# 20 month old showing aggression towards other dogs



## JacksonRh (Dec 15, 2014)

I have read some similar posts but I still have recently run into some aggression problems with my vizsla, Reggie.
I have had Reggie since he was 10 weeks old. As a puppy, he was always extremely friendly and playful. At times I was actually concerned he was too submissive as a puppy. He has been around all different types of dogs and people his whole life since I got him. He is not neutered and I had not intended to get him neutered to let him develop fully. In the past 3-5 months he has begun showing signs of aggression. It appears they are situational though. 
When he is on leash, he will growl if other dogs come up to him.
He seems to be aggressive if new dogs come over to play with at my house. Generally after a couple minutes he will get over it and play. It seems like it is getting worse though. I took him to the dog park today which we used to frequent more often but live farther away from now and he growled at every dog he encountered. And his growling sounds downright vicious. I grabbed him and left pretty quickly as I didn't want it to escalate at all. 
The strange thing to me is that we walk a off leash trail just about every day and if he encounters dogs on that trail which is pretty common he never has issues with the dogs.
Conventional wisdom would tell me to neuter him and it will correct the problem but I would like to get some other vizsla owners feedback. I am skeptical that neutering would immediately correct problem. I have also spoken with my breeder and he said neither of reggies parents have ever shown aggression.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

I wouldn't call Reggie aggressive. Maybe apprehensive under some situations.
It's not that uncommon for dogs to react differently when on lead, than off leash running. Maybe need to read up on leash reactive, and work with him a bit. 


> He seems to be aggressive if new dogs come over to play with at my house. Generally after a couple minutes he will get over it and play


That sounds normal. He checks out the new dog in his territory first. Once he figures out they are okay, he plays with them. 

I'm not a dog park kind of person, so maybe another member will reply.
I just put myself in the dogs shoes. If a big group of strangers ran up to me, and invaded my personal space. I would likely growl too.


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## gingerling (Jun 20, 2015)

This does sound more defensive than aggressive. 

If your dog gets testy at the dog park....don't take him there. I know that sounds like overly simplistic advice, but every dog has its limits and comfort levels, and it's wisest to know them and just accept them. I'm not a dog park person, either..I think the very nature of them...lots of unknown dogs in a small enclosed space...brings out the territoriality in them. 

Likewise, if dogs visiting his turf is upsetting to him, don't do this. You can work with his acceptance of dogs in his home by introducing them to each other in a neutral place so they can get to know each other and sort that out, then have both dogs on lead when they are in your house so both owners can react quickly if it doesn't work out.

These types of issues don't usually respond to neutering, that's not the cause of their anxiety.


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## JacksonRh (Dec 15, 2014)

Thanks for the feedback. I wasn't the biggest dog park fan either but I used it as an example because it was somewhere he used to go to with no issues but now he has begun acting apprehensively. I am content to take him to the off leash trail by my house but was just seeing if there was something I was missing that was causing the aggression. We encountered an intact lab on our walk today and there was a little bit of growling but nothing too serious but at the dog park his growling was extremely aggressive sounding no matter the dog. He is also completely fine with dogs he knows and/or grown up around. Just new dogs that make him aggressive.

Thanks for the help!


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## NowakVizsla (Oct 26, 2012)

Have you ever had to board Reggie at a facility with other dogs?

The reason I ask is our V was very similar as a younger pup he was almost too submissive and was taken advantage of and now if another dog invades his space unexpectedly he is a little more defensive and we noticed the change after he spent a week at daycare in May. I think he learned to stand up for himself because he had too.


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## Canadian Expy (Feb 27, 2013)

I would not label that as aggressive either - he is being defensive and giving the warning to back off. My unaltered pup went through the same behavior, but it was triggered by bad encounters with other neutered male dogs, as the neutered males would pick on him. Females he had no issue with. His reaction would be worse if he were in a situation where he could not get away (fenced yard, dog park, on leash). Off leash the dog is in a completely different state of mind. That being said, I would make sure your dog has a very solid recall so that should you see a dog approaching that he may take offense to you can get him to you and prevent any quarrels. 

In the meantime I would keep him away from the areas he is uncomfortable, and would work on the leash reactivity. Leash reactivity is not a quick fix and will take time for him to overcome, and you will need to learn what his current non-reactive threshold is and then work from there. 

Also, before I bring any dog (even "friend" dogs) into our home, we always meet up out front on the street and take both dogs for a walk before we enter our home turf. We then go into the rear yard and let the dogs have a play session before we move inside. I also remove any high value toys that may cause issue inside the house just in case.


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## JacksonRh (Dec 15, 2014)

Thanks for the input. He used to go to a dog day care when he was younger and he had a couple run ins with dogs mainly because he was too big for the puppies/little dog side and too playful for the older dogs. Now that you mention it, it seems his issues are limited to times where he is restrained in some way. Leash, fenced in back yard, fenced in dog park, etc.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

I came across this the other day, and thought it had some good information on socialization.
Most of us do a good job with our young puppies, but forget to keep it going as they mature.
http://www.sacramentodogbehavior.com/puppysocialization.htm


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