How to get my dog to understand canine body language

The two previous posts are just spam.

If your puppy regularly socialises with other dogs, he should know his dog etiquette.

So it's either a case of emotional management, as Kainate suggested, or as Hben says, it might just be a bit of a telling-off with no real danger involved.

Hi there, thanks a lot but there aren't any issues with socialisation; he sees at least two to four dogs a day and at the weekend we go to doggy meet-ups with 13 dogs!

I’d definitely recommend the group walks at a local dog training centre for socialising your dog! :)

www.localdogtrainingcentre.co.uk

One last thing: the fact that he runs towards dogs that look like they want to attack him.

Owners often think they’re better at reading other dogs than their own dog is, or that they have a better grasp of doggy social cues than a dog itself. That is sometimes the case... but... rarely.

What you interpret as a desire to attack might not be that at all. And your dog might actually know this and realise he’s not in any danger, which is why he keeps "dangerously" pushing his luck in your eyes. Obviously, without seeing it for myself, I can’t say for sure that you're wrong when you say the other dog wants to attack, but it’s a possibility I’d consider if I were you. Canine communication is much more subtle than we think.

In particular, a very common trap that many owners fall into is misinterpreting the aggressive behaviour some dogs show when they’re frustrated at being on a lead when they really want to go and play. Honestly, this "frustration-based