Leash Aggresive

[TysonJuno]

Ok my boxer just turned 1 years old last month and like all boxers is always on the go and ready to play. Since he has been about 5-6 months old I have been taking him to the local dog park to socialize him and also to let him get some energy out playing with other dogs. Now we all know there can be the occasional aggressive dog at the dog park but for the most part my boxer has never been involved in a major fight or attack. Now yes I have seen the occasional growl or bark come out of him towards another dog but nothing that would raise any concerns. Since the first day he went to the dog park up until this very day he loves it and gets all worked up and excited if we even start going in that direction in the car.

About 2-3 months ago I noticed that he was starting to show some signs of aggression towards other dogs while I have him leashed. For instance I brought him to the pet store to pick up some food and he went all crazy growling and snarling at young lab (maybe 6 months old). Then one day I brought him to the dog park and as we were coming up to the gate a couple was coming out with 2 boxers. As soon as he got close to them he went all berserk again growling and snarling at them basically ready to fight. In both these situations the other dogs presented no threat to him they came with tails waging and friendly attitudes just wanting to probably meet him and do the sniffing thing.

Now as soon as he gets off the leash he is completely fine and shows no aggression to any other dogs?!?!? I don't understand why in the last 2-3 months he has started acting like this on the leash because we have been going for walks or jogs around my neighborhood since he was a puppy. He is no stranger to being on the leash and has never acted like this before. (Just a side not he is not currently neutered and as of right now do not plan on neutering him. I know the doctors say that it can prevent cancer but we don't go around neutering humans saying well this will prevent you from getting testicular cancer so that is why he was not neutered.)

 

[gmacleod]

Actually preventing testicular cancer is one of the minor reasons for neutering There are many other, far more common, health problems associated with leaving the dog intact (e.g. the 80% likelihood of him developing prostate disease...).

There are also behavioural reasons, such as marking and aggression, both of which are reduced significantly by neutering. You might bear in mind that intact dogs, as often as being the instigators of aggression, are just as often the victims Simple fact is that aggression, whomever starts it, happens far more often when intact males are around - and it's one of the main reasons that many dog parks don't allow intact males...

Here's a short article about the reasons for neutering (as you'll note, it doesn't dwell much on the (rather rare) testicular cancer thing at all - it's really not the major concern with keeping the dog intact, or at least, not unless he's cryptorchid). Benefits of Neutering (Castrating) Male Dogs & Puppies

Having said all that, leash aggression is not the exclusive domain of intact dogs And neutering him, whilst certainly likely to help (it will reduce both his own aggressive response, and that of other dogs toward him), is not going to be a magic bullet that eliminates the problem without some work on your part.

In fact, the majority of aggressive behaviours between dogs take place when one or both individuals is on a leash. There are several factors that are likely to contribute to this, including:
- dogs offleash don't ever approach each other head-on, as this is rather rude and aggressive in dog terms. Instead, the always approach each other side-on. But they are usually restricted in their ability to adopt the polite approach when leashed - so at the outset are giving each other aggressive signals, even if not by their own choice.
- dogs on a leash generally have their ability to display a range of body language limited, which (as above) not only reduces communication but can force the dog to display more assertive/aggressive signals than he'd otherwise choose - with escalating results
- constrained by a leash, a dog DOES NOT HAVE the option of "flight" when things look a bit tense, and he's faced with a fight/flight decision. His reaction therefore will always be fight (there is no other choice)
- owners often contribute to the problem by restraining their dogs further, or trying to rein them in a bit. This conveys nervousness to the dog, making him even more tense. It also restricts his ability to use body language further. And really removes any possibility of "flight". In short, makes an aggressive response almost certain.

In fact, if the situation makes it possible, the best thing you can do when approaching other dogs is to take away the leashes and let them approach each other naturally instead. When that isn't possible, then I'd suggest that you give the other dogs a fairly wide bearth and spend time training your own dog to keep his attention on you. If you *do* have to do a "meet and greet" with dogs on leash, then at least try to give the dogs as much free rein as possible so that they have a chance of interacting normally.