Over-friendly dog. Doesn’t read other dog’s signals

[MangoSeason]

My 15 month old neutered lab is over-friendly. He is a very large boy, even for a lab. He wants to roughhouse with every dog he meets and seems incapable of reading signals and respecting the boundaries of other dogs. Old? Need to play with me now! Nervous or reactive? Need to play with me now! Small? Need to play with me now! You get the picture.

His recall is a work in progress (good unless he sees a new “playmate” then all bets are off) and as a result, is on leash most of the time so I can control his approaches to other dogs. In the off-leash dog park, he is only ever allowed off leash to play with other dogs if I have chatted with the owner first and established that their dog is happy to engage in roughhousing.

As a result, he only ever plays with other big, over-friendly dogs! I am worried that this selecting of playmates is just reinforcing his behaviour. I kind of want him to meet a larger, sensible dog with boundaries of steel who can pin him down and firmly chastise him when he gets too much but it doesn’t happen.

He goes for daily walks, daily swims, lives on fenced acreage and has me home most of the day so he isn’t lacking stimulation.

Does anyone have any advice? I really would love him to learn to respect other dog’s boundaries but have no idea how to go about this.

A lot of people in my local parks sneer a bit at my long line but there are a few people who comment that it’s nice to see a fellow long liner. I think I have higher standards for recall and behaviour than other dog owners locally but I won’t take the risk of mine causing an anxious dog to lash out because my boy is a tit with no understanding of other dog’s feelings. Sneery dog owners do make me feel like I’m failing though.

Not at all. I'm pleased. He's like a teenager who's been given a taste of fruit cider at home in small volume but then gone out with mates with vodka and gone mental

@MrsBDarcy

Not at all. I'm pleased. He's like a teenager who's been given a taste of fruit cider at home in small volume but then gone out with mates with vodka and gone mental

Yep, I remember those days

Mine was an utter dick as a teenager - he's three now and much, much better luckily!

OP sounds like you are finding your dog’s behaviour more annoying than the actual dogs Believe me, if he was annoying them they would have no qualms in telling him off. Big dogs will often tolerate quite a lot of bounciness. If possible, try letting him meet a well behaved small adult dog, they will soon put him in his place! My 6kg dog has stopped bouncy bull mastiffs and German shepherd puppies in their tracks to name a few. Always funny when we next meet them to see them drop to their bellies and slink towards her

Believe me, if he was annoying them they would have no qualms in telling him off.

No no no. This isn't always the case at all. Yes, some dogs will snap and tell off an irritating youngster but others just become increasingly stressed and will shut down.

If you know your dog is annoying it's your responsibility as an owner to call it away and keep it under control.

Also, what happens if the dog that you've trusted to "tell yours off" ends up pinning it down and biting it, leaving your dog injured and terrified?

We have had some difficulties with our pup and are seeing a behaviourist. He says for dogs like yours they need a lot of time off lead to really get the stimulation they need and calm them down. He thinks lead walking isn’t enough.

Off lead time doesn't always calm a dog down, it really depends on what you're doing with the dog.

I find the best thing for an over excited dog is a long, slow sniffy walk going at the dogs' pace and allowing them to sniff every little thing they want to sniff. You may not get very far in terms of distance but you'll
calm them down and work their brains.

Running about can be great for some dogs but it can also hype them up, especially if you add in chasing balls or playing too much with others.