Lola annoys other dogs :(

[Lola's mum]

I need some advice on Lola, she pesters other dogs constantly whether on our walks or when friends come over with their dogs or we go to their house. She just will not let up what so ever, we went for quite a long walk with my friend & her chocolate lab earlier and for the whole walk Lola just tried to keep getting on the other dogs back and jumping all over her to the point where my friends dog did anything to keep out of her way.
She's the same with any dog we meet and doesn't let up, even if the other dogs give her a nip or growl she just carries on, it's getting to the point where my friends don't want her over their house or want to bring their dogs over ours.
How can I stop this but still keep her sociable with other dogs, she does try it on with our older dog sometimes and seems to have learned it's a big no, no because as soon as we tell her off she looks all guilty & stops?
We love her to bits and want her to have some canine friends, help please.

 

[mmichaelson]

Sam does similar things - he wants to PLAY with other dogs so badly!

I'm also listening to advice others give. . .

 

[gmacleod]

She's just a 4.5 months old puppy, correct? Well, then that's pretty normal and you've got to let her have some time to learn. She's about at the age where older dogs will be just starting to think about withdrawal of her "puppy licence" and in time will start to lay down the law with a slightly firmer paw, so to speak. Up until now, of course, they'll have let her away with murder.

I wouldn't tell her off for behaving that way - I don't think it's really going to be terribly effective. Instead, when others' have clearly had enough and she just won't quit, you can help the other dog out by stepping in and engaging her in some other activity instead. A short training session is ideal. Then she can be allowed to play again - but if she can't play nicely, you step in again, and so on it goes. The message here is that if you can't play nicely then you can't play at all...

But don't worry too much about it. She is still just a baby and up until now, other dogs will have just let her play crazily and roughly, so she's got no idea that she has to learn differently. Others will soon start letting her know though. What would be ideal for her is some regular play dates with pups around her own age and size (or a little bigger), and some good natured adults who'll give her a few gentle lessons but still play with her nicely afterward. Know anybody with a dog that would fit the bill?

Incidentally - on walks, the simplest thing is just to keep her under better control. Don't give her an amount of leash and manouvre room that's going to allow her to be jumping on anyone else, human or canine

 

[Lola's mum]

My friends dogs are at nice ages, my brothers dog is only 15 months old and the choccy lab is 2 years, they are both good natured but do tell her off, she just chooses to ignore them and when there are other dogs around you can not get her attention at all not even with treats, nothing distracts her so a short training session would be out while they were around.
My brothers poor dog Vegas jumps on my daughters trampoline and gets inside the safety net to get away from Lola after a while, I then get Lola and put her leash on and make her sit with me in the garden to try and teach her that she has to leave them alone sometimes.
Do you think I should carry on putting her leash on when she starts going berserk with them for a time out, when she's calmed down I let her off again, then straight away she starts again so it does seem a little pointless?
It's got to the point where I have to lock her in the house but then she's missing out and not being socialised.

 

[gmacleod]

Well, by engaging your pup in a short training session, I really meant put her on her leash and take her far enough away from the others to be able to work with her. Even just putting her on her leash and walking her far enough away that she can't try to engage in their fun would be better than nothing.

Putting her on a leash and making her sit down and calm down for a while is an OK technique, and better than shutting her away in the house.

It isn't pointless - even if she's hyper straight away again. She's a baby puppy and they aren't actually little einsteins She currently has no idea that her behaviour is over the top, and it will take time for her to learn. But if you calmly, patiently and consistently intervene when she goes too far (don't set her limit too low - she needs teaching from the other dogs too) then eventually it will start to filter into her little head that if she behaves that way, you will stop her fun. So between that and the other dogs' teaching, she'll learn to limit her behaviour. Won't happen in five minutes - more like tow or three months. But she will learn.

 

[Lola's mum]

Thanks ever so much for your advice, I will continue to put her on her leash when she's getting too much for the others and hopefully she'll get the message.
We knew boxers were little monkeys shall we say before we got her, thank god we sort of knew what we were letting ourselves in for and this web site has been a god send to me. I use the search engine all the time and have found out loads of answers to my questions. Infact I think I bore my friends to death with little tit bits from this site.
She's sparko at the moment and looks like a little angel, she brings us so much happiness though and certainly makes us feel alive if you know what I mean.
Your dog is beautiful btw

 

[gmacleod]

Thank you LOL - if I lived closer I'd loan him to you so he could sit on your little monkey when she's being too hyper :D But we're in London. Don't worry though - she'll learn to play a bit more calmly in time (or at least, to back off a bit when other dogs indicate they've had enough). Just takes a bit of learning is all.

 

[busteray]

I can sympathize with you and Lola. Buster is 2 1/2 and absolutely drives the other dogs in the neighborhood bananas. He just doesn't really get the message. I have had him play with two nice-sized chocolate labs and he was undaunted by them! The only time Buster was relaxed around another dog was at the vet's office. We were in the waiting room and in walks this giant St. Bernard! The owner asked if it was o.k. for his dog to greet Buster and initially I declined, as I expected Buster to make a nuisance of himself and I wasn't in the mood. But then I changed my mind and couldn't believe the reaction. It's as if Buster knew he was completely out-sized by this dog. They both got along beautifully! It renewed my hope that Buster has the ability to make other canine friends. (Heaven knows all the humans LOVE him!). Anyway, I'm hoping that the aging process will have an effect on him. Our prior boxer, Sugar Ray, was so different temperamentally. We never had this issue with him. Anyway, I know that Buster means no harm and really just wants to play. But I totally sympathize. Redirecting his behavior, treats, etc. hasn't really helped too much. However, with consistency and time I'm sure things will improve. They are tremendously intelligent! Good luck with Lola.

 

[jenjones28]

Maybe it's a lab thing that boxers have. LOL! Bindi usually does well around other dogs, except labs. There is something about them that makes her lose her mind! Our worst fear on any walk is seeing a lab, especially a black one.