Why Do Dogs Bark?

Why do my dogs bark and growl at other dogs?

• I have 2 male Bichon Frise dogs that are both 5 years old. When I take them for walks and we come across other dogs they give a nose touch and start smelling other dogs. (usual dog behavior) Lately I've been having problems before or after a meet they become a little aggresive or maybe I think this. Anyways they bark and growl and if it's a big dog one might jump on the dog. I also had a problem where they met a smaller dog and one of my dogs caught the smaller dog by the neck and would not let go. Can anyone tell me why my dogs are behaving this way? It's very embarassing to have cute dogs with this kind of problem. I kind of think that maybe one of my dogs is the main culprit that stirs up the mess.

• Answer:

  They are dominant & when they are unsure they act out agressively, this is an unatural behaviour because agressive dogs often dont even read the body lanuage of the other dog. Stop the behaviour when they bark as this is phase 2 of the fight process. step 1, ear foward & fixation on the object, step 2 the verbal bark. step 3 the charge, step 4 the bite. Some bad cases skip steps & go stait to the bite. You dont need to let your dogs sniff the other, they can smell each other from acoss the road perfectly just keep walking. & yes all it takes is 1 of your dogs to start it, that is the one you need to focus on to stop it. Control that 1 & you control the rest.