Possessive & Territorial Agressive Dog

[ChoppersDad]

So I have a new friend that has a Maltese male dog that is 8 years old. I decided to bring Chopper over to her house so they could hang out together. OMG! I've never seen such a possessive and territorial little dog! Chopper did his best to try and make friends with this dog, but this little guy simply did not want Chopper near him. When Chopper gets anywhere close to this dog, it growls, lifts up his upper lip and starts lunging and snapping. Should I be worried about this little aggressive dog? Any suggestions on how to diffuse this situation?

[SunDance]

I'd leave my dog home if it upset the resident dog that much.

If you really want to see if they'll get along one day, introduce them on neutral territory...slowly...on leash....and keep Chopper at a distance where the little dog will be unconcerned at first. Let them get closer with Chopper being calm and mellow...a little at a time.

[Tanya]

agree with the above.

even if a dog is otherwise friendly out and about doesn't mean they will take kindly to dogs in their home, especially if they are not used to visitors. IF there is not need for these two to be bff's I'd leave them separate. But if you want to try and make it work you have to go slow. As mentioned above, start spending time on neutral territory. Keep their time "nose to nose" if you will (reaching distance) very short, separate and reward if they were calm (by short i mean like 5 seconds no more). go for walks together. once you are ready to go in the home keep them both leashed and calm and distance enough apart. Let them get used to one another. But if the other dog is generally really territorial it may require more overall training from their owners. I don't believe in the entire alpha thing but if the dog has not learned to be polite and behaved, then some NILF will be required to help him overall - to learn that he doesn't set the rules and the house is not "his".

[Berna]

Yep, introducing them on a neutral territory first may do the trick. I see Chopper must have thought that was some kind of game!

[Snowshoe]

Double ditto the neutral territory meeting first. A walk off leash where they can display appropriate dog body language and avoid each other if they want yet still have a good time would be really nice.

There might be another factor at play. The Maltese is male and neutered? How old is Chopper? Is Chopper still intact? Some neutered males just don't like intact males. If Chopper has entered puberty his testosterone levels might be soaring and you could be encountering the effect in the link below. If so you can expect antipathy towards Chopper from any other dog. Not necessarily, but maybe. Down on page 5, read Puppy License to Misbehave. The whole article is good.

https://www.dogstardaily.com/files/10...20Behavior.pdf

[smartrock]

My neighbor had an 8 year old male maltese who was exactly the same, nasty, territorial, possessive, the whole thing. My older dog would crouch down to say hello and he barely missed getting bitten on the face. The maltese acted the same with people, dogs, everyone. Our dogs never got along. Chase was so much larger than the neighbor's dog but he was somewhat intimidated by his nasty disposition. Never friends. It may never work out.

[ChoppersDad]

Yep, introducing them on a neutral territory first may do the trick. I see Chopper must have thought that was some kind of game!

Chopper thinks everything is a game. He is quite naive at times. This Maltese (his name is Jake) doesn't think Chopper's antics are very funny. Jake did manage to bite Chopper once because he got too close to him and Chopper wasn't quick enough to elude the bite. Of course, Chopper didn't learn and kept coming around him trying to make friends.

[ChoppersDad]

Double ditto the neutral territory meeting first. A walk off leash where they can display appropriate dog body language and avoid each other if they want yet still have a good time would be really nice.

There might be another factor at play. The Maltese is male and neutered? How old is Chopper? Is Chopper still intact? Some neutered males just don't like intact males. If Chopper has entered puberty his testosterone levels might be soaring and you could be encountering the effect in the link below. If so you can expect antipathy towards Chopper from any other dog. Not necessarily, but maybe. Down on page 5, read Puppy License to Misbehave. The whole article is good.

https://www.dogstardaily.com/files/10...20Behavior.pdf

The Maltese is male and neutered. Chopper is almost 8 months old. Chopper is still intact. Thanks for the tip. I'll read the article on my way into work.

[BaconsMom]

The Maltese is male and neutered. Chopper is almost 8 months old. Chopper is still intact. Thanks for the tip. I'll read the article on my way into work.

I definitely agree with snowshoe. Bacon is 18 months, still intact, and most of the neutered dogs he meets dont like him at all. For that reason, we stopped going to the local dog park. He would get attacked, and all he was trying to do was make friends Hope you have some luck. Bacon has done well with some friend's dogs, both intact and fixed, and we met on neutral ground first. Good Luck!

[barry581]

Not to get off the subject, but I've had 4 intact males over the years and I've never had an issue with them being around other dogs who were neutered. I am in no way doubting what all of you are saying, and I can see where it could possibly cause problems. I have no plans to neuter Bruce, and it's good to know there could possibly be issues to watch for.

On subject, I don't think you are dealing with an aggressive dog, just one who is insecure about have a lively puppy in his face. I whole heartedly agree a meeting on leash, in a neutral territory may facilitate better relations. Some dogs just don't want a high energy puppy in their face.