Being antisocial.

Raintheshepherd · 02-12-2013, 03:17 AM

So today a friend brought his 13week GSD over to meet my 10month girl.

Rain was super unfriendly, she got a bit better as time went on, but had to keep both her and the pup on leashes separated. After taking them for a walk together she settled to the point of laying down and looking at him, but if he tried to approach she would growl and go into attack mode.

She has always been very friendly with other dogs and people, I have never seen her behave like this.
Does anyone think its because he came into her territory ? Or was she being somewhat protective of me in an unusual situation.?

In future I will always carry a muzzle with me if I know I will be meeting with other dogs. But does anybody have any suggestions to resolve this behaviour.
I'm quite embarassed by the behaviors she displayed today, and she is always so obedient and friendly.

I do not use a harness, I didn't use any form of praise whilst she was behaving badly, I just made her drop to the ground and stay. I have an e collar if that would be of any help??

Suggestions welcome, but please no judgemental comments, as I said, I am embarrassed by what happened. Just asking for ways to fix it.
Please help, I want a happy friendly dog!!!

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angryrainbow · 02-12-2013, 03:20 AM

Lets stop focusing on Rain for a second.
What was the puppy doing the whole time ? What did he do immediately upon seeing Rain ? Tell us how the puppy responded and acted.

Raintheshepherd · 02-12-2013, 03:26 AM

Come too think of it, he lunged and barked at her. And then she reciprocated.

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KZoppa · 02-12-2013, 11:46 PM

controlled interactions. Keep in mind you allowed a PUPPY puppy to come into your older puppies territory. Without having been there to SEE what was going on, I can only say its likely Rain was unsure of the puppy. When we brought Shasta home, Riley was all growls and just very unsocial with her. They grew to be friends. Once Shasta hit the 6 months old mark, he started to show more tolerance towards her. I would suggest having someone engage the puppy in play and simply allow Rain to watch. It's very much a socialization process. I dont think Rain was acting aggressively. I think she was acting more unsure than anything. You say she's good with other dogs. As long as you supervise the interactions and teach BOTH proper interactions with each other, a muzzle shouldnt be necessary. Puppies are rambunctious and crazy and will push until they're corrected, even by an older puppy.

angryrainbow · 02-13-2013, 12:13 AM

Honestly I think Rain answered herself. The puppy 'started it' and Rain reacted. Upon first meeting, lunging and barking could leave a lasting (negative) impression. If when you first met someone and they yelled "HEY HEY YOU WHATS YOUR NAME?!" and ran up in your face.. you wouldn't say "Omg we're best friends!" You'd probably return the energy and tell them to back off..
then you're stuck in a room with them for hours and hours, all stressed out and wary about this weird person. how could you trust someone like that especially with such a horrible greeting ? I wouldnt want to be friends.

Raintheshepherd · 02-13-2013, 06:37 PM

We have a really old boxer, who is tremendously friendly with other dogs and puppies of all ages and sizes. He even had a big growl at the puppy, which is very unlike him.
The puppy is an only dog, so he doesn't receive any discipline from within a pack, whereas Rain has been disciplined from our Boxer, Beagle, Pug.
So maybe you guys are right, and she just found the puppy rude and obnoxious, hence the very dominant state she went into.

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02-12-2013, 03:17 AM	#1 (permalink)
Raintheshepherd Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Australia Posts: 85	Being antisocial. So today a friend brought his 13week GSD over to meet my 10month girl. Rain was super unfriendly, she got a bit better as time went on, but had to keep both her and the pup on leashes separated. After taking them for a walk together she settled to the point of laying down and looking at him, but if he tried to approach she would growl and go into attack mode. She has always been very friendly with other dogs and people, I have never seen her behave like this. Does anyone think its because he came into her territory ? Or was she being somewhat protective of me in an unusual situation.? In future I will always carry a muzzle with me if I know I will be meeting with other dogs. But does anybody have any suggestions to resolve this behaviour. I'm quite embarassed by the behaviors she displayed today, and she is always so obedient and friendly. I do not use a harness, I didn't use any form of praise whilst she was behaving badly, I just made her drop to the ground and stay. I have an e collar if that would be of any help?? Suggestions welcome, but please no judgemental comments, as I said, I am embarrassed by what happened. Just asking for ways to fix it. Please help, I want a happy friendly dog!!! Sent from Petguide.com Free App

02-12-2013, 03:26 AM	#3 (permalink)
Raintheshepherd Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Australia Posts: 85	Being antisocial. Come too think of it, he lunged and barked at her. And then she reciprocated. Sent from Petguide.com Free App

02-12-2013, 11:46 PM	#4 (permalink)
KZoppa Crowned Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Southern Maryland Posts: 16,716	controlled interactions. Keep in mind you allowed a PUPPY puppy to come into your older puppies territory. Without having been there to SEE what was going on, I can only say its likely Rain was unsure of the puppy. When we brought Shasta home, Riley was all growls and just very unsocial with her. They grew to be friends. Once Shasta hit the 6 months old mark, he started to show more tolerance towards her. I would suggest having someone engage the puppy in play and simply allow Rain to watch. It's very much a socialization process. I dont think Rain was acting aggressively. I think she was acting more unsure than anything. You say she's good with other dogs. As long as you supervise the interactions and teach BOTH proper interactions with each other, a muzzle shouldnt be necessary. Puppies are rambunctious and crazy and will push until they're corrected, even by an older puppy. __________________ The more people I meet and talk to,the more I love my dogs and their intelligence. Zena GSD 6/1/03 Shasta GSD 5/5/10 "Dax" Thor z vom Weberhaus GSD 3/18/2013 Riley GSD/BC 1/10/05-2/1/2013

02-13-2013, 06:37 PM	#6 (permalink)
Raintheshepherd Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Australia Posts: 85	Being antisocial. We have a really old boxer, who is tremendously friendly with other dogs and puppies of all ages and sizes. He even had a big growl at the puppy, which is very unlike him. The puppy is an only dog, so he doesn't receive any discipline from within a pack, whereas Rain has been disciplined from our Boxer, Beagle, Pug. So maybe you guys are right, and she just found the puppy rude and obnoxious, hence the very dominant state she went into. Sent from Petguide.com Free App

02-12-2013, 03:20 AM	#2 (permalink)
angryrainbow Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 91	Lets stop focusing on Rain for a second. What was the puppy doing the whole time ? What did he do immediately upon seeing Rain ? Tell us how the puppy responded and acted.

02-13-2013, 12:13 AM	#5 (permalink)
angryrainbow Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 91	Honestly I think Rain answered herself. The puppy 'started it' and Rain reacted. Upon first meeting, lunging and barking could leave a lasting (negative) impression. If when you first met someone and they yelled "HEY HEY YOU WHATS YOUR NAME?!" and ran up in your face.. you wouldn't say "Omg we're best friends!" You'd probably return the energy and tell them to back off.. then you're stuck in a room with them for hours and hours, all stressed out and wary about this weird person. how could you trust someone like that especially with such a horrible greeting ? I wouldnt want to be friends.

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