Barn2 is getting to be quite aggressive

[Artos]

My boy Barn2 is turning 3 this Saturday. The last two occasions when there were other dogs around him (other than Trax, his older brother), he was quite aggressive.

We found a Silky terrier a few days ago. Left it in a containment area ( fenced up) while looking for owner. Barn charged at the dog. Had to hold him back. Not too easy because he is now 18kg and big boned...

Took him to a pet shop opening Sunday afternoon. There were four other dogs there- Sheltie, King Charles Spaniel, Shiba Inu and Cocker Spaniel. All were male, all were very peaceful and two were puppies. Barn growled at all of them and wanted to fight the Cocker ( 2 or 3 years old). Had to hold him back.

Barn submits to Trax at home but he does push his parameters. I think he lets Trax win because Trax is his mentor and older 'brother' (Trax is 12) and he enjoys that relationship.He tries to preen himself before Marky (the 6 year old mutt) who is at the back of the house (Marky and Trax dont get along)...and sometimes he growls at Marky from a safe distance (iron grille door separates them).

Barn's ok with humans. In fact- very affectionate and friendly. Its just that he is beginning to act up with dogs. Am a bit concerned. How do you stop him from growling etc (I yank him by his collar and say a firm NO! ....Sometimes I cover his eyes with my hands so that he cant see the other dog). I dont want to neuter him.

Thanks.

[Michael Romanos]

That Barn is acting up with breeds that are notable for being non-aggressive, concerns me. You don't want a badly behaved Corgi especially if it is right out of line with what Barn is confronted with. It is embarrassing and stressful for you, doing the Corgi breeds no favours and is generally anti-social action.
Of course, neutering is a major step to nullifying this kind of behaviour in a male dog. It could be that you are frightened that if Barn was 'fixed' - going to all that trouble, expense and temporary pain and discomfort on Barn's part - and it didn't work, what then?
You have to act instantly Barn growls or makes a forward lunge. If you use a chocker type chain attached to your leash, you can jerk that sharply and at the same time yell out a word he'll quickly understand means 'this is not on' - something like BAH. When he stops his growling and straining, praise and reward him with a small piece of treat. Do this for several weeks and deliberately take him to places where a well behaved dog would be socialising so you can repeat your actions if necessary. Never hit Barn nor go over the top - covering his eyes doesn't achieve anything positive. If this doesn't work, there are canine behaviourists who can help - and there is neutering.
Right now, I take it, Barn has just started to act aggressively with other dogs, so maybe it is simply a temporary thing. Is he fit and well and HAPPY otherwise.

[Artos]

Thanks. Will try the choker chain as well. Barn is ok otherwise. Putting on weight...18kg from his original 15kg. Big boned so he carries the weight quite well...except for the suspicious corgi bulge in the middle kingdom....

The other dogs are neutered- Trax (was and still is aggressive) and Marky (not aggressive except with Trax when Trax attacks him. Growled at Barn when Barn tried to growl at him). I just dont want to have Barn 'done'.

[Hayashi_eri]

Happy birthday barn2!!!
Buta will be 2yrs old on the 9th of November 06. She is getting a bit stubborn nowadays....maybe I have spoilt her too much haha
I guess boys will always be boys, being more dominating & rowdy We used to have a male maltese many years ago & boy was he dominating even though he is so tiny & he loves to mark every where in the whole house...

[Michael Romanos]

If i was a canine behaviourist. I might surmise that Trax is definitely doing Barn no favours. His bad temper is rubbing off on Barn. He is penting up Barn so that Barn will release his tensions by taking it out on innocent and unassuming bystanding dogs. Classically,you need to get your 'house in order' first so that each of your dogs can feel comfortable within their environemnt and with each other. It maybe that you erred in getting a friend for your older dog/s or in not sufficiently nurturing their relationship from the very beginning.

[Artos]

Thanks, Buta- ma. Love the specs on Buta's face!

Hi Michael-
No, Trax doesnt bite Barn nor does he harass him.
Trax is getting on very well with Barn. He is unbelievably gentle with the boy and firm when discipline is needed. Trax doesnt fight with Barn- only playfight....Although Barn is bigger, Trax can trounce him by sitting on him. I think they have an agreement that Trax has to win. Barn loves to wrestle with Trax....Both end up on their backs growling at each other....Cute.

Trax cant get along with Marky. Some years back, he fought Marky and Marky had to defend himself. Trax's ears (first one ear, then the next) were cut in the process. (Funnily, it sort of balanced each other out...see my camera photos...). Still Trax wouldnt concede defeat. So we had to separate the two- Marky lives at the back of the house now. Trax and Barn live inside the house.

Pix of Trax and Barn together
http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h9...n/barntrax.jpg

[Jespah]

I'm just curious as to why you don't want to have Barn neutered? I had aggression issues with Rupe before he was neutered, he still acts up occassionally, but nothing like he was before. I know being spayed and neutered also lowers the risks for some types of cancers in dops.

[Artos]

Trax was very aggressive (to humans and dogs) and I got him neutered. Made absolutely no difference at all in his behaviour. So I am not confident that it will change Barn.

Barn is sweet to humans. He has been good to Trax and some dogs in the past. Only recently has he shown this "Grrrr...." kind of topdog behaviour. Wonder if it is a 'teenager to adult' kind of phase where he thinks he has to prove himself/show his macho-ness/ claim his territory...etc.

[Fluffypants]

Oh no - that sounds like a situation that definitely needs to be addressed. You might want to reconsider neutering. And I would definitely consult a professional dog trainer and/or behaviorist. Good luck, and I hope things improve. Keep us posted!!

[Dillydoodle]

I agree with the neutering. First off, even if it made no significant difference in the behavior ( and i do think it does), you have peace of mind knowing he cannot accidentally get any other dogs pregnant, and is at a lower risks for cancer. In my opinion unless a dog is specifically going to be used to breed or for confirmation show there is no reason not to spay or neuter.
Emilie

[sweetlychee]

Everyone knows Milo's anti-dog behaviors but that was from the beginning. I'm not sure how come Barn has it and he has been socializing with dogs from the beginning.

He does pick on the less aggressive breed dogs. One thing to do is to say no and bad boy showing Barn that this behavior is unacceptable. Corgis are not known to be aggressive so this strikes me as odd. Does he feel threatened? Did something recently happened to have caused him/triggered him to act like that? If you can do some backtracking that would be helpful.

Good luck!
Mabel

[Chip's Mom]

The first thing I would do is get him neutered. Are your dogs left alone in the house when you aren't home? Alot of times, dogs pick up other dogs habits and mimic them. Are both your boys corgis? Is there perhaps a female lurking around somewhere that you don't know about? Good luck!