The Difference Between Dog Aggression and Natural Corrections or Play 

It's always amazing to me when two dogs get in a fight and there's boiling and roiling, horrible noises, teeth flying everywhere and positively ferocious action happening so fast that you can't even see it happening....and then it's over and there's not even a poke mark on either dog. Two minutes later it's like it never happened. They live on a very different scale than we do.

I had a litter of terrier pups, they were up and running around and thought my elderly Border Collie's tail was great to play with. She put up with it for several minutes and then moved. Two of the boy pups continued to pester her, she turned and snapped. One ran off the other continued so the old girl bowled him over and held him down. When she let him up,he ran back to his mother she just got up and moved away as if to say "well, you were warned!" Pup wasn't hurt at all mad he learned the lesson of respect!

So many dog owners need to hear this, there are so many owners with puppies who are severely overprotective in dog parks and that’s why my GSD stopped going to the dog park

Your so spot on, before I teach any classes I have my clients say these are not humans, these are not babies. Youd be surprised how often we as people anthropomorphize our pets which is really detrimental to the well being of the animal. I know people that love an show exotic animals but they aren't sleeping with their cobras or tarantulas. Its interesting how emotionally attached people our to "ideals" of dog communication an behavior when clearly it's the ladder as you so eloquently explain in this video. Thank you for identifying the misinterpretation that we as people have an then breaking it down to a palatable level to digest in a truthful manner.

This is such a great video! So many people don’t know about dogs correcting each other and setting pack boundaries. Keep it coming dude!

This is so true! I work at a dog daycare and you get to tell the difference between the two very quickly. I’ve had go break up fights before and sometimes that is HARD to do. When they’re trying to hurt another dog it is NOT a joke. Corrections settle themselves out for the most part. Totally different when a dog WILL NOT let go. Pretty scary when that happens honestly

This is SUPER awesome! I thought my dog was attacked at the dog park and now I am super super relieved that it wasn't a full on attack at all. My dog is 12 months and this is a huge relief. Best information everrr

I've thought my dog was dog aggressive for like 6 years but now I think she's actually just correcting them... Thanks for the video!!

I love it when you talk about your "watching wolves" days! Fascinating!

My GSD mix is a very rambunctious dog, almost beyond comprehension. She can really get in other dog's faces (always wants to play), and sometimes does not care if the other dog says no. Recently at the off leash park, she was extremely submissive to another GSD (her fav dogs). Then she got up and clearly wanted to play, but the other dog said hell no. Within half a second, it turned in to a teeth-out, snarling, biting argument. If I had not watched basically all of your other videos, I would have panicked and freaked out. Instead, I was calm, and I swear time slowed down. I could see what both dogs were really doing, and in fact my dog was not biting or attacking, and neither was the other dog. He was just saying, get the hell away from me. I calmly removed my dog from the situation, and life moved on. Thank you for what you do.

Hey Thom! Big ups from Western Australia 👏 My dog was found in a tiny indigenous desert town and was obviously a camp dog (lots of bush dogs out there). We used to live the travel and camping life and he was a happy boy. My 4wd was his home and he was the protector of our little pack (me and my two dogs). He started being dominant with other dogs when we got to Alice Springs (chasing them and pinning them down, baring his teeth, and sometimes growling at them - just some male dogs his size or larger). Now we are settled in the suburbs (and have a 4month old bub). When we go for lead walks (1hour walk most days) he pulls at every dog he sees and we need to keep our distance from any dog. I've tried pack walking with another dog and that was good. He walks heel on a loose lead but i need to be constantly reminding him to heel and have to hold him short lead when there's another dog nearby and cross the road or turn around to avoid approaching a dog head on.. Do u have any training tips, advice or links for us?

Thankyou for this, I have 2 Wolfdogs and I sometimes have to explain to other dog owners that they are both well socialised and balanced creatures but they won't take cheek from others. It seems to me that most people nowadays think 'dog on dog' is a crime, it's totally natural; but then parents aren't allowed to smack/correct children, apparently that's abuse! Humans need to stop controlling everything, trust nature more.

