Snapping At Other Dogs

[Greytmate]

Hi everyone,

Thanks so much for your thoughts on my issue. I'm so pleased with the amount of responses and advise I have received.

The key take away points are clearly that he doesn't like to be around too many dogs and I need to be more sensitive about this. Point noted.

I did however want to bring a few more things to your attention:

1. Ever since Benny was young he never was eager to go down for a walk. For example when I take his leash in my hand to put around his neck, he runs and hides below the table or soemwhere I can't reach him. Eventually he walks out of the apartment nicely but he's never very enthusiastic about it.

2. When he's in the park, he's absolutely fine. Sometimes he plays around with other dogs but mostly he sticks around me and follows me around.

3.. Yesterday at the park he was absolutely fine. The same dogs he snapped at the day before were around but he didn't snap at anyone. They actually didn't all come to sniff him at once (which I think tipped him off the day before) and they kept their distance. Benny didn't seem to mind that at all.

3. This morning Benny's friend Channel (Shitzu) met us while we were going for a walk. Channel is quite a jumpy and excited dog but Benny didn't seem to mind her at all. In fact they even had a bit of a run around chasing each other and played around. Wierd!!

Was it just that the past two days he was in a different 'don't disturb me' mood? So, is it up to me to judge what kind of mindset he's in?

MN

Yes.

You need to learn his body language. Know what his relaxed and happy posture is and how that changes when he reacts to different things.

Then if you are out in public, and another dog is approaching, you will find out from him, by observing him, how he is feeling before he feels he has to growl.

The big important part is to realise your responsibility as his leader, to do whatever it takes to stop other dogs approaching him (or him approaching other dogs) when he is not in a relaxed mood. If you are not prepared at times to shoo away other people's dogs, you are not really in a position to stop the problem happening in dog parks. Unfortunately many people do allow their dogs to crowd and hassle other dogs, and you need to protect your dog from being exposed to that.

If you let him down, by putting him in a situation that he has shown you he is uncomfortable with, the aggressive behaviour will escalate and he will lose confidence in you.