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Dog goes after certain dogs???



 
 
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  #1  
Old April 15th 05, 06:23 PM
jakesmama jakesmama is offline
Junior Member
 
First recorded activity by DogBanter: Apr 2005
Posts: 2
Red face Dog goes after certain dogs???

I have been having a problem with my dog Jake... Jake is a neutered 5 year old Boxer/Lab/Chow mix. Every so often, when we are at the park, a new dog will come in and they will both sniff for a few seconds, and than Jake will immediately pin the other dog down while snarling in the other dogs face, this only lasts a few seconds. He has done this about a dozen or more times already over the last couple years and not once has he even left a scratch on the other dog. He has done this to old dogs, females, males, older puppies, it doesnt seem to matter he just doesnt like them for some reason. He even did this to a really old dog once which really embarrassed me. He has also done this unleashed and leashed so the leash doesnt seem to be the problem. Jake has about 15 or so dogs he regularly plays with (although he is becoming less playful) on a regular basis with no problems so I know he can get along with other dogs. He is now also ignoring the other dogs more often, just doesnt seem as interested. He is also with my brothers dog almost every day and they get on very well although Jake doesnt really want to play anymore but he is not mean about it at all. Just for the record also, Jake is no longer allowed to say hi to strange dogs until I figure out how to handle this.
Today really confused me, we were at the local park off leash when a friend I haven't seen in several months showed up with her male neutered Rottweiler, well Jake and the Rottweiler sniffed for a few seconds and Jake went into attack mode, no injuries, but his usual pin down with alot of noise. I thought for sure they would get along since Jake new this Rottweiler since he was a puppy (the Rottweiler) and they got along fine. Is something wrong with him? and is there any way to change this behavior??? I really don't care if he doesnt want to play with the other dogs, I just don't want him to pin these dogs on the ground and snarl and growl at them, it really scares me and the other owners. Does anyone know why he does this and what it means?
  #2  
Old April 15th 05, 08:50 PM
external usenet poster
 
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jakesmama wrote in
:


I have been having a problem with my dog Jake... Jake is a neutered 5
year old Boxer/Lab/Chow mix. Every so often, when we are at the park,

a
new dog will come in and they will both sniff for a few seconds, and
than Jake will immediately pin the other dog down while snarling in

the
other dogs face, this only lasts a few seconds. He has done this about

a
dozen or more times already over the last couple years and not once

has
he even left a scratch on the other dog. He has done this to old dogs,
females, males, older puppies, it doesnt seem to matter he just doesnt
like them for some reason. He even did this to a really old dog once
which really embarrassed me. He has also done this unleashed and
leashed so the leash doesnt seem to be the problem. Jake has about 15
or so dogs he regularly plays with (although he is becoming less
playful) on a regular basis with no problems so I know he can get

along
with other dogs. He is now also ignoring the other dogs more often,

just
doesnt seem as interested. He is also with my brothers dog almost

every
day and they get on very well although Jake doesnt really want to play
anymore but he is not mean about it at all. Just for the record also,
Jake is no longer allowed to say hi to strange dogs until I figure out
how to handle this.
Today really confused me, we were at the local park off leash when a
friend I haven't seen in several months showed up with her male
neutered Rottweiler, well Jake and the Rottweiler sniffed for a few
seconds and Jake went into attack mode, no injuries, but his usual pin
down with alot of noise. I thought for sure they would get along since
Jake new this Rottweiler since he was a puppy (the Rottweiler) and

they
got along fine. Is something wrong with him? and is there any way to
change this behavior??? I really don't care if he doesnt want to play
with the other dogs, I just don't want him to pin these dogs on the
ground and snarl and growl at them, it really scares me and the other
owners. Does anyone know why he does this and what it means?


This is about dominance. When the Rottweiler was a puppy, Jake didn't
have to be dominant; who was Top Dog isn't an issue.

Jake is telling other dogs that he's Top Dog. Dogs who live together
form a pack, a social group in which one dog is the Top Dog, or alpha.
The Boss Dog. That dog will eat first (even if there are multiple dog
bowls), sometimes "hump" the other dogs regardless of sex, be first in
line for treats or petting. In my exp., this is often done without overt
fighting but with body language.

That's what Jake is doing - telling those other dogs that he's the
alpha, and the other dogs are saying, oh, okay. Unfortunately, he may
run into a dog that doesn't accept Jake's statement, and then there will
be a fight.

It's my opinion that "dog parks" and other doggie group play areas go
against a dog's basic nature. It simply isn't in a dog's nature to
automatically get along with every dog it meets and play nice. I'd keep
him on leash at all times, unless he's in a securely fenced area alone,
or with another dog that you know he gets along with *now* (not in the
past when the other dog was a puppy).

