Dog Is Not Nice To Other Dogs

CJSophie

Well-Known Member
How do I train my JRT to stop being so "bitchy" to other dogs?

Today, my dog was with me in the car, in her crate for about an hour then I took her to a Doggie Wash and gave her a bath. Before going back to the hotel, I stopped by a pet store and checked out a 3 mo old female Italian Greyhound and my dog Sophie was pissed. I considered the fact that she didn't enjoy the time out doing chores with me and that we are in a new place, but she wanted to rip this dogs head off and the greyhound was totally calm.

my dog has a huge attitude all the time, she is spoiled and its always just been me, her and her dad (my bf.) She has become less sociable with other dogs in the last year. at 2 mo old, she was enrolled at Petsmart in their training programs with other dogs, then she went on to do 3 more programs so she was around other dogs for almost all her life. once she stopped going, she very quickly became more aggressive. she wont play if I take her to dog parks, and she will growl and get pissy around other dogs and she's not prejudice around certain dogs, size or breed doesn't matter, she could be nice to one dog, and then mean to another despite breed or size.

however, I would really like another dog but I am terrified that Sophie will continue to be an ass. I understand the situation today but it doesn't explain the other times, she even does this to some people.

Another situation that has arose, is when I brought her back from the pet store, and back to our hotel, the parking lot was full because there is a dog show this weekend so there were many dogs and people out and she went crazy when I dog would walk by.

how do I break this and what have I done wrong?
 

southerngirl

Honored Member
How old is Sophie? What age did this start. Please don't say she is being Pissy or being an ass she has a reason for what she is doing she is not doing it just to be mean. When was her last vet visit? She may have a health issue that is causing it. Is she attacking other dogs or is she just growling? When she see's another dog what does she do?(bark growl, lunge.) What does her body look like when she is around dogs? (hackles, ears, tail mouth, body posture)
 

jackienmutts

Honored Member
Southerngirl is absolutely right. Please don't think of your girl as being pissy or an ass - she's just being herself. Some dogs just don't like being around other dogs - simple as that. Same as some people are very social, while others are loners - dogs are similar in that way. Some love dog parks, love meeting every dog they see, love every person they see, and are the life of every party. Others would prefer to be an only dog and would rather not meet anyone, thank you very much. I live with two - one of each (as far as dogs go). My boy is very social, and my girl is not (altho recovering, but it's been many years of daily work), altho thankfully they're very social with people.

Without even knowing your girl, I'm sure she wasn't "pissed" at the Greyhound today - but did it ever occur to you that she may be afraid? My female German Shepherd suffered from fear-aggression - yes, a German Shepherd who was terrified of other dogs, it didn't matter if they were Wolfhounds or Chihuahuas, no matter. To her, a dog is a dog is a dog. We've been working hard on her behavior (being calm in the presence of other dogs) for years now. She's made incredible progress - but it's been a long journey. Not sure what happened with her, can't pinpoint it to one thing in particular - so we think it may have been a combination of things. My girl is a rescue, so I don't know her whole history. It may be the same for your girl. It may not have been one thing, but a combination. You said you stopped taking her to classes and now she's not good at the dog park, she growls, "acts pissy", etc.

Your girl shouldn't be in dog parks, she shouldn't be asked to be around other dogs, she shouldn't be in places where lots of other dogs will be. Period. There is a lot you can do, if you're willing to put the work in. You can search lots of threads on this forum for dog aggression or dog aggressive dogs, and read. Educate yourself on theproblem. There are lots of people on the forum who can help if you're willing to put the work in. It's a lot of work, it's daily work, it's hard tedious work - but it's worth it. But the first step is accepting your girl as she is, and her .. as she is .. being ok with you.
 

CJSophie

Well-Known Member
well i have lots of time to work with her. i dont work so the time issue is not a problem, i would rather her feel safe and comfortable since we move and travel so much. ive had her since she was 6 weeks old and shes never been in a situation that would be an obvious reason for her aggressiveness.

i think maybe you are right, and shes just not a sociable dog. which has just been recently since i stopped the weekly interaction with other animals at Petsmart.

Sophie is 2. ever since she was little, there were times where she didnt like other dogs or humans, but then absolutely adore other dogs and humans, its only been the last 6 months where she has been more aggressive and mean to other dogs. shes not mean to humans, she just barks at some.

her last vet was last month and shes healthy as a horse.

when she sees another dog, it jsut depends what she does.but for the most part, she will cower in my arms and hide herself. but then there are sometimes, where she just wants down to see them. when she is aggressive, she growls and gnarls. if the dog gets too close to her and gets in her space, sophie will try to attack them but not really touch them, kind of like a scare tactic. shes never bitten another dog.

for the most part, if she is down on the ground while another dog is around, she will hide between my legs and hide. yesterday when i tried showing her to the greyhound, i put them both in the little "petting" box, i sat on the floor but sophie hid behind me. i kissed her and told her i loved her, petted her and let her come out on her own time, she would slowly move out from behind me, and sniff the other dog but then start to growl and yelp. i had to leave becasue everyone in the pet store thought i had an attack dog and i hate that cuz i have showed nothing but love and good traits to her for her to act this way. and nothing has happened for her to act this way. i just need to know if there are ways to unteach this behavior
 

brody_smom

Experienced Member
How long have you been moving around so much and living in hotels? Maybe all the change of scenery is hard for Sophie. Dogs like things to be predictable and can get easily upset if they don't have constant things in their lives. Other than you and your bf, are there people, dogs, things in her daily life that stay the same for her? Do you have a crate or bed that you take on your travels? Do you train her on a regular basis, take her out for walks where there are no dogs to worry about and just work on leash behavior?
 

MaryK

Honored Member
Jackie has given you extremely good advice and please believe me, she DOES know exactly what you're up against!

Your little girl is afraid, cowering is a sure sign she's afraid. She just isn't the 'social butterfly' type of dog, as Jackie has said, she's a 'loner' and that's what she may well be for the rest of her life.

Please do not force other dogs on her, even in the kindest way, that's really scary for her. Think of a very shy person being suddenly asked to stand up in Carnegie Hall and speak to thousands, complete with a full television crew to boot! That's how she feels when she's confronted with another dog - TERRIFIED!!!!!!!!! "Hey Mom, I'm a loner, I'm shy PLEASE don't make me meet and greet other dogs". You also said she wasn't all that happy at the Petsmart training either.

Don't take her to doggy park, or where other dogs are around. It may be an idea to get her a 'I need my space' bandana, collar and leash - that's NOT saying your dog's aggressive, it's a pretty yellow, but most people (hopefully) know it means exactly what it says. That way other people with dogs will give her her space.

Also, Brody's Mom has made a very good point. You're always on the road. Some dogs love this, think truckers dogs, but others need that security and stability of a permanent 'home'. I would definitely have a mat that's all hers so she has her 'quiet zone' and security.

Plus as a JRT she needs plenty of MENTAL as well as physical exercise. They're feisty little characters, (love them myself) and were bred to 'work' so keep her mentally stimulated as well as physically stimulated.

She's not 'pissed' off with you but trying doggy style to let you know she's afraid. Find some good sites, they're out there, which show in pictures a dog's body language, that will help you a lot. We need to learn their language and it's not straight English, but they do show us, quite clearly when we learn their language what's going on in their doggy minds.

Good luck, keep working with her, it takes time, patience and above all heaps of LOVE! But you'll develop a wonderful bond where you both understand each other so well. And, if she's never a social butterfly, well who cares, she loves you and your bf, that's the important part. What SHE likes is the most important thing:D
 
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