The problem is there are dogs that don't respond to other dogs cues to tell them to stop playing. I think it is the boisterous playing that most people mis label as aggresive. When another dog continually tries to initiate play with a dog that doesnt want to after the dog corrects or submits signalling they dont want to play is when people get pissed off. Young energetic dogs that don't even listen to their own species communicating to stop is annoying. When I go to the dog park there is always that one dog that people try to avoid because even after a dog snaps at it or submits it does not stop trying to play. The owner will usually laugh and say oh hes just playing. But when my dog doesn't want to play and clearly showed their boundaries by warning several times and the other dog doesn't respect them that is when it gets worrying to me as an owner. Because if my dog turns around and decides enough is enough and lands a good nip she will be labelled aggressive and dangerous and the other dog is just playing because they didnt physically hurt my dog. So when people call these overly playful dogs that dont listen aggressive they are wrong but I think these dogs are not socialized properly and that can potentially become dangerous. Id be concerned about a kid that harassed other kids on the playground even after they cried and went to their mom or after they got yelled at to knock it off. I think if it was people we would call it bullying. And many would instruct their kids to give the bully a nice punch to teach them to leave them alone when they say so because they really mean it. But hey what happens if you punch a bully? YOU get in trouble. It's the same for dogs.

I wholeheartedly agree with everything you said. I'm going to use this in some of my classes! Thank you so much!

Thank you so much for shedding light on this topic. Of course we love our dogs and the best way to show them love is with leadership and knowing their canine behavior. Watching your videos helps me so much with understanding my 2 dogs and that they are doing what dogs do when they communicate or correct. It was alarming at first being a first time owner of 2 dogs but it has given me a lot of peace and understanding by watching your channel. Thanks for all you do! Hopefully the facility is no longer taking on water and your cold is gone!

Videos like this are priceless for dog owners. One of the best things I ever did as a dog owner was buy a book that was filled, cover to cover, with pictures and explanations of dog behaviour and signals. From the position of the tail to lip licking to the play bow, it unlocked a language that my dogs, through the years, had been speaking but one that I didn't understand. It helped me navigate raising a toddler alongside a nervous and broken rescue dog and introducing a puppy to my not always dog friendly German Shepherd. Tom has been invaluable in training ME to communicate with my dogs because despite understanding a bit of doggy language, I'm bloody useless as a dog trainer. His methods have really helped me with the problems I and others have created in my dogs. Really enjoyed this vid.

New follower here! Been watching your videos and applying/ absorbing all the knowledge you are providing- It’s so awesome! I’m a guilty dog owner where my dog has been nipped/ punctured before and it’s been more traumatic for me than her (obviously). You explaining this is perfect for someone like me to hear :). My dog is still a work in progress, but slowly and surly she’s becoming better on the leash and meeting other dogs. She has a tendency to go from 0-100 real quick and has a hard time calming down, which has led other dogs correcting her and in my eyes it’s was an attack haha. Keep up all this great content!

THANK YOU! I wish I could share this on Facebook. Sooo many people do this! And can’t understand rough play!

Thankyou for this video. I've experienced both situations and it is exactly as you said. My dog was attacked and the other dog held her down and wouldn't let go. I had to rescue her from 3 dogs by picking her up a walking into the lake up to my neck while holding my dog until the owner got control of her dogs. And recently, my 9 year old dog has corrected our new 6 month old puppy with what sounds like a vicious attack but it's all verbal. And the puppy has learned to "ask" if Lucy wants to play. Its amazing. Lucy wants to play with our new puppy but she's 9 so it's short and sweet. When she's done the puppy (Molly) understands it's time to let her be. Most dog owners do not get this. Your video really helped to clarify it well.

This is very good to know. Ive been at dog parks before and honestly was definately missinformed. It makes alot of sense actually, and thinking my cats do the same thing when they dont want others in their bubble. Wow thank you.

I'M SO GLAD I FOUND YOUR CHANNEL!!! THANK YOU!!!

