I have three lovely Westies - two elderly ladies, one 15 plus, one 13 plus, both with medical problems since before Christmas, limiting their ability to go out for good runs, and a boy of three, a really affectionate and friendly dog whose only dislike is fluorescant jackets.
My little boy and I go for long walks in the park, common etc and he meets and greets everyone amicably. He loves playing with all the other dogs, whatever the breed, big, small, with no problems.
However, mid-December I met a lady with a delightful black male Lab, a lovely dog, but my boy took against him. I was amazed. He flew at this dog, barking and attempting to bite its bottom and tail. The other dog fortunately went on ahead with its owner - rushing away from us - with me chasing to catch my dog and apologising profusely.
I have kept an eye out ever since, but was caught out last week when the same dog was in the care of a professional dog walker. It all happened again. Luckily my dog failed in his attempt to bite the Lab's tail and bottom, but the person in charge was understandably livid and said I had a dangerous dog, out of control and he should be muzzled. My protestations that this was an isolated incident didn't placate her and I fortunately caught my dog and went in the opposite direction. My Westie then went on happily to play with all the other dogs he met, including Labradors with no problems.
We nearly met again, but I saw the person coming and caught my dog - but believe it or not even from a distance he knew and once again was tugging at his lead barking. I am at a complete loss to understand this. It sounds stupid but could this dog be smelling of something that my dog dislikes. I am completely stumped, worried and being very careful and aware when I am out. I feel so awful as the other dog is so nice.
Any theories or answers would be much appreciated.
Jillian Paul, Reigate, Surrey
Karen Wild, Canine Behaviour Counsellor, says...
It can be such a shock to have your dog suddenly decide that another dog is not going to be one of their usual playmates! Please don't feel bad - I often come across cases where a dog has taken a particular dislike to a specific dog. It sounds like your Westie is attempting to chase away what he interprets as a threat. It may be that something about the other dog (or a similar dog) has 'spooked' your Westie in the past. This could indeed be scent, although there are many other combined influences on what your dog is reacting to. It may be that this other dog has or has not been castrated, that it may 'stare' at your own dog or offer other unwelcome body language - sometimes, even just size or colour of another dog can affect response. This said, it is essential that you look at regaining control of your Westie so that the other owner does not feel that your dog is going to hurt theirs. Calmly working on a rock solid recall command, with your own dog on a long line so you can reinforce the behaviour, is a good idea. You should also work on desensitising your dog to the sight of the other dog so that he is rewarded for calm behaviour and begins to feel that the appearance of the other dog is actually enjoyable. I would consult a professional behaviourist who uses kind methods, as you do not want your dog to feel this way about other dogs in future. If you take proper precautions now, you are less likely to be accused of your dog being out of control in public. If you are concerned that your dog may bite, you should consider a muzzle, at least in the meantime while you are calming your dog and re-training reliability to your command.
It could be anything. It could be the way the dog smells, the way he looks, the way he acts. Dogs pick up on so much that us owners miss that you never know what it is that's setting him off.
ReplyDeleteHowever, if it's just the one dog that's the problem then the situation can be very easily managed even if it can't be solved.
The first thing you need to do though is relax: if your boy picks up on you being tense then he'll tense up himself. I know it's hard when you're worried but it'll be good for both of you.
Secondly, always carry some really tasty treats with you when you're out. Something your dog thinks is absolutely amazing, like cheese or chicke. As soon as you see the other dog leash yours up and distract him with the treats until the other dog has passed. He'll quickly pick up that the unliked-dog means amazing things from you and should hopefully quickly come running to you when he sees the lab!
Dogs are like people in that they have their likes and dislikes. This lab might be giving off some vibes that really unnerve your little Westie.
ReplyDeleteHe obviously feels he has to go on the offensive when he meets it. There is usually an element of fear involved, and this dog probably is making your dog feel unconfident.
It's really good that your dog can play with other dogs, including Labs, without any problem because at lease the Lab's owner can see he is not an aggressive dog normally.
I agree with the person above that you need to remain calm, and it certainly helps to offer treats and get him running back to you so you can put his lead on.
Once that's done, if he continued growling and lunging at the Lab, you could give him a little lead correction to jolt him out of his defensive mode, or distract him in some other way, or just walk on.
With a bit of deliberate exposure, I'm sure any good behaviourist would tell you that you could probably get the two dogs to tolerate each other perfectly well, although they might never be best friends, but in this case the lab owner night not want to help.
I think the best thing is endless socialisation to the point where a dog might see a dog he doesn't like the look of, but because he has become so at ease in canine company he just doesn't bother to react, instead just greeting dogs he likes the look of.
Julia Lewis
Julia Lewis