Quote Originally Posted by smilingcat View Post
Dear Holly Spirit Bear,

You breed tend to be very aloof and solitary, so it was pretty amazing that you only snarled at one dog, an Akita. Well he snarled at you too. not sure who started it (simultaneous).
love mom,
Puppy class is the BEST!!! Get them out EARLY and expose them to new things. I'm a HUGE advocate (can you tell?)

Snarley dogs - here's my experience and thoughts. Dogs can sense other dogs' emotional states in a way that humans can't. Akitas are typically not sociable dogs and if your dog sensed some anxiety, he (she?) might have simply been reacting. Remember too that your puppy doesn't have a lot of experience with other dogs yet so reactions can be all over the map. Two main things to remember:

1. Don't over react to anything your puppy does. If your puppy snarls at another dog and you react with alarm, your dog might think, "Hey - I snarled at that dog and my human got excited too. There IS something wrong with that dog! Next time I'm really going to snarl at him - maybe even snap too!" You should calmly redirect your puppy's attention without rewarding the behavior.

2. Do NOT punish your puppy for any unsociable behavior. Dogs are not innately aggressive but they can be fearful. That fear is shown as aggression. You cannot fight fear with punishment. I do counter-conditioning and desensitization - or as I call it, "I see a dog I get a cookie." The book Control Unleashed outlines this beautifully.

I always tell clients to get their puppies in all kinds of safe environments (I do not consider dog parks to be safe, BTW.) More dogs are euthanized because of bad behavior than communicable diseases. Early socialization is key.