Saffis Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 I am curious about my dog's behaviour at the dog park this afternoon. We have only been there 4 or so times as I am not particularly fond of it and until today both my dogs (staffords) have behavied beautifully with the other dogs. For some reason my boy (2 yrs old & desexed) got a bit dominate today by growling and trying to put his paw up on a couple of dog's backs. I corrected him and put him straight on the lead after the first dog and only let him off again when that particular dog left. He then had a run in with another dog, which ran up to him with hackles up and was not particularly friendly either. He was on lead and at my side for the rest of the stay. He also growled at a pup who ran up to him while he was on lead and this is VERY unusual for him. He is very friendly to our friends dogs and when we meet another dog in the street he is excited, has a sniff if he is allowed to and then keeps going with me. He has never shown behaviour like this at the dog park before and was fine with a bunch of other dogs who were running around so I am wondering what made him 'dislike' these particular dogs? Is it just a male thing or do some dogs just not like each other? He has had other dogs behave like this towards him before. Any insight would be great, he is not an agressive dog, quite the opposite and I would like to know if there is anything I can do to prevent this. I will not be going back to the dog park in a hurry! Oh and my girl (1yr) was fine, had a ball and got lots of pats from random strangers so it was a successful trip for her Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 he sounds like he's finally coming of age. Sounds like he's holding his own as well, any dog that 'rushes' another is very rude in dog language and he's telling them off. its a similar situation when you have a group of people, some people are quiet and reserved, others dominate the situation etc its a pack heirachy that is just an innate part of all group animals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saffis Posted July 6, 2009 Author Share Posted July 6, 2009 he sounds like he's finally coming of age. Sounds like he's holding his own as well, any dog that 'rushes' another is very rude in dog language and he's telling them off.its a similar situation when you have a group of people, some people are quiet and reserved, others dominate the situation etc its a pack heirachy that is just an innate part of all group animals. Thanks Nekhbet, I should of guessed it could be to do with his maturity. The example you gave makes sense as he has been dominated by other dogs but obviously this time he felt he was in charge of the park. I was worried he was getting dog agressive, what would be the difference between wanting to dominate and being generally agressive? No wonder so many people avoid dog parks, I can see how it could be a volatile situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puppymum Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 I have also been wondering a bit about this myself - my dog has recently been attacked by a Staffy, and has shown some nervousness around similar looking dogs. For the most part there have been no changes in the way he greets other dogs, but I am concerned that he will actually provoke an aggressive reaction if he reacts badly to a dog that looks like the one that attacked him. Does anyone know if dogs are more likely to react aggressively if a dog is defensive? My dog barked at one dog (once he was sure she was quite safe - she was old and injured!) and another dog he did the whole tensed muscles and raised hackles (with a look on his face that said "I'm ready to run"). I am worried he will provoke an aggressive reaction, making him even more nervous & continuing the cycle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 you should be in charge anyway and prevent rough play with random dogs. Dogs need to work each other out and thats why I too hate dog parks. You dont know the dogs, their quirks etc and it can erupt into a fight a truely aggressive dog is one that ignores signals from other dogs or shows an aggressive reaction without true provocation from the other dog. It wont turn into DA naturally Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corvus Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 In adult dogs that don't know each other, meetings are very often tense. IME, usually the tension evaporates once the dogs have done their ritualised greeting. The purpose of dominance by my way of thinking is to attempt to control a situation to swing it towards an outcome that will benefit you ('you' being the dog acting dominant). Dominant behaviour also acts as a signal telling another dog how committed one dog is to getting what he wants. I believe that dogs that have no history with one another and have no resources to defend are most concerned about their personal space, safety and sense of security. All of these things are heavily influenced by predictability. The beauty of aggression for a dog seeking predictability is that it's kind of like yelling "I want this and so help me I'm prepared to fight for it!" It's a pretty good way to get other dogs to listen to you, and many will respond to that outburst either by backing off to avoid a confrontation or removing themselves entirely. The ugly side is that every now and then you meet a dog that really hates being yelled at and will yell back, only louder. This is how things escalate to a fight. Aggression in itself is not necessarily bad. It's a natural way for dogs to communicate. What is worrying is when they are "yelling" at other dogs quite a lot, as that would indicate they are uncomfortable with the situation. Tension is fine, but a lot of snapping is a warning to you that your dog is decidedly uncomfortable, and outright lunging with lots of noise, or fighting is obviously not good. So in answer to your question, I believe that what makes a dog act dominantly towards another dog is a sense of unease, probably because it is unsure what the other dog is going to do. Mind you, some dogs don't default to dominant behaviour in these instances. My Kivi Tarro defaults to submissive behaviour. My old dog Penny would swing between the two depending on how she read the dog in question. Sometimes dominance works best and sometimes submission works best. I like a dog that can go either way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laffi Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 Excellent post corvus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saffis Posted July 6, 2009 Author Share Posted July 6, 2009 Thanks Nekhbet and corvus that was great It makes a lot of sense now and I will not be going to the dog park again, even though it looks fun there is obviously a lot of things going on some of us don't quite see. Can anyone recommend a good book to read on dog behaviour and communication etc as I am finding it quite interesting. I never owned dogs until two years ago and although I read tonnes of info about training etc I think I need to know more about the intricacies of dog behaviour Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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