snapping at other dogs..

[Tammy and Violet]

 

 

 

Need advice''''' Violet ,at times, snaps at puppies/dogs when greeting them..I have heard it is their way to say back off.. I would feel awful if she bit one..last night I met my friend and her new pup ..Violet did pretty good , but at times groweld and snapped.. I pulled her back .she was always on a leash... how much correcting shouls we do ?? I would feel awful with a bite !

 

 

 

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Has she always done this?  Was she socialized with other dogs as a puppy?  The growl/snap is her saying she's not comfortable.  I'd love to know more about the actual situation and what may have made her feel this way....was the other dog behaving appropriately?  Were they both leashed?

[Tammy and Violet]

She was/is socialized with other dogs..the dogs just try to greet and are on a leash.. we have been at dog parks w/o a leash and some some dogs she does this with... I have heard it is a way to tell them to back off  

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Okay then, clearly she's sending a message that she is not comfortable.  I would avoid having her greet other dogs in this manner.  If others ask if their dogs can "meet" my Murphy, I always keep going and say that he's not comfortable.  You could try training around this situation, but if it was me I would just avoid those situations.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

How old was Violet when she was taken from her litter? 

For many if not most dogs, being approached by a strange dog when you are on a leash can be a very threatening experience, especially if the "greeting" comes head on. I would not allow other dogs to approach her when she is leashed. IMO, dogs should not be greeting each other that way, it's unnatural and can trigger a fight or flight response. If there's no opportunity for flight, the only alternative is fight. Left to their own devices, normal dogs approach each other from the side or rear and not face to face immediately. 

Think how you would feel if you were restrained and a strange person came rushing up into your face, lol. You might snap, too. 

[Tammy and Violet]

8 weeks....when we walk outside or at a pet store she is on a leash.. .cant help that...are yours never on a leas leash?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Yes, Jack is on a leash quite a bit, lol. We walk at least twice a day in lots of places. We just don't "meet & greet" other dogs during that time. Not hard to do. 

[Wendy and Myla]

We have found that Myla is the friendliest dog off leash.  Once she is leashed, she will growl when she encounters another dog.  It's unfortunate because most places require that a dog be on leash.  What we do, when we are walking her on leash and we meet up with another dog, is put Myla in a sit position and place ourselves between her and the other dog and have her focus on us with a treat until the other dog has passed.  All the while we are saying "ignore it" so hopefully we will get to the point where we can pass another dog and say "ignore it" and she will keep walking.  She is three years old so I'm not sure if she will get to that point but we are hoping...  If she is off leash, she will go to the dog, sniff and they will do their little dance and then she'll continue walking with us - not a problem at all.  She is very socialized with people, but we don't take her to many places with unfamiliar dogs, like dog parks so she hasn't been that socialized with strange dogs - which might be the reason, I'm not sure.  It's not a huge problem for us, just something that we know Myla doesn't like, so we make sure that we don't create a problem. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

If you have friends with dogs and you want to spend time together, the best way to do that is to walk the dogs together. You may actually have to start out with the dogs a good distance away from each other. I have a friend who inherited a rescue dog who does not like other dogs. Her other dog and JD were good friends who enjoyed walking together, and we hated not being able to walk together any more. So we started out with Jack and I on the opposite side of the street from my friend and her dogs, lol. We never let the dogs get close enough to "meet" or touch each other. We walked that way for probably a week and gradually, her reactive dog got used to seeing JD and having him nearby. We then walked on the same side of the street but still not close enough for the dogs to touch each other. It honestly didn't take long before we were all able to walk together side by side and my friend's reactive dog accepted JD as part of her "walking" pack. 

When DRC brings a new dog to his/her foster home for the first time, we always recommend that the dogs "meet" by taking a walk together before the new dog goes into the other dog's home. It usually works beautifully. 

As for strange dogs you see in public places, there is absolutely no reason that any adult dog needs to meet, greet, play with, or make friends with any other adult dog he/she doesn't know. Your dog doesn't enjoy that, like many other adult dogs, so just don't allow it. "Socializing" with other adult dogs is not necessary. 

[Tammy and Violet]

Thanks guys ! all great advice ....