken out the yard, keep him on leash at a distance from the fence-line.
• If your dog acts territorial when in the car, park far away from other dogs.
• If your dog acts territorial when he sees other dogs through an indoor window, prevent access to such window (use baby gates or cover the windows with window film).
• If your dog acts territorial when taken on neighborhood walks, walk at times there are less dogs around and train your dog an emergency u-turn if another dog is coming your way. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/emergency-u-turn/

Provide Exercise and Mental Stimulation

Dogs thrive when they are provided with exercise and mental stimulation. Deprived from this, dogs are more likely to feel chronically frustrated which can lead to undesirable behaviors. Aerobic exercises has been proven to allow dogs to release pent-up energy while also releasing feel-good endorphins which are known for promoting calmer behaviors. Mental stimulation provided under the form of brain games, food puzzles and training provides the mental enrichment dogs crave allowing outlets for instinctive behaviors in a positive way.

Avoid Corrections

It can be very tempting to deliver corrections through a shock collar, a prong collar or a choke chain, but this can end up backfiring. Here's the thing: dogs are animals who learn through associations. If a dog has neck pain and the owner grabs the dog by the collar when there's a visitor at the door, with time, the dog may associate that pain with a visitor.

The same can happen when using shock, prong and choke collars or any other aversion-based methods. Basically, if every time your dog sees another approaching he is given a correction, he may come to associate the presence of the other dog with the pain/unpleasant sensation. This can create behavior issues from the get-go, or if they are already established, it just adds up to the dog's level of stress and tends to exacerbate things rather than ameliorating them. Preferable alternatives for walking large, powerful dogs are front-attaching harnesses (like the Perfect Fit harness) and in some cases, head halters (these require a conditioning period).

Implement Behavior Modification

The goal of behavior modification is exposing the dog to its triggers using baby steps in a structured, gradual manner (through desensitization) so to keep the dog under threshold, while also creating positive associations (through counterconditioning).

Here is read about desensitization:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/desensitization/

Here is a read about counterconditioning:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/counterconditioning/

And here is a read about threshold levels: 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/

So in the case of a dog territorial towards other dogs, behavior modification may entail the following (please note this is only an example, every case requires a personalized approach)

• Find a distance where your dog is under threshold. Your dog should be able to see other the dog (who is walked on leash by a helper), but this other dog should be at a distance that doesn't evoke the territorial behavior nor cause in your dog any particular concern.
• Begin feeding your dog high-value treats anytime he sees the other dog walk by. Start indoors by watching other dogs walk by the window. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/look-at-that/
• Another helpful exercise is Jean Donaldson's Open Bar/Closed Bar method. This methods adds a level of clarity as your dog is fed treats when the other dog is in sight and no more treats are fed when the other dog is no longer in sight. Treat delivery happens contingent upon the sight of the other dog.
• Practice in several sessions, always ensuring your dog is comfortable. If your dog ever reacts, that's often a sign that he wasn't ready for that level of exposure. Keep tabs on what may have caused the setback (the other dog was too close, was too hyper) and aim to reduce the level of exposure next time before progressing.
• Aim to obtain what is known as a positive conditioned emotional response. In other words, your dog looks forward to the other dog walking by/approaching rather than dreading his presence.
• As your dog improves, start gradually raising criteria. In other words, raise the bar. Have somebody walk the other dog closer, but always being extra careful in taking baby steps as always. Use your dog's body language/reactions as a barometer of whether it's time to progress to the next step. A behavior professional very skilled in reading dog body language can help with this.

Train These Helpful Cues

Once your dog is calmer when other dogs walk by or approach, it can be time to further raise the bar and train your dog to engage in alternate behaviors when he sees the other dog.

Train these behaviors fluently starting in indoors where there are no visible dogs, and then progress to practicing in the yard when your dog is on leash and then on walks.

The smacking sound: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/the-airplane-game/the-smacking-sound/

For example, if your dog is unhappy with other dogs walking by the yard, you can train your dog to respond to a smacking sound you make with your mouth. 

On walks, you train him to respond to your smacking sound and do several steps of attention heeling while you pass by the dog. This tells your dog to look up at you as he walks and once he's passed the other dog he is given a treat. 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/heeling-attention-heeling/

If your dog is territorial towards other dogs when he is in the car, you can find these tips helpful (this applies to barking at people, but works as well with dogs): https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/barking-strangers-car/

Enlist the Help of a Professional

Once again, it's important to work along with a professional. This is for your safety and the safety of others around you. When dogs get very reactive towards other dogs, they can bite when touched or they may get into a fight with the other dog, and if you're nearby or somebody else is, you can become victim of a re-directed bite.

The behavior professional can help you read your dog's body language, gauge your dog's progress, set realistic goals and coach you in person through the plan ensuring you aren't progressing too fast nor too slow.  Enlisting the help of behavior professional who uses force-free behavior modification is important to prevent added stress. 

I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any other questions. 

Disclaimer: behavior modification comes with risks. If your puppy or dog shows signs of potential aggression (lunging, barking, growling, snapping, biting) for safety, please consult with a dog behavior professional who uses force-free behavior modification techniques for direct in-person guidance. Articles, videos and general info found in the forums or course (or any online source) are not meant to replace in-person training/instruction. By using this course and forum, you are waiving any liability claims or other type of claims related to any dogs' behavior against you or others.