So glad I found this video! It is so helpful since I have been going through a situation with my 9 year old husky and 10 week old puppy. The puppy is relentless in bothering (wanting to play with) the husky and she is constantly correcting him. At first I was worried, but I knew I had to let them work it out and sometimes it definitely sounds worse than it really is I guess😊

Nailed it! THANK YOU!!! I want to learn A LOT MORE about canine behavior bc I feel my entire body start to clench when other dogs are around or how to introduce for potential play at home and at the shelter bc I have NO clue when or if or how to step in or not if needed, and bc I have seen two huge dogs go at it over one water bowel many years ago and the terror I felt still pops up sometimes, both owners were slightly injured trying to separate them. Some people say “just leave them and they will figure out the pack order”, wellllll, in my current situation, one is 75 lbs and one is 6 lbs, IIII start to flip and avoid it. Grateful there are humans with the knowledge to bridge the understanding and mediate and show me what is possible or if “hey, maybe they just aren’t gonna be cuddle buddies”. And TY for the cheerleading too! Understanding dogs for their and our benefit is so amazing and rewarding, fulfilling, sometimes frustrating, and sometimes leaves me guilt stricken asking myself “what was I thinking!!? I can’t give them the best life”..... That whole “life getting in the way” part! Then I remember you saying bringing a dog home from the shelter, even if he kennels during the day (or night) while I work is a lot less stressful and better for him, pheeeww!! Then I look at him, them, usually always stoked anyway and re-realize how patient they are with us!! TY again for sharing with all of us!!!!

Thank you so much for this lesson in particular because my friend stayed with me over the summer with her black lab and she got into a scuffle with my pit pull and of course she pointed a finger at my dog. Now I can see clearly what actually happened. The lab was laying in front of bathroom door waiting for my friend to come out and my dog walked up to the door and the lab went after the pit and before we knew it the pit turned it around and had a lip and ear clamped down on the lab. Afterward I found punctures on the pits neck so even though the pit had the last move it was started with the lab saying “stay away from my human” now I can explain to my friend that the situation was the fault of both of them. It makes so much more sense!! THANK YOU!!

You have no idea how much I appreciate this. I just got a puppy and he’s always nipping at my brother’s older dog I always thought my brother’s dog would be attacking him until I watched this video and watched them. I realized he was correcting him cause he never closes his mouth to bite he just has it open over his neck until my puppy stops.

I love your channel and would love to have you as my dogs trainer. I would like to see something about dog body language with hopefully visuals. Thank you for what you do, we need more dog psychologist like you in this dog training free for all. We need more people that don't just take your money and destroy your dogs well being. So Thank You again. Keep up the great work. It's much needed.

This was really informative Tom. I'm 47 years old and I've had dogs growing up and later when I moved to my own place I got my own dog. I've had a German shepherd and a Greenland dog before and two different mixed breeds. Nowadays I've got two small mixed breeds and since a week ago a American bully classic and she's a rescue of two years old. My little Chihuahua of 8 years put the bully in place in an instant. But my other little one she's a mix between Japanese chin and Pekingese she's afraid. I'm helping her to get more calm and after one week things is looking better. But there's a work in progress. Thank you so much Tom and your team for this amazing Chanel. 👏 ❤️ Anna in Sweden 🇸🇪.

Thanks so much for explaining this !!!!

Thanks for explaining the difference between this, feel a lot better about my dogs behavior

Thank you so much. I have five pups, all siblings. They constantly play so Ruffini after looking at your video I am seeing that they clearly were playing. Usually I am constantly looking over them while they play, and up to today I kept distancing them when I taught things were getting intense. I can't believe all this time I was stopping them thinking they were fighting.... omg. I will definitely look at them as dogs... and not humans.

Super interesting! You explain everything so well, so thank you for that :) So so jealous of you for spending time with Wolfe's... they are such amazing animals

Thank you! I thank God I ran into your video Tom! Truly this is a blessing just like you said "stressing about the things we dont know about" that's me alright! Haha I am a owner of 4 little dogs. 3 maltese and 1 Chiweanie and we've experienced many problems with them from not being knowledgeable. It's not ignorance because we've never been taught. So it's not until we run into it, someone teaches it to us, or we learn for ourselves.

