When you walk your adolescent dachshund, does her body stiffen, neck arch, ears prick forward, and does she lunge, growl, and snap at every dog you pass? This is called dog-dog aggression. Hopefully if you did a lot of socialization with your dachshund as a puppy, you will never have this problem. Unfortunately, some dogs are predisposed to this behavior, and you may begin to notice it when your dachshund enters adolescence.

Obedience training classes are very important. Your goal will not be to allow your dachshund to play and socialize with other dogs at this point. Instead, you will work on skills to teach your dachsie to ignore other dogs and pay attention to you. Neutering helps to suppress and even eliminate many forms of aggression. It doesn't work in all cases, but it works for such a significant percentage of male dogs that it is certainly worth the effort.

Let your dog play with others. This will help deter most forms of aggression.

Avoiding Triggers

When you are out walking your dog, be careful not to trigger your dog to respond aggressively toward other dogs. Often an owner will choke up on the leash, or pick up the dog and hold him tightly. Dogs are extremely sensitive to changes in our demeanor, even subtle ones. Therefore, if you are nervous, anxious, or apprehensive, your dog will pick up on this immediately. Think of the leash as a direct communication line between you and your dog.

Before you picked up your dachsie or tightened up on the leash, he may not have had any interest in the dog approaching. But now he senses that you are concerned, and he may figure that your worries have to do with the approaching dog. As a true dachshund, he will do whatever it takes to protect you. In this instance, he may mistakenly think that acting aggressively toward this oncoming dog will be helpful.

How can you avoid communicating the wrong message? Relax. Allow your leash to be slightly lax. If you can, calmly move to the other side of the street before the other dog gets too close. As you begin to approach the other dog, work to keep your dog's attention on you. You can have your dachshund heel. You can work on a favorite trick. You can even get his attention fixed on a treat in your hand. Do whatever it takes!

If this is not enough to allow the other dog to pass by without your dachsie going into the offensive, put him in a down-stay as the other dog passes. It is difficult for him to bark from this position. Down is also a nonaggressive position. Reward your dachsie with a treat for staying in his down. You are rewarding his response to your command as well as her passive response to the passing dog.

Continue working with your dachsie. Your ultimate goal is to be able to walk by other dogs at close range and even stop and chat with another dog owner without your dog making any aggressive overtures.

Fearful Aggression Toward Dogs

A dachshund may appear aggressive toward other dogs when in actuality she is afraid of the other dogs. The two attitudes look similar — she will bark, lunge, growl, and/or snarl at other dogs. However, there are some big differences in body language. If she has her hackles up, she is trying to make herself look bigger in order to avoid a confrontation, which means she is exhibiting fear aggression, not dog-dog aggression.

Other signs of fear aggression toward other dogs are if your dachshund's ears are lying back against her head instead of pricked and alert. The fearful dog may also bark or lunge in a slightly crouching position instead of standing in an erect, stiff posture. The fearful dog's tail may be tucked, while the aggressive dog's tail will be stiffly extended.