Proximity Sensitivity? Need input
Pazu is currently one years old and a little bit. He's grown up being walked around the neighborhood, visiting offleash dog parks, walking in the pet store, and home depot, and taking Agility 2. He's okay with familiar dogs and not so okay with strange dogs. He's normally okay at the offleash dog park, but yesterday Sunday he was unusually snippy with almost all the dogs who came to approach him. (I sometimes avoid the weekends because a lot of undersocialized dogs seem to pile up at dog parks over the weekend and the owners seem to get insulted if another dog snaps/corrects their dog.) Some who approached wouldn't sniff his butt but sniff his side or on his back (i.e. standing over him). A boxer approached from a few feet away and just stared at Pazu and Pazu charged at him and snapped. She replied, "My dog is lover not a fighter" after Pazu chased and air snapped at him to get the boxer to go away.
Pazu has been growing increasingly sensitive about the invasion of his space but fine and cuddly with people .. just not dogs, especially at dog parks. I understand it's a form of territorial aggression called proximity sensitivity. Pazu makes little to no attempts to sniff other dogs, but is very touchy about being sniffed. On weekdays he seems a bit better with the "regulars" there since they seem more socialized and are more considerate sniffers.
Any suggestions?
P.S. Pazu has been charged on two different occasions by other offleash dogs. On both occasions, he was minding his own business. In one case, he was playing with another Corgi and a big dog ran up to Pazu and Pazu as a little pup about 4-5 months old got scared and pulled back and injured his paw. I had to carry him out of the dog park with a limp . On the second occasion, we were in agility class just recently and he was sitting there on leash and another Corgi came flying out of the tunnel straight at Pazu and they got in a bad fight, no marks though. I am guessing it might've had an effect on this developing.
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Ellen Andersen on
-
Di, I'm looking forward to seeing folk's advice to you....I sometimes have that issue with Nimh, though he's gotten a bit better. It depends alot on the dog approaching, too, I guess. I don't know if it's his protection of me or a territory issue or because he's on a leash.
-
Permalink Reply by Di, Pazu, and Mochi the Bunny on
-
Update: I have Pazu's agility instructor, also a dog trainer, to evaluate him in early March due to her availability. Pazu adores her. In the meantime I was recommended to walk around the neighborhood and stay away from the dog parks because this type of behavior can be self-rewarding and escalates quickly in intensity because almost all dogs will back off.
I am still open to receiving feedback and will post an update later about this.
In my case, I have observed that Pazu responds this way to dogs whether standing right next to me or 5-10 feet from me as he's exploring the grass. He responds this way both on leash and offleash. On leash obviously I try to direct him away but it means that his collar becomes tight on him, which is something I prefer not to have. I plan to lay low for the time being so that he doesn't develop leash aggression because he doesn't have any right now.
-
Permalink Reply by Beth on
-
I know this is not the answer you are hoping for, but some dogs really just don't like a lot of other dogs. They may still have some doggie friends that they are good with, but dislike many strange dogs. I'm not sure it's a training or socialization issue so much as he just is outside his comfort zone when dogs barge up to him.
Maddie does not like all other dogs and she will snark when quite a few dogs try to sniff her. She will also sometimes sit down so they don't have access to her backside. Yet some other dogs she loves, even bouncy ones I would think she wouldn't like. She is ok off-leash because normally she won't go up to dogs unless they come up to her. However, she occasionally gets corrected by another dog because she sometimes has a tendency to just run right up to them when she first sees them.
She also really, really loves when other dogs run so she can chase them, so she will frequently start barking and/or jumping at other dogs to get them to run.
So I just manage the situation. I don't let her run up to dogs that don't tolerate being snarked at. I let Jack go up to strange dogs first because she is usually calmer if she sees him interacting calmly. I let her go up to dogs who she likes or those who don't mind her yapping at them. We evaluate what is going on before we let her loose around other dogs. Thing is, she is not bad with other dogs at all, just not bomb-proof.
I'd be surprised if being charged caused this. Jack has been charged at least 5 times. Once he was attacked by a standard poodle in agility who got a big mouthful of his pants (bad aim in her part, thankfully). Once he was attacked by a pit bull who slipped his harness to come after us; thankfully the dog was so aroused with anger that he mis-judged the size of Jack's neck and shoulders and came up empty before my husband chased him off. The other three times, the dog did not make contact (we live by a park and see hundreds of dogs in the course of a year, lest you think we always get charged out of the blue!). Anyway, Jack adores other dogs and being charged never fazed him past the point of the actual event. And Maddie has been rolled a few times too, and her behavior towards other dogs was not impacted either.
For a dog with limited exposure, one bad experience can really harm them, but for dogs who see lots of dogs all the time it usually doesn't.
I think it may just be something you need to manage, to keep him happy. Avoid situations where he feels the need to protect his space when you can, if possible arrange to play with dogs he likes, and try him to see if he's ok one-on-one with new dogs.
Your trainer may see something different, of course.
-
Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on
-
I am not a fan of dog parks. I think it's good to expose puppies to other friendly dogs in safe situations, so they are not afraid of them, or to take your dog to someone's home that has another compatible dog, but dog parks don't make a lot of sense to me. Dogs are pack order animals and to have pack order you need to have the same individuals (your pack) and know EXACTLY where you fit in that order. When you throw a whole bunch of strange dogs together, that's a loaded situation where the behavior of the group cannot be predicted. The fact that some dogs seem to do well in that situation does not mean that a dog that does not has something wrong with him. I have seen many a dog injured at dog parks. Dogs are not children, they settle their differences with teeth. THIS IS NORMAL.
Your participation in Agility is an entirely different matter. Agility is a structured situation where the dogs know what is expected of them. Other dogs are there, but it's not a free for all. They are not there to socialize and actually have to ignore the other dogs and concentrate on the course and the owner's directions. This is excellent and a lot of fun when done properly.
Dogs do like the company of other dogs, that is also part of their nature, which is why I have three :-)
Rescue Store
Stay Connected
FDA Recall
Canadian Food Inspection Agency Recall
Groups
We support...
Badge
© 2024 Created by Sam Tsang.
Powered by
