Why so 'aggressive'?

[Carolina]

Hi everyone,
Firstly i think i'm in the wrong section but anyways,
I have a 7yr Maltese desexed female. She is very sweet with people but i'm at my wits end with her dog-to-dog aggression with unfamilar dogs. Got her from a breeder @ 7.5weeks. She was 1 of 3 little girls in the litter. She was the pushiest out of the bunch and the third pup was very timid (in corner). I viewed both parents and they seemed social (especially mum). All three and mum were brought up in garage next to the family kitchen. She has been to two puppy preschool courses where she behaved bossy around the other pups. She is also EXTREMEMLY food obsessed. She displayed food aggression at 7.5weeks when i gave her a portion of a raw chicken wing (froze, growling, guarding and standing over bone). I am lucky (in a way) that i can take her to work (vet clinic) where she meets/sees other staff dogs. It takes her a while before she 'warms' to them but once she's 'warmed' up to them, she's fine - becomes submissive (lays on back, exposes under belly), tries to lick their mouth. We visit my parents with 3 small dogs which she gets along with great (grow up with them).
Can dogs be breedist? I mean she seems to 'tolerate' to some degree the little white fluffy dogs she sees at a dog park but others she'll literally chase and behave aggressively. She's never biten but i'm terrified that one day she'll over step her mark and get taught a very nasty lesson from another dog. Her behaviour is worse on lead but still bad when off lead. I think deep down she just simply doesn't know how to communicate/interact appropriately with unfamiliar dogs. She'll behave friendly (relaxed, wagging tail) but then i can see her body stiffen and off she goes (growling, barking, charging at the other dogs). It's like 'get them before they get me' attitude. If anyone has similar experiences/tips would love to hear it.
Thanks.

[kuritsa18]

It sounds like your dog is naturally aggressive/dominant since it has been acting this way since you got her. Some dogs are just pre-disposed to certain behaviours; kind of like kids - some are natural leaders and more aggressive while others are the shy, quiet ones.

It always seems to me like every small dog I encounter has 'little guy' syndrome and they have to act extra tuff to show us big guys they can handle themselves

It does sound though that you didn't deal with the behaviour when you first noticed it and now it has escalated. Aggressive behaviour can seem funny when it is a small dog but it can lead to just as many problems when they are older as with big dogs. That is why it is very important to socialze your dog at an early age and stop aggressive/dominant behaviour when the first signs are seen.

I would suggest slowly introducing your dog to new situations that involve new dogs Like taking her to doggy day care where she can interact and meet new dogs daily to get used to the interaction and new situations. When she comes around new dogs if she starts barking or becoming aggressive stop it right away by saying in a loud firm voice no and when she stops reward her. If she displays good behaviour and is not aggressive reward her a lot so she knows this was good behaviour and there is nothing to be scared or aggressive about. I would also suggest to keep her on the leash when first meeting dogs to keep the behaviour under control untill she calms down and is in a calm submissive state. This way if she becomes aggressive you can gain control quickly; you don't want there to be any fights I would also recommend to take her to a dog trainer where you can work one on one and get the aggression issue solved (dod-to-dog aggression and food aggression) and learn the propper techniques of how to deal with the behaviour and correct it.

[Carolina]

Hi Kuritsa18,
Thankyou for your suggestions. Am looking into doggy day care. My only reservation is that i won't be there to 'protect' her from other dogs but will carefully screen day care staff. She was given the opportunity to socialise when she was a pup but i guess she needed that extra attention/continual intensive interaction in the right way.
I may have given the wrong idea when i wrote about her food aggression. I can and do 'manage' her food aggression. I truly don't believe that it is something I would be able to 'cure' her of. I manage it by when she's given a bone she is NEVER disturbed by anyone else (however i am able to take the bone from her be it with resistance from her). She's never given the opportunity to have one when kids/visitors etc come.

[kuritsa18]

You won't have too protect her in doggy day care because they have people watching the dogs and if there are behaviour problems they will separate the dogs who are causing the problems. From how your dog behaves it sounds like she doesn't need protection!

As for food agression it can be 'cured'. If you take her to a doggy trainer they can work with you and her. You should be able to go up and take the bone away from her. Any kind of aggression should not be tolerated and corrected right away. Dogs who are food aggressive should never be given treats such as bones or raw hides that can be chewed on for long periods of times since this only encourages the bad behaviour. Only small treats that can be eaten right away should be given.

[Carolina]

Hi kuritsa18,
Can you tell me 'is there a link' between food aggression and dog-to-dog aggression?? I've been told this but i fail to understand why?

[kuritsa18]

From what I have learned this stems from the days when dogs were in natural packs and living in the wild.

In a pack in the wild there are rankings of dogs from the top dog (the pack leader) to the bottom. Every dog has a place in the pack. In the pack the top dogs always ate first and the rest or lower ranking dogs would have to fight for their meals or whatever was left over. So, you can imageine in a pack of dogs there would be a lot of aggression over food if you were fighting to eat something. Anything a dog got to eat he would guard or be protective over so another dog wouldn't take it; this is a survival instinct.

So, because of this it is very common for dogs to be food aggressive/ possesive towards other dogs and humans; it is a natural instinct. However, this behaviour can be changed and managed and any kind of aggression should not be tolerated or allowed. It can be dangerous to other dogs and people because a dog can and will bite you if they become to aggressive/protective about their food which will result in serious injury.

I hope that clarifys things a bit better for you

[Carolina]

Thanks for the information. I appreciate it