What is acceptable “telling off” by dog

[Arche]

We have a very boisterous, puppy. 16 weeks. On a walk our dog had a poor interaction with another. It started when my puppy and an older dog started to say hello - the other dog started to sniff bums, so did my pup momentarily, but then puppy shoved his face in the others dog’s face very abruptly. Puppy jumped in dog’s face really. Which caused the dog to growl and chase my puppy. The owners had to grab their dog. Whole thing lasted maybe 30 seconds.

The older dog’s owners said their dog was only telling the puppy this is not acceptable. And that there dog has only hand 2/3 poor experiences in the 9 years they had him. All due to puppies being too energetic for their dog’s liking.

There is telling off. I get how else do dogs learn. And then there is something else.

I have learned a lesson. Normally the telling off is a bark but this was extreme, no?

Until your dog has good recall, and can manage its puppy excitement better, I'd stick to a long line so that you can draw it in, or keep pup in check when meeting other dogs. Many dogs don't like other exuberant dogs jumping near their faces and will react accordingly.

I have a dachshund who will happily do some gentle sniffing with another dog, but as soon as the other hound gets jumpy my doxy will tell it off in what can come across as quite an aggressive manner. I keep him on a retractable lead for this reason, so that I can pull him away quickly. Basically, he's wary of any dog bigger than him, which is most dogs to be honest.

I have a five month old puppy at min. I only socialise him with other dogs I know who I can trust. I go to them or they come to me. They tell him off lots as they are teaching him rules and boundaries, bite inhibition ( much more successful and quicker than I can) and general dog rules.
It is very interesting to watch them teach him and him learn. It works fast.
I would never let him met an off lead dog or a dog I don’t know outside yet. It literally only takes one bad interaction for a dog to have reactivity issues going forward. When he fully learns correct doggie manners he will be allowed to meet but not yet.
Your dog stepped out of line and the other dog corrected him but you shouldn’t have let either of them be in that position yet.

I have found dachshunds the worst breed for interacting with my Lab puppy. Pretty much all others have been nice but dachshunds do seem to have a particularly wariness around other dogs bigger than them which is most of them as you say.

I also think most puppies do naturally have excellent recall as are afraid of straying too far from their owner ( until they hit adolescence & get more cocky). It’s probably more the dachshunds that have to stay on a long lead or at least the ones that can’t interact nicely with other dogs.

I've always let my puppies off asap but tend to call them in when unknown dogs appear: not all adult dogs like puppies.

That said, this interaction was within the bounds of normal. It's how puppies learn manners and practice the social skills that will set them up for future interactions with other dogs - which are inevitable, unless you live on your own large acreage with no footpaths or trespassers.

My goal with my dogs is a polite ‘hello’ and move on. Dogs actually don’t need to interact at all and most are very selective like us. They can have friends but generally I don’t encourage interaction at all.

Current dog is happy and relaxed in a training class with all other dogs under control. She works beautifully and if another dog comes up to her it’s a polite sniff then move on.

Offlead rough dogs worry her greatly. Another dog should not be in the position of telling yours off. There is no normal and it can end in tears.

I would have found the chasing really quite scary but the growling would be well within normal bounds.

My puppy is now six months and has been off lead in certain environments as soon as he was allowed out, and on a long line in others. He's had a lot of interaction with a range of other dogs in our small local dog park, of all different ages and breeds, and it's now noticeable that he has much better 'dog manners' than some other puppies his age. This was not the case when he was 16 weeks old! In fact, I was so worried that over-socialising him had ruined his manners that I started taking him out in the mornings only to places where he would most likely not get to greet other dogs, but only get to watch them walk past (I rewarded him for watching, and also practiced recall a LOT).

OP, it's a balance. I feel that puppies need dog interaction, it's how they learn, and to my mind it's as necessary for their wellbeing as being able to sniff and run around. But when you're unsure of their manners, or their ability to judge a situation, a long line is a really good idea as you can drop it or pick it up as needed.

