Advice on dog nervous of other dogs

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shadowboy

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We have re-homed a 7 year old bitch (Alaskan Malamute) she is a gem in the house- no noise or issues you'd barely know she was there except for all the hair!! She walks really well on the lead and we let her out in our fields as they are fully fenced and her recall there is good (obviously we wouldn't let her loose somewhere unusual) However, it appears from taking her to meet our friends 2 year old neutered male spaniel that she was not socialised properly. She shows some fear type signs. For example she would wag her tail but growl at him- a deep rumbling growl followed by a curl of the lips. We laid the spaniel down and let her sniff him with no face on contact and she was incredibly interested and licked him but as soon as he turned round she would growl. She never tried to bite him and he was very calm and submissive to her, but I wonder if this is a fear/nervous behaviour and she was doing this as she was unsure of the situation. We would like to resolve her issues so that she's not constantly growling at other dogs when we go for walks. She walks past them and is easy to control but makes an incredibly throaty growl when another dog passes us- and other people look at us as though we are the worst dog owners in the world- even though we inherited these issues!. Any ideas? Do we just muzzle her in public just to be on the safe side? Or is it something we can change- bearing in mind she is now seven? I know A.M's are same sex aggressive at times but this was a male dog- and apparently she has lived with a male dog before.
 
It's worth checking out dog training groups in your area. My dog was very aggressive towards other dogs, through fear, and taking her to a training class once a week (as well as walking with my friends saint of a golden retriever) means I can now happily let her off lead around other dogs.

She sounds lovely though!
 
Well done for giving an older dog a home x

Classes x 3
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She has been unsettled a little by her change in circumstances I am sure, and will need time to find her feet.
Did she meet the friend's dog on neutral ground? Because that will make a difference.

Try focus training, using high value treats or a toy she goes mad for, and when another dog approaches, keep very calm and relaxed and try not to get tense, or it will go down the lead to her.
Try and distract her with something and the more she pays attention to you, the more you praise, keep very light hearted and animated (you WILL look like a berk, but it is worth it)

If you are correcting her at all, you want to do it the SECOND she starts to zone out and focus on the other dog, not mid-grizzle, that is too late and will heighen her drive.

Try and find a big, calm, dependable dog to buddy up with as that will help too x
 
I was worried no one would want to see her at the training classes because he's so growly. But I do know of some classes nearby so I shall ring them up. She's very food orientated but not really into toys- probably due to age. Will take her for a walk later and try to be as relaxed as possible. I forgot to add that once we set off on a walk with friends spaniel they would walk side by side with no issues at all. Not really sure if its nervousness when face on or dominance- but she's very submissive to us in the home?
 
My fella is fine with other dogs *once introduced properly* he can't take strange dogs running up to him or approaching him unbidden, and he lets them know.

Don't feed her before you take her out, she will be more tuned into the food, or you could measure her evening meal into your pockets (if it is dry, obviously) and hand feed her.

Classes *will* help and good classes should be able to cope with a gobby dog. Keeping a gobby dog away from other dogs just heightens frustration/grumpiness.
 
we had that problem with our doberman as we got her from a breeder at 6 months and she had only been with her litter mates. mum started taking her to obedience classes when she was about 2 and then we started agility with her. this really helped because she found something that she really enjoyed and then associated being around other dogs with having fun. we kept her out of the way for the first few weeks and gradually introduced her to the submissive dogs. when we go now, she sits outside playing with a collie and a lab who are her friends!!
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its really worth a try if you have the time and its a great way of bonding with your dog!
 
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