Antisocial dog

[withextradinosaurs]

My dog does not like other dogs much. With about three exceptions, as long as they leave him alone he leaves them alone and all is good. (There are three dogs locally he barks at and would pick a fight with given the chance.)

He is from rescue. I know very little of his background. He is good with people and children.

A friend visited with her dog and got upset because RescueDog growled at hers all afternoon if he got too near. Her dog "just wanted to be friends" (sigh) and my dog "has issues".

Should I take this more seriously? I don't have a need for him to be dog-friendly, provided he does not start picking more fights.

[tabulahrasa]

I don't think your dog has issues, I think he's not keen on other dogs (and that's fine as he ignores them), one came in his house and harassed him and all he did was tell them to move away when they got too close.

Some dogs just don't want to socialise with other dogs.

I'd be more bothered about the fact that her dog kept getting too close even though it was being told to by your dog repeatedly. Send her this it'd be much more useful than you worrying about your dog.

[Boudica1990]

I didn't want to read and dash, I can't offer much help behaviour wise but wanted to say you could also tie a yellow ribbon to your dog's leed, this indicates to other dog owners that your dog needs space, and to not approach.

[Floralnomad]

Your dog sounds very much like mine and I just don't have dogs 'visit' the house . IMO ,it's as much my dogs home as it is mine and I wouldn't expect to have to put up with a visit from someone I don't like so I extend the same courtesy to my dog .

[withextradinosaurs]

Thanks, Tabula - that's brilliant.

Boudica, do you think enough people know what a yellow ribbon means?

Flora, I wasn't given much choice but I will hold the line in future.

[Floralnomad]

If your dog goes off lead I would advise against using the yellow ribbon approach.

[tabulahrasa]

I don't think enough people know what a yellow ribbon is...and you're then relying on them using common sense as well.

My dog is muzzled and on lead, yesterday, I saw a couple walking towards me with an off lead puppy, I did what I usually do, shorten my dog's lead so that I have him firmly by the head and step well off the path to let them by and prepared to wrestle with him if he tried to lunge at it.

I shouted up, he's not ok with dogs as their puppy was still coming towards me - oh she's only a puppy, she just wants to say hello was the only answer I got.

It wasn't until they saw him actually try to lunge at her that they suddenly got a bit worried about the muzzled Rottweiller being held by the head about 6 feet away from the path while the owner tried to tell them it wasn't ok with dogs and it occurred to them that maybe it wasn't a good idea to let their puppy come over.


Things like that happen to me most days - so if people ignore muzzles and me actually telling them, I can't see them taking much notice of a ribbon.

[Aked]

That must be so bloody frustrating tabularasa. Mine is young and 'just wants to be friends' with everyone, but I always try and get hold of her if I see someone coming, to check whether theirs is on a lead or not. I often have her on lead, for training purposes, and the amount of people that let their dogs come up amazes me. I'm just lucky enough that she doesn't have any issues.

From another perspective, when mine was a puppy I would ask other owners first if it was ok if she said hello to their dog. There was a couple with two Westies who said it was fine, and one then proceeded to make aggressive noises at mine. "Oh, she doesn't like puppies very much" they said Thanks a lot then!

People are so stupid. I agree, I don't think the yellow ribbon thing is known much, and people have no common sense anyway.

[Boudica1990]

Ahh I see your point, where I walk my dogs we see the same people all the time and two have a yellow ribbon, think it depends on the community and if you know the people around you.

I personally leash my dogs always when I see another dog, it's as much for my dogs safety as for theirs. I have alwaus done it. See dog = put leash on. My cocker is very friendly and loves bounding at other dogs, other dogs don't always like that and I respect it, the rodesian ridgeback can be too boistrous for many dogs and it upsets them.

I like many of you get fed up with "oh but he's friendly" mine are very friendly but I don't fancy being tangled in a web of leads dogs and confusion especially witH a bump too.

[SpicyPear]

Tabulah is spot on. Even you'd had your dog from a pup and done lots of socialisation, they may still have grown up to be a dog that preferred not to have much to do with other dogs.

My dogs are quite sociable but I do not allow other people to bring their dogs in our house. That might sound mean but it's their space and I don't see why they should have to deal with another dog in it. Some dogs that are very sociable on neutral territory will be very different on their own patch.

[withextradinosaurs]

Thanks, pear. I got very defensive when she started telling friends that my dog was a bully and mean to hers! All I saw was my dog asking hers not to invade his space.

[diddl]

You're brave!

Would never occur to me to have another dog in the house!

My dog has a reputation for being a nice dog and tbh he is really easy going!

But even so there are dogs he loves, dogs he ignores, dogs he tolerates & dogs he hides from!!