# Need advice- Snapping at other dogs, even puppies he knows



## orangehokiechic (Apr 18, 2016)

Our 2 yr 2 month old Vizsla Copper is the sweetest boy on earth. A few weeks ago he snapped at a puppy at dog beach around his backpack which has his treats in it, so I stopped bringing treats to the beach. I thought it was an usual occurrence.
Yesterday at dog beach and this morning at our local park, he snapped at puppies. This morning the latter puppy Ranger, a lab puppy, he has known for MONTHS and who he usually plays with in the mornings. Ranger wanted to play chase and usually Copper loves to be chased and it could go on until Ranger is exhausted. He snapped at Rangers neck a few times and I pulled him off each time and apologized. He was showing teeth and angry/upset which is not like him. I did beep him with his e-collar and then the final time I swatted his mouth and that NEVER happens. 
I am seeing the common thread is PUPPIES! 
I am also pregnant and my husband deployed on Saturday. We have a friend and her dog living with us and he has been OK at home. 
Copper gets hiked twice a day AT LEAST and 3 days a week has a dog walker mid day. 
We live on a canyon so he is off leash daily 90% of his time being exercised. 
Copper is my baby and I would do anything for him. I just want my sweet disposition of a puppy to return and this bad behavior to quit. He was an angel up until a month or so ago! :-\
Any suggestions, advice or pointers?


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

While some dogs decide they don't want to put up with puppy behavior any longer, you could give this a try. It would take a friend with a younger dog willing to help you. Any time the pup gets close to your dog without him showing aggression, or buffing up. You give him a treat. You do this repeatedly to get him to associate having a pup close means good things happen for him. But please make sure you don't put someone's pup in any danger of being bitten.


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## dextersmom (Oct 29, 2013)

Our V also began to hate puppies (I think maybe at 18 months oldish?) and still does. He loved them up until he became an adult himself. He does not tolerate them well... at all. And unlike most older dogs, he doesn't correct them mildly. I've given up trying to change his mind and we now just avoid pups


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

I do know Ivan Dunbar has a video for working with dog on dog aggression. I haven't ordered it, so I don't know how helpfull it would be.
Something that other people dislike using, but I've found them helpful in some situations. It's a muzzle, and can be used to safely work a dog in a area that might have been a problem in the past.


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## gingerling (Jun 20, 2015)

Don't "Swat" him! Regardless of how upset or concerned you are, responding to aggression with aggression most often escalates the aggression. He doesn't understand why you've hurt him..most especially when he's in a highly emotionally aroused state himself.....and he's not doing this intentionally to be bad, there's something going on that's unpleasant to him, and he's just trying to resolve it.

There are a number of issues here that you might want to check into. The first is that when ever a dog suddenly exhibits aggressive or testy behavior, rule out any medical condition. Like people, they get grouchy when they don't feel well, and their patience is lessened. Is he acting normally otherwise? Any evidence of anything not being quite right?

Then, look at environmental factors. Our Vizslas are incredibly intelligent and very sensitive, so changes in the environment and those in it, changes to the routine, and most especially the emotional tone of the household can easily set a V off, they are preternaturally aware of our deepest emotional states. Your being pregnant and most especially your husband being deployed...Godspeed with both, btw...are 2 fairly major changes that Copper can be reacting to. 

Lastly, it's always a bad idea to have treats on them in back packs, etc, when they're in the company of other dogs, for obvious reasons. Puppies especially don't know canine social "Rules", and are just so impulsive that they go for them and don't realize that it's a major boundary incursion that will most probably elicit a response. The problem there is that once your dog has that experience, he's going to not only be more resource guarding, but also, be more protective around the intruder...in this case, puppies.

Fix? Whenever there's major life changes, it's best to double down on consistency so he feels more secure. A secure V is far more likely to be tolerant. And keep the treats in your pocket, not his.

For the time being, it might be best to keep him away from puppies and then slowly reintroduce them in a very controlled way to reinforce his prior good relations with them, instead of the more recent bad experiences. 

Some adult V's just don't like puppies, their impulsiveness and incomplete understanding of canine rules of interaction are just too much for them. But typically, that's apparent when the V is an adult, it doesn't come on suddenly, and with puppies that previously they were OK with. When it does, it usually reflects some other issues, as I've outlined.


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## Spy Car (Sep 3, 2014)

Trainers who are most in favor of e-collars strongly caution users to never hit a dog with "stim" in cases of dog on dog aggression. It only feeds the negative associations and increases (rather than decreasing) the probability of the dog snapping or fighting.

Bring dog treats to public dog parks and beaches can be highly problematic. 

Bill


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