Why do tame gundogs get aggressive?

A gun dog protective of its own space can become frightened when it is encroached upon.

By Mark Whitehouse

Thursday, 01 October 2009

My spaniel has started to turn on other dogs on shoot day.

She is two-and-a-half and is great around the house and with the children. When I blow the whistle she comes back and sits when she is told.

What could be the cause of her anti-social behaviour?

MARK WHITEHOUSE SAYS: The aggressive anti-social behaviour can be down to one of two things.

Firstly, your young gun dog could be very protective of her own space and protective of you.

Secondly, she could be very sensitive and become frightened when other gun dogs encroach into her space.

The best way to correct this is to take your spaniel along to a local gun dog club and get involved in as many training events as you can.

This way she will become more of a team player and this will in turn help to resolve her sensitivity and aggressiveness around other gun dogs.

This is not a quick fix and you may need assistance from one of the training instructors along the way to help with gradual introduction into the group and train, guide and correct you on any anti-social traits she displays.

The more you vist the the gun dog training classes the more socialable your dog will become and learn to accept other gun dogs in a friendlier manner.

For more gun dog training advice click here