Puppy acting very aggressively for the first time, HELP!
I have been taking Moe to the dog park ever since he first had all his shots, quite frequently. He has always been very playful, playing with everyone he meets. I have had problems in the past of him perstering other dogs that don't want to play, but never in an agressive manner. He simply tries to get them to chase him, ect.
However, today he started a fight. A puppy that had been there before (with no problems) came into the park and he immediately rolled him over, pinned him and started snarling and growling. He may have even nipped him, we couldn't tell for sure. The other puppy is a 5 month old german shepherd, who is very very submissive. Moe is 7 months old, a boy, and neutered. He would NOT get off of him, I ended up just dragging him out of the park and taking him home.
I am really distraught about this, and I don't really know why he did it or how to handle the issue. The other dog did absolutely nothing but enter the park and immediately rolled over when moe came up to him, and yet Moe went nuts. It was not playful growling at all.
Help!
Tags: biting, dog park, growling, sudden aggressive behavior
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on -
Dog to dog aggression is fairly normal, the fact that many dogs manage to do fine at dog parks, does not change that fact. Once you know he can react that way, the dog park simply gives him the opportunity do do so again when you have no direct control over him. Dogs who have the tendency to fight, love it, so any fight will make it more likely that he will fight again. I would not be taking him there, nor giving him the opportunity to fight, rather I would be teaching him, on leash, to ignore strange dogs in a more controlled situation, such as an obedience class (not a puppy class) or walking where other dogs are kept on leash.
-
Permalink Reply by Laura Robertson on -
Would doing all those things lead to him eventually learning to get along with other dogs, or are you saying I should just remove him from that type of situation permanently? He absolutely loves getting to play with other dogs, so it makes me sad that he might not get to anymore due to this new behavior.
-
Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on
-
I cannot say how he will mature. Is he neutered? Neutering can help curb dog to dog aggression in males, especially in conjunction with general training. The fact remains that when you have him off leash at a dog park you have no control over what any of the other dogs may do, nor of how he may react, and you will not be able to get to him fast enough to prevent a fight. This aspect is not likely to change. If you misjudge the situation, you may be looking at Vet bills.... I am not a fan of dog parks, having heard too many stories of dogs getting hurt. However, there have been other discussions on the site about dog parks in general, you may want to look them up.
-
Permalink Reply by Laura Robertson on
-
Yes he is already neutered.
-
Permalink Reply by Ludi on -
It sounds like he is over his "gentleman behavior" threshold in dog parks. I have become less and less a fan of them because of the sheer over-stimulation present in many dogs there. Go back to basics with Moe: on-leash interaction in a controlled environment. Have you attended classes with him, like Anna suggested? Moe can improve his dog-to-dog interactions, and you can become better at reading his body language to know when he has gone "too high" in excitement.
-
Permalink Reply by Laura Robertson on
-
I attended puppy classes with him a couple months ago where he learned the basics like sit, name recall, ect. However he pretty much only listens to me if he thinks I'm holding food at this point. Maybe I should retake some classes again.
-
Permalink Reply by Brooke Busteed on -
Well just now Billy not only got aggressive with his lil girlfriend puppy but when I went to take away his napkin he got aggressive with me....I am so on my last nerve with this dog as it is and now I get to add aggression to the mix....
-
Permalink Reply by Jane on -
Has he been to any obedience classes? I would probably not go back to the park for now...and if you did I'd keep a long line on him, or something so you can grab him. Sometimes as dogs mature they decide they don't like puppies, or certain types of other dogs. You can try desensitizing him but it's possible the dog park just isn't the right environment for him.
Rescue Store
Stay Connected
FDA Recall
Canadian Food Inspection Agency Recall
Groups
We support...
Badge
© 2013 Created by Sam Tsang.