I know this video is a year ago but it helped me a lot in a recent incident with a 70lb dog and a puppy. Thank you so much for the information 😁

This video helped me a lot! I’ve got a 2yo Czechoslovakian Wolfdog and decided to adopt a medium sized, 1yo dog from the shelter. They’re both girls and I was really worried about how their going to get along considering the wolfdog is quite dominating and the new one is very gentle. Feeding, walks and everything else is going great and the wolfdog girl is really respectful, but they do play a lot and the play looked a bit aggressive to me. I even found a little puncture on the wolfdog’s cheek and started getting worries. This video helped me realize there’s actually nothing to worry about. When I watch them, I can see they take turns in being at the top (the wolfdog lies on her back to let the smaller one be on the top), there is no vocalizing and the biting is really gentle. Thank you for this video and all the rest! 🙏

Thanks for the message. I have a dog that got attacked badly and became dog aggressive after. I've been training her with a muzzle around other dogs and I freak out about every little aggressive signal. Last time I let a male put her in her place and didn't immediately separate them. It changed her behavior faster than any human trainer could.

Thank you so much for your video! So insightful. I used to have a very fear aggressive chihuahua/doxie mix which traumatized me and now having a golden retriever I’m always anxious he’s aggressive if he ever corrects for example a puppy jumping in his face or a larger dog trapping and humping him. This made me feel a lot better! Thank you so much 😊

This was so incredibly timely. Just recently our girl was off leash with another dog that she's played with several times before. The other dog was being very playful, our girl not so much (I should have recognized the different attitudes and ended the encounter but didn't 🙁 ). They were both walking around smelling and such. The other dog had attempted to jump up on our girl, playfully, a couple of other times but this time she actually jumped on our girl. Our girl put the other dog on the ground with teeth baring and barking/snarling but no mouth to dog contact and no broken skin. I severely scolded our girl but now realize that she was probably just letting the other dog know that she was done and to knock it off. They both separated when we called them each to us. It's good to know that our normally easy-going dog probably isn't becoming a menace.

About bloody time someone addressed this topic. I know the difference when I see it, but I'd say 98% of dog owners haven't got a clue. Fights are a completely different intensity..

This was so helpful. Thankyou Tom.

All good points of learning. A very important sign of a dog's intention or aggression is raised hackles - fur on the back of the neck - that indicates the dog means business!

Loved this!! Thank you! Do you have any more videos of examples of dog play fighting/correcting others versus when you need to intervene? I know my dog pretty well and know when he's no longer playing, but I think sometimes I'm more conservative than I need to be and would love to see some clear examples of what's ok and what's not. Thanks again!

Great video. You explained play and aggression very well

Thank you for this. We have an 8 year old husky that's never been blessed with tons of socialization or anything more than basic training. We just got a puppy and my older husky has been a bit territorial inside, but outside they play really well. I'm still consulting a professional trainer but knowing my older dog is just setting her own boundaries makes me feel a little better.

You're the best at explaining things like this. Thank you so much!

Omg thank you so much!! 👍🏾

Thank you fist time watching your videos. And subscribe.. Love your explanations💗❤🐺💗🐺

This was awesome! Thank you!

Great subject for all of us out here to understand dog behaviors better and not stress so much.

Honestly, thank you so much for this video. I'm still a kid as of now but I got so nervous seeing our family dogs barking and jumping at each other and my mom would always brush it off. I wanted to know if it really was no big deal or if she was ignoring an actual problem, and this video helped a lot!

That was really useful, thank you!!

Great explanation. I used to think my pooch was aggressive too other dogs. She just hasn't been around other dogs very often. We're currently in the process of socializing both of our dogs. One is a pit bull labrador mix the other is a chihuahua mix. Will continue to learn from your videos. Thank you

I started to volunteer in a non kill dog shelter, and as a person that never had a dog nor hang out with any dogs i need to learn everything from the beginning, so this channel and the Robert Carbel channel are a big help. i want to try and train some manners and basic abidance with some of the dogs in the shelter to help them become more adoptable. i'm starting with a dog that is a little fearful (he needed to see and smell me on 2 different visits to the shelter before he got the courage to come up to me and ask for some loving) and has a little bit of food aggression (he waits patiently until the bowl is in front of him but from the moment he starts eating until he's done no dog or person can get near him). i thought of training him by first playing tug O' war with him to build a relationship, then teach him 'let go' and 'sit' (and wait) before i will start to use this basic obedience commands to fix his food aggression. is this training plan sounds reasonable or am i missing something? is there anything anyone can add?