There are people in this group who frequent "dog parks" and whose dogs
are apparently well-socialized enough to get along with most any dog
they meet. I think that's great. But many dog owners - and I'm one of
them - don't have the time or the means to do this type of dog-on-dog
socialization, esp. when the dog is very young and it makes the most
difference.

Now, obedience training can go a long way. If Jake will get away from
another dog and come when called reliably, you can de-fuse or avoid such
situations. That might be something to work on. Think about what's
going to happen if Jake pins down a macho little Poodle, and the small
dog decides to argue. Before you or the other owner can intervene, that
little dog's gonna be seriously hurt or dead. And you're gonna be in
trouble, and Jake might have to be put down.

Dogs aren't people, and there are limits to how much their instinctive
behavior can be altered, IMO.

flick 100785





  #3  
Old April 16th 05, 03:12 AM
jakesmama jakesmama is offline
Junior Member
 
First recorded activity by DogBanter: Apr 2005
Posts: 2
Smile

Quote:
Originally Posted by
jakesmama wrote in
:

This is about dominance. When the Rottweiler was a puppy, Jake didn't
have to be dominant; who was Top Dog isn't an issue.

Jake is telling other dogs that he's Top Dog. Dogs who live together
form a pack, a social group in which one dog is the Top Dog, or alpha.
The Boss Dog. That dog will eat first (even if there are multiple dog
bowls), sometimes "hump" the other dogs regardless of sex, be first in
line for treats or petting. In my exp., this is often done without overt
fighting but with body language.

That's what Jake is doing - telling those other dogs that he's the
alpha, and the other dogs are saying, oh, okay. Unfortunately, he may
run into a dog that doesn't accept Jake's statement, and then there will
be a fight.

It's my opinion that "dog parks" and other doggie group play areas go
against a dog's basic nature. It simply isn't in a dog's nature to
automatically get along with every dog it meets and play nice. I'd keep
him on leash at all times, unless he's in a securely fenced area alone,
or with another dog that you know he gets along with *now* (not in the
past when the other dog was a puppy).

There are people in this group who frequent "dog parks" and whose dogs
are apparently well-socialized enough to get along with most any dog
they meet. I think that's great. But many dog owners - and I'm one of
them - don't have the time or the means to do this type of dog-on-dog
socialization, esp. when the dog is very young and it makes the most
difference.

Now, obedience training can go a long way. If Jake will get away from
another dog and come when called reliably, you can de-fuse or avoid such
situations. That might be something to work on. Think about what's
going to happen if Jake pins down a macho little Poodle, and the small
dog decides to argue. Before you or the other owner can intervene, that
little dog's gonna be seriously hurt or dead. And you're gonna be in
trouble, and Jake might have to be put down.

Dogs aren't people, and there are limits to how much their instinctive
behavior can be altered, IMO.

flick 100785



Jake is pretty well trained... When I am walking him, he knows to make eye-contact with me when he sees another dog the problem is when someone is being walked by their dog who "just wants to say hello", dashes toward Jake. I have to literally yell at these IMO irresponsible people and tell them Jake doesnt like other dogs, and they still don't believe me because since Jake is not lunging or barking at the end of the leash he must be friendly... I can tell by his body language exactly what he has in mind though! I adopted Jake 2 years ago from an animal shelter so I am not so sure what his socialization history is. Alot of times, Jake trys to ignore the other dog and gives many warnings that the other dogs don't seem to pick up, and speaking of little dogs, shortly after adopting Jake, not knowing his attitude towards other dogs (his first few encounters seemed ok), I brought him to my friends house. Well, my friend has a Minature Pinscher who was following Jake around with his nose in Jakes butt... Apparently, Jake got offended and turned around and did the pinning, snarly thing to the little guy. Thank god he didn't hurt that little thing and the other dog didn't fight back either although he learned fast to give Jake his space! Also, my brothers dog humps Jake, jumps on top of him, steals his bones and toys, etc, and Jake has NEVER had a problem with him. I am trying to pin-point a pattern in the dogs he is doing this to and can't seem to do that. Also, he is the most laid-back dog I have ever met until certain dogs get in his personal space. I guess I need to start realizing that Mr Jake doesn't want to be social with outsiders. I do really want to get a second dog prob within the next year, would this be unwise with a dog like Jake? I am thinking maybe a female would fit in our household best and start off with a puppy...
  #4  
Old April 16th 05, 02:44 PM
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Jake sounds allot like Barney in this attitude with other dogs. I had
Barney 11 1/2 years and in all that time the only other dog he ever got
along with was my other dog Brandy and my sisters two chi hua hua's "he
tolerated" but other than that it he was antisocial with every dog and
wanted to fight.

Barney & Brandy got along because when they were first introduced Brandy was
a puppy about 9 months younger than Barney and they played together at my
moms. Brandy belonged to a neighbor who would let her run loose and not
take care of her and when I'd go to my moms she would come down to play. I
eventually took her when he got thrown in jail for the umpteenth time and
his wife took off and the dog was left to fend for herself. Even then there
was a period of about 4 months adjustment before Barney would tolerate her
staying inside the house. We eventually worked through his marking period
inside the house because he was pissed off she came to live with us and he
finally accepting her,

If you are serious about getting another do I would definitely go with a
puppy and make sure it's a female so there are no territorial issues later
on. It might even be a good idea to take Jake to the pound and let him pick
out the puppy. You know see who he gets along with.

Good Luck
Celeste


"jakesmama" wrote in message
...

Wrote:
jakesmama
wrote in
:

This is about dominance. When the Rottweiler was a puppy, Jake didn't
have to be dominant; who was Top Dog isn't an issue.

Jake is telling other dogs that he's Top Dog. Dogs who live together
form a pack, a social group in which one dog is the Top Dog, or alpha.
The Boss Dog. That dog will eat first (even if there are multiple dog
bowls), sometimes "hump" the other dogs regardless of sex, be first in
line for treats or petting. In my exp., this is often done without
overt
fighting but with body language.

That's what Jake is doing - telling those other dogs that he's the
alpha, and the other dogs are saying, oh, okay. Unfortunately, he may
run into a dog that doesn't accept Jake's statement, and then there
will
be a fight.

It's my opinion that "dog parks" and other doggie group play areas go
against a dog's basic nature. It simply isn't in a dog's nature to
automatically get along with every dog it meets and play nice. I'd
keep
him on leash at all times, unless he's in a securely fenced area
alone,
or with another dog that you know he gets along with *now* (not in the
past when the other dog was a puppy).

There are people in this group who frequent "dog parks" and whose dogs
are apparently well-socialized enough to get along with most any dog
they meet. I think that's great. But many dog owners - and I'm one
of
them - don't have the time or the means to do this type of dog-on-dog
socialization, esp. when the dog is very young and it makes the most
difference.

Now, obedience training can go a long way. If Jake will get away from
another dog and come when called reliably, you can de-fuse or avoid
such
situations. That might be something to work on. Think about what's
going to happen if Jake pins down a macho little Poodle, and the small
dog decides to argue. Before you or the other owner can intervene,
that
little dog's gonna be seriously hurt or dead. And you're gonna be in
trouble, and Jake might have to be put down.

Dogs aren't people, and there are limits to how much their instinctive
behavior can be altered, IMO.

flick 100785

-

-


Jake is pretty well trained... When I am walking him, he knows to make
eye-contact with me when he sees another dog the problem is when
someone is being walked by their dog who "just wants to say hello",
dashes toward Jake. I have to literally yell at these IMO irresponsible
people and tell them Jake doesnt like other dogs, and they still don't
believe me because since Jake is not lunging or barking at the end of
the leash he must be friendly... I can tell by his body language
exactly what he has in mind though! I adopted Jake 2 years ago from an
animal shelter so I am not so sure what his socialization history is.
Alot of times, Jake trys to ignore the other dog and gives many
warnings that the other dogs don't seem to pick up, and speaking of
little dogs, shortly after adopting Jake, not knowing his attitude
towards other dogs (his first few encounters seemed ok), I brought him
to my friends house. Well, my friend has a Minature Pinscher who was
following Jake around with his nose in Jakes butt... Apparently, Jake
got offended and turned around and did the pinning, snarly thing to the
little guy. Thank god he didn't hurt that little thing and the other dog
didn't fight back either although he learned fast to give Jake his
space! Also, my brothers dog humps Jake, jumps on top of him, steals
his bones and toys, etc, and Jake has NEVER had a problem with him. I
am trying to pin-point a pattern in the dogs he is doing this to and
can't seem to do that. Also, he is the most laid-back dog I have ever
met until certain dogs get in his personal space. I guess I need to
start realizing that Mr Jake doesn't want to be social with outsiders.
I do really want to get a second dog prob within the next year, would
this be unwise with a dog like Jake? I am thinking maybe a female would
fit in our household best and start off with a puppy...


--
jakesmama



 




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