It sounds to me like your pup probably does need to keep meeting other dogs, but just be ready to swoop in. And your pup is not unusual in still having lots to learn - mine's met three pups of around five months old in the last week and two of them have greeted him by trying to jump on his head. If he were a different type of dog that could have really got them in trouble.

It is normal dog behaviour but as an owner I would be looking at body language of both dogs and stepping in behind the other dog had to react.

Dogs off lead around other dogs need a very good recall. It’s a risk to everyone if not.

I would have found the chasing really quite scary but the growling would be well within normal bounds.

The chasing is normal as well - particularly in intact males or unspayed bitches. If you look at how a mother disciplines her pups or how dogs that live together solve their ‘arguments’, it’s incredibly normal.

The fact is, OP admits her pup is boisterous yet she still has it off lead and not under her control (there is no way a pup this young is under any sort of control when off leash - it’s completely relying on their ‘instincts’ to be close, which is obviously very different to being trained). OP was in the wrong here more than the other dog owner was.

Sounds totally normal. My dog would do the same and I probably wouldn't step in unless puppy didn't get the hint (although really I'd expect the owner to then do so)

The dog was intact.

I appreciate all the insight. Thanks to everyone. Lesson learned

Why on earth was your 16 week old puppy off lead around other dogs? It was your fault, neither of the dogs’ fault.

Bloody long lines are a pain in the arse

other dogs can get tangled up in them and even worse is the trailing lead with a loop in the handle that other dogs legs can get caught up in.

My puppy was reared with a big pack of dogs of all ages and is very respectful-

Now she’s 3 she’s good with puppies, but it’s shocking how people with Ill mannered larger breeds allow theirs to be rude- then look all pikachu faced when another dog snaps at them.

Sounds like a perfectly normal reaction by the older dog.

I have to agree about longlines. They definitely have their place, but they can cause quite serious injuries to people (a friend had a finger broken) and other dogs (I know a dog who took a couple of months to recover from a shoulder injury caused by another dog's longline).

but it’s shocking how people with Ill mannered larger breeds allow theirs to be rude- then look all pikachu faced when another dog snaps at them.
Yep. If they complain, I point out that my dog has done theirs a favour by instilling some manners without doing any damage, and that they can't expect every dog to be so civilised.

Exactly so.
If only every dog owner was as 'sensible'.
The vast number of owners one sees heads buried in phones, while their dog just runs riot trailing a long loose leash with a noose at the end is depressing.

Dogs should ''check in'' with their owners, and being on a phone, the owner misses the head turn of the dog.

Mine telling off another {smaller one, in Newmarket coat}
Blue coat taking liberties!

Persistent pesterers need putting in their place! {No injuries, just displays of teeth to say ''Leave me alone! ''}. {Luckily Blue coat got the message}

My 5yr old dog gets annoyed by young dogs - he just doesn't like the over excited young uns. I know this - so steer him away from young ones when I can. Equally you as a dog owner too need to learn to read behaviour of your dog and face to face is never good. My dog as a puppy got bitten several times by older dogs off the lead as their owners said "oh he only wants to say hello, blah blah". No - if your dog is on a lead, then the other owner whose dog is not should have a recall if not, they should also put their dog on a lead. Take advice from Louise Glazebrook.

Glad you've learnt from the experience, OP and this is not aimed at anyone on here but it helps to remember that many dog owners are incredibly stupid.
I was walking mine today on a lead and a woman with a large dog was coming towards us. Hers was on a longline and suddenly took off to come over to mine. The dog pulled her off balance but she managed to pull it back before shouting: "You stupid fool, you could have broken my neck," at her dog. Dog was wearing a collar.

Our 16 week old pup is already off lead. Has been for about 3 weeks. I’m surprised too but she’s our second dog and is super chilled, amazing recall and totally controllable (ddog 1 was not like this - he was good but more boisterous).

However, if the pup is unable to meet others without being boisterous and recall isn’t sufficient to stop interaction then you shouldn’t be letting the puppy greet other dogs in this way. If it’s getting too much and you see the other dog isn’t happy, you need to recall. We have a whistle and as soon as I blow it she turns on a sixpence no matter what she’s doing.