I thought my older husky was being mean growling but she was teaching my husky pup appropriate play and interaction. The pup kept jumping on my older dogs back.Dog mentality is fascinating.

Thank you so much lots of great information

First of all I absolutely love your channel Tom and have learnt alot from you. I have witnessed a proper dog attack, (not my dog) and it latched on its neck like it was going to kill the other dog and would not let go. This video has taught me alot about natural correction. We certain all have alot to learn and I will forever keep learning. Thank you from New Zealand :)

You are the absolute best!

You are making way to much common sense.. I love it.. Thank You

Keep them coming

Thanks for taking the time to reply to questions. I have an Australian cattle dog I adopted about a year ago, I believe they are coming up on 3 years old. The main issue she has is when walking her, if she sees another dog, she reacts in a seemingly aggressive manner, and has even slipped the leash/gentle leader harness we have a few times. The thing is, when she gets up to the other dog and smells it, she flips a switch and just wants to play/chase. It's like night and day. I just need to teach her how to react initially so people will willingly let her come up and make friends.

Respect, man. Thank you for providing this education!!

I agree completely. As an R+ pack socialization trainer, I have the best dogs who practice kind corrections for our new packmates for smooth integration... it's actually a selling point! Great video!

Thank you alot great info

Great intro speech! Now subscribed.

Thank you, helpful....

I have commented this morning but after watching this I have to say: YOU ARE THE COOLEST HANDS DOWN

I love your channel. Thank you for all the content. My 18month old JRT has displayed guarding behaviours and we're trying to work through drills, teachings with him and also are trying to remember he is our dog not our baby which is difficult because he loves attention and affection but we feel this could be adding to his guarding behaviour around other dogs.

4:44 My older dog does this to my younger one all the time. Thanks for clearing things up. I was worried they hated each other.

It is so clear to me when there is a real issue. One of my past dogs nearly had her throat ripped out . The dog wanted her dead and would not let go of her.,she had loads of stitches and of cause suffered fear aggression afterwards. I agree with you totally. Some very important info Tom, Thanks : )

Great description of the difference. Not many people understand the dynamics of this. Thanks!

I loved this video. Helped me a lot

All interesting and correct. Just a coment: when the warning dog instead to correct insist in the same behavior or spot, than could be an scalade. In a zip zap could begin a real fight. One correcting, the other defending himself and the fortune wheel is coming on. Yes I agree it is a huge difference between a correcting act and a agresion. This is a great video. Thank you so much Thomas Davis and my best whishes to the whole comunity.

Great video, when my Labrador was a puppy he ran up to an adult German shepherd and was put to the ground then chased off, that then set off a chain of bad encounters for him which led to his reactivity on lead- we always thought that dog attacked him and I know it caused us to panic from then on rather than realise he got corrected for just running straight into this dogs space (also we shouldn’t have let him have that opportunity, lessons learned). We’ve came so far with him, your videos are helping us get the rest of the way

I love this video! You obviously know dogs and you tell the truth in a kind way. I own Chihuahua and educate others about the Chihuahua breed. The most difficult thing to teach a Chihuahua owner is that they are dogs! Yes, you love them, yes you can call them your baby, but you need to understand and treat them as they are ..... dogs. Sweet, adorable, loyal little dogs, but they are dogs! :) There is no such thing as a mean Chihuahua (or evil, aggressive, etc. I've heard them all), just uninformed owners. Thank you!

Hi, Tom. Yesterday I watched a RU-vid video called "living with wolves", set in the Idaho mountains. It was one and a half hours of pure joy. I learned so much. The alpha male decided who ate after him, so the wolf pack had an order of hierarchy. He loved every member of his wolf pack, even when two females were introduced and some wolf pups too. As you are explaining in this video it was very similar to the wolf video. The Alpha male was setting structure and rules that the whole pack had to learn and follow. He nipped and growled when another would cross the line, but other times he was just as playful with his pack. It was a fantastic video to watch as they let two humans into their pack and daily lives. I think our dogs do this too set boundaries with other dogs that they are not familiar with, the same way as wolves do.

