Mixing with other dogs when out on a walk

Hi everyone,

Hope you don't mind but just wanted to pick your brains on this one.

How do you find your staffies get on with other dogs whilst out on their walks.

Reason for asking this question is obviously at the moment Tia is unable to go out on walks as awaiting her final jab, however when she is able to go out i would love her to mix with other dogs without worrying that there is going to be a fight.

How do you experienced owners find your staffies get along with other dogs when out over the park etc, & are you able to let your dogs off to mix with the other dogs.

My brother in law has a male doberman who is 14 months old & is full of energy. He is not at all agressive & plays nicely off the lead with other dogs he is however frightened of jack russells & will hide behind my brother in law if one turns up as when he was a little younger one just ran up to him & bite him. He could have quite easily killed it but it is not in his nature & he didn't fight back. I would ideally like Tia to mix with him as we will be going on walks together. Any advice on how we should first introduce them to avoid any unpleasantnesss.

Any advice from you experienced owners would be greatly received.

Have also got Tia booked up for training classess but she can't start there until 3rd June.

Many thanks & Kind regards

Richard........

Hi Rich,

Morris LOVES other dogs, so much so that when a dog is barking or snarling at him (on lead) he keeps trying to play with it. We are very careful where we let him offlead because we dont know how other dogs will react. Better to be safe than sorry!

I find when walking him not a lot of people will let thier dogs have a sniff or a little play, they cross the street or pull thier dogs away. If someone asks I keep him on the lead and let the other person walk their dog over and let them sniff each other and see how they go. He played beautifully with two great danes when he was about 5 months old, they loved him!

When introducing him to friends dogs for the first time we keep them on the lead and let them sniff, make sure the leads dont get tangled. If the are ok after a few minutes we let one dog off then the other.. just keep an eye on them together for a while and dont leave them alone, just in case. I am lucky that my friends have very friendly dogs and they get on well with Morris who just wants to play with everyone!

Training classes are great, they told us how to introduce dogs and the had mini enclosed areas where the trainer let the dogs of two at a time so they could meet new dogs and get some experience in a safe environment. She was a behaviourist and used to 'read' their behaviour to us telling us which dog was trying to dominate the other and little mind games that were going on, it was very interesting.

Hope it all works out!

Hi Rich, i only let mine off the lead when there are no other dogs around, not that mine are nasty, it is usually other owners of other breeds, who let theirs run free and come bounding over and try and start on ours while ours are on lead. Some will try and call thier dogs back others couldnt be bothered.It makes me angry, im doing the twirly dance trying to keep them apart, And they give OUR staffys a bad rep!
I have also had people turning round and walking back the other way when they see them, wether they have dogs or not. Its caused through the bad press and ignorance of the breed. Mine are always eager to meet and greet everyone! And get on great with other dogs on lead when thier owners stop to talk about them.
On dantes very first outing as a pup, after his jabs,A Dalmatian came running over at full speed, hiting him rolling him over and nipping his side leaving a load of slobber on his side. It happened so quickly. Its owner running far behind shouting it, it ignored her.
It probably just wanted to play, but these experiences can stay with a pup forever.
The best training you can give your dog initially is recall. And remember even though your dog is not nasty others may be, so like K&M said learning to read a dogs body language is invaluable.

[quote="staffsrock"]Hi Rich, i only let mine off the lead when there are no other dogs around, not that mine are nasty, it is usually other owners of other breeds, who let theirs run free and come bounding over and try and start on ours while ours are on lead. Some will try and call thier dogs back others couldnt be bothered.It makes me angry, im doing the twirly dance trying to keep them apart, And they give OUR staffys a bad rep!

Staffsrock says most of what I was going to say there. When they are a puppy everyone wants to have a look and a cuddle, when they get older its more "oooh is that a staff?"

Puppy socialisation at training classes is good though, different breeds and all about the same age so hopefully you will get some good advice there. I hated the classes as the trainers at mine didn't seem to care (I was livid at the time). If you have mates with dogs its a good idea to go walking with them for some socialisation. It will come with time and you will be amazed how quickly you start to read your own dog and see what they like or don't like.

Good luck, keep relaxed and enjoy!

Ellie, my Staffy is wonderful with other dogs and will greet them nicely, it is other dogs that are the problem.

I would take your pup out now but don't put her on the ground, carry her, many experienced dog owners carry pups in bags over their shoulders to make the carrying easier. This way the puppy is seeing lots of different things at a time when it will benefit them. They can also watch other dogs playing.

For mixing with other dogs you can always ask the owner if their dog is friendly to play with your's.

I find that if Ellie doesn't have her coat on people cross the road when they see her, when she has her pink coat on with white sheep on, they think she is cute and want to stroke her

Hi all, Hope you are all good as are your dogs, not long to go now Tia can go walkies without being carried on Friday so really looking forward to it. She has been out & about alot but in my arms seeing lots of different people & dogs, no probs with people infact it has been hard to hold her as she has wriggled that much to try & lick them to death!. However a lady approached with a black lab which is 17 months old & very friendly & Tia greeted it by growling at it, this was whilst in my arms so not too sure how she will react once she is down on the ground with other dogs. Any advice on first meetings with other dogs also details of your pups first experiences with other dogs would be appreciated.

Many thanks & Kind regards

Richard.........

Hi Rich carrying a dog is giving it a higher status than others on the ground, she is saying to the other dog 'i'm above you', it can lead to aggression when older.
Next time crouch down and offer her behind for the other dog to smell.

Why are you carrying her? "her final jab" - is that her final vaccination shot, or? *sorry my english is not always good... *

If that is the meaning of it, then there is no reson what so ever to go around carrying her. Our dogs have met dogs from the moment they came to our home (we have 7 dogs at the moment)... So i dont understand that one.
That she growls on another dog when you carry her is not strange at all, she doesnt know how to respond to the other dog while in that position. Its not natural for her, or for the other dog. Put her down on the ground and let her walk!

About socializing with other dogs; let her meet dogs that you know are friendly towards puppys. Other pups is often good. Remember to not let her play with larger dogs that play roughly, since they can injure or scare her. She can off course meet larger dogs, but should not be allowed to be tackled by them or other rough games that dogs enjoy.

I dont let my dogs play with strangers in the parks, or dog playing grounds, as some mention before, my dogs are very friendly, but there is no way to know if all the other dogs are. And if your staffy gets in a fight, no matter whos reason it was, your dog will get the blame... Let your dog play with other dogs that you know, it is enough with a social group of 5-6 dogs that your dogs ever play with. Its better to have a couple of very good friends, than a bunch of acquiantances...

good news all Tia mixing really well with other dogs no aggression what so ever just loads of tail wagging & barking to play, she now has her own little click of friends at the tender age of 12 weeks Bless!!!!! Kind regards Rich......

Hi David a pies of advice for you and turbo
Don`t walk Turbo outside you`re garden don`t let him come in contact with other dog`s before he has had his first shot .
I`m sure you mean well but there are so many deceases out there you have to be careful
And for walking Turbo 5 minutes is long enough
For him being 6 weeks he needs all the sleep he can get cos sleep means growth

I agree Hardtrackz. Puppies need plenty of sleep