[piglet]

We’ve had our boxer mix girl for about 7 months now – she was rescued at 1 ½ years of age. Unfortunately, she doesn’t get along with all dogs…Some dogs become her friends instantly – she plays, shares food, water, toys, everything with them. Her friends are mostly larger breeds, although one of them is a small breed. Her friends have different temper – some are hyper and playful, some are calm and playful, and one of them is even slightly aggressive at times…
The dogs she doesn’t like are mostly small to medium breeds – she growls aggressively and ready to attack them even if they show no aggression towards her…I don’t understand why she perceives these dogs as enemies if they just want to come sniff her and are even ready to play with her. I really want her to get along with dogs that like her, but I don’t know what to do since she becomes uncontrollable with her growling and pulling the leash, ready to bite them…
The last kinds of dogs she clearly recognizes are the ones that freak her out. These dogs are extremely well trained (mostly medium to large size, but we haven’t met any small ones). They are the ones that normally walk off leash, respond instantly to the commands of their owners and don’t even bother with the presence of my dog – they don’t even look at her - as if she doesn’t exist. When we meet these kinds of dogs, mine immediately turns in the other direction pulling away from them, scared…I don’t understand why she is so afraid of these dogs when they don’t even acknowledge her presence…
Anybody else with such a “selective” dog like mine? Is this normal?

[rawralphadawg]

My dog does that. Her thing is females, though. My grandma's female used to pick on her when she was a puppy and now she has it out for females. Small dogs too. I think she's fear-aggressive. Anything smaller than her she wants to dominate just to make herself feel better. She's usually ok around big dogs and males. does your dog have a gender preference?

[poodleholic]

You can work on her dog-to-dog aggression by desensitizing and counter conditioning. Find out her tolerance level distance wise, and do not make her go any closer than that when you see another dog approaching. Each and every time she displays this unwanted behavior, it's being reinforced, and will be harder to change/stop. It's likely to escalate, too.

When you see another dog approaching, turn your dog in an arc to the left, walking smoothly, but purposely in the other direction, making "happy talk" and/or otherwise getting and keeping your dog's attention. By turning left in an arc, you are placing your body between your dog and the other dog and are moving away from the "threat."

Practice by hanging out in the parking lot of PetSmart and other local pet stores, keeping your dog within her comfort zone, and tossing her treats for not reacting to the dogs that come and go. Lots of praise and treats to reinforce wanted behavior. You gradually move closer and closer, never pushing her beyond her zone, until she can sit by the door comfortably with dogs coming and going.

Good luck to you.

[piglet]

Rawralphadawg,

No, she doesn’t have a gender preference – if she likes the dog, she likes it instantly even if it’s the first time meeting the dog…

Poodleholic,

Thank you very much for this useful tip. I will try it. She is in fact tolerant until the other dog is about 10-15 feet away from her, which is somewhat comforting since I don’t have to deal with this unwanted behavior as soon as she sees the other dog…Thanks again.