My dog is very excitable and is often overwhelming for other dogs. I used her to help my cousin's dog with her fear aggression (she was a last step after many many successes) and my cousin was very upset when his dog growled and snapped at mine. It was a very controlled correction, and I had to explain to him that my dog wasn't hurt and his dog wasn't being mean. She was just telling her off for being too much and playing too rough. They still love seeing each other and playing together

Love the knowledge

Hey dude, thanks for all you do. Awesome content and saying the tough things dog owners AND trainers need to hear. I generally stay away from dog parks but have been frequenting because of a short term situation (traveling in our RV). There is a husky who is at the park everyday who is a little more vocal than most huskies (cool) but he continually ‘communicates’ to my dog by putting his teeth around her snout. I have a gsd/husky mix and she’s pretty submissive with most dogs until a correction goes further than she feels necessary, she won’t tolerate persistent bullying. The other day they got into a brief scrap after this dog wouldn’t release from her nose. The dog does this to all the dogs around the park. Is it fair to allow this from him but break up when dogs get sick of this? It’s almost like enabling him to be a bully because the second he’s challenged it gets broken up, so he continues to do it. Apologies for the length but would love your input on this!

Is there a way to draw a line between natural correction and problematic possession agression?

Thank you for this video. I've been trying to understand my 10 month old Golden's behavior with other dogs. He seems to almost be over-correcting rude behavior, and I've called it "aggression" because he is so young. And you're right, I totally lose sleep over the idea of having a "mean" dog because I've done so much work in trying to raise a well-balanced dog. However, he's great with polite dogs and his sibling and I don't want to deprive him of inter-dog socialization if he's behaviorally healthy and wants to engage. Could you make or link a video on what behaviors are considered "rude" in the dog world? Thanks again!

Thank you

I adopted a mixed breed puppy 2 months ago. Sometimes he gets the zoomies and it,s fun to watch, but recently he's been chasing me and my mum around. He would bow down, bark, run left to right and even lunge forward before running back and then repeating. It scares me honestly because i don't know if he's just playing or he'll bite me. He's 4 months old. Super cute and very friendly to other dogs and people. He's never do it to others, just me and mum. We mainly take care of him.

Please do a video on puppy training 😀 Love your videos! Keep up the good work.

Glad you posted this, neighborhood Rottweiler terrorizing the neighborhood children and smaller dogs. I’ve seen it first hand. We didn’t want anyone to call animal control so we waited for the dog to leave and told the owner. She said that dog just likes barking, and he’s actually very nice. Not at all. Now that I go more into it. This is no game to it.

Wish you were closer to NC man! We have a rescue that is about 2 years old now. We love him to death and we treat him like a child and not a dog. He has rules and boundaries and is very well behaved but we have problems with his impulse to bite/correct first and be a sweet guy after. We have had him trained and have trained him ourselves but we are still dealing with issues where his first instinct is to bite when he meets anyone new (dogs, adults, kids). He NEVER attacks per your definition in this video but he does look for the opportunity to correct and has broken skin. I just started watching your videos and have learned a lot. I can't wait to see how your tips benefit our boy. Thanks for making the free videos that can help us out! My major worry is that we are having a baby and I'm not sure what to do since he has already shown and continues to show aggressive behavior.

I appreciate these videos so much good info. I have 2 Siberian huskys and love dogs. I just adopted a husky that has been abused and trying to help her.

Can you do a video on correcting resource guarding?

Love your stuff! I resonate with the approach you use and wonder if you've worked with the Basenji breed before? Smart hound, known to be rather cat like with their 'selective hearing' 🤨

Another fantastic video! I've had to tell other dog owner at the park (because they're getting ready to leave), "don't worry your dog is not hurting my dog. Mine is just playing too hard and yours doesn't like it". I think they left anyway but I tried.

One time I saw two small dogs playing fairly roughly, no big deal. But this malamute saw it, he must not have liked how they were playing or something about it was offputting because the malamute walked right up to them, let out the LOUDEST bark (just one bark) and stepped in between the two dogs who immediately parted ways. I thought it was really cool, and such a CLEAR demonstration of communication to stop, and its kinda of stuck with me to this day.

Super! my dog correct puppies if they are super excited and I have just realised it is what mother do to their puppies if they don't behave. Super cool people misunderstanding difference

Thanks Tom, very good video! This little wolve-film helped to understand a lot. Could you please do a video about the different levels of "threatening" between dogs until escalation? Maybe with some pictures or short films showing the facial expressions?

