Aggressive towards small dogs

[Melanie Stone]

We have a 2 year old Dalmatian that is generally friendly and playful and enjoys exploring the park. There is normally no issue when she meets a new dog at the park, however there is an issue sometimes of over-aggression with small dogs (generally small poodles, spaniels and terriers). Our dog will run over to meet these small dogs and I think that the common thread is fear from the other dog - when the other dog displays this, our dog becomes overly aggressive and starts a fight. Where the other dog ignores our dog or is playful there is no issue. Can anyone help and confirm that this is due to dominance aggression as this type of selective aggression towards other dogs is not covered in the book.

[KOPsBecks]

Hey thanks for your enquiry!
Is your Dalmatian spayed or is she intact? Mood changes during her oestrus cycle can lead to aggression towards other dogs.
Dogs react to strange dogs for 2 reasons:
1) They are afraid.
2) They perceive the other dog, whether right or wrong, to be a threat to their social status/heirarchy.
Is there a possibility that your dog has been bitten by a little dog as a fear response? Maybe she is afraid this will happen again?
I think the best way to deal with this situation is make sure that if the opportunity arises that she will meet a small dog, that you are in control. This may mean walking her on a lead at all times, you can get super long ones these days that still allow you to have control of her. I think that if you do happen to have an up close and personal situation with another fearful small dog, reward your dog for good behaviour, be stern if she misbehaves(a sharp pull on the lead and a loud rough "NO!".

You could also try desensitising your dog to small fearful dogs, this would involve planned meetings with dogs of this type in which you are in control of the situation and your dog must obey you at all times and become comfortable around this type of dog.

Hope this is helpful,

Becks