Reptile & Amphibian Forums

my wife and i have a 1 year old cocker (got him at 8 weeks) who is, 99% of the time, the sweetest dog. however, he has recently started freaking out on other dogs, even one's he has played with before. sometimes he'll just to the whole butt-sniff thing and be fine, other times he may start growling... it's scary b/c he's small and most other dogs could eat him alive. the only thing i can think of that may have influenced this behavior is that he was "attacked" at a local dog park a few months ago. my wife and i haven't gone back since, and that was his main source of socialization with other dogs. we love our dog and would love to get another, but we are little afraid. is this common? any help would be much appreciated!

Are you able to take your dog to any type of training classes?

It's very possible the incident at the dog park may have led your pup to be a bit anti-social and scared of other dogs. Taking your dog to a class where the dogs are under control and happily working will increase the confidence and may prevent or eliminate any further problems in this area.

One thing to note, adog on leash feels "trapped" and has a harder time deali with other dogs than when not on leash. Do your best to nothave your dog interact with dogs that are unknown and unpredictable while on leash. Get some "doggy friends" that are trustworthy- here's where class comes in again- and they'll help out a lot.
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Chelle and the rest of the crew including, but not limited to Kita and Taiko (the shiba inu wrestle maniacs), Adi (reserved and dignified tabby cat), and all 28 reptiles

chelle,

thanks for the quick response. actually, i have noticed that most dogs, ours included (marlee), acts far more "crazy" when he is on his leash. i'm convinced that i myself have become a bit fearful of other dogs since the incident at the park, which likely plays a role. a new PetsHotel just opened up in our town and we're thinking about letting him spend a few days at "doggy daycare" to socialize. your suggestions are much appreciated, thanks!

marshall

>>chelle,
>>
>>thanks for the quick response. actually, i have noticed that most dogs, ours included (marlee), acts far more "crazy" when he is on his leash. i'm convinced that i myself have become a bit fearful of other dogs since the incident at the park, which likely plays a role. a new PetsHotel just opened up in our town and we're thinking about letting him spend a few days at "doggy daycare" to socialize. your suggestions are much appreciated, thanks!
>>
>>marshall

>>>>>>>>>>>>>

It would be better for you to be involved with your dog's experiences around other dogs than to let day care personnel determine what happens to him. These experiences are forming his opinions of the world. A good training class where the other dogs are kept under control and dogs not allowed to jump on each other is better for the dog's recovery from this kind of trauma. A head halter can help until he learns he's safe there.

As far as adding another dog, a dog of opposite sex who lives with him becomes a family member and is not the scary situation of him having to fend for himself thrown in with a bunch of other dogs. He'd be top male and she'd be top female.

Train him first, and wait until you've had him two years before bringing in another dog. Then you can wind up with two stable, trained dogs instead of two with problems.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47

wow, great info. thanks!