My dog can't read other dog's signals

[jjjem]

I was at the dog park the other day with my boy Jem and we were walking around and everything was fine and we came upon a large group of dogs and people all walking around together. He let all the dogs sniff him and he sniffed back, and Jem normally is great with other dogs and likes to play with them, and since he's submissive he usually has no problems. But one of the dogs started to growl at him as Jem started to walk toward it. So I figured Jem would come running to me like he always does when trouble happens, but he didn't. The dog was growling loudly at him, and instead of turning away, Jem tried to reach his nose out to put it against the other dog's nose. The dog, still growling, was pulled away by it's owner, and Jem started to follow! I called Jem to me and he came running, but I was super confused. Does anyone know why he kept trying to meet this dog when the other dog was clearly unwelcoming? He's done stuff like this before, it's like he can't read other dog's body language and vocalizations, or just doesn't know what they mean. Is this possible?

 

[samsons]

my sam DOES THE SAME THING ~~ he was in a cage for the first 2 years of his life ... BUT this guy has NO CLUE !!! ... major problems at the dog park - we only went one time !! that was enough for me - either he was the bully ( yacking in un-welcoming pups faces ) or just picking on some poor dog that didnt wanna play. we left.

sam is not aggressive - but when he was being a A** the other dogs got a bit , ummmm, pissy ... and we had a small "squable" ( sigh ..... my dog was THAT dog ...... )

so I cant wait for SOME GREAT ADVICE from everyone !!

SO MANY THANKS FOR POSTING ~~ was never sure really how to explain !! you did a great job !

~~ ang & the BULLY !!!

 

[Gatorblu]

Arabella has had problems from a couple of incidences at the dog park when she was younger. We have been working things back slowly. I started by working with family and friends dogs and play dates. One or two dogs, where you can control the situation. We have gone to the dog park since but go on off hours and only if there is less then 5 dogs. I always watch the dogs before we enter and if any are acting agressively we keep on walking. I also let the other owners know that I am working on Arabella's social skills most are willing to work with me. As soon as she starts to act up we leave. Though your situation is a bit different, I think starting small and working your way up in group size might work for you as well. You can more effectively watch and recall when a dog is showing signs that it wants your pup to back off.

 

[Toasty]

Maggie seems to be having the same issues except maybe the opposite. Instead of understanding what play means she views it as being aggressive and submits. Kadie, my 6 year old Boxer, tries to play often with Maggie and it takes a good 5 or more mins for Maggie to understand that she's playing but even when Kadie gets a little vocal WHILE DOING THE PLAYFUL BOW she still submits. It drives Kadie bonkers and makes her bark.

Maggie came from a hoarding situation :( and was crated for extremely long periods of time.

I'm just letting her work it out on her own and I try to over exaggerate playing motions when she submits to Kadie.