Very disappointed

So today something very sad happened, we were walking Dragon as usual and we seen this very well trained dog, we decided to ask the man if he was a dog trainer and if he could help us with Dragon as he's not very good with dogs, he said he'd bring his dog on the lead towards Dragon which was also on the lead they sniffed and everything was going ok, he said take your dog of the lead and just relax, so we did and Dragon was not bothered by the other dog, then another dog came and still Dragon didnt care we then start throwing Dragon a ball he'd get it come back and not care about the dogs, the man then said he didn't think Dragon was aggressive and we thought the same at the time, we then decided to put the ball away to see if Dragon would play with the other dog, as soon as we put the ball away Dragon looked around to see where we was putting the ball and within a minute he jumped on the other dog grabbed him by the neck and would not let go, we was holding both dogs and pulling them away but nothing would make Dragon stop, after about 4 minutes he gave in and let go, luckily the other was not hurt.

We going to start taking Dragon to lessons to make him better with other dogs and we'll be meeting the owner of the other dog everyday and take Dragon on walks with the other dog so he gets to know him and hopefully the lessons will help him as he is a very fast learner.

Sounds like Dragon got over-excited? Especially if he's not used to playing with other dogs.

Good to hear that the owner of the other dog is still willing to let his dog play with Dragon.

Good luck, and do let us know how you get on.

Where you went wrong is assuming the other owner was a dog trainer, just because his dog was behaving itself!

Dog trainers (proper ones) have years of training themselves, and have qualifications to show for it. They would never offer advice over the park - they'd ask you to either make an appointment to see them professionally or to attend one of their classes!

Most dogs are fine around others given a distraction, taking that away made him aware of the dog. Doesn't make him da just more appealing and happy to have a ball Xx

No he was not a dog trainer, he said he was good with dogs and tried to help us out, but accidents happen and also Dragon was "ok" with the other dog while on the lead and also of the lead he didn't seem to care about the dog or the dogs around him but out of nowhere he went crazy, and no he wasn't playing and it wasn't because he got excited, he was just stood next to me while we was putting the ball away he stayed there for abit while we was talking to the man then he went to the other dog and grabbed him, but I'm sure he was not playing. The owner of the other dog was very nice and didn't mind it and he said we could meet him tomorrow and just walk on the lead both dogs.

The classes with a professional should help. Also walking the dogs together will be beneficial as it will let them get comfortable with each other as well as release energy before engaging in play.

By all means walk them together, but knowing Dragon's problems over the past couple of months, keep any interraction short & sweet! Let them play, but then back on lead at least for a while.

janey wrote:
Most dogs are fine around others given a distraction, taking that away made him aware of the dog. Doesn't make him da just more appealing and happy to have a ball Xx

I see what you mean the thing is he knew the dog was there because I wasn't always throwing the ball and every so often he'd look at the dog which was right next to him. I just hope the lessons will work as we do walk him alot and it's ashame he has to be on the lead around other dogs.

A dog trainer would NEVER have let you do that.

The other place you went wrong was pushing too fast. He was fine with the ball, so let him have the ball. He doesn't need to play with other dogs, just tolerate them. Some dogs just don't like others and it is best to not stress out about it but just get on with it and work the best way you know. It is not something you can force, esp with staffies. Hating other dogs is pretty engraved in their history.

Caryll wrote:By all means walk them together, but knowing Dragon's problems over the past couple of months, keep any interraction short & sweet! Let them play, but then back on lead at least for a while.

Yes but I will not be letting Dragon of the lead for awhile when there's dog, this time we was lucky as the owner of the other dog was nice but he could of bitten any other dog and the owner could of called the police, so until I trust Dragon to not bite other dogs he'll be kept on the lead, we'll walk him with other dogs let them sniff while on the lead and see how he gets on also the classes should help him as he's really cleaver it's just ashame he's old owner made him like this