Mortie, our 15 month old boxer (neutered), has recently been involved in a few fights at the dog park and I was hoping that the collective experience of those here could help me with this issue.
I have read many of the posts here and elsewhere regarding dog parks, aggression, etc. and although I don't believe Mortie to be aggressive I wanted to get other's opinions based on what seems to be taking place.
I generally take Mortie to a large enclosed dog park every day for around 2 hours, in addition to his walks. He also has a large yard to run in. He was very well-socialized as a puppy and plays great with every type of dog, small and large. He has been to various extended care kennels and never once had any behavioral issues while there.
As far as I can tell, he is not fearful of any breed, he is not shy, and he is fantastic with little children (which there are often at the park). He is just a very large and playful boxer.
What seems to be becoming a trend now unfortunately however, is the way he reacts to a dog who is showing signs of fearfulness or aggression towards him (i.e: growling, snapping, lunging). What typically happens is Mortie will go to say hello by sniffing and if the dog begins exhibiting this behavior he will freeze for a second, and then absolutely go into attack mode.
Here is the incident that sparked this post:
We had been at the park for nearly an hour and a half today and Mortie was playing with every dog under the sun with no problems. The entrance/exit to the park has a pen so that the owners can bring the dogs in and out separately. Mortie is usually part of the greeting committee, however I always call him away or lead him to other dogs so that the new dog can come in without tension or concerns.
Mortie went to say hello when a woman with a standard poodle and a smaller dog (can't remember breed) were in the pen getting ready to enter. Her dogs were gowling loudly and barking at Mortie which is one of the things I watch for when new dogs come in. I lead Mortie away from the area and only let him play when the two dogs were safely in and introduced to the park.
Mortie, always needing to say hi to the newcomers, went up to the poodle and began sniffing him while I followed closely behind. The poodle began showing his teeth and growling at Mortie. He came towards Mortie in an unfriendly way and that was it. Before I could try to corral Mortie, he went into attack mode and had the poodle on its back within moments.
Since this is not the first time this has happened I know that remeaining calm is the best way to deal with it and I tried to get into position to grab Mortie from his hind quarters to remove him. The owner of the poodle was hysterical and reached her hand into the middle of them and ended up being bitten, (I think it was Mortie, but not positive) drawing blood.
Of course she was livid and claimed that it was Mortie's fault and grew more incensed when people suggested that she should not have begun screaming and placed her hand near the dogs mouths. It only ended when I was able to take hold of Mortie and she left the park hurling obscenities, etc. We ended up staying for another ten minutes with no further problems with any other dogs, including an unneuttered bulldog puppy. (non-fixed dogs is a rarity at this particular park)
This sort of situation is the only time Mortie will go after another dog...only if they seem to be actively showing signs that they are not friendly. When dogs growl at Mortie to tell him, "hey I don't really want to play with you" he leaves them alone and moves on. He seems to understand the difference between "I don't want to play" growling and "I mean business" growling and the latter sets him off.
Mortie loves playing with other dogs and he loves going to the dogpark. I truly don't want to have to stop taking him. The vast majority of the people that are there have met Mortie from puppyhood and love watching him play and know how hard I have worked to make sure he was socialized. I have been defended by people I don't even know, like was the case today, but I am starting to feel very concerned that maybe Mortie is starting to have an issue.
By the time that a dog gives a menacing "I mean business" growl and Mortie decides to go after them, I simply don't have the time to intervene. I wish Mortie would just realize that the dog is not friendly and move on like he does when a dog doesn't want to play. Either way it always looks bad because of Mortie's size and the fact that he is a boxer and whether it is his fault or not, I am now fearing the consequences.
While I don't believe that Mortie ever instigates the situation, he certainly WILL NOT back down from these types of dogs and inevitably ends up dominating the other dog. It puts me in a defensive position which I hate. I always try to talk it out with the other owner which is not always possible in their heightened state.
Is this aggression on Mortie's part or is he just trying to correct an unbalanced/aggressive/fearful dog?
Are there steps I can take to prevent this in the future?
If, as in the case today, an owner gets bitten inadvertantly while trying to break up a fight incorrectly, am I liable for this?
Do I correct Mortie for behaving in this way even though I don't believe it to be his fault?
Should I refrain from going to the dogpark any more?
