ANTISOCIAL DOG

Hi All

Hope you are well..
I havnt posted for a while so if you dont remember mine & Lolas background shes a rescue 3yr old staff x .. I have had her around 4 months now I dont know anything about her past other than she couldnt have been socialised with dogs as a pup as she really isnt interested in socialising now.. Shes more focused on trying to get at dogs to fight them.

I dont think its that she wont socialise well as she has 1 dog friend called titch, A little pattendale terrier of my friends & when we introduced them both were kept at leads length until they were comfortable with eachother.. Now we can go 3 weeks without them seeing eachother but as soon as they do they are play fighting & happy straight away.

I dont get the chance to try & sociallise Lola with other dogs at the park as most owers are strolling with their dogs offlead. We just come back from a walk where 2 dogs on 2 different occassions were off lead come strolling over the lola despite lolsa growling & teeth baring just itching for her lead to snap. & I think this intimidates her that she is constricted.

There was an occassion where lola escaped & run off down the road. There was another dog & to my surprise lola run straight to the dog, Me thinking there was going to be a blood bath & lola just sniffed & run off.. So theres hope for her yet!

Have any of you any tips please? I am considering taking her dog training as soon as i get a car but in the mean time it needs addressing as id love to go for an enjoyable walk without being judged by other owners & lola being judged because shes a staffy cause she is a very loveable (needy) dog lol

Thanks x x

The training classes would be a very good idea then Lola can meet up with other dogs in a controlled environment.

In the mean time try going to different places for walks and meet as many people as possible with dogs but only one at a time to begin with. Keep Lola on the lead and ask if other owners can also do this with their dog while they can introduce themselves as they should ie having a good sniff.

Once initial introductions are done they will then decide if they would like to play or not. Sometimes other dogs will hang around and other times will just walk away.

Hope this helps and things can get a little sorted.

I know that this will keep Lola at ease a little if I can suceed

Its also frustrating trying to shout across the fields to owners when their dogs running over to meet Lola lol so after lolas tried to attack their dogs they are quick to leash but also quick to get away.

I will try new walking spots though!! When at our local park shes alwasy looking at all the entrances pretty much waiting for other animals to come in & the other places we take her are pretty isolated... like woods & river sides

Thank you for replying x

It's a difficult one. Some dogs are quite aggressive on lead, but fine off lead. The trick, I suppose, is getting to know your dog well enough to read the body language.

You could try getting a basket muzzle, just for when she's off lead so that she can socialise without problems, but they can make some dogs a bit more nervous.

Have a quick read through the link below it may help too:

http://staffy-bull-terrier.co.uk/dogbodylanguage.html

Moo has got progressivly worse onlead, she is very rarly on it unless walking through town (where we never meet dogs) or her morning toilet b4 work where I found myself for the first time last week having to say to an owner that she isn't the best onlead, I was really sad.

But off lead I have no drama at all, thank god 90% is off lead, she doesn't bat an eye lid to another dog.

We were just talking about a muzzle before I read your comment carly so yep.. going to give that a try..

Lolas been let of lead once.. at the riverside & she came back when called but was only of for 5 minutes... I havnt tried it in the park but I guess with a muzzle what harm can she do??

I think Its a trip to pets at home tomorrow!

Lolas a terrible walker... She pulls really badly on lead no matter how many sit & waits or walk backwards of quick jolts of the lead we cant get through to her that dogs can walk nicely too! lol So im a little concerned that off lead shell just charge & try to escape?

I shall keep you all updated, Thank you

I really don't like muzzles unless they are 100% needed, as you rescued her older it may take a little while for her to settle and its only been 4 months. IMHO I would leave a muzzle as a last resort, if I see a dog with a muzzle I put Moo back onlead so there wouldn't be any interaction anyway. Last resort in my eyes but thats just my opinion Xx

janey wrote:

I really don't like muzzles unless they are 100% needed, as you rescued her older it may take a little while for her to settle and its only been 4 months. IMHO I would leave a muzzle as a last resort, if I see a dog with a muzzle I put Moo back onlead so there wouldn't be any interaction anyway. Last resort in my eyes but thats just my opinion Xx

I agree with Janey on the perception thing so it would be last option for me too

Lily is a rescue too Kylie and if I walk her on the lead and a dog comes into vision she is straining at the leash. I joined training class and she was not so good in the group so when they organised a walk with a couple of the classes I was a bit hesitant but I went for it. There were about 20 dogs and she stopped straining at the leash after a while as she didn't know which dog to hit on. The trainer said to drop her leash and let her walk which I did and she was OK then we took her off the lead. I think she was that happy with the wide open spaces and being off the lead that she wasn't that bothered about the dogs. The next day when I took her out on the lead she was straining at the leash again when she saw a dog. I haven't plucked up the courage to let her off when we are just on our own but I will. We did nine classes and it did help her to be more tolerant with other dogs so don't give up, you already know she likes one dog. I hope you are able to get to a class soon.

You could also put her on a long line (about 60 - 80 feet long) and just let it trail, making sure the end is always in easy reach in case she decides she won't listen to you.

If you know someone with a well socialized dog try walking them together on opposite sides with the handlers in the middle. After awhile try walking the dogs side by side. If this goes well keep repeating it and try with different dogs.

Im not going to give up!It might take a while but Ill be back with reports on lola walking by my side not on a lead & not even raising an ear to other walking dogs.. haha!! lol

I would love to try walking lola with another dog & try to socialize them but I dont know any others so its a case of approching strangers in the park & asking of which I cant do as id have to get close with Lola ... cant win!!

A organised dog walk sounds fun.. & Id be very brave to drop lolas leash!! Im going to try a long rope this weekend at the riverside

Good luck Start as you mean to go on, and if problems arise face them, early days Xx

Going to training with other dogs will help. You would get to know other owners and you can perhaps arrange playdates. Long line is also good.