Dog being a knob and feeling hopeless

[dangermouseisace]

I know he's not really being a knob, that he's just being a dog and it's all my fault for being a shit owner. Just had a crap few days. Hear me out. I have a normally lovely but crazy (I like crazy) labradoodle. Mainly poodle. Gets on with nearly all dogs, loves humans etc.

There is 1 dog in the neighbourhood where there is a personality clash. Pointer type; it did the whole growly gnashy thing at him when my dog was just a puppy practising sitting whilst waiting to cross a road. Every since then they hate each other. If they encounter each other off lead the other dog ends up pinning mine down. We were running through the woods and I let him off the lead...then I hear the noise, run up, grab him accidentally by the tail which caused more yelping. Apologies all round from his owner and likewise from me. The dogs were ok stood at a distance with me and the other owner talking, but we were all shook up and the other owner got pulled over by his dog.

So I tried to keep things low key yesterday. Today we met other dogs in the park, ones we knew. I thought he seemed ok to let off the lead. He ran into a poor teenage girl and knocked her over- he hasn't done that since he was a puppy (he's very fast and 20kg). I'm worried about her, again, all the apologies, checking she's ok, instructions to contact me if she's not. Then he goes and snarls at her smaller dog and pins him down- there was a ball nearby and I don't know if that had something to do with it or whether he's still in heightened state from the encounter the other day.

I feel like never letting him off the lead again. He's nearly 3, not usually possessive eg I can remove things from his mouth, and he was neutered at about 15 months. Is this a reaction to the altercation with the dog he doesn't get on with, poor training on my part or something else?

My mental health is absolutely on the floor due to multiple factors so if anyone is going to have a go at me I'd appreciate no name-calling or swearing just now. Thank you

I don't think anyone can tell you an exact reason from what you've posted, but my thoughts are:

• it could be a reaction to being pinned down and bitten/scared by the other dog.
• sometimes aggression can come from early neutering, especially fear-based aggression.
• your dog shouldn't be off the lead and out of your sight, and he especially shouldn't be off-lead around other people if he won't recall to you and will jump and hurt them.

I really don't want to sound horrible, but legally speaking your dog was out of control on two occasions this weekend. He was out of your sight and pestering another (on lead from the sound of things?) dog, and then he ran off from you and injured someone.

I think you would benefit from a 1-2-1 trainer or behaviourist who can assess the issues in person and figure out a plan of action. Good luck.

The other dog wasn't on a lead at all, at any time, whereas mine was swiftly shoved back on the lead when I got to him. As the other dogs reactive behaviour is apparently worse on lead. He had literally just gone around the corner in the woods where we were and run all the time, so I was about 5 seconds behind, and the sound started from the moment I couldn't see him. He usually comes back when I call him. TBH I didn't bother calling- I just grabbed him as soon as I saw him (trying to get away from the other dog)which is probably the wrong thing to do but I was panicking. The running and knocking a girl was him running around with other dogs in an enclosed field rather than him just going off randomly...he’d seen them, sat down looked at me so I'd assumed everything was ok. He usually runs about with other dogs but not into humans in the process. I think I must have looked away in the time the girl got knocked over- literally seconds.
Not adverse to training though- I've taken him to 1:1 training before, and 1 session was seen by the trainer as sufficient. I don't know quite what I’d be asking for...it seems to be more a “me” issue now I've explained the situation further

Like I am the problem for not being observant/switched on enough

Well I can't comment on what you have put but I have a cocker spaniel, who is the daftest loveliest dog. On walks she will lie down and go solid and be immovable if a child comes near until that child fusses her. She loves children much more than other dogs. Having said that, I have her on a L-O-N-G expandable lead and I would NEVER let her off it. I remind myself she has a spaniel's brain which means when she sees something she stops listening to me. I personally hate dogs running up and jumping up so I keep her on the lead.

Only time she is off lead is on a beach when there are no people around. Her lead is so long she doesn't even notice she has it on I think!

@dangermouseisace

Like I am the problem for not being observant/switched on enough

You are.

When our dogs behave badly it is because we have failed to teach them properly/haven’t correctly read their body language.

He was out of control twice on one walk, if you know there is a dog he dislikes he needs to be on his lead unless you are 100% sure that dog is not around.

My dog is a bit of a knob too and isn't very good at reading other dogs - he's a rescue and I think was poorly socialised. Read up on trigger stacking - basically when he's had a fright (or indeed a fight) the theory is that he'll be revved up for a while and a little thing can set him off/back.

Mine got into a scrap with a reactive dog on lead, it wasn't the dogs fault, DP thought they were behaving nicely and stood talking to the owner and just pushed the envelope too far. Anyhoo, I kept him on lead and very, very quiet for at least a month after that and walked him at quieter times/in quieter places. He settled back down pretty quickly and is back to his predictable/recallable self.

Ah, see how you described it in your OP is not how describe it in your follow-up post.

In your first scenario - if both dogs were off-lead then technically neither is at fault but your dog shouldn't be running out of your sight. If he won't come back or stop to your voice or whistle, then he needs to be on a long-line or lead - especially in areas where you can't see where he's going and what dangers may be there.

Was the enclosed field an enclosed field specifically for off-lead dogs, or just an area that happens to be an enclosed space? If the former, then I think it's a risk you take being there as dogs who are running about together can get a bit rough (and not look where they're going) but if the latter, again your dog still needs to be under your control even if it's in a secure space.

My dog has poor recall around other dogs so he's often on a long-line on his walks. It's a pain but it's my responsibility to keep him safe and to stop him from running off, pestering other people and dogs, and to keep him from potentially getting injured or lost.