I apologize for such a long post and I appreciate any advice, comments, or similar stories that you may have about this behavior and whether it may be isolated instances, or a trend that I should be concerned about and address.
thanks -bob
I have read many of the posts here and elsewhere regarding dog parks, aggression, etc. and although I don't believe Mortie to be aggressive I wanted to get other's opinions based on what seems to be taking place.
I generally take Mortie to a large enclosed dog park every day for around 2 hours, in addition to his walks. He also has a large yard to run in. He was very well-socialized as a puppy and plays great with every type of dog, small and large. He has been to various extended care kennels and never once had any behavioral issues while there.
As far as I can tell, he is not fearful of any breed, he is not shy, and he is fantastic with little children (which there are often at the park). He is just a very large and playful boxer.
What seems to be becoming a trend now unfortunately however, is the way he reacts to a dog who is showing signs of fearfulness or aggression towards him (i.e: growling, snapping, lunging). What typically happens is Mortie will go to say hello by sniffing and if the dog begins exhibiting this behavior he will freeze for a second, and then absolutely go into attack mode.
Here is the incident that sparked this post:
We had been at the park for nearly an hour and a half today and Mortie was playing with every dog under the sun with no problems. The entrance/exit to the park has a pen so that the owners can bring the dogs in and out separately. Mortie is usually part of the greeting committee, however I always call him away or lead him to other dogs so that the new dog can come in without tension or concerns.
Mortie went to say hello when a woman with a standard poodle and a smaller dog (can't remember breed) were in the pen getting ready to enter. Her dogs were gowling loudly and barking at Mortie which is one of the things I watch for when new dogs come in. I lead Mortie away from the area and only let him play when the two dogs were safely in and introduced to the park.
Mortie, always needing to say hi to the newcomers, went up to the poodle and began sniffing him while I followed closely behind. The poodle began showing his teeth and growling at Mortie. He came towards Mortie in an unfriendly way and that was it. Before I could try to corral Mortie, he went into attack mode and had the poodle on its back within moments.
Since this is not the first time this has happened I know that remeaining calm is the best way to deal with it and I tried to get into position to grab Mortie from his hind quarters to remove him. The owner of the poodle was hysterical and reached her hand into the middle of them and ended up being bitten, (I think it was Mortie, but not positive) drawing blood.
Of course she was livid and claimed that it was Mortie's fault and grew more incensed when people suggested that she should not have begun screaming and placed her hand near the dogs mouths. It only ended when I was able to take hold of Mortie and she left the park hurling obscenities, etc. We ended up staying for another ten minutes with no further problems with any other dogs, including an unneuttered bulldog puppy. (non-fixed dogs is a rarity at this particular park)
This sort of situation is the only time Mortie will go after another dog...only if they seem to be actively showing signs that they are not friendly. When dogs growl at Mortie to tell him, "hey I don't really want to play with you" he leaves them alone and moves on. He seems to understand the difference between "I don't want to play" growling and "I mean business" growling and the latter sets him off.
Mortie loves playing with other dogs and he loves going to the dogpark. I truly don't want to have to stop taking him. The vast majority of the people that are there have met Mortie from puppyhood and love watching him play and know how hard I have worked to make sure he was socialized. I have been defended by people I don't even know, like was the case today, but I am starting to feel very concerned that maybe Mortie is starting to have an issue.
By the time that a dog gives a menacing "I mean business" growl and Mortie decides to go after them, I simply don't have the time to intervene. I wish Mortie would just realize that the dog is not friendly and move on like he does when a dog doesn't want to play. Either way it always looks bad because of Mortie's size and the fact that he is a boxer and whether it is his fault or not, I am now fearing the consequences.
While I don't believe that Mortie ever instigates the situation, he certainly WILL NOT back down from these types of dogs and inevitably ends up dominating the other dog. It puts me in a defensive position which I hate. I always try to talk it out with the other owner which is not always possible in their heightened state.
Is this aggression on Mortie's part or is he just trying to correct an unbalanced/aggressive/fearful dog?
Are there steps I can take to prevent this in the future?
If, as in the case today, an owner gets bitten inadvertantly while trying to break up a fight incorrectly, am I liable for this?
Do I correct Mortie for behaving in this way even though I don't believe it to be his fault?
Should I refrain from going to the dogpark any more?
I apologize for such a long post and I appreciate any advice, comments, or similar stories that you may have about this behavior and whether it may be isolated instances, or a trend that I should be concerned about and address.
thanks -bob
