josey Posted September 24, 2010 Report Share Posted September 24, 2010 My dog has changed recently. She used to want to be dogs, and even now on our walks if a dog comes up to her she lies down in a submissive manner, wagging her tail, looking friendly, but when it gets too close to her she lunges and growls. (She does have fear aggression.) What I have been doing is putting my hand over her muzzle and firmly but quietly saying NO. is there something better that i should be doing? thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackdawgs Posted September 24, 2010 Report Share Posted September 24, 2010 Don't allow dogs to approach her while she is lying down. By lying down, she is telling you (and the approaching dog) that she is uncomfortable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PSmitty Posted September 24, 2010 Report Share Posted September 24, 2010 Ditto. You have to help your dog, protect her. If she has fear issues and is not comfortable with dogs approaching her, don't let them. Especially when she's lying down! It's too much for her to have them get too close, therefore she reacts. Just tell the other owners as their dogs approach that your dog needs her space. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josey Posted September 24, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 24, 2010 oh, wow! i knew it was a submissive issue, her lying down, but not that it meant that. now that i know i will move away from the dogs. i will tell owners, and for those dogs that are loose, we will avoid them. i carry pepper spray in case we can't move away for a loose dog and it turns out to be vicious. never happened. but whenever i have seen larger dogs far off i have turned and walked the other ways. thanks for explaining this to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc4pack Posted September 25, 2010 Report Share Posted September 25, 2010 here are a couple of websites for your perusal... http://www.aggressivebehaviorsindogs.com ( particularly the Articles section- Desensitization and Counterconditioning) http://www.fearfuldogs.com (Debbie also has a good book list) There's also some good reading material... On Talking Terms With Dogs: Calming Signals by Turid Rugaas Help For Your Fearful Dog by Nicole Wilde available through http://www.dogwise.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josey Posted October 2, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2010 I want to make sure you understand how she is lying down. she is not rolling over and showing her belly, but lying down on her tummy. like this: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http:/...003&bih=597 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josey Posted October 2, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2010 I want to make sure you understand how she is lying down. she is not rolling over and showing her belly, but lying down on her tummy. like this but wags her tail: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http:/...003&bih=597 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackdawgs Posted October 2, 2010 Report Share Posted October 2, 2010 In this context, the lying down is a calming signal. Your dog is telling other dogs not to come close. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josey Posted October 2, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2010 thanks. she does that to some people too that she never met unless they come to our home. interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyTDogs Posted October 2, 2010 Report Share Posted October 2, 2010 I just love Suzanne Clothier- her "Bones..." book is fabulous. You should read this article from her website...in fact everyone should read the articles on her website This one is the great one: Suzanne Clothier- "He Just Wants To Say Hi" HTH, Cindy in FL My dog has changed recently. She used to want to be dogs, and even now on our walks if a dog comes up to her she lies down in a submissive manner, wagging her tail, looking friendly, but when it gets too close to her she lunges and growls. (She does have fear aggression.) What I have been doing is putting my hand over her muzzle and firmly but quietly saying NO. is there something better that i should be doing? thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njnovice Posted October 2, 2010 Report Share Posted October 2, 2010 I just love Suzanne Clothier- her "Bones..." book is fabulous. You should read this article from her website...in fact everyone should read the articles on her website This one is the great one: Suzanne Clothier- "He Just Wants To Say Hi" HTH, Cindy in FL That was a good article. Reminds me a lot of Mick. He will not tolerate rude dogs at all, but he's perfectly fine with polite dogs (well, unless they try to steal his stuff...defined as anything he has, had at one point, or may theoretically want in the future). Sinead is much more forgiving of rude behavior from other dogs, but she also tends to be much more submissive in her interactions with other dogs than he is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vickkers Posted October 4, 2010 Report Share Posted October 4, 2010 Wow- I just read the article by Suzanne... I *WISH* that I and/or the trainers that I worked with when Clover was a puppy had read and/or known about this. This is exactly what *should* have been done with her and what I have only recently (4.5 years later) started to do because of a suggestion my herding instructor gave me... Clover is what some people call "dog aggressive"... but in reality, she just has zero tolerance for rude dogs...probably because we, at the direction of our dog trainers (yes, we went to multiple) forced her to be in situations that made her uncomfortable and made the problem worse. She is the sweetest dog in the world but unfortunately, in our ignorance, we took what could have been a potentially fixable problem and made it worse. She's scared of other dogs. She would much rather leave the room/park/yard if any dog other than our pack or those she's known since she was a puppy are there. But...if forced to be near them, if they give her a stare down... not even to the point where they have to invade her space now (used to only be that) she will run over and scare the crap out of them. Based on the article...since there has only ever even been one minor tooth scratch on a puppy's face (who deserved it by trying to jump all over her) I gather that she really is just saying, stay the heck away from me. It's sad that it took so long for me to learn (and then be verified by that article) but it's never too late to try and make your dog comfortable and feel protected. Even an old owner can learn new tricks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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