We have an almost 6 mo old boston terrier. Big problem with us is we have NO puppy kindergarten where I live (earliest the local trainers accept is 6mo and yes she is enrolled to start in August) or a dog park, and we know no one with a dog save my sis in law's 6 yr old lab. So, the only contact she has with other dogs is on walks, so I am worried especially when winter comes and she is not outside as much.
She is great with all the basic obedience commands now, doesn't display alpha behaviors with us or the kids. I am concerned about her encounters with other dogs and with what I feel are pretty limited opportunities to socialize her. We also don't have opportunities for alot of people over either.
When she meets a dog her size, there is pretty much never any sniffing butts, circling, tentativeness, approaching with the ears back, etc. Only once have I ever seen her do this, after she was totally OWNED by a pitbull/bull mastiff mix and immediately rolled onto her back on initial meeting, for which I was very glad. She needs to be knocked down a peg or two LOL! Basically, she is waaay toooo eager....jumps up on the other dog's back, and just keeps at them, even when the other dog is barking and backing off...it's like she is not getting the message. I have never seen her snarl or growl another dog, just lots of leaping, licking, etc etc. The other owner usually is uncomfortable and scared thier dog will hurt mine. On a rare occasion I can snap her out of that mindset (to use a Cesar Milan term) by a quick tug on her leash/harness or a sharp sound by me, just before she starts leaping at the dog across the street. She will on occasion go into a sit for me before getting too frisky with the other dog that is up close, but it's a very tense high strung sit.
With people like kids at the playground, I basically don't let them pet her, until she stops leaping, jumping, etc. Then one or two can approach her slowly, but if she starts freaking/jumping again I have them back off. I think (very) slowly she is learning to calm a bit in that situation. At home we always try to enforce with us she cannot just come to leap into our lap, we stop her, put her into a sit, and then she can come up when we want to. This is not translating into other people though.
Any advice? I don't want a full grown 20+ lb boston who knocks a kid over!!! Thanks!
She is great with all the basic obedience commands now, doesn't display alpha behaviors with us or the kids. I am concerned about her encounters with other dogs and with what I feel are pretty limited opportunities to socialize her. We also don't have opportunities for alot of people over either.
When she meets a dog her size, there is pretty much never any sniffing butts, circling, tentativeness, approaching with the ears back, etc. Only once have I ever seen her do this, after she was totally OWNED by a pitbull/bull mastiff mix and immediately rolled onto her back on initial meeting, for which I was very glad. She needs to be knocked down a peg or two LOL! Basically, she is waaay toooo eager....jumps up on the other dog's back, and just keeps at them, even when the other dog is barking and backing off...it's like she is not getting the message. I have never seen her snarl or growl another dog, just lots of leaping, licking, etc etc. The other owner usually is uncomfortable and scared thier dog will hurt mine. On a rare occasion I can snap her out of that mindset (to use a Cesar Milan term) by a quick tug on her leash/harness or a sharp sound by me, just before she starts leaping at the dog across the street. She will on occasion go into a sit for me before getting too frisky with the other dog that is up close, but it's a very tense high strung sit.
With people like kids at the playground, I basically don't let them pet her, until she stops leaping, jumping, etc. Then one or two can approach her slowly, but if she starts freaking/jumping again I have them back off. I think (very) slowly she is learning to calm a bit in that situation. At home we always try to enforce with us she cannot just come to leap into our lap, we stop her, put her into a sit, and then she can come up when we want to. This is not translating into other people though.
Any advice? I don't want a full grown 20+ lb boston who knocks a kid over!!! Thanks!
. I think my dog is just psycho around other dogs and I don't know what to DO anymore. NO dog parks around here. Only know one other person (sis in law) with dog. Mine's only contact with other dogs is random ones on walks as I said before. Winter is coming and I know her contact will be even less.
. After class, we took the calmest dog in the class, and mine, and let them both off the leash with no one else there. (instructor said some dogs are better when they are not restricted by leash and she thought she might not be so obsessive about getting at the others, so we thought we would try this). They chased each other for half and hour. You could see she would leave him, go get a drink etc, do the play body language, etc. Both of them did various dominant/submissive moves like exposing the belly. it took her another half hour at home to calm (her breathing, etc) She has a playdate with the instructor's dog (mine's father, incidentally, this instructor owns the mother too and both are calm) privately on Fri to see how it goes.
