Mike G. Posted February 17, 2012 Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 Hello, I have a 6-year old, female Husky. I've had her since she was a puppy and she is spayed. She has never before exhibited any aggression at all, let alone dog aggression; she's always been playful around other dogs. Suddenly, over the past month or so, she gradually began to exhibit some changes in her behavior around other dogs. I walk her every day and take her to a local dog park and suddenly she's been showing signs of dominance over the other dogs that she typically plays with and sees on a daily basis. It began with her being overly-possessive of toys around the other dogs by snatching the toy immediately from any dog, whenever they managed to sneak a toy by her for a brief moment, and only wanting to play tug-of-war or fetch with me. I know this was just her exhibiting her dominance as alpha over the pack. Then, what began to alarm me was she suddenly began to alter her behavior towards dogs on the other sides of the various fences that we pass while we're walking to the dog park. She never used to really even pay attention to dogs that barked at her while we passed by their yards but now, she just suddenly snaps and jolts with aggression as she attempts to drag me to the fence so she can burst through and take-on the barking dogs. I've never had ANY trouble at all when it came to training her but I cannot for the life of me get this sudden, bad habit out of her. Now, there's one dog in particular that occasionally visits the dog park and she's seen/sniffed the dog a few times in the past and there was nothing major at all. Then, one day the dog came strolling into the park and my Husky pounced on it in an aggressive tirade (Barking, growling, showing teeth, etc.) For no apparent reason at all, my Husky now completely hates this dog. It's gotten to the point that I've had to keep her on-leash at all times in order to avoid a possible outburst. I'm just baffled as to where this sudden change in behavior came from. There's about 7 other dogs that we see at the park on a regular basis and she shows no signs of aggression towards them, maybe occasional dominance but that's the extent of it. She's very sharp, albeit stubborn, and no matter how hard I've tried, I cannot get her to relax and focus on me whenever she hears a barking dog on the other side of a fence or when that one dog in particular strolls through. She's a good dog; good/gentle around kids, gets along with my other Husky and toy poodle, never shown aggression at all and suddenly there's this rapid change in behavior. I know there's a lot to digest, but any tips to help? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tams Teeko and Keeta Posted February 17, 2012 Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 Hi there. I'm afraid I can't help but thought i'd bump you back up to the top of the currents list again. I'm sure there'll be someone with plenty of advice for you. :-) The only thing I can think....has something happened with another dog that was unexpected? For example another dog being aggressive towards her, or an attack. Also...healthwise...any sign of any problems? Dogs in pain can be very nasty, even towards owners if its really bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassandra & Honey Posted February 17, 2012 Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 Have you taken her to the vet for a check up? She could be in pain or uncomfortable for any number of reasons. Some dogs act out when they're sick. Otherwise, i'd contact a trainer or dog behaviour expert, they will be a huge help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BingBlaze n Skyla Posted February 17, 2012 Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 i was gonna suggest a vet check aswell has she ever had a negative experience with this dog she isnt getting on with? also - some dogs just dont get on skyla LOVES male dogs - but i know sum1 with a male dog we meet up often n Skyla just doesnt like him Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike G. Posted February 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 Thanks for the replies. She's been to the vet and she has a perfect bill of health, I thought that this could've possibly been the reason but it isn't. I've been around dogs/Huskies my entire life and I've never really seen anything quite like this. From what I observed from my dog's behavior, it seems as if she's becoming extremely territorial/dominant over the ENTIRE dog park as if it is an extension of her own territory. Outside of the dog park, she's a completely different dog (docile, submissive/obedient, playful) whereas at the dog park she's dominant, territorial, disobedient, etc. It's like a Jekyll and Hyde transformation. I've been trying to train her out of her sudden, unexplainable bad habits but everything I've tried is not working. It's like talking to a brick wall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike G. Posted February 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 Plus, she's never been DIRECTLY attacked by another dog. Although there was one occasion when I was out walking with my Toy Poodle and Husky and two dog-aggressive Rottweilers that were off-leash attempted to maul my Toy Poodle. They bypassed my Husky and went for the little, defenseless Poodle. On that occasion, I made my Husky sit and stay so she didn't get in the middle of the attack (she sat and stayed while I rescued my Poodle from the Rottweilers until their owner finally came and put them back on their leashes). Luckily I grabbed my Poodle very quickly before the Rottweilers could inflict any damage. Besides that occasion, my Husky's never been involved in any sort of a fight or been attacked. This event happened almost a year ago and my Husky's dominant behavior began around a month ago. Could this be the reason? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravenwolf Posted February 17, 2012 Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 I'm glad to hear that you've already ruled out physical factors - that would have been my number one guess, too. It's actually not unusual for regulars to a dog park to consider it "their" place, and going every day is a lot of time to spend there. If there has been an influx of new-to-the-park dogs lately it may account for her suddenly feeling like her territory is threatened. For the one dog - if it only comes sometimes and she doesn't consider it a regular, she may be taking the attitude that he doesn't belong there, and reacts accordingly. Toys are always a bad idea at dog parks because not every dog has the same notion of ownership and trying to steal toys can often instigate aggression and outright fights. On a side note - a husky who actually plays fetch?! I'd mix up where you take her for her daily walks and stop taking her to that particular park so frequently. She needs to regard it as neutral territory, not her own personal property. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike G. Posted February 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2012 Thanks Ravenwolf, you're probably right. Occasionally I'll walk her elsewhere on various nature trails and she behaves completely different as compared to the dog park. And yes, she loves playing fetch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synphny Posted February 21, 2012 Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 Hi Mike, You are not alone with the sudden change in personality, my two over the matter of months became very aggressive toward new dogs that came to the park and I do believe that they think the park is now their territory and no one else's. My solution for that was to tired them out from scootering then meet up with a dog walking group to supplement socialization. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike G. Posted February 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2012 I've been working more with her over the past few days and she's been making progress. We're still in the early stages of working out her behavior kinks at the park, but we're definitely headed in the right direction Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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