QUESTION: Ive been taking my dog for his daily walks to a local park, its a good size with a lake to walk round and childrens playing area, all round a nice place to go.
Anyway, walking my dog on his longish line, hes been getting 'warned' by other dogs, almost bitten at times (he then flings himself backwards save getting caught) & I have no idea why. Hes actually started to react himself a little bit with the odd dog which I of course have been correcting with a firm NO! and a leash pop.
Why is this happening?? its getting me worried. I let him approach the dogs so he can say his 'hellos' and 90% of them have been offlead this is why?? I let him go to them figuring they must be somewhat friendly, Dogs on lead I check with owners first. And these dogs that have been acting aggresively have all been from what I can tell older than my dog.. He has not been neutered. A concerned owner
Socializing with other dogs in my honest opinion is a totally misunderstood concept. First and foremost with Doberman's, which are known for some dog aggression, I don't care if they play well with all the dogs in the neighborhood. In fact I would personally prefer that my neighbors keep their dogs in their yard as I will mine. But none the less today we do have dog parks - another bad idea for dominant breed dogs and certainly for any intact dog.
So to answer the questions as posed above - a dog on leash is conceived as weak and therefore, becomes a target. If you allow your dog to approach the other dog you are invading his space. Dogs as well as people do not all like others invading their personal space. To prevent this happening reel your dog in when you see another dog approach and stomp your foot as you point your arm and say no back off. This will show your dog you are in control so no need for him to react and it tells the other dogs you don't need their help.. His job is to focus on you and continue walking. Move calmly away. If you are not comfortable with this then carry a big walking stick.
Dogs running loose are a big problem. Most attack stories we read about are because dogs were allowed to roam or run loose. Dogs should always be under control whether at home in your yard or in a public area. Intact dogs running loose is asking for a dog fight.
I prefer my dogs play well at home with pack members but it is always supervised play. I don't really care if they run and play with your dog. They should be safe and manageable on lead if I approach someone with another dog on lead. They should sit calmly and not approach the other dog at all. That is about as social as I care for them to be. If we are friends and you come over with you dog and we agree that under supervised conditions we will allow them to play together that is fine. But I do not ever subject them to public free for all's. Way too many untrained and unsocialized dogs and some real stupid peopl for me to have faith in that kind of program..
So socializing my dogs with other dogs is not a big part of my program. To me it means we attend classes with dogs on leash and my dog learns how to properly behave in those situations. When we go to dog shows I expect the dog to stay with me and not pay attention to other dogs. So it is important that the dog not see all dogs a potential playmates because that can get everyone in trouble.
Keep your dog on leash, under control displaying good manners. Do not allow a dog to approach other dogs except in controlled situations. Dogs like people do not like anyone to just invade their space. Could be why they are called MAN's BEST FRIEND NOT DOGS BEST FRIEND!!!
Copyright © 2010 Suzan Shipp. All rights reserved. Revised: ALL PICTURES AND CONTENT ON THIS BLOG ARE THE SOLE PROPERTY OF Suzan Shipp/J Bar S Dobermans and may not be used or copied without express permission from the owner. Copyrighted 2010
DOBERMANS RULE - POLITICS & DOGS DON'T MIX - A Blog to promote the joys of dog ownership - We support responsible breeding including health testing and titling. We oppose all proposed bills submitted by HSUS and the Animal rights radicals. We have the right to own guns and we have the right to own our animals. Just look at what politicians have done to destroy our nation - No prayer in schools, no discipline and the undermining of the family.