My partners 7 year old husky recently corrected my 4 month old husky puppy but she reacted badly by running away and crying out for a minute straight. We were so worried but after checking she wasn’t hurt at all. I’ve read that puppies can sometimes over react like this.

*Introducing dogs* Thank you for this video! We just adopted a 4+ year old female GSD this month from a disabled woman. #1 we are working on is relationship. #2 is on leash/ commands, she seems to just give us the cold shoulder or push through what we're asking until we really insist and let her know we mean business. She really has improved in the last week with scheduled repetition and structure though. Our biggest dilemma is we have two 6 year old female Border Collies. I don't think the GSD has interacted with any dogs in at least 3 years. Do dogs remember the manners their mama told them? I need to see more videos of introductions! She isn't nearly as bad as the Rottweiler you introduced in 1 video. Thank you for sharing your expertise on youtube! Erin

I love your channel! Very informative, I watch at least five videos a day!! I have 105 pound German Shepherd, his name is Bear. My only complaint with him would be that he is stubborn and doesn’t like to listen often. He knows all the commands, but rarely complies. He was a rescue I’ve only had him for two months, his behavior has progressed, I don’t let him off leash because I’m afraid that he won’t come back! If you’re ever in Northern California I would love to meet you and get some help with this guy!!

love the video!

Great points. Side note: Great Pyrenees have a 500-900 PSI bite force, depending on their size. Think twice before you get one of these sensitive, cuddly, loyal, gentle giants. You may not want to see how fast and sure they attack something threatening what or who they guard. Even their 'corrections' are scary. I dearly love my Pyr, but I knew what I was getting in advance. She has been a wonderful partner who has always pulled her play bites with me and lets children crawl all over her. But she does not tolerate strange dogs at first and never tolerates dog aggressors. Thanks to the prong collar, I now have control even in that situation, thanks to these videos.

You ARE the Coolest~! I have seen this with my own pack of 3 males. Our largest GSD (95lbs) Taz "attacked" our newest Malinois mix (40lbs) Benny and it freaked us out. But once we got them separated and got ourselves calmed down and were able to 'replay' what happened in our heads, we realized that Taz was 'chomping' on Benny. Taz never did break skin or grab hold and try to shake Benny. We were not able to pinpoint what Benny did wrong, but it was clear to us that Taz was trying to correct Benny and not physically hurt him. Additionally, we have seen our other GSD, Timothy, get in between Taz and Benny and push Taz away. Which is interesting cuz Timothy weighs 85lbs. Taz and Timothy play really rough, growling, barking and such, but it's definitely play. Our dogs can teach so much and for myself, sometimes I have to just be silent so that I can watch, listen and learn. Thanks so much for all these video's. I have recommended them to a few of my clients.

I have two dogs Over 50lbs, they are often in the yard playing and when my neighbors let their 20lbs dogs out they engage in the “fence fight” both parties are jumping and barking it never seems overly aggressive to me but my neighbors are extremely concerned that my dogs are aggressive and might break their fence, how do I make my neighbors more comfortable? I know my dogs are not overly aggressive but they have big dog barks and I can understand how my more mature neighbors with their little dogs might be concerned

I, like many others, appreciate your content beyond words. But what I love about this channel, is the comment section - so much support & encouragement amongst fellow subscribers & the genuine interactions between yourself and us. I know I say it often, but that’s because I mean it; thank you, Tom.

Thanks for making this video i had recently gotten a 7 month old pitbull who's so energetic my German shepherd is 4 she is very intone with me and my kids well i took the pup out to potty and then i wanted to give her a little free time in the living room with me just so i can correct her and just see how she would interact. My GSD stayed right next to me completely ignoring the pup i let her play she started to get more and more wild then she started to nip up at me my gsd warned her with growling then the pup nipped at her she got louder then my 9 year old autistic son walked in and he sat down the pup nipped at him and my GSD jumped over my son pined the pup and barked and growled at her until she calmed down i was feeling like i should let my older dog correct the pup as long as it isn't bully type stuff it should help some it did calm the pup down