Molly was reactive to another dog….

[Deanna M.]

Looking for advice on how to handle this.  Today after just getting to the dog park Molly attacked another dog with no warning signs, just went after him.  I pulled her off quickly and the other dog, a terrier I think, was fine. His owner left with him and after about five minutes I let Molly go play.  I realize now I should have left right away but didn't know that at the time.  About a half hour later a doodle came in and she went after him at which point I leashed her and left shortly after.  Again the other dog was fine.

This happened once before a couple of weeks after we got her when we were getting ready to leave the dog park and she went after another doodle coming in, thankfully no damage.  That was two months ago and up until now she has been fine.

I don't know what is causing this, the dogs she went after were all males and smaller then her by 20-30lbs, none of them were in her face it was her going to them and it was her first interaction with them.  I know two of them were neutered, not sure on the other one.  I'm really concerned about how to curb this behaviour.  Do I stop taking her to the dog park?  I always watch her closely because I don't know her background and aside from these incidents I have seen nothing that concerns me.  She's fine at daycare, plays well with all types and sizes of dogs.

Any suggestions?  The last thing I want is for my dog to harm another dog.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I stopped going to dog parks when Calla was harassed by a dog until finally she snapped at him without even touching him. That was enough for us. Too many unknown, unsupervised, occasionally sick dogs for us. On the one hand I have two dogs to supervise and on the other hand they can play with each other at home.

[Deborah Brown]

Well, there usually is a warning sign but sometimes they are hard to see. For now, I would stay away from dog parks.  If you want to introduce Molly to other dogs, make it just a single dog that you know in a controlled environment like your back yard.  If that goes well, you could try the dog park during a quiet time but clearly you do not want to put other dogs at risk.

It could be that the dog park environment is just too stimulating or stressful for her.  There is a lot going on.  Once she shows signs of stress, it is a good idea to leave right away.  The adrenaline is still flowing and it is likely that she will lash out again.

You can do some research on dog body language. Turid Rugass's Calming Signals book and DVD come to mind.  She has a website too with some valuable information.  http://en.turid-rugaas.no/

[Deanna M.]

Learning more about dog body language is a really good idea, I will definitely do that.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

I would stop taking her to the dog park for now. The situation at day care is probably better for her because the dogs have been  screened for behavioral issues and are closely supervised.  Often at a dog park there are some owners who don't pay a lot of attention to there dogs. The dogs she is going after at the park may be giving off signals that she is picking up on and you are not.  Even an overly excited dog can trigger an attack and dogs tend to get that way at the dog parks. 

Also, if you've only had her for a couple of months, it may not have been long enough for her to settle in to her new life with you. The park could just be an added stress. Perhaps some time down the road you could try again, maybe try taking her to the park during a slow time of day when there aren't a lot of dogs. But keep in mind that some dogs just don't ever do well in dog park settings.

I'm glad everyone was okay but it must be very upsetting for you. :(

[Deanna M.]

It was upsetting and I do not want a repeat!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'd stop taking Molly to the dog park. To me, the only reason to take any dog to a dog park is so that they can really run and get a lot of exercise off-leash, and that can be accomplished elsewhere. In my area, we have huge sections of the forest preserves (we're talking 50+ acres here) that are designated "dog parks", with open fields and trails where you get outdoors with your dog off-leash and really get some exercise. Those dog parks which are like extra- big fenced yards with a bunch of dogs all milling around together and their owners standing around gabbing are nothing but trouble, IMO, especially for an adult rescue dog with an unknown background. As F said, too many unknown, unsupervised dogs, too much potential for disaster, and what is the benefit? I know many trainers and behaviorists who are not fans of dog parks at all, for any dog, and I tend to agree. Doggy daycare and organized play groups or romps provide more than enough opportunity for dogs to play with other dogs under good supervision, and many if not most adult dogs don't need or want to do that anyway. 

There's no way to really know what is causing this behavior for Molly, but clearly, something about the situation at the dog park causes her to feel threatened. You might consider consulting a very good dog trainer with a lot of experience in working with dogs who have fear issues, to do an assessment and help you develop a training program so that she feels more comfortable out in the world in general. 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I don't think you have had her long enough for her to settle in and for you to really know her strengths and weaknesses yet.  You simply don't know her background, fears, triggers, tricks, etc. - which is an exciting and ongoing process.  I would definitely go through training with her, whether a class or privately.  Make sure the trainer is really good.  We started at the beginning with our rescue who was two when we got him.  One of the things I learned (at a dog park) is that he will not back down - he isn't aggressive, but if another dog is, he will let the dog put him on his back, but he will pop back up and have a 'face off.'  He has also matured into trying to 'organize' the other dogs from not getting too rambunctious when we are at a dog park.     In our discovery process we found that he has fear aggression at those who have a 'strutting'  or uneven gait walk, he is a toy hoarder, he charges open fencing (like chain link), he enjoys water, fearful growling at park basketball court players. He doesn't startle at horses, traffic, bicycles, skateboards. He appears fearful of being  'in the way' or kicked if he is in the way. He responds immediately to a whistle. We found our solution to the organizing behaviors, the basketball players, and some other small problems. We have learned to be carefully aware around 'strutting' guys :-}  and face off problems and remove him from the situation immediately.   In short, I would avoid the dog parks until you get a better handle on Molly's strengths, weaknesses, fears.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I didn't clarify when we go to dog parks.  We go for doodle meet ups and when we are traveling.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

I vote to stop going to dog parks altogether. Why set her up for failure? And how important is it really that she go to the dog park anyway? It's certainly not necessary, and not until you know more about her personality and possibly train this behavior out of her so she can enjoy the experience more. It doesn't sound like she is having fun when she acts like this.

My Murphy became aggressive at the dog park a few times when other dogs got near me or Bella. It started with an occasional low growl, then a bark, then he got right in front of me and the an outright aggressive barking in the dogs face with teeth showing. Too close for comfort and altho I did spend every oportunity I had at the dog park to have one dog at a time come near me while having Murphy sit, allowing the other dog to sniff, telling Murphy " Thank you, I've got this", he would follow instructions but he was always very tense and it was like a ticking bomb. I just didn't need to put him or me or another dog in that situation for any important reason I could see, so I stopped going over a year ago.  

Like F tho, I do have two and they play together all day and have about one half acre backyard to run in. So it comes down to how important do you feel the whole dog park experience is for her and how much training do you need to put into getting her comfortable with it. 

[Cindy and Olive (Ollie)]

I've stopped taking Rip to dog parks, so here are many reasons why I'd recommend that... Firstly, our trainer says there are potentially unvaccinated dogs, sick dogs, dogs who are fear reactive/aggressive, dogs who resource guard, etc. at the dog park. Then they are all put together in a fenced area (with corners) where owners don't necessarily supervise or possibly don't know how to intervene appropriately when things "suddenly" get out of hand or even know how to recognize bullying behavior or pre-aggressive body language. It's not worth it when there are good alternatives you can enjoy together! If you do decide to take her, I'd at least become really well versed in body language/play behaviors/bully behavior, closely supervise, and bring a squeaker or whistle to interrupt any potential negative interaction. And simply leave before anything escalates or if your dog seems bored. Good luck!! Best,

[Deanna M.]

The squeaker or whistle is a really good idea, thank you.

[Deanna M.]

I figured foregoing the dog park would be the best right now.  The reason I go is Sulley always has a blast and Molly does seem to enjoy it too, when I just take the two of them out alone they usually stop playing after about 20 minutes and just kind of hang around.  If I then try and play fetch Sulley will take the ball and play keep away.  Also there are a group of doodle owners that we get together with at the dog park.

I do have some friends that they have playdates with so I will keep that up, learn more about dog body language and work on training with both of them.

Thank you for your replies.