I don’t have to chase dogs away?

They say I’m a pitbull trapped in a dachshund’s body. But that’s not true. You see—I was adopted from a shelter along with a buddy, and we instantly clicked. Turns out, he’s terribly afraid of other dogs. Everyone thinks he just wants to say hi, but it’s clear he’s scared. So naturally, I have to chase those dogs away. Especially since I don’t have the best experiences with dogs myself. Together, we’re quite the crew and can probably chase off any dog. We’re doing great—everyone in the neighborhood knows us! Lately, though, we started approaching dogs separately, and I’m beginning to change my mind, and I think my buddy is too. Some dogs are actually pretty cool.

Often, right after adoption, dogs show no aggressive behaviors toward other dogs—everything seems fine, they greet and even play with others. Problems usually start after 2–3 weeks.

In reality, the dog feels fear when seeing other dogs but is too weak to push them away. Sometimes guardians miss stress signals, and attempts to challenge other dogs get mistaken for play.

Sometimes a second dog acts like a litmus test, stepping in to push other dogs away on their behalf. Sometimes dogs team up to chase away unfamiliar dogs.

In such cases, it’s always worth taking it step by step—giving the dog as much space from others as needed, while also trying, when possible, to build safe and comfortable relationships with other dogs.

#aggressivedog #dogaggression #fearbasedaggression