At the off-leash park in my neighborhood there is a pug my dog does not like. My dog has only pinned %26 barked at this dog, who continues to approach when it sees her. Last night the pug sniffed her stick. So she pinned the pug %26 barked at it. I corrected my dog, %26 put her on restriction.
The owner of the pug was understandably upset. I apologized heavily, asked if his dog was okay, tried to explain that my dog was going through training %26 was still young - 1yr.
Then he launched into threats %26 accusations. There was no chance for %26 he refused to listen to my apologies. I know that he will be back at the park %26 I am not going to avoid it (her training class meets there). A lot of dogs at the park seem to have that dog they just don't like. Most of them seem to know %26 it they avoid each other (expect for this pug I guess). The dog in training so that she learns to handle the situation better, but is no threat to anyone.
How do I deal with running into this guy and his pug again?
Answers:
If it is an off-leash park.I would suggest he trains his dog to respect bigger dogs space. You might try a muzzle for your dog.ONCE, JUST to protect your dog and yourself from getting set up. When the lil' crapper plays his invader game again, your dog can pin him again ( but not bite ) correct your dog, then tell the other owner that you have done your part now he needs to wise up and do his part, or find another park. Witnesses, trainers and fellow park users could back you up on this too. If it was a bigger dog his behavior wouldn't be tollerated. I'll bet if he does this elsewhere, a veteran tough guy dog would tear him a new .
You know what? Don't even bother worrying about this guy. People are sooo defensive with their dogs, often times worse than their kids! Nobody wants their dog to be bullied or roughed up, but there will always be dogs who don't 'click', and most of us dog owners realize this. Just make sure you are controlling your dog so she doesn't end up hurting this pug because then you can get into liability issues. (I do insurance claims for a living and we do LOTS of dog bites.)
You dogs are sometimes like children and their owners as well. I cannot understand that man who owns the pug acting like that. I mean his dog was not hurt right? Well then what was the big deal ? Say hello and keep your dog away from his dog. just stay out of their way. That is the only way i'm afraid you will solve this issue. good luck and god bless.
To protect both you and your dog when you see that dog and the owner put your dog on a leash so if the pug comes around At least you have your dog under control and he will be at fault not you if your dog attacks his dog. If it continues I would talk to animal control or the SPCA or somebody to see what can be done. Good Luck!
I go to a dog park all the time. This guy needs to realize dogs are dogs and some are more dominant than others, as long as your dog isn't hurting any other dogs. Just watch for aggression problems, if you think your dog is the instigator, you may want to wait until she's better trained, she may just be a more dominant dog that is trying to let that be known. that's what dogs do! The pug will figure it out quicker than the owner!
If your dog pins this dog down and barkes at it you could be held responsible if the dog ever gets hurt.
This person is not a responsible dog owner if he is not paying attention to his dog but you must be responsible and not let your dog off lead when the pug is there. If something happened you could end up sued and it could get nasty. Not worth the trouble.
i would keep my dog on lead until the pug left and then turn her loose.
It is to bad the your dog has to pay the price for someone elses dog.
I would just try your best to avoid the dog and owner. If the pug comes up to your dog, just tell the owner- obviously my dog doesn't like your dog, can you take him over there/or could you please keep him away so my dog doesn't rip your pug's throat out. Then throw in there something to the effect of, dogs like people have personalities. Obviously your pug has taken on your stupidity part of your personality. Now please keep your dog away. I wouldn't apologize either, especially if he's been warned and is aware there's a problem. Just stand your ground. Yeah, you're responsible for your dog, but flip side, he is for his as well. If he's warned to move then he should. Like I said, just try to avoid him. Make sure yours is up to date on his shots as well, in case he does end up biting or mauling the little s**t dog, I mean pug.
When I bring my shepherd to the vet, for some reason everyone wants to let their dogs come over and sniff him/play with him. Obviously, I have him on a short leash, and under strict control for a reason-he's an alpha dog, and doesn't particularly care for a lot of other dogs, especially small ones. They always get offended too, don't know why, probably because they think they're dogs are their kids. We teach our kids not to pet stray dogs, so I don't know why people think just because a dog's cute it's also friendly. Some people are so dumb.
Yeah, as someone already said, just be polite and say 'Hello' and keep your dog away from the pug. If you are polite it will probably annoy him anyway coz to me it sounds like he's spoiling for an argument. People like that shouldn't be allowed to keep dogs when they can't even deal with people in the first place.
You did the right thing, you apologised and asked if the dog was alright. It's not your fault or your dog's fault that this man took it upon himself to act like a total buffoon and make an exhibition of himself. Good on you, I hope your future politeness gets RIGHT up his nose.
first thing that comes to mind..does your community have leash laws and/or is this an "off-leash" park.
if not, inform the authorities because idiots like this guy ruin it for the rest of us. something will happen (hopefully not) that will cause repercussions for everyone else through new by-laws etc.
for the next little while, when you walk your dog there, have someone else with you -- in case you need a witness !!
i feel sorry for that poor pug, who appears to have a loser for an owner.
give your dog a big pat for me. GOOD LUCK
Dogs sometimes can sense when another dog or even person is submissive to it. Since your dog submits to everyone usually, she might feel dominant over the pug, especially if she is bigger. Dogs have personalities just like humans, when they feel they can over power something they stick up. I dont have any idea what to do about the owner, he was being unreasonable, but I understand how he feels. I have a small dog who is terrified of other dogs because he was in a shelter. Even though his size he still tries to protect me. He is 3 months old and I also have another dog, Cocker spaniel 1 year, they are best friends now but when we first got him he hated her. As we also have an off-leash dog park in our neighborhood he is coming out of his shell but I definately recommend sticking with the obediance classes, they are life savers. As for the owner of the pug, always be cordial and keep your dog away from his. As crazy as this sounds maybe you could talk to him about introducing your dogs in a different way. Try out of the dog park, put the dogs on there leashes and have your dog sit next to you, have him slowly walk his dog towards yours and sit right in front of you. Let them smell eachother from a short distance. Repeat this with your dog walking and his sitting. If he agrees to doing this it should work and if he doesnt well oh well. He'll have to deal with it, especially if you were there first.
I hope this helps, and good luck, make sure no one gets hurt. big liability law suit
GOOOOD LUCK!
What are the rules at your dog park? Most of the ones in my area have rules about supervising your dog. Since you have already appologized and are watching your dog, if his dog approaches yours again I would clearly explain to him that you expect him to keep an eye on his dog and keep him away from yours. If he continues to leave his dog unsupervised I would file a complaint with the owners of the dog park. I have already seen situations like this and even in cases with a smaller dog that is agressive towards a larger dog they generally expect ALL owners to maintain control of their dog.
My personal opinion (I have a 5.5lb Papillon), I keep an extra close eye out for my dog beacuse I know that even a friendly dog might inadvertantly hurt her because of her small size and delicate build. He should really be keeping a sharper eye out on his pet.
Greetings,
As one of the board members of a dog park as well as a dog trainer, I have to caution you about your dog's behavior.
Your dog is displaying dominance behaviors when she pins another dog, and this can be very dangerous and lead to other aggressive behaviors towards the pug. Even though your dog may be very submissive towards humans, in her mind this pug is lower than her on the social status spectrum, and therefore will continue to try to dominate him when he goes near "her" items or territory.
Even though it may be a public park, you may be asked to leave if your dog continues to display dominant behavior towards another dog. They may speak to the pug's owner as well about keeping a closer eye on his dog, but the dog that performed the potentially dangerous behavior was yours.
My suggestion to you would be to continue to utilize the park's services, but to keep a very close eye on your dog to ensure this does not occur with any other dogs. If it does, you may want to speak with your training instructor about your dog's possessiveness and work on some exercises that will help counter this behavior. If the man with the pug shows up, I would leave. This is the safest, most responsible thing to do. By keeping your two dogs completely seperate, you are ensuring that neither have the opportunity to antagonize one another.
My own dog used to have an issue with another large dog at our local dog park, and whenever the other dog would arrive I would excuse myself, gather my dog, and go home. It showed the other owner and the others that frequent my park that I was willing to take responsibility for my dog's behavior and act to keep anything from happening. I understand that it's a bummer to have to leave sometimes, but it truly is the most responsible thing to do and will protect you from any liability issues in the future.
Best of luck.
first cover your butt and get some witnesses. Video him at one end of park and his dog at the other. These kind of parks are great as long as the owners do their part in keeping an eye on their dog. You could also try to keep a leash on your dog untill she gets a little older. You could get a retractable and slowly give her more freedom as she matures untill she can be off lead. But make sure you have someone who can verify they way he over reacts and how he doesn't watch his dog. it only takes one jerk to say something and take you to court and they can take your dog from you or even put it down. Be careful.
We all asume an amount of risk when we enter a dog park and allow our dogs off leash. However, we are individually responsible for our own dogs and to have them under control at all times. If you cannot call your dog off of another dog when it is engaged in dominant behavior, you need to continue your training and limit your dog's free interaction with other dogs and owners. Train on leash and be the alpha in your pack. Privelages are granted when a dog can easily display correct behavior on leash on a verbal commmand or no command.
You tried to diffuse the uncomfortable situation you found yourself in by apologizing. This is probably not the first time his dog has been the target for other dogs that engage in dominant behavior out in public and is growing tired and concerned about his own dog's safety and well being. If the pug had stood it's ground or attacked your dog in self defense, would you have seen the situation differently? Chances are good that you would be the one angered by the outcome.
I'm glad you're in training and it is an area the two of you must improve on to ensure that your dog can engage in social play with other dogs without having to engage in dominant behaviors.
It sounds to me like this pug is being rude, and your dog is telling him to have better manners.
Excellent article on rude dogs.
http://www.flyingdogpress.com/sayhi.html.
You do need to protect your dog from this rude pug. If that means keeping her on leash for now then so be it. Feel free to shoo the other dog away, if his owner can't keep him under control then it sucks to be him. There is no reason for your dog to be harassed just because the other dog is smaller.
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