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Puppy injured after Resource guarding towards another dog

Behavioral Issues
  • I really like the first time posters! YAY! Way to go @PeteThePig95 @bsla11

    When we brought Jengo home I had to leash train him. We took him to the dog park and he avoided other dogs 90% of the time and got growly the the other 10%. If any dog ever came up behind him he wouldn't tolerate it. He would also never back down from any other dog regardless of size. I watched him put a German Shepherd on its back with his mouth around it's throat. We left quickly. Very disconcerting.

    My solution for you... leave. I had to become adept at reading not only Jengo, but the other dogs at the dog park, always. I had to learn to read the behaviors other dogs might exhibit in advance of them doing so that might set Jengo off. In some cases I could distract him. In others I just had to hook him up and leave.

    Jengo loved the dog park. Loved it. But, it was rarely relaxing for me. My head was always on a swivel constantly looking for, anticipating and trying to avoid trouble.

    I never stopped taking him until his stroke. He loved it so much. But, I tried hard to make sure he was by my side, or I was by his. And, I was never afraid or embarrassed to leave.

  • @PeteThePig95 thanks for sharing. Your boy sounds a lot like mine except for the resource guarding. It can be very disheartening on walks etc when he gets snappy with other dogs, but I genuinely don't believe it's aggression, more like extreme assertion 😂 Anyway I have always found the advice from people on this forum very helpful and reassuring, so you are in the right place.

  • I have an 11 month old female and noticed a difference in dog parks after her first season at Christmas - she's become a little selective towards
    other dogs and intolerant of annoying behaviour, at times getting aggressive in response to it

    If her recall was better I would still take her and call her back at the first hint of trouble, but she won't come back when called if distracted (despite lots of practice) so we have stopped going.

    She goes out for walks on the lead a couple of times a day and greets other dogs, occasionally getting a chance to play when on the lead and we hire a private dog walking field weekly for off lead exercise and recall practice. We also have a big garden.

    It would be nice to have been able to continue with the dog parks, as when it's going well she gets so much out of it but I don't want to be responsible for an injury when I can't reliably call her back yet.

  • I've encountered a few people (with their dogs on leash) who, upon first approach, reach down and swing their dog's butt toward my dog so he can smell. Then, I do the same for their dog. After that, the dogs are fine - it's quite nice to encounter dog savvy people!

  • @alibobo yea that's how I'd word it too actually extreme assertion because he doesn't really injure anyone but just maintains his place

  • @pawla said in Puppy injured after Resource guarding towards another dog:

    reach down and swing their dog's butt toward my dog

    seriously? the two dogs don't just do this naturally?

  • @elbrant this just sounds too funny 🤣

  • @elbrant - Pretty normal elbrant to do this when the dogs are on lead....

  • Bliss has not been to a park in a very long time.
    Park shutdowns ,then winter and now recovery.
    That said, she does enjoy the park, though more often then not, after visiting with all the people, unless the whippet is there, she just moves into the middle of the
    park, sits down and observes. There have been occasions where other dogs have been aggressive and she mostly ignores them.
    When at home and another dog is here, she shares everything.
    Her dog pals often go home her bone.

    Now, having said all that, when I took her for her first short walk after two months of confinement she growled and lunged at the first dog we encountered.
    Told her tsktsk and sit and that was that. But, I'm a bit concerned.
    Will she continue to be so magnanimous?
    Time will tell.

  • @bernadette My doodle seemed to have some slight personality disorders this spring as well. I didn't consider that it was related to getting back to normal after Covid. I do think it may have been related to the typical mating season. Now that the season has passed and all of the canine hormones have settled down, doodle has as well. I'll keep an eye out to see if the behavior pattern repeats this fall.

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    J
    I'm no Basenji expert since I've only had one. And, I don't want to start a dog park argument. I'll just share my experience. Jengo LOVED running free, but he's a Basenji. Can't do that cause... cars. The dog park near our house is HUGE. A big completely enclosed lawn area the size of a football field with towering oak trees. We were OCD about keeping Jengo's vaccinations up to date. He was chipped and wore a collar with contact and rabies tags 24/7. He loved the dog park, but not all the dogs there. He hated any dog of any size that would try to dominate him in any way. He rarely instigated it, but he never tolerated it meaning regardless of size... he wouldn't back down. He also hated if another dog approached him from behind and would snap immediately. My solution was to stay near him and to keep moving. We would walk laps around the perimeter and by about the second or third lap he'd been or had checked out all the other dogs. Then things were good. If I saw that he was getting anxious I'd usually catch it before he reacted and would tell him "Easy". 9 times out 10 that was enough. I'd also make sure that he was aware of dogs in our vicinity so that he wouldn't be surprised if they came from behind. We went to the park for years. He never caught anything that I was aware of. I did pick him up and leave if there was another dog he and/or I weren't comfortable with. And, I also recall walking away before ever entering the park if there was a dog we didn't like already there. I guess my point is that part of protecting your dog and others is knowing and focusing on them without over-reacting at the same time. I don't want to set him off. But, I want to know what he's going to do before he does. You have to read him. All dogs give signals one way or another. Tune in to your dog, not the other people at the park. I liked the other people at the park, but I wasn't there for them. My focus was always on Jengo.
  • My dog bit me.

    Behavioral Issues
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    DebraDownSouthD
    :::Note: I’m not a professional trainer, I have a degree in psychology and im a teacher; a dog is like a 2-4 year old. Every dog is different though, maybe I’ve just gotten lucky, but what I’ve been doing has been working for me; maybe it will for you.::: LOL, not luck... good common sense. We do basic training to get solid responses in controlled environments, which gives a good base for expanding it to other situations. Like eeeefarm, I don't thing animal aggressive dogs need to socialize with strange dogs. I keep them separated. For the unexpected, working at home on basic commands (Leave It!, "look at me" to focus on you and understand the other dog is off limits, solid 100 percent down-stay) can help you avoid your dog getting revved enough to bite. That means you have to stay on top of things, change directions if necessary, and be firm and loud in asking others to not approach with their dog. Training is wonderful bonding, and it exercises their brains. http://www.clickerlessons.com/index.htm
  • 0 Votes
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    tanzaT
    The surgery to reopen the growth plate was 2 wks after the first surgery. We had x-rays 4 times in those two weeks to keep an eye on the growth plate condition. Her surgeon said that usually if the growth plate is going to close early, it will happen usually within 2 wks of the trauma
  • Aggression toward small dogs

    Behavioral Issues
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    eeeefarmE
    @CanisBasenjius: And then there of course is your key phrase, "if the dog has been properly trained with the fence". Many are poorly trained with the fence and, IME, many are willing to run through it given a good enough reason. Just one more reason I dislike them. Gotta say, I agree with everyone else that has said, "Get a physical fence." If you had one, OP, this would never have happened. That is indeed the key phrase, and I should have emphasized it more. Of course, if a small dog teased at the fence when the confined dog was still in training, you bet an association could result! And I would agree some dogs certainly do learn to run through invisible fence. I have a friend with one of those. Two of her three (non Basenjis) never do it, one will with sufficient provocation. She knows she will get zapped, but she just runs fast and takes the punishment to get at those darn coyotes! To the original point, I don't have a handy dog example, but my friend's stallions have not learned to dislike mares in heat because they get zapped trying to get at them. They know it is the fence and they know they are going to get a jolt, but a mare flashing right by the fence is sometimes just too much temptation! They don't go through the fence, however. Gallagher has a way of changing your mind. :) However, they have no issues breeding the same mares when the fence is not in the way, and show no difference in attitude toward them and other mares that have not been close to the fence, so I would say there is no confusion there in terms of the cause of the shock. Of course, horses may be smarter than the average dog….. In the city, I think an actual physical fence is pretty much a necessity. In the country, depending on circumstances, maybe not so much.
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    krunzerK
    @Patty: In my opinion you shouldn't be showing him like this - even though this aggression seems to be against certain individuals there could be a time when he takes against the judge. Yes, getting kicked out of the ring because your dog growls and won't stand still for the judge is very very embarrasing!! This did not happen to me with a B but the Shiba Inu we had. I was 16, it was her first show and she growled at the judge and would not stand still on the table…...I got excused from the ring.....in my hometown.....and its a small little show, 175 dogs. After that show we got her spayed, as I did not want to carry on that temperment in puppies. She was a very good dog but I am glad we spayed her because she had an attitude! She was my first show dog and we did not do proper research on the breeder first. Sorry, this is getting off topic.
  • Resource/territory guarding???

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    QuercusQ
    <> Yay! Perfect resource! Keep up the good work!