Miss BeRidgierent Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 Hey All Bella has some social problems towards other dogs, if a dog comes over when she is at home she is fine loves to play. But when we are at a dog park she gets shy and scared. I will stand there with her and she will only ever run off about 15 meters away from me and then she runs back with her tail between her legs as if she is scared. If a dog sniffs her she lets out a bark and snap. I dont know what it is and I dont think it was lack of socialisation when she was a pup because we had Boss the exact same time as her and he is fine, running off doing his own thing and never snaps at anything (even when dogs hump him lol) and they went everywhere together when pups. What can I do? Is it a self-esteem problem? Boss is definitely more dominant but they both get the same amount of attention. Could it be a pack problem, like she doesn't know where she is in the pack and thats affecting her? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrunoBella Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 (edited) Some dogs just don't like other dogs ;) and Bella might be one of those. I did think this about her when I met her a few weeks ago (or I think I met her ...). If she is uncomfortable at dog parks the easiest thing to do is not to take her. Dogs aren't social like people and don't need to meet other dogs (read K9 Force topic on Socialisation vs Neutralisation). For me, dog parks are for meeting people. I don't normally take my dogs to dog parks because there are a lot of unstable dogs around and bad experiences can lead to fear agression. I learned all about this a few years ago because my Bella was fearfull. I say Steve from K9 Force and he quickly worked out is was a lack of pack leadership from me To fix this, I went on the NILIF (nothing in life is free) program which you can google. I also did Steves Triangle of Temptation (TOT). Within a few months my leadership skills were much much better and Bella's fearfulness was pretty much non-existent. With Bruno (now 3), I didn't introduce him to unknown dogs till he was nearly two and he is fantastic with getting on with other dogs. Hope you get it sorted out Edited January 20, 2009 by BellasPerson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonElite Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 If she doesnt like other dogs why put her in the situation where she is uncomfortable? Take her to parks with no dogs where she can enjoy herself and not be worried about other dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonymc Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 how old is the dog? Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss BeRidgierent Posted January 22, 2009 Author Share Posted January 22, 2009 (edited) she is about 15 months old Edited January 22, 2009 by ridgeback-lover Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 I agree with Monelite. If you want to help her get more comfortable around other dogs, maybe a behaviourist can help devise a program for you including some quiet placid dogs. If you continue to put her in a situation where she is that uncomfortable, she may turn aggressive towards other dogs. These things are best dealt with gently and not with a lot of boisterous dogs getting in her face. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonymc Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Ridge, it could be many factors coming into play here and thus it is best to get a good dog trainer to asses the dog. Has the Dog ever been attacked when younger? You can place two dogs in the same enviroment and get two different responses from the dogs, due to different nerve levels.Some dogs unfortunately have very weak nerves and a much lower threshold than other dogs. How much exposure and or socialisation did this dog get? What is your behaviour and or response when this dog shows fearful behaviour? Do you have a Pedigree? Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss BeRidgierent Posted January 22, 2009 Author Share Posted January 22, 2009 I agree with Monelite.If you want to help her get more comfortable around other dogs, maybe a behaviourist can help devise a program for you including some quiet placid dogs. If you continue to put her in a situation where she is that uncomfortable, she may turn aggressive towards other dogs. These things are best dealt with gently and not with a lot of boisterous dogs getting in her face. Yeah I agree with her too, but its not like I put her in this situation everyday its only been about 3 times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss BeRidgierent Posted January 22, 2009 Author Share Posted January 22, 2009 Ridge, it could be many factors coming into play here and thus it is best to get a good dog trainer to asses the dog. Has the Dog ever been attacked when younger? You can place two dogs in the same enviroment and get two different responses from the dogs, due to different nerve levels.Some dogs unfortunately have very weak nerves and a much lower threshold than other dogs. How much exposure and or socialisation did this dog get? What is your behaviour and or response when this dog shows fearful behaviour? Do you have a Pedigree? Tony Hey Tony Yes i have a pedigree. She got exactly the same as Boss, we took them to parks several times, a lot of friends have dogs and she was fine with them. Well I freak out because I dont want her biting another dog so I am always watching her, if a dog comes up to her and I can tell she is getting uncomfortable I comfort her but let the other dog sniff her which then the other dog would walk away. Every now and then, she will want to go play with the other dogs (like run up to them etc) but then she all of a sudden gets scared and runs back to us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 I can tell she is getting uncomfortable I comfort her ...and this is possibly counter productive... as dogs do not perceive 'comfort' as a human would. talking to/soothing/patting a dog who is fearful/anxious is actually rewarding that behaviour Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 (edited) RL: Well I freak out because I dont want her biting another dog so I am always watching her, if a dog comes up to her and I can tell she is getting uncomfortable I comfort her but let the other dog sniff her which then the other dog would walk away. I'd suggest you rethink that. You're forcing her into situations where she's telling you she's uncomfortable and then reinforcing her fearful behaviour. You are unlikely to get her more tolerant of other dogs this way and you may end up triggering her to react aggressively. If you dont' want her biting another dog, don't let one get within range and don't force her to allow them to sniff her. Your job as her leader is to protect her from what she fears and help her gain confidence. Right now you're pretty much throwing her to the wolves. Get a decent dog trainer to help you with this but remember that many dogs do not like strange dogs in their faces, no matter how friendly the stranger is. Edited January 22, 2009 by poodlefan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Even though they got the same socialisation (are they brother and sister?) it looks like they have different temperaments/nerves. The same experiences does not mean that the dogs will behave the same way, as they are individuals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quickasyoucan Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 I have friends with a 20 month old rottie who is exactly the same. She has a 13 month old labrador "brother" who is Mr Dog Social, same upbringing but obviously different nerves. She has been fearful and timid with other dogs since a pup. She is has now got to the stage where she will sometimes charge dogs, usually those her brother is playing with. They have referred through family to Steve Austin and have already been advised verbally that this needs to be dealt with as it could escalate to full blown fear aggression. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss BeRidgierent Posted January 22, 2009 Author Share Posted January 22, 2009 Aww I feel so bad If I can tell she is about to snap I do get angry at her I might just have to not go to dog parks with her or get some professional help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 (edited) Aww I feel so bad If I can tell she is about to snap I do get angry at her I might just have to not go to dog parks with her or get some professional help. Please don't get angrya at her, in addition to the confusion.. reassurance one minute, anger the next, you;re disciplining her for "defending" herself. If you remove her ability to flee what she worries about, and force her to face it, in her eyes, she has no choice but to fight in defence. Editing to add more thoughts. Can I recommend you read Suzanne Clothiers article "He just wants to say hi" There are links to it from here and I will add one when my rego on her new site is processed. (ETA: Huski just posted the link in another thread, here it is http://flyingdogpress.com/sayhi.html) Some of what you are describing may not be problem behaviour but a perfectly natural response to a strange dog. Let me describe a situation I see played out when I meet up with friends at my dog club or elsewhere. The younger boys (and one older one who should know better) often attempt to sniff the bitches hind ends. This is often met with a snap by the bitch in question and the male dog, desists. My friends and I regard this as both natural and acceptable response from a bitch who is not in season when a male sniffs her bits. If the dog is a strange male and persists, the warnings will get stronger. Is this sometimes what happens? Edited January 22, 2009 by poodlefan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBen Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Whenever I walk Ben in a different area, he often has his tail tucked in... People then ask me, if he's a greyhound... No, he's a Great Dane X, just hasn't been in this area before... Second time we go through that area, he's fine... I think there are also fear periods, you'd need to take into consideration... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now