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So I'm out walking my dog. I try not to have encounters with other owners and their pets as we walk. Every now and then though, I do allow my dog to walk over and sniff a butt. I've observed, however, that my dog would get pushy in many of the interactions, which results in the other dog getting agitated and barking. When I say pushy, I mean he's overzealous in his intro, thrusts his nose at the other dog. One dog he mounted the side of his head, which resulted in the other dog barking. With the other dog, they were both very excited. My dog then put his front end on the ground and vibrated his front paws...it sort of looked like a play bow. There was no barking and tussling so I guess it was ok.
Again, I'm just trying to figure out my dog and dog body language. The rescue said that he was "dog friendly". He was a vet clinic dog, so he has lots of exposure to other animals. I just need to know how I can assess a situation before introducing my dog to another dog. Thanks!
So I'm out walking my dog. I try not to have encounters with other owners and their pets as we walk. Every now and then though, I do allow my dog to walk over and sniff a butt. I've observed, however, that my dog would get pushy in many of the interactions, which results in the other dog getting agitated and barking. When I say pushy, I mean he's overzealous in his intro, thrusts his nose at the other dog. One dog he mounted the side of his head, which resulted in the other dog barking.With the other dog, they were both very excited. My dog then put his front end on the ground and vibrated his front paws...it sort of looked like a play bow. There was no barking and tussling so I guess it was ok.
Again, I'm just trying to figure out my dog and dog body language. The rescue said that he was "dog friendly". He was a vet clinic dog, so he has lots of exposure to other animals. I just need to know how I can assess a situation before introducing my dog to another dog. Thanks!
It sounds like your dog needs some help with socialization.
Firstly, on-leash greetings are notoriously charged encounters, so that is something to consider.
IMHO, his "pushy" behavior is his way of showing his discomfort, lack of confidence and lack of skills, which results in inappropriate behavior that causes the other dogs to react (like the other dog telling him, "Don't do that to me!")
As for the "play bow," he was probably comfortable with that dog.
My dog is similar to your dog and I find that he interacts well with dogs that have had A LOT of socialization and/or experience meeting other dogs and know how to greet another dog correctly. However, there are issues when my dog greets dogs with less experience.
IMHE, re: dogs and greetings, this is what I have noticed so far:
experienced dog + experienced dog = a great time;
experienced dog + inexperienced dog = play, with the potential for problems (it's a crapshoot);
inexperienced dog + inexperienced dog = [possible] fight.
If you want your dog to learn how to interact well with 99% of the dog population, then I would begin taking him to formal obedience/socialization classes with an experienced trainer.
You could take your dog on a leash to the dog park. Keep him leashed and see how he does. Let other dogs cautiously approach. If that is too much, walk your dog around the dog park (fence between the other dogs and yours). If that works then walk him inside.
My dog is friendly but when I'm out I don't want her meeting other dogs. This is flea season . . . Plus I get tired of leashes getting tangled .. . Socializing is great for puppies but my dog is older.
[/b]It's VERY rare for (most) dogs to not be friendly.
Remedy that. You should be seeking them out.
Every dog should meet 100 dogs and 100 people before 6 months.
No, it's actually pretty common for dogs not to be dog friendly.
If a dog isn't dog friendly forcing the situation isn't going to help. Also dogs may be fine off leash but not like dogs while on leash. A dog may be fine with other dogs if person X walks it but not if person Y is walking it. Some dogs may be fine with dogs outside of the home but not like them on their turf.
In a perfect world all dogs would like all other dogs but that's not how it works.
One size does not fit all when it comes to socialization.
OP just because your dog is dog friendly doesn't mean you have to let him interact with other dogs at every opportunity. Even if you can read your dog's body language perfectly, it doesn't mean that the other dog will react well. Regardless, I would never let your dog "mount" the other dog.
[/b]It's VERY rare for (most) dogs to not be friendly.
Remedy that. You should be seeking them out.
Every dog should meet 100 dogs and 100 people before 6 months.
I used to take my dog to Petco every Sat. She got to meet lots of people and other dogs that way. I also took advantage of the free puppy socializing classes.
Your dog sounds socialized, and a little out of practice. The way to keep them socialized is to keep them meeting other dogs. Have you thought of utilizing a doggie day care once a week....the other older dogs will teach your dog how to interact properly.
You could take your dog on a leash to the dog park. Keep him leashed and see how he does. Let other dogs cautiously approach. If that is too much, walk your dog around the dog park (fence between the other dogs and yours). If that works then walk him inside.
My dog is friendly but when I'm out I don't want her meeting other dogs. This is flea season . . . Plus I get tired of leashes getting tangled .. . Socializing is great for puppies but my dog is older.
NO!!!
Do not take a leashed dog into an off leash dog park. That is a disaster waiting to happen.
Ok, great posts guys. That's what I appreciate about this forum, I learn so much. I didn't know that my guy could be socially inexperienced, lol. The trainer suggested we wait a month before starting training so that we can see more of his personality and tailor the training sessions. It's been a month now, so we're going to actively work on training and socializing. This is all new to me, too. I think he does have confidence issues. He has the bravado but not the confidence and that seems to irritate other dogs. Hopefully training and such will help work on that.
[/b]It's VERY rare for (most) dogs to not be friendly.
Remedy that. You should be seeking them out.
Every dog should meet 100 dogs and 100 people before 6 months.
It's not rare for most dogs to be non-friendly. Not sure where you got that statistic?
And PLEASE don't "seek out" dogs to meet. They may not appreciate your supposedly friendly dog. And as an owner, I really don't appreciate my dog being accosted by a dog I don't know, being handled by a person I don't know. A person who may or may not be able to tell the difference between friendly and pushy.
Meeting people and dogs to socialize is pointless if those interactions result in my dog being afraid and unable to trust me to protect them from pushy dogs and people.
It's not rare for most dogs to be non-friendly. Not sure where you got that statistic?
And PLEASE don't "seek out" dogs to meet. They may not appreciate your supposedly friendly dog. And as an owner, I really don't appreciate my dog being accosted by a dog I don't know, being handled by a person I don't know. A person who may or may not be able to tell the difference between friendly and pushy.
Meeting people and dogs to socialize is pointless if those interactions result in my dog being afraid and unable to trust me to protect them from pushy dogs and people.
And if you notice in my post, I'm trying to educate myself as to what is acceptable and what is not. I'm not ashamed of saying that I don't know or soliciting advice. I'm sorry if you feel that my dog would "accost" yours and think that I'm "pushy" but we've all been novice dog owners at one time. BTW it's usually the other dogs that initiate encounters. For the most part we keep it moving but every now and then I would let him go and meet another dog thinking that it would be a friendly encounter, especially since the rescue said that he was "dog friendly" and he was with another dog in foster. Courtesy of this topic, I've since been informed.
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