Bullying other dogs!!!
 When Julius starts acting up, I try to grab him (so hard to get him out of that zone) and make him lie down until he is calm and then let him back up.........but he goes right back into it!!! And sometimes if I reprimand him (never in a mean way), he bites at me!! Any suggestions? |
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| He is no longer the baby puppy but a full on juvenile now. My suggestion is take him to obedience classes under the trainer you can work up from there as far as his behaviour is and you will also learn how to handle and get Julius to respond to your commands as well. Also it socialises them to lots of different dogs and if you put in the classes & training with him then seeing other dogs then should be down the track "No Big Deal". By the time you do classes with him and work to off lead fun with others, other dogs should not be a problem. Put in the time before he developes into a fully mature male and it will be OK with Julius, he just needs boundarys now and you need advice on this too, even down to if he is playing up how to rectify and get his attention to stop him being a bully boy.  |
| If a dog is too out of control, I'll put him on a leash (with me always holding it) to prevent the behavior from escalating into even more inappropriate behavior. Once they pass a certain point of excitement, I have no control. By not allowing the excitement to reach that level, I have a better chance of redirecting them toward calmer play. Kobuck was such a wild man outdoors when he first arrived because he had several dogs that would play with him. But he was too exuberant and I found I had no control over anyone in his play group of 4 dogs when he took off running at high speeds around the yard. It was dangerous and someone could get hurt so I had to back up and take a different approach. I first worked with him individually. I would tell him "toy" or "ball" and put it in his mouth until he would willingly go over and pick up what I was saying. He had been separated from the others while playing outdoors here- http://oesusa.com/Page283.html We also said "toy" in the house where play was already more calm. He was also a boy that liked to go for the hocks when playing... still does at times but usually when wrestling with Bumble in the house. He was then taken out to play with only one dog... he wasn't allowed to run but was instead encouraged to interact with another dog. I would tell him "toy" or "ball" and it was put in his mouth. I wanted him to interact with a dog rather than play chase. Once he understood what I was telling him to do, he was let off leash. I couldn't yet control him but I found I could control the other dog. So if he took off running, I would stop the game by calling the other dog to me (I have a stomping-stick that I stomp on the ground or deck to get their attention) and telling Kobuck "ball/toy". With no dog to chase him, the game fizzled. As soon as Kobuck picked up the ball or toy, the other dog was released again so they could interact. If it started again, the same thing happened. I did this with each dog in his playgroup. Once he understood what was going to be allowed, the group was again brought together to play outside- http://oesusa.com/index.1485.jpg It's not perfect... it can still happen on occasion and when it does, Kobuck gets a brief time out which he HATES.  But it's so much better than it was. You can see it happening here- http://www.oesusa.com and the game was stopped. They get tunnel vision because they're focused on the dog they're chasing and nothing else... it's just too dangerous. You can also see the type of play I try to encourage where the focus is more on toys.You're dealing with a puppy... Kobuck was 22 months when he arrived so there's a big difference. I think it's natural for some OES to play the way you've described but it can be viewed as offensive by other dogs. If he has bite inhibition, it's not so bad... if he doesn't, the other dog is going to get mad. So you need to protect the other dog while training yours. You might try to wear him out with a walk or game before he's allowed to play with the other dog. Provide toys for the two dogs to play with together. If he starts going for the other dog's body, try to redirect him with a toy and say "toy" or "ball". Jolly Balls are #1 here, ropes are good too... I even used a twin sheet that I folded and tied knots in. And supervise/control what's happening. I think dogs need to be allowed to make mistakes in order for us to guide them toward acceptable behavior and for them to learn limits. If he's always tied up, he'll never learn appropriate behavior. Still, it doesn't always work out the way we want it to. I'm sure others will post with more ideas. |
My boy Rufus was like that too. I was nervous about taking him to training, but was amazed at how quickly he learned to be calm around other dogs. I just trained him to focus on me, which I thought he would never do, but he learned quick! Go to training classes, you will begin to enjoy your relationship with your dog a lot more  |
This is exactly what my 15 month old male does  - we've just starting training classes with him again, but he was in obedience classes until he was 12 months anyway. He's fine in a class environment - will even stay in the middle of a room off lead with a bunch of other dogs (staying also) - but off lead 'play', or face-to-face on lead and he's right back to being a bully. Unfortunately I have no advice, but will be interested in the responses you get. |
| Same with Julius!!! He is great with the dogs at class, but when he is "playing", especially one on one, he is def a bully!!! We are meeting with a behaviorist on Tues of next week about it, so I will post how it goes!! Ann Marie & Julius |
Will really look forward to hearing how that goes! We're meeting up with a trainer for some one-to-one sessions with her dogs soon, so hopefully that will help  |
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