3 months old doesn't get along with adult dogs.

[Camus]

Camus (3 months old) has problems with adult dogs. Not all adult dogs yet many of them "correct" Camus when he approaches them. Camus has never been aggressive toward any dog. He just gets too excited and jumps and lick other dogs' faces and runs in circles around them. Some of the dogs growl, some of them hit him with a paw and others mouth and try to bite. It is definitely because of Camus's behavior and lack of some kind of respect toward older dogs.  I am very upset because after every bad experience, he starts barking at the next dog he sees. It is not an aggressive bark, but I don't like him to bark. And I think that there is some wrong message in that barking because the number of dogs that growl at him is getting bigger. 

I know that it is not rare between puppies and adult dogs not to get along, but I really want to know if it gets solved by itself with time and when. Should I do anything about it? If someone had this problem, could you tell me when  it solved and if you did anything to fix it?

Should I do anything about it or just wait? If wait, for how long? 

 

Thank you very much in advance.

[Jane, Rooney & Stuart]

Check out your local dog trainers - many offer a "Puppy Playdate".  If your little guy could be around other little puppies and just play - he would learn proper socialization. 

[Camus]

He is fine with puppies, plays with no problems. It's an adult-puppy thing.

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

When we puppy sat Daisy's true baby sister the first 2 days Daisy did all that correcting stuff and didn't want her near...the 3rd day Daisy "accepted" her and they became best buds. It was so nice to see her mothering that 3-1/2 month old pup and Bella, well she was over the moon that Daisy finally liked her. I think it is just a matter of time and adjustment.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I don't know what Camus' experience was with his mother and littermates (and any other dogs that may have been in his life at the breeders' home), but the behavior he is exhibiting when he approaches other dogs is aggressive, at least from a dog's point of view. And I don't mean the barking, I mean approaching them head on, jumping at their faces, etc. Normally, that would have been corrected by his mother and any other adult dogs in the household. In my experience, it is rare for a puppy to have problems with adult dogs, because most adult dogs will have much more patience with puppies than they will with other adults.

If these are strange dogs, the solution for me would be not to allow him at off-leash at dog parks where this can happen, at least until he has had more training, and you can correct him verbally. Many of us are not big fans of dog parks, too many people have had bad experiences with them. If you must have Camus out in places where he will be around strange dogs, I would keep him leashed.

[Traci -Bexter & Maggie]

Bexter does the same things & he is the same age as Camus!  He gets along with other puppies fine too (likes to rough-house with them), but my FIL's dog (who is a boxer-mastiff pretty big adult girl dog) came over the other day & she didn't tolerate Bexter's play style very well.  She actually seemed kind of irritated & snapped at him by the end of the visit which I was very nervous about due to her size.  We really were hoping they'd get along because we dogsit for their dog when they go on vacation, but now that we have Bexter, I don't know if I will anymore because I can't trust the 2 of them together.  I am curious too, if it will get better over time or with more exposure to each other.

[Camus]

thank you, Traci! I'll keep informing through doodlekisses how our things go in this matter. I'll follow Bexter's posts to see if it gets better for him.

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

I would really try to correct it even if it means crossing the street to not come head on. Chloe does this to bigger dogs and when they reach in to sniff her she snaps at them. So she will not get to meet other dogs if she is doing this. She's unpredictable but seek a trainers advice and try to correct her as she's so young and socialize her as  much as possible. Don't just wait it out.

[Camus]

I didn't  understand quite well. Camus never snaps at anyone. Other dogs do this to Camus. When they snap or growl or hit him he starts "crying" and asks me  for protection. Actually, many times it is not Camus who initiates the meeting but other dogs. They come to Camus and after Camus gets excited and tries to start a game they snap at him.

[Traci -Bexter & Maggie]

That's exactly what Bexter does!  He tries to play roughly with the other dog & then the OTHER dog snaps at him because it has no patience for his puppyhood behaviors (I assume)...then Bexter runs with his tail between his legs and is SCARED.  Poor little guy.  Doesn't get how annoying he must be to older dogs.  Camus & Bexter are at exactly the same stage sounds like!

[Camus]

>> has no patience for his puppyhood behaviors

Yes. That's what all books say. I really want to know when he gets clever enough/grown up and is ready for the dog park. 

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Camus is still just a baby and he's learning.  He's young for any kind of real obedience training, but he's not too young for you to "disagree" with his behavior.  I would not have him in a situation where he can antagonize older dogs at this point.  I would keep him on leash around other dogs, especially if you don't know them.  If he's on leash and you are walking by an adult dog, I would give a firm "no" if he starts to bark at them, and just keep walking right by.  I wouldn't stop or slow down long enough for the other dog to even have a chance to react.

[Carol Brand]

Camus is a puppy and has poor doggie manners.  The older dogs are just trying to enforce good social behavior.    You have two choices, YOU can enforce good manners by teaching Camus to behave himself (no jumping, licking, barking etc) when other dogs are around or you can let the other dogs do the work for you.  Note.. the other dogs may not be as gentle as you are. 

 

Where are you that Camus can run up to and around strange dogs?  Why isn't he on a leash?