My dog doesn't fight back

[julie87]

My dog is 8 months old, she was attacked at the dog park at age of 3 months I didn't take her back there for a month.. then she was attacked again at 5 months. Now I started taking her again and she is doing much better she is not afraid of dogs anymore, only those who are starting fights. Yesterday she was attacked by a lab female that wasn't socialized with dogs... anyway my dog never fights back, instead she sits in the corner and hides or she will climb up on the bench. Why won't she stand up for herself is it normal for her age? In the house she goes crazy if stranger walks in and shows no fear but at dog park she is acting so weak!What can I do to help?

[wolfy dog]

Stop taking her to that park!!! She might not fight back yet, but it will imprint on her and can make her dog aggressive later on. I really don't understand why you put her at risk.

[qbchottu]

This is bizarre - why are you putting her in these dangerous situations? She has been attacked at this park numerous times and is fearful. Not only are you putting her in unsafe situations, you wish for her to aggress back? You should be thankful that you haven't had a full blown dog fight yet... Please stop taking your dog to this unsafe dog park.

[robk]

The further away from a dogs home or comfort zone they are the more vulnerable that they feel. German Shepherd dogs usually don't do well at dog parks anyway. If she ever did fight back any injuries that she or other dogs sustained will be blamed on her. You are better off to keep her in situations that make her feel safe and do not expose her to opportunities to "fight" with other dogs.

[Magwart]

If she's actually been attacked, she may be afraid -- which is pretty natural. You must keep her from getting attacked or you could end up with a neurotic dog. Avoid dogs who are starting fight by leaving, if necessary. A puppy shouldn't have to worry about "defending" itself at a dog park--that's your job.

By the way, if she's avoiding aggressive, unstable or dominant dogs who might want to attack her, rather than fighting with them, that's a good thing. If she's trusting you to keep her safe, even better! If you ever see an actual fight in a dog park, you'll thank your lucky stars your dog wants no part in one -- a dog died in our local dog park that way. You do not want her to respond to dominance challenges by fighting back.

[Lucy Dog]

How many times are you going to let her get attacked before you decide the dog park might not be the best situation for her?

What can you do to help? STOP GOING!!

[msvette2u]

I'm with the others. Don't take her there

In the house she goes crazy if stranger walks in and shows no fear but at dog park she is acting so weak!What can I do to help?

Curious what you think would help? For her to fight back??

[Jag]

I'm curious...are you taking her back there over and over in the hopes that she'll do damage to another dog? Sorry, but it really upsets me that you have put her in this situation over and over... and then you call her weak.

[Nigel]

I would forget about the dog parks if I were you. If you would like your dog to interact with other dogs, try looking into some classes. A controlled environment would be a better way to help her socialise with other dogs. Our GSD began to show signs of being DA. She was attacked a few times in her first year. She would not respond at first to the other dog, but after the last event, she did attempt to. We worked with her and now she is confident and plays well with most dogs.

[doggiedad]

my dog was attacked at the dog park several
times when he was 6 to 9 months old or so.
i stop going to the dog park. i returned to the dog park
when he was a year old or more and he wasn't attacked anymore.
dogs are bullies. they take advantage of the young. when i wasn't
going to the dog park i set up play dates.