Help out me with female aggression
I have a problem. Ife has began to act aggressive towards other females in the dog park. I think she is trying to "protect" Nuuk from other females. She has came a real asshole because she is teasing other females even they don't notice Ife. She goes to them and starts to growl and snips them. Few times there has been stronger females who show Ife her place and then she don't bully them anymore. She is acting like this to females from 1-6 years old but not to anyone else. What could I do to stop this behaviour? Because sometime there might come female who will hurt Ife and bad to the dog park. I appreciate all advices 
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Comments
As for helping Ife with her issues, the best thing you can do is set her up for succes. Set up controlled interaction with dogs you are familiar with and reward her for acting appropriately. Keep the sessions short and positive. If she starts to growl, redirect her by either calling her to you or by body blocking her. Get her attention completely off the other dog, do some basic obedience to calm her down, and then try again.
Aggression, if that's what Ife is displaying, can take a really long time to alter. It is a behavior that is generally accepted to be based on fear, which I think is increasingly common in Ife's lines (she's a Classy dog right?). Your goal is to build her confidence by starting small and building up. Hopefully in a few months or a year you can try the dog park again. But for now, I'd avoid it like the plague.
Yes, Ife is from Classy kennel. Could this behaviour do something with Nuuk because she was fine with females before Nuuk came. And on leash she don't have issues with the females.
However Mei is a total punk to other dogs. She resource guards me and she growls and nips other dogs. She is a total bitch in confined areas which is why I don't take her places with fences. Just keep Ife away and life will be easier.
We all have to learn....I wasn't entirely sure that behavior/temperament was inherited until fairly recently, for example. I'd read a couple of books that suggested it wasn't necessarily inherited, and believed it, but I've also read plenty of things that suggest it is, and also seen some of it, so....now I know. I know I was very cautious when I got my Akita--I wasn't entirely sure temperament was inheritable, but I didn't want to take any chances, so I tried to eliminate breeders that looked like had more aggressive dogs. But you know, I was kind of guessing there....
Agression is kind of a pain to deal with, and it does take a lot of work, but it's not the end of the world either. It will likely mean she can't be as social with other dogs, but that's ok. (I can't take any of my dogs to a dog park, and while I know plenty of people here have more "social" NKs, I tend to think of those dogs as being the exception rather than the rule).
Kona is from Classy, and Kona is GREAT, he's one of the most handsome Kai I've ever seen. Sure, he is a bit fearful, but I have always stated that, if anything, that's more our fault for not socializing him very well.
I think there are some lines in the US that can produce shy Kai, I think those lines of Kai are peppered throughout all the North American breeding programs, and having been to Japan and met several shy Kai over there, I don't think it's an issue that's unique to the US.
Anyway, Mirka, you should know Dave well enough by now to know he was not being negatively judgmental with his comment regarding Ife. I'm sorry you got offended, but I don't think their is a biased for or against Classy's Kai Ken on this forum.
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I have to try to go to the park alone with Ife someday and leave Nuuk home and see how she acts. Oh, I found that book and I'm planning to buy it. Is it "easy" English to read because it hasn't been translated?
Can you elaborate on the extent of this aggression? I wouldn't worry too much about a short growl or a little snap in certain situations, so I'm curious. It might not be as bad as it seems, although it could be worse than it seems, so it's important to really understand what's going on. I think a prerequisite for anyone making use of a dog park is to really understand canine language and to really be in touch with their dog. You really have to be able to see trouble coming from miles away. When things go wrong, you have less than a fraction of a second to react, so it's much safer to know how to prevent bad situations.
I have that book, and I think it's written in very plain English. I think you understand English well enough to read it. And hey, if you come across something you don't understand you can look it up or ask us. No problem!
I would suggest general reading on canine body language as well. There are a lot of different things a growl or snap can mean, and you can't address the issue unless you understand its root. And, like I said, sometimes a growl or snap is appropriate, so it's important not to react negatively when nothing's wrong or you could cause undue anxiety in your dog. You may also want to try to write down, in as much detail as possible, every incident you remember, and record any future incident. There may be patterns you haven't noticed, and knowing those things lets you avoid bad situations to begin with. You've already mentioned females ages 1-6, so that's a good detail to note. Any other details are helpful as well.
http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/dog-communication
http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/fighting
http://www.dogstardaily.com/blogs/dog-parks-and-why-you-should-avoid-them
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I will say though that this forum has always been my safe place. The negative comments were never made here, and it's what made me more active here than on other forums. But I still react and get sensitive on the matter. I become this overprotective mom that never wants to hear anything that could get someone else to say something. I need to work on that.
As far as Dave is concerned, I felt comfortable replying to his post because he's been to my home and met Koda. He knows that Koda is well Koda, not aggressive at all.
I see shyness as a Kai trait, not a breeding line trait. There are lots of dog breeds that are shy.
I'm going to have to check out the Fight! book too...
Thankfully new folks are no longer pressured as hard to pick sides or else they won't get a Kai.
@tjbart17 - I'm glad you feel comfortable responding to my post!
I agree that shyness is somewhat common in Kai. Just like being a punk-ass is common for Shikoku. That doesn't mean it's ideal or even necessarily what should be selected for though. Maybe that's a discussion for another thread though.
Is Ife due to come into heat ? This can drastically change a females behavior and all the dogs around them. I have had females that even beat up the boys especially when in heat. I do not let anyone out with a female that is in heat. She becomes unpredictable and so do the other dogs.
I agree, I would not to take her to the dog park for a while. You can't control the other dogs.
I would take her to some kind of classes though. Things are more controlled that way. Even conformation classes will help. (Unless she is coming into heat, then I would just give her a few weeks away from any stress).
She may also feel the need to protect Nuuk for some reason. How old is he?
If the other female starts boast back to Ife then Ife stops boasting. But if the other female doesn't show any marks on submission, Ife continues doing this.
Nuuk is now five months old. Ife is fine with my mum's female Schipperkes. And Ife had heat in the beginning of March. She has had four heats now. Her next heat should be in August but is there possibility that she might get in season earlier because earlier empty heats? And Ife act just like this when she is in heat.
Oh, and Dave I should have read your post more carefully. I undertood wrong few spot, sometimes I really wish that I would have invest more time to English in school.
I wouldn't call her aggressive. I'd call her a punk. ha ha
SHYNESS should always be a red flag and NEVER a desirable trait and should be DEselected by any reputable breeder....often only leads to worse problems as the dog matures....it is almost always paired with reactivity. i would personally never recommend a breeder who consistently turns out litters of shy pups
- should never be "defended" by the owner in any way... i should be viewed as a problem to be worked on "yesterday" and overcome
- can't remember but i think this is discussed in Culture Clash ( igotta re-read it again)
- unfortunately show breeders of ALL breeds are usually more concerned with conformation "standards" and "looks" than temperament.....WORKING dog breeders know how important temperament is and make it a very high priority in selecting their breed stock
but a shy pup definitely needs WAY more socialization than a confident pup
* many people do not realize "getting a dog out in the world and exposing them to new experiences" is what socialization is all about....it ISN'T
correct socialization should always be done while strictly controlling the environment with the primary goal of NON reactivity as a target.....control and reactivity or usually ignored, murphy's law rears his ugly head and a pup can be ruined in an instant. they usually pay no attention to reactivity and in some cases think it is EXACTLY what you should be looking for in the pup !
- i often see a new owner out with their little pup for the first time and make a special effort to try and explain how this is so important for them to realize