Does daily play with one dog help my aggressive dog socialize?

I think it is a great idea to have Akira socialize with the other dog (as long as the other dog is healthy and vaccinated). This will help her learn how to interact with other dogs and teach her appropriate play behavior. It will also help her have an outlet for her energy so that training her will be easier for you. Good luck!

This is a tough question to answer. Some dogs do much better with another dog around, and some do better alone. It depends on Ginger's personality. If she likes to play and gets along with other dogs, she might enjoy the company. If she is afraid of a lot of things, the best thing you can do is get her out into different environments as much as possible. The more she experiences in a positive way, with treats and affection, the more comfortable she will become with new things.

I would make an appointment with a behavioral specialist. Aggression is never a behavior I recommend owners work with on their own because of the risks involved both to you and other dogs. A behavioral specialist can work with Peanut on her aggression issues, and can slowly introduce her safely to other dogs in hopes of socializing her. Speak to your vet about a referral to one. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

Hi there! Sorry you are having this issue with your pups. Behavior can be tricky to modify, especially when introducing new pets to your home. Sometimes letting them "get to know" each other on neutral territory helps out. Take them outside of your home environment to a park or other area where they are both on equal ground and let them take the time to sniff and socialize if they choose to. Often this is all they need. If you need further suggestions, a consult would be beneficial to get some more information about your pets and we could come up with a more personalized plan. Hope this helps!

AS long as she is generally easy going and has no negative experiences with people she should develop fine with only rare meetings with new people. It can help to take pups to schools and playgrounds to expose them to the noise of busy children playing and also to find a buddy dog (preferably young adult) for her to play with off lead in a secure area also

Hello and thanks for using PetCoach! I'm sorry to hear that Molly and your friends dog are getting into fights. Unfortunately it can be very difficult or even impossible to socialize them so that they will never fight. If they are both more dominant as you describe then allowing them to play together could result in a serious fight and injury. It is probably best to not allow them to play together in the future. If they must be together at times then they should both be leashed and wear basket muzzles to prevent injury. A dog can be easily trained to wear a comfortable basket muzzle by allowing them to put them self in a muzzle with treats. The handout here may help: http://info.drsophiayin.com/handouts-vol2-spring2011

This actually is not particularly unusual - while many dogs enjoy playing with other dogs, some dogs definitely prefer people. The dog park can be overwhelming even for social dogs so I would recommend avoiding it for now - if she continues to feel overwhelmed she could start to become fear aggressive. You may want to start by meeting one on one with a quiet dog friend to get her used to dogs. Make sure it is a good experience by offering treats, and if she starts to become too anxious stop and try again another day. She may never get to the point where she loves other dogs that are not familiar, but hopefully you can find a few dogs that she knows and will play with.