Took Charlie to agility this morning and the trainer put a halti on him to help stop him pulling, which it did. Whilst we were waiting for our turn a lady was talking to me and stroking Charlie when her dog, naturally came to see what was going on and Charlie went for him, teeth on show, noise and hackles up. The trainer came straight over and pulled him harshly by the halti and said very firmly "NO". She and everyone else said not to worry that sometimes dogs behave like that but should I be worried? I was very embarrassed. He didn't seem at ease with this dog (English Pointer, male) last week. That's two incidents in one week, one with Hattie and now Storm. Don't understand as he has never behaved like this when out and about and when we have had friends dogs in our home. To end on a positive he did very well with me not holding his lead doing jumps, weaving and tunnel work. He was very keen to get to me and the lovely squeaky ball in a sock that I was loaned!! Thanks Helen
Re: Jealousy Aggression is pretty scary. We all worry if our dogs show signs of aggression. We all also expect our dogs to like every other dog they meet, even dogs which shove their faces in our dog's face and have generally bad manners. Sometimes dogs take a dislike to a particular dog. Some dogs don't like being poked and prodded by impertinent dogs with poor manners. Some otherwise friendly dogs will be grumpy if they feel trapped or cornered, and are only ever unfriendly towards other dogs if they are on a lead or tightly restrained. Sometimes dogs become aggressive as they mature. And it can be difficult to tell whether your dog is being a little grumpy, telling off an impertinent rude dog, or is showing definite signs of becoming aggressive. I think it is good to be aware of the potential for aggression in all dogs, but good also, not to worry about an occasional show of grumpiness from an otherwise friendly dog in a new situation or with a strange and possibly 'rude' other dog. If your teacher was not worried, I would give Charlie the benefit of the doubt. Keep an eye on him but try not to worry or he will sense your discomfort and that can make things worse. Hope that makes sense Pippa (I am assuming as Charlie is a rescue dog that he has been neutered. If not and if there is a repeat of aggression towards other dogs then this is something to discuss with your vet. )
Re: Jealousy Hi Helen I think just keep an eye on how he's doing. As a rescue you don't know what happened to him in the past. It might be that he has had a bad experience with a pointer, monitor his reactions to other breeds, sizes and colours. If he has a reaction to one specific type then you can preempt him and ultimately work with him and a friendly example of his disliked dog or something similar to make him if not like at least tolerate it. My girls are fantastic with all dogs with one exception. Whilst tied up waiting outside our village Post Office Maia was attacked by a black and white collie-twice within a week, the dog lives in the village and is a known troublemaker. As a result Maia has problems with black and white collies, we've worked with her with friends dogs and now she will tolerate tri-colours and is ok with another collie which is mostly black with a few white patches but those which are mostly white just immediately bring her hackles up. I don't think she'd do anything other than protect herself but I don't take the risk, any collies and she's immediately called in close and usually put on the lead, the reattachment of the lead helps her to relax a little too, trusting that I'll watch out for her. It might be that something similar happened to Charlie and he remembers. On the positive side it sounds like he's loving his agility. Kerryn
Re: Jealousy Thanks Pippa and Kerryn, yes Charlie has been neutered. This pointer is a Black & White and very friendly young boy, but maybe he has had an incident in his past that we don't know about. Maybe it was because he had the halti on for the first time for agility and felt restrained - who knows. I know what you mean about Collies, Hattie has been snapped at by a nasty collie in our village and now she gives him a very wide birth. I was mortified when Charlie behaved in this way. I think I do expect dogs to like dogs but I guess I don't like everyone I know! Unfortunately there are no Pointers in our village and I don't know anyone with one, all pretty much Labradors and Collies here. Should I try and introduce him nicely to Storm getting them to sit and give them treats and stroke Storm to show there's no problem. Charlie just became unerved when Storm wanted a bit of the attention Charlie was getting from her (Jealousy)? Maybe me just being a worry wart! He is really enjoying agility as he has the energy I on the otherhand am shattered!! Thanks Helen
Re: Jealousy Don't fret over it too much, there are lots of maybes. Just be aware that there may be a problem (I stress may) and watch him but be prepared to step in with the harsh NO if required (and maybe a physical tug too) all the while hoping that everything will be fine. I wouldn't try pushing Charlie into meeting Storm just yet, watch their body language towards each other and perhaps see if Charlie is less grouchy without the halti - if you can do the agility without it. It may just be that Storm is a bit too "in your face" for Charlie at the moment, he's got a lot of things to think about. However I'm going to disagree with Pippa, I won't stand for any "bad language" at home between my pack, but then I'm dealing with three or four at a time, so it is a little different from two. On the odd occasion when there has been some grumbling between my dogs I always step in and let them know that it's not acceptable in this house. That may be something as simple as a "no, stop it" or last year Hebe and Finnegan were vying for position which was fine until it came to snappingand snarling over food on the floor, meant for sharing. I stepped in with broad shoulders (make yourself look big, classic confidence trick) and a very growlly, angry, loud NO followed by lots more angry words letting them know in no uncertain terms that I wouldn't accept this behaviour and scooped up the scraps before hurling them (very RADA) in the bin. They all looked forlorn but it didn't happen again - but and this a BIG BUT before doing anything like that you do need to know your dogs and be certain that they accept you as boss. I would never have got involved had it been more than posturing and precursor to fight type behaviour, Hebe had a very sore and soggy scruff, Finn had a mouthful of lab fur and a bald patch on his jaw where Hebe had retaliated. When you're out I think that there is a difference between liking every dog you meet and behaving with civility. Like you I would be (and am when Maia grumbles) upset about any show of anything other than "niceness", I like my dogs to have good manners, but I console myself that responsible owners understand some dogs just have a "thing" about certain other dogs, I get understanding looks when I explain to slightly startled owners that she doesn't like collies especially when my other Lab is straining at the lead to play! Which leads to a whole new thread about over friendliness...
Re: Jealousy I think we pretty much agree on most of this. If bickering starts in a group of dogs (I have five) it is important to step in a put a stop to it before it gets out of hand. Provided you are able to do so safely. Usually a bit of verbal 'barking' from the owner sorts things out. Sometimes it doesn't. What I think is important is to pre-empt fights were possible, especially in situation where you may not be able to supervise in the future (eg in the back of a moving vehicle). Or where food is involved. I have seen some horrific injuries between dogs that have lived together in peace for many years. Where one dog has suddenly 'snapped', and these kinds of squabbles often start over food. Sometimes pre-empting is sufficient. Sometimes it is not. And you have to step in. But I would advise people to do so with great caution, it is often the owner who gets the worst of it when they try to separate fighting dogs and get their hands in between.... Fortunately most dog fights are 'all mouth and no trousers'. Pippa
