One Dog, Two Dog, Domestic Dog, Aggressive Dog

I have received a letter from a reader via the Blogger Contact Form on the right. This question may help you and your dog deal with a similar problem.

Dear, Lassie

My Person frequently takes me out on walks with my other dog friend Mishty. And there is this other dog on my block that keeps getting aggressive with me and Mishty. He is a domestic dog but likes to wander the neighborhood by himself! He is so aggressive and will wait outside my house gate to bark at me. What should I do?

Sincerely, Murruku

There are some unknowns that make this question more difficult to answer, like, "Is the dog getting aggressive physically?" and "What is the dog's body language showing?". However, I have researched and found the best way to deal with the dog.

Dear Murruku,

You cannot solve this problem without the help of your people. I will send a letter telling them what to do. But there is still something you, as a dog, can do. Don't fight back unless you are being physically attacked, in which case your person should get involved safely. Showing the other dog aggression will not stop it, but encourage it. You also want to stay safe if the dog is off-leash. Which, although it is not allowed, still seems to be happening. Your owner will continue further instructions.

Love, 
Lassie

Dear Murruku's Person,

Your dog, Murruku sent me a question about the dog that shows aggression towards him and Mishty, his dog friend. I told him it was a problem that would have to be resolved with you. Here are some steps you can do to help him.

1. Identify the type of aggression. The types of aggression that are possible in this situation are dominance aggression, fear aggression, territorial aggression, punishment aggression or pain aggression. It is most likely not territorial, because the dog is not on his territory, however he may suspect the whole neighborhood to be his territory, since he wanders by himself around the neighborhood. Depending on how the dog is treated at home, this aggression may be because of punishment from the owner. If the dog is in any type of pain, that might be the source. Considering the dog waits for Murruku instead of the other way around, fear can probably be ruled out. This makes dominance aggression the most likely. The dog would be trying to show dominance to your dog. 

2. Talk to the owner. It is against the law to have your dog off-leash if they are not on your property. Also, ask how they are treating their dog, so to be able to identify the aggression. Make sure to ask if they are injured or in pain. Knowing this, it should be easy just to talk to the owner about the problem and discuss it amongst yourselves. If you cannot resolve the conflict with them, you may have to get the authorities involved about the off-leash dog. Remember to always start with talking to the owner and confirm it is not possible to work it out with them. 

Once all of these steps have been completed successfully, your problem should be solved. If it is still happening, talk to the owner again until it has stopped. Hope this helped!

Love,
Lassie

Remember that this advice is not just for a specific insidence; you can do this if your dog is having trouble with a more aggressive dog, or if your dog is the aggressive one. In that case you can take him to training classes to try to fix the problem and don't forget to identify the aggression!