# Reacting to barking dogs



## rebecca (Aug 20, 2011)

My boy is lovely! No aggression whatsoever in him. However, I’ve encountered a problem today. 
There’s a very small, yappy, horrible barking dog where I live. Whenever we go past this yappy dog, my dog seems overly interested in him, his heckles go up and he wants to go over to him.

Anyway, toady he shocked me! He broke free of my hold and ran straight over to this yapping dog, sniffing him and just wanting to be right by him. I suppose dominating him??

The owner was shocked, as was I! And embarrassed 😩 The owner probably thought I had an aggressive dog, but he’s not. He just wanted to go over to this dog, but I have no idea why? He’s not like this with any other dog we’ve encountered. He’s well socialised and loves playing and greeting other doggies. 

If any other dog shows aggressions to him his tail goes between his legs and he runs back me usually.

So anyone enlighten me as to why he did this?


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## gingerling (Jun 20, 2015)

Hi Rebecca,

Sometimes the easiest answer is also the right one: He went over to satisfy his curiosity.

They raise their hackles as a way of expressing themselves..You can always and forever expect your V to express every thought and feeling he has, and in a multitude of ways. The hackles go up as a gen'l statement of awareness, like "Hey!"....or they can be a way of making themselves appear larger and more formidable. The part here that needs work is his breaking away from you, that's not acceptable b/c it could lead to tragedy. I would have snapped his lead back on and done a dozen "heel"s so he gets the message.


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## rebecca (Aug 20, 2011)

Hi, 
Thank you for the reply. Usually I’m on it! Step ahead of him and snap the lead when he’s distracted. It took me by complete surprise. At least I know for next time I encounter this dog. My thoughts when I ran past this dog with him was “run quick to get past this dog ASAP” Perhaps a slower, more controlled version of me would have been better 🙈


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## gingerling (Jun 20, 2015)

Your reaction depends on your assessment of the situation as well as your dog's ability to manage it.

With a small yippy dog..frankly the ones most likely to bite...I tighten the lead and walk by, but with enough of a pause to let him at least get a better glimpse of the situation, standing btwn the two of them. The issue is your ability to maintain control here, so see it as an opportunity to exert that.


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## Gabica (Jan 20, 2018)

it happens to many of us. the fact that the other dog is a yappy type could be a signal, especially that this has been a one off so far. Dogs similar to humans have sometimes attitude discrepancies and they sometimes send a signal to each other which we don`t even recognize.
Just an example: at dock diving usually every dog is happy and focused on the dock and excited to jump, and as a result u don`t see any aggression or unhappiness. Recently there was a small Jack Russell every human admired for his look and jumping capability and who ended up upsetting every dog passing him, none of us understanding. So it is some vibe or scent he sends to the dogs... poor thing ended up becoming the `do not pass him` dog, never seen anything like that before, so learnt something new.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Just as stated above 
Hackles up does not always mean ready to fight. It sometimes means a dog is unsure of something, and the hair stands up when they check it out.
Mine have also been known to do it during play. Their hair will stand up, and then they pounce in play mode.
Most of the time dogs read each other better, than we can read them.
Try and watch all the body language, and not focus on just one part.
That is unless he has a certain cue, that lets you know he's not okay with a dog.

In the past Cash would have every muscle tight, and stare directly at a dog. If he didnt want to interact with that dog. 
June looks as calm as can be, but her eyes turn dark, if she thinks another dog has crossed the line.
Ranger turns his head away in avoidance, if he doesn't want to play with a dog. A low rumble if they push him. I can sweet talk him over to me, and normally 10-15 minutes later he thinks the new dog is fine.
Shine is still young, and thinks every dog should want a kiss on the mouth, and to play with her. She's learning about other dogs cues, but still has a ways to go.


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