# RUDE dogs...



## FeatherRiverSam (Aug 7, 2009)

I'm just curious...when do you step in?

Woody, my two year old rescue golden, is a bit rude when it comes to playing with other dogs. He's got two dogs that he plays with on a regular basis and they all play hard but every once in a while it goes beyond play and I always step in right away to break it up. Both of these dogs seem to put up with quite a bit, they're both smaller than Woody - so Woody seems to have the upper hand.

My oldest brother has a lab that is the same size as Woody and is very people orientated but when it comes to other dogs she's not real friendly and frequently shows her teeth along with a growl or two when they do encounter other dogs. She was fine with my first golden off leash who didn't bother her. But Woody wants to play and won't put up with no as an answer.

We had them all loose in my yard, Woody and his dog, along with his kids who were playing soccer. They were actually doing pretty good...his dog was chasing the soccer ball and of course my goofy Woody was chasing his dog trying to get her to play with him, paws in the face, jumping on her back not humping but trying to initiate play, rude, but play orientated.

She finally said enough of this and went after him and Woody didn't back down - I broke it up right away so no blood was drawn. Woody was in the wrong, she wanted to play with the kids not Woody and she finally let him know.

Had I not broken it up I'm not sure what would have happened the two dogs being about evenly matched. Now my understanding is had it been a true fight there would have been puncture wounds, which there were none, no matter how quickly I'd stepped in.

Woody does need to be taught some manners - so at what point do you step in when another dog has had enough and gone into their correction mode. I'd hate to see one of the dogs get injured.

Pete


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## Bender (Dec 30, 2008)

It sounds like he might need more socializing, with lots of different dogs, so he can learn that not every other dog wants to play with him. A good dog park, or daycare would be a good idea. 

Other than that, I would step in when the other dog says 'enough' and he ignores that. If he likes chasing a ball or playing with you, then that would be the time to start something to get him focused on that. I also find that dogs that are 'rude' to other dogs often don't have much respect for humans in the same way, so you may want to start working on him at home with playing and then getting him to stop on command and settle down, then play again. 

My friend has a very rude dog, rude to other dogs, and rude to people who are tossing toys for her. I won't take her for walks at all, because she's left me with bruises, covered in mud/dirt and bite marks...

Lana


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## FeatherRiverSam (Aug 7, 2009)

He's very good around people, not rude at all. Here he is with my 88 year old Mom - he's very careful around her.











I think the key is socialization. A dog park is too risky and there aren't any daycare centers in my area. What I think I need is one very large dog whom I can trust to show him the ropes but not kill him while doing so. He's been neutered but he is two years old so he's full of P & V and being a rescue I have no idea what his background is.

I think it's just going to take time and a lot of time outs when he gets too rough with other dogs.

Pete


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## Bender (Dec 30, 2008)

The rude dog I was talking about is totally fine with kids and people until there is a toy involved and it's play - then she's a goof. By playing with him (something like tug) and then setting the rules for play, so when you say stop, he has to stop, you can help him learn an 'off' switch. It's great to have one dog teach him the ropes but often it takes more than one dog to get the message across, so he just doesn't think that ONE dog in the world has limits, or that certain dogs are going to nail him. 

I'm sure as he gets older he'll settle down too.

Lana


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

I think that you need to step in when he is making a pest of himself. Normally dogs communicate with each other, but when you have one dog who thinks of herself as one of the kids and another dog who doesn't know when to give up initiating play, you need to take control.

I have had to, in the past, keep Danny from greeting other dogs because he was just so exuberant that it was rude. I have had people tell me that their dog was very friendly, but I could tell by their body language that they were not happy to see Danny approaching. They have even growled and showed their teeth at him (the dogs, not the people), much to the owner's surprise. It's my job to keep things from escalating and to keep my dog from being attacked, just because he can be "rude".


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## FeatherRiverSam (Aug 7, 2009)

Points well made. I've been hitting him with a sit & "Settle Down" command - hopefully this will develop into his off switch. I like the tug of war play idea to aid in training him.

And you're absolutely right about the one dog training him - there's more than one dog out there -- maybe I'd just like to see it happen once.

Thanks,

Pete


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## Finn's Fan (Dec 22, 2007)

My Finn is not self-confident enough to completely tell off a rude dog, and he's had spinal surgery. I don't and won't put up with a dog that is trying to jump on his back and who won't take no for an answer from Finn. I intervene, either telling the other owner to control their dog and getting between the dogs and telling the doofus dog to knock it off. I'd say that you need to intervene whenever Woody is ignoring the other dog's obvious signals. That's simply being pushy and a brat. Unless you already know a dog who would tell him off well without inflicting bodily harm, it's probably best for you to be the enforcer; we don't want to see your cute fella chewed up!!!!


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## Makino82 (Oct 23, 2009)

My Zoey was like that when she was younger, just did not have clue what 'back off' meant and she spent weeks in puppy classes interacting with other dogs (puppies) all the time. It was the adults that didn't want to play that she was causing problems with.
I brought her to visit a friend of mine who has a farm with a middle-aged border collie...and that was the dog to teach her the lesson. She unfortunately learned her lesson by getting bit on the nose hard enough to draw some blood, but from that point on she has NEVER bothered a dog that gives her the 'back off' signal since. Actually since then her and the Border Collie started playing very nicely together and she's been much more respectful of 'her elders' lol.
From my experience a trusted elder dog is useful to get that message through to those that don't get it..and of course constant practice meeting other dogs in the calmest way possible.


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## oktay (Feb 14, 2009)

There are a few very old small sized dogs walking in the same park as Puf and I and I am constantly having to restrain him because he does not know how to play gently. I would hate for those dogs to get hurt because of Puf's over-enthusiasm.


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## jimla (Oct 9, 2008)

Lots of good advice here. Roxy is fearful of other dogs and growls even when they are attempting a friendly greeting. She is a 2-year old rescue that we adopted 4 months ago. I take her to an off-leash play class with a professional trainer and it has been very helpful to socialize her with other dogs.


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