Bullying Bully

[dudleyknows]

:confused: Dudley is increasingly becoming more aggressive towards other dogs NOW to the point that we can no longer take him to the dog park. He has always had some issues with larger dogs, but now it seems he will charge ANY dog that comes near him including small puppies; evilicon AND, it doesn't seem to matter who's turf he's on.
When we 1st got Dudley he was already over a year old and still intact. Once we had him neutered and took obedience he was less territorial and we would go for play dates mostly without incident.
Dudley will be 5 this year and gets along great with his new fursister (Tosha)and EVERY human he meets.
Anyone have any ideas on what may be causing his mouthiness towards other dogs? Is he now protective of Tosha? Could my DH be playing too rough? :(
Any suggestions or advice?

[franp]

IMO, Dudly thinks he is the Alpha of the pack..And you need to teach him that you are.

If my memory serves me, there is an article here called "Frenchie Boot Camp".Talks about how to inform Dudly about who is the top dog..

Also ,read the Dog listener by Jan Fennel..

This is all about control..

fran

[dudleyknows]

I simply scoop him up and tell him NO! NO! NO! (very loudly, of course so that he knows I mean business). Sadly, he'd rather be in my arms or up in my or his daddy's lap at all times, so I wonder if he does it just for the pickup. What should I do? :confused: I don't want to yank him back with the leash and he's so solid that popping his butt has no effect. We've always tried to help him understand who the BOSS is, but we'll definately take a look at some of the suggested resources for help. Thanks.

[gmacleod]

Does that mean that he's still on his leash at the park when he behaves that way? If so, you might like to try him loose with the other dogs. Leash aggression is something people seem to associate only with larger dogs, but it's something that occurs with a great many canines. When a dog is leashed, it isn't really able to interact freely with others, and that often results in one or other dog becomming snappy (not necessarily the leashed one either).

Another suggestion I'd make is that you take him to play with the others, but when he behaves inappropriately, instead of yelling at him, picking him up or popping him on the butt, that you just remove him from the situation and take him off by himself for a few minutes. If the problem is that he won't play nicely, then this gives him the message that if he doesn't play nicely he doesn't get to play at all. And if the problem is fear/insecurity, it lets him know that you'll look after him. Either way, the message that you're the leader is clear. You can use those few minutes for a short training session ;) Then send him back off to play.

[dudleyknows]

Initially, we'd go to the dog park and just let him run & play. But if he wasn't preoccupied playing with a particular dog, then seemingly he would look for the largest one and go straight for it's neck. He never drew blood and we'd always tell the other owners that he was just loud and mouthy.
Back in April we took both Dudley and Tosha to the park, but once offleash Dudley rushed straight toward a pitbull and didn't want to backoff even though the friendly pit was not lookin for a fight. evilicon As usual, I scooped him up and we walked over to a different area. Unfortunately after several attempts to let him play, my DH had to put him back on leash (apologizing profusely to the other families)so that I could play with and monitor Tasha (she had lots of fun on her 1st trip to the park). Needless to say, we did'nt stay long. :mad:
I really want him to run around and have fun without the fear of harming himself or another dog. AND, I can't leave him( he's my baby) at home while I take Tasha. :(

[gmacleod]

Hmm. Where is Tasha when all this is going on? One issue that sometimes arises when you have a second dog is that the two of them form a sort of pack and can become a little aggressive to outsiders. Sooo - there could be a little bit on inappropriate protection going on here. It would be interesting to see if Dudley's behaviour is improved if you leave Tasha at home. It's worth testing.

*If* that turns out to be the case, then you have an issue around leadership going on there. Dudley shouldn't be "protecting" Tasha, that's actually your job - and doing some work around reinforcing your leadership role (and his lack of one) would be beneficial. I would be inclined to try to find Dudley some suitable playmates well away from Tasha at the park, and to continue to intervene whenever his behaviour is inappropriate. Don't pick him up and carry him away though - just put his leash on and make him walk. I'd also make some time to take him to the park separately from her. That way he can concentrate on socialising with other dogs, without a pack to either support him or to somehow need to protect.

[dudleyknows]

Thanks Gwyneth, we'll try taking him separately.

And although I have noticed this change in him since we've had Tasha, she is usually running around the park without Dudley. They play wonderfully together at home, but would rather be playing with others when at the park. I'd just hate to think that I would have to take them to the park separately. We may have to resolve to playing in the backyard together or trying to have friends over for a playdate. :o

[gmacleod]

Having friends over for a playdate could work well :) And it gives you a good opportunity to step in and end the fun if he doesn't behave nicely. If at all possible, I'd choose one or two well socialised, friendly but not push-over dogs to play with (ie. dogs that will stand up to him, but not be aggressive about it).

As for the dog park, you don't need to always take them separately. But it is a good idea sometimes. That at least enables you to keep him socialised in situations where he has no reason to be defending anything, rather than forgetting entirely about friendly overtures to other dogs.

Have you ever read Jan Fennell's book "The Dog Listener"? It could be a useful resource for you, since it deals very much with developing and maintaining a leadership relationship with your dog. If this problem is stemming from Dudley "defending" his pack from other dogs, then that could certainly help you out here. The thing is, any defending should actually be your job, not his, and he needs a bit of a reminder about who the leader actually is ;)

[dudleyknows]

I've not yet read "The Dog Listener", but I'll be sure to get a copy through e-bay unless anyone would be interested in sharing theirs. Anyone read the books by Patricia McConnell ("Feisty Fido") or Emma Parsons ("Click to Calm..")?

I appreciate the responses and ideas. I love that my babies have such different personalities, but we'll continue to work with our Bully on his aggressiveness as well as our Boxer on her extreme cautiousness (that's next). :rolleyes:

Thanks again and happy posting! :)