Nervous dog aggression

[Lu123]

Hi,

I am posting here in search of help with my 3 year old Labrador Lyla who can be quite aggressive to certain dogs. I got Lyla at a late stage (14 weeks) and believe she may have missed the crucial socialisation period. She has always shown aggression to puppies and playful dogs. She also doesn't like dogs in her personal space for too long and if a dog approaches her to sniff her and perhaps lingers a second too long, she'll 'go for them'. By this I mean sort of attack but without actually biting. It sounds horrendous, she gets on top of them and really goes for it, I am then forced to pull her off. The exception to this is dogs she likes. She seems to like older, calm and dominant 'alpha' type dogs who she seems to be very submissive with. Dogs of this nature she is very pleased to see. She will lick their face, maybe get on her back and generally, be very pleased and excited with herself. In 3 years, she has attacked every puppy she has unfortunately got close to. She also does the same for any dogs who are excitable. She has only ever played with one dog, my sister's dog who she has grown up with. She doesn't seem to want the company of other dogs and actively avoids them on walks. She is generally very obedient and her recall is good which is why I still let her off, until I see another dog, and I then change direction or hold onto her. This is not something I've always done, it is something I've had to do as a result of many awkward confrontations with cross dog owners. I understand that she may not seek the company of other dogs and this is fine. What I would like help with is her controlling her aggression so that she can simply avoid dogs that get too close or step away, rather than go straight to being aggressive within a split second period. This happens regardless of whether she is on or off the lead.

Thank you in advance for any help.

[JudyN]

My dog used to be like this, but he's a lot better now (he's coming up to 7).

It is important that you prevent the behaviour, because it is rewarding for her and will thus become more ingrained, and also because it could cause long-term damage to the other dogs, both mental and physical. So you absolutely need to walk the other way when you see other dogs and make sure you can get her on lead before she goes for them.

When she sees a dog, give her a treat as you walk away. Establish a distance at which she can see another dog but not react, or show signs of tension, and treat & praise her. You want her to see another dog and automatically turn her head to you for the treat.

It might take a while for her to improve, and she might never be completely reliable with other dogs, but should become more manageable. I still cross roads if I see a dog coming towards us on the pavement as my dog is more likely to kick off there than in open areas, but he's happy for me to lead him away rather than fixating on the dog wondering if it's friend or foe. And he still expects a treat even if he passes a dog he's not in the least bit bothered by

[Lu123]

Thank you Judy,

I will try that and see if it will help. I'm optimistic as she is a greedy lab and very food orientated.