Advice Needed Please

[Love my Sonny and Neko]

Hi all

We had our first visit to the findon pooch park on Saturday and it was fantastic. The dogs played happily for about 1.5 hours and interacted well with all the other dogs. They came when called and all was well. All of a sudden Sonny attacked this puppy who all the other dogs were picking on. It was awful. The pup was ok thankfully, as was the owner, and I put Sonny straight on the lead for the rest of the trip.

We returned yesterday but I wasn't too sure of the protocol or if Sonny would repeat this appalling behavior so he stayed on the lead for the duration of the visit. The problem was worse as he growls at other dogs when he is on the lead.

What should I do? do I ever return to the park again? Is this something an animal behaviorist can help with?

Thanks

Amy

[Staranais]

A few questions please - how old is your dog, and what do you mean by "attacked"? What did he actually do to the puppy?

Personally I'd recommend that you don't take your dogs to the dogpark at all, some people will disagree, but for many dogs it can be a stressful and dangerous environment. Set up play dates with dogs you know instead, that way your dog can still socialise, but will be safe. You've just seen one of the nasty things that can happen when a gang of strange dogs engage in pack behaviour - you don't want your dog to be on the receiving end, or even to learn that such behaviour is appropriate.

As for your dog growling when you took him back on leash, "leash aggression" isn't that uncommon. Dogs often feel confined when on a leash. They know they can't defend themselves and therefore feel stressed and act defensively. So taking an onleash dog to an offleash dog park isn't such a hot idea, IMO.

If you're concerned about your dog's behaviour, a trip to a good dog behaviourist is never a waste of money. Hopefully someone here can recommend one in your area. ;)

[Love my Sonny and Neko]

Thanks. I appreciate your advice.

Sonny is 9 months old and by attacked I mean - bit, growled and went round and round in a circle locked together. A guy was able to grab him by the collar and harness and lift him up - with the pup still in his mouth. And to clarify, he and the pup weren't around any dogs, it was just the 2 of them off the side at the time - from what I remember. Not that that makes much of a difference.

Thanks again.

A

[poodlefan]

All of a sudden Sonny attacked this puppy who all the other dogs were picking on.

So he didnt' start the attack? I strongly suspect this didn't happen "all of a sudden" but had been building for some time..

See a good behavioralist. Not only can they assess what is happening to Sonny but help you to learn to read his body language.

He's 9 months old now. Not a baby anymore and starting to assert himself. Is he desexed? I seem to recall he is.

[Love my Sonny and Neko]

Hi poodlefan - thanks for responding.

Yes, Sonny is desexed. The dogs weren't exactly picking on the pup, just being overly dominant. And Sonny was with another group at that point. When the incident occured Sonny and the pup were well away from the other dogs and hadn't interacted up until that point.

Will definitely see a behaviourist... I would hate to see him hurt another dog. If anyone can recommend a good one in SA, please let me know.

Thanks again.

[Poodle wrangler]

At our local dog off leash beach, quite a few people leave their dogs on leash. Sometimes when you stop to chat they say their dog isn't friendly with other dogs or that they run off and don't come back when called.

I'd not have your dog off leash after this incident. You won't enjoy it- you'll be worrying- and it's not a responsible thing to do. See the behaviourist. Not cheap, but you don't want to raise an aggressive dog. Meantime, if you're out keep him walking if other dogs approach and if anyone asks say you don't trust your dog to be friendly with other dogs. Any breed of dog can be declared a dangerous dog if it attacks and that wouldn't be a good thing.

Good luck with your dog- I'm sure there's a lot you can do to help him .