Dogs can get lost and run from you in seconds, please try to keep him in your sight (and on a lead if necessary). If he'd ran and there was a road or he'd come across a big, reactive on-lead dog he could have been badly hurt or worse.

OK, I think you need to take a step back and stop letting your emotions about this overwhelm you.

At 3, your dog is still young. With dominant poodle traits, he'll be spirited and intelligent probably not a little bit stubborn!

All is not lost.

His behaviour seems to be reactive and might be taking advantage of changes in your mood lately.

Focus on a return to training basics and enlist the help of a good trainer who helps with reactive dogs. Avoid the other dog as much as possible and keep your dog on a lead whenever he may be likely to encounter this other dog.

I'd also say keep him on a lead until such a time as your confident in his behaviour again. Don't use a retractable one, keep him on a normal one. Where he needs space to run and burn off energy, go somewhere without other dogs for a while, preferably where you can see the whole space. Ask locally (perhaps via fb) if someone had a secure private field you can use for dog walks where you can let him off safely and he can burn off steam.

Take a ball to throw or something and include training games in your walks.

Finally, stop beating yourself up. Few people are expert dog handlers and many of us encounter behavioural issues sometimes. Your dog's seem to have a clear cause which gives you a good starting point for dealing with it and you're doing the right thing by asking for advice.

I was also going to suggest looking at trigger stacking.
I also sympathise with you OP, ive got a 5 month old collie and it feels like hes just suddenly gone out of control, started barking at every dog he sees and pulling like a train on his lead. At home hes jumping on furniture and has starting lunging at me - not DH obviously. Right now ive got massive puppy regret 😥

My very placid dog was attacked very badly (needed 5 weeks of treatment at vets after) and it's made him reactive. As a result, I can't predict how he will react to other dogs. So he stays mostly on a lead unless we're walking somewhere where I can see well ahead of us. Makes me really angry especially as the other dog owner still lives in the village and sticks 2 fingers up to the court order that means his dog should be muzzled and on a lead at all times........

But he's my dog, and my job is to protect him. I'd find a trainer that will work 1 to 1 with you and give you the tools to feel confident that you're in control and not your dog.

No idea if you can do this, but if it’s literally only this one dog, could you swap numbers with the other owner and if you’re planning on going somewhere and letting your dog off lead, just drop them a message?

I think a couple of steps back, keep your dog on lead for at least a month, look at a reactive trainer, and see where you go from there?

Its not you. However I think there is a lot a good trainer could help you with.

I would be looking at focus on you in all environments and also calmness. There are many fun ways to teach this to your dog. It is worth doing as the more successful you both are at this the better the life becomes for both of you.

Op don't beat your self up . I would say nearly everyone has experienced this . I know I have an I am not a shit dog owner . I adore my dog they are just like children . They chose when to listen or not . I have had 121 and I woundnt waste my money again . You can do it yourself . Just watch YouTube videos . X

I'd say it's the previous day's encounter than caused him to be like that the following day. My friend's dog became reactive after several encounters with aggressive dogs, so it's not uncommon. Can you find a friend with a quiet, placid dog? Me and friend with reactive dog take our two for on-lead walks: my quiet dog is helping her reactive dog learn to be OK around other dogs. We keep them FAR apart and avoid other dogs though. Or can you do some counter-conditioning (keep him on lead, treat-treat-treat when other dogs come by)?

It does depend on how reactive he has become, but if you act now and catch it, you'll have a chance to stop it before it becomes ingrained behaviour. But yes, keep him on lead, close by, loads of treats to distract, and limit walks to shorter, calmer ones for a while if you can. Avoiding bouncy and aggressive dogs for now is the priority, giving you a chance to 'reset' how he feels.

(I don't think you're a bad owner, btw: the owner of the aggressive pointer doesn't sound great tho! There's no way he should be allowing his dog to pin any dog down in the first place.)

I have a pointer type dog, she is a knob.
Her best friend is a labradoodle, who is also a knob (lots of poodle traits)

Big deep breath, some dogs are harder work than others, accepting this helps with the frustration. Knobby dogs are very frustrating.

When you bump into the pointer, communicate with the owner and try something like walking across a field at 20m distance. They are not going to become friends but life will be easier if they can tolerate each other.

When your dog is being knobbish, you are able to grab hold of her. Congratulations, this means she is a second grade knob and likes being near you. Knobbish pointers misbehave 200m away if they have been allowed to lose the plot. You are doing OK.

If your dog has been a knob, she will hold the memory for a couple of days. Keep her on the lead and do lots of training and treats. Knocking a person over is a big no-no. My knobbish dickhead would be on about 2 weeks lead or longline training for that.

Don't worry about going back to see a behaviourist, people like you and me keep them employed

My terrier can be reactive to certain breeds after being attacked so is there anywhere you can walk where you don't meet many dogs for a while?

I think you need to concentrate on calm walks with no dog interactions for a while. Hope it gets better, it's annoying as hell having to look out for "dangers" everywhere

Thank you all for your comments/advice. I've taken it on board and we've been doing a lot of lead walking and getting Knobdog to “look at me” and generally do ridiculous things on our walks. The lead only was good advice too, because yesterday he had a funny few seconds at a similar looking dog to SwornEnemyDog, today same dog….absolutely fine. We’re going to stay lead only for some time yet, I feel, and work out where to go next.

Good to hear, op

As others have said I would not beat yourself up over this. I have had a terrible experience with my cocker spaniel in the last couple of days which has made me realize that there are just some times when he is totally crazy and takes off causing havoc. It has really shaken me up, I was in tears and mortified at myself for stupidly letting it happen.