I need some help out with Lola's most recent issues. She's gotten very aggressive with some other dogs lately. It always seems to start when food comes into play. But it only seems to happen with dogs smaller than her.... she literally pounces on them & gets 'snarly' with them (growling, biting, ect.). I have to pull her off of the other dogs!! And then once she's off of them, she goes charging back at them!
Here's a little history on her interactions with other dogs... she's been around bigger dogs most of her life (a Rotty, Lab, and a German Shepard) and she gets along with them just fine (she's had to been put in her place by the bigger dogs & she's learned from it... she doesn't mess with them any more!!) My in-laws have a beagle & a cocker-mix that she gets along with great. She's gone to the dog parks many times & she gets along just fine (she's always rolling on her back to submit & be greeted). She also will be the first to greet other dogs when we're on walks or at the park.
This has happened with 3 different dogs, one is my best friends dog, the other is a friend of a friends' dog & the other is my mother in laws. From what I've noticed, the dogs she goes after are smaller dogs (they're all chihuahua mixes). These dogs are all mainly lap dogs, where their owners hold the dogs most of the time, the dogs don't seem comfortable with the normal butt-sniffing routine, their 'parents' seem very wary with the dog, Everything is ok until some food gets brought out. The first time was when treats were given out among a few dogs (not a good idea, but that wasn't my doing). The second time was at our house & one of the dogs got near Lola's treat ball... then the last time was tonight. We were at my MILs & things were fine (Lola was just hanging out while my MILs dog was hiding under a chair), but once it came to us getting dinner, Lola got 'snarly' on their dog in the kitchen!! They weren't even being served food nor was there food for them to eat (Lola does NOT get served any food except in her food bowl). On each occasion we broke the dogs up, but Lola would go after them again... She mainly does the aggressive stuff & the other dog cowers... But I did notice with 2 of the dogs, they would cower behind their 'parent' and quietly be growling at Lola & showing their teeth way before she would go after them.
Anyone have any idea why she would be doing this?? I sort of have a clue, but I wanted to get an idea from others & see what I can do to deter it from happening. This issue is going to cause a lot of problems with hanging out with my friends & I want to take care of it ASAP. Thanks!!!