Seeing some signs of aggression towards other dogs... Help?!

[Shianne Mack]

So my doodle is about a year and a half and all of a sudden I have noticed he has some aggression towards other dogs. Some days he is absolutely fine and plays fine, but others he plays too rough. He also never would hump other dogs but now he does it often, especially at dog parks. He is neutered so I know that isn't the problem, but I am just wondering if he is trying to assert his dominance? (He use to be the dog at the park that always got humped) Has any other doodle owners experienced this problem around this age? If so what did you do to make them get better? I am open to more training or whatever because he has always been such a sweet and happy pup. Thank you! :)

[Judith and Addie]

Please put away any of the old debunked theories about dominance. This was proven to be not true quite a long time ago. Even the person who did the study on wolves that prompted the theory - and the idea of pack behavior - has said that he made an error.

I cannot tell you what to do because it can depend on the cause but here is an article by a positive trainer that may give you some suggestions. By what you are saying I would think this is stress related because of his dog park experience with being humped there. 

Good luck with your boy, and enjoy him. He looks like a sweetie.

https://positively.com/contributors/why-does-my-dog-hump-everything/

[Shianne Mack]

Oh wow, I never knew that! Thanks for the update! But okay, I will take a look at your link... Yeah, he is super sweet and always has been... I'm just seeing slight signs that I correct, but I don't want to worsen. Thank you!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Dog parks where there is no supervision IMO can create lots of problems with an otherwise balanced dog.  I think the humping is because he's overexcited and while I wouldn't say he's trying to "dominate" I do think he's trying to show that he's the boss....it's not sexual at all.  It simply shouldn't be allowed.  I would only take him t a dog park when there are very few dogs there (early morning or later evening) and where you can supervise his behavior.  You might hire a trainer to come with you and give you feedback on managing behavior in this setting.  Rather than bringing my Doodles to a Dog Park, I take them to Daycare once a week where the dogs are well supervised and they learn to behave appropriately around other dogs.  Look for a Daycare that assesses dogs before allowing them to attend.

[Shianne Mack]

Okay, that sounds like a good idea! Thanks for the advice :)

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I seem to notice that doodles appear to reach full adulthood at around 2 with some personality changes - less puppy-like acceptance of people and other dogs.