Aggression at home??
Hi guys
My shiba, Ruri, is the friendliest dog when he meets other dogs and will always instigate play. However, the other day a friend and her Golden Retriever (3 mnths) came to visit. The two have met and played before, but Ruri kept on protecting his toys, lawn, house etc. He kept her at bay and she wasn't allowed to move. Is that normal? I know he is getting at an age where his aggression toward other dogs may start(9-10mnths), but how do I handle it. He is still fine out on walks...
My shiba, Ruri, is the friendliest dog when he meets other dogs and will always instigate play. However, the other day a friend and her Golden Retriever (3 mnths) came to visit. The two have met and played before, but Ruri kept on protecting his toys, lawn, house etc. He kept her at bay and she wasn't allowed to move. Is that normal? I know he is getting at an age where his aggression toward other dogs may start(9-10mnths), but how do I handle it. He is still fine out on walks...
Comments
Try going for a walk on neutral territory when the new dog arrives. This will get them used to each other immediately before entering the property (even if they have played well with each other before the new dog comes over). Then set both dogs up for success by removing all toys, treats, chews etc. And make each experience a positive one. When both dogs are calm or playing well together, praise and treat both dogs. You will probably have to work slowly, keep at home play/socialization sessions short, and always end on a positive note.
I'm currently going through this, somewhat. Toki, my 8.5 month old male, unneutered Japanese Akita, has only had three dogs over at the house. (i need more friends with dogs). One out of the three were "allowed", as Toki tried to fight the first, (neutered husky male, same age as Toki.) The other two was a tiny terrier mix puppy and a female pit bull looking breed.
She would yodel at her, bay, growl, and play boy to get her to play.
She and Bella had a blast running with Marley. She is like a boar I swear she just barrels around like her tail is on fire.
No toys were outside since we were on walk not hanging outside to play.
I think when the dog is young if you got dog friends who are well behaved it's important to have them over so your dog can be used to dogs coming into their yard or house. coarse pick up belongings.
I saw on one shiba blog and what they did from some previous advice is to take both dogs on a good walk and let the new dog investigate the house and have your dog stay out with you so when they get introduced in the house the new dog isn't so focused on investigating the house..
The second intro worked well.
Saya used to be good with all strange dogs, but she had been through two bad experiences with two different dogs and it set her back big time.
She is fine with dogs she knows and certain other dogs. She tends to like dogs her size or calm dogs.
It takes her a few meetings before she gets along and isn't defensive.
I stopped going to the dog park due to her bad experiences there and how other members treated me on the dog park FB page. Telling me no one is going to read that or saying I think I'm the dog whisperer.
The person even sent me a message saying how my dog bitten her dog's tail and held on for minute..
which never happened I do remembering some lady with a husky saying how nice Saya is and how another B&T shiba had bitten her dog's tail so my guess she mistakes Saya for the other shiba.
I mainly just go on a dog walk thing that people hold once month and she gets to meet my cousin's dog and neighbor's two boxer, and other neighbor's lab/mastiff mix. Not worth it to go to dog park near me..
I never had another dog in the house my cousin's pug pees on the carpet now so I don't think I care for her to be doing that in my house. I wish people get a dog and train them not just let it do whatever.
Could your shiba be fearful of some other dogs? Saya will growl and bare her lip to tell other dogs to back off when they're being to rough or in her face even if it's in play. She gets defensive and I believe it's out of fear for her. Once the dog learns to back off when she growls she is pretty much fine with them and plays with them by chase or wrestling. I dunno maybe she feels better if the dog she plays with will listen to her signals.
a lot of dogs don't seem to speak dog language or don't care.
She growls and then bares teeth some will listen and back off and stop pawing at her, but some don't seem to know what growling mean or gets more excited. I dunno if they never gotten socialization with dogs as pup so don't know what it means or just wants to play. I dunno.
Not matters since I don't go to dog park due to rude mean owners. I'm too young for the dog park drama..
I agree with @sunyata with the meeting on neutral territory first, but I would perhaps caution that going closer to the home should be done carefully and with attention over where your shiba starts to guard (street outside, lawn, house), and don't push success in those areas too fast if you encounter resistance early. Also a good idea to remove the things your shiba tries to guard, but also work with resource guarding at home if you find Ruri guards with people, as well. Reducing those tendencies in general could help the experience with dog friends!
Resource guarding can become a larger problem, so if it's the reason why Ruri is standoff-ish with friends in the house, it's very worthwhile to work on it. I used to set up playdates for Arg in the dog park, and dogs who guard their toys there were probably my biggest concern (one attack on another dog while I was not there by a lab who felt a puppy was too close to his ball). I'm not trying to scare you or say your shiba is going to be like that (not in the least!), but I think it's important to take resource guarding seriously.