Why does my dog nip and bare teeth at other dogs getting too close?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! They are probably communicating with each other. This does not mean that they do not like each other necessarily. This is just their interaction which is ok. Not every dog is playful with other dogs. My dogs for example get along fine and play with other dogs but do not play with each other. It is not a concerning thing. It is just their type of interaction and how they interact with each other which I just have to sit back and respect. In summary, I would not be concerned about this. Have a great day!

She wants to play too, is talking to the others, and it is benign. She may be a bit timid which is why she does not join, but she is clearly wanting to play (wagging tail, excited, showing teeth). All that excitement!

Hello, and thanks for your question. Most “aggression” issues in dogs are ultimately based on fear to some degree, so I would suspect this is at least partially fear based. Maggie knows that your family is her “pack”, and she’s nervous of outsiders. Every time she barks/growls at others and they end up walking away, she may be reinforcing to herself that “hey - this works! I should keep scaring strangers away!” If this is a behavior you want to work on (and I would recommend it, before it escalates to biting a visitor or stranger on the street) I highly recommend recruiting the expertise of a professional. Ideally a veterinary behaviorist, but your primary vet may be able to direct you to trainers they recommend. Behavior concerns require a lot of time, effort, patience, and consistency, and it’s important to give Maggie the right response at the right moment, before she’s too worked up to be receptive to you. A professional can help you learn how to read these subtle signs before Maggie is completely overstimulated. Here’s a link on aggression that may be helpful to you. https://www.petcoach.co/article/aggression-due-to-dominance/ Hope this helps!

The behavior by itself is hard to discern out of context. You want to look at body language as a whole. A dog that is playing will have a loose, wiggly body, may hop around or play bow, and may have high pitched growls along with playfully biting or showing teeth. A dog that is not playing will often have a stiff, tense body, be staring down the other dog, low or straight out tail, hackles raised, and with bared teeth may be telling the other dog to go away and leave them alone.

It depends a bit on how severe the problem is. If he just doesn't like interacting with other dogs, but is able to ignore them when they're around as long as he's left alone, this is perfectly normal - some dogs don't have much interest in meeting or playing with strange dogs, just like some humans don't want to strike up a conversation with everyone they meet. If you mean that he barks, lunges, or tries to attack other dogs when he sees them, this is a much more serious problem. In that case, it would be best to make an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate him in person to help determine the problem, and help you put together a training plan to work on it. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org

It's possible the boy has done something inadvertently to startle Glenn. Watching to see how they interact may clue you into what is going on such as if a cup or utensils or toys get tossed around near Glenn, this child is much louder, pulls on ears or tail, etc. Monitoring both when they are around each other is a good idea as well as you don't want the nipping to escalate. Aggression is a very serious issue, so making sure to watch for signs that Glenn is becoming uncomfortable (stiff body, baring teeth, trying to get away, etc) can alert you to this so you can get in and remove him from the situation before anyone is harmed. As aggression is a very serious issue, i would also recommend bringing in a trainer or behaviorist that can observe what is going on in in person. They can help determine if there is something triggering the behavior that needs to be adjusted, or if any additional training techniques can help diffuse the situation. http://www.dacvb.org/about/member-directory/ is a listing of animal behaviorists that are certified within the US.

Hi and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear that Darby is having some problems around other dogs. I would advise that you get her enrolled in a good obedience class or work privately with a recommended dog trainer in your area. Sounds like she needs to be socialized towards other dogs and that would be a great starting point. The other possibility would be to take her to a recommended doggie day care center and let the staff evaluate her for possible inclusion in the day care. She would get introduced to other dogs and hopefully this would help when you encounter dogs while walking her. This doesn't sound like aggression to me. More of a curiosity and that she wants to play with the other dogs. I hope this helps and that Darby becomes better accustomed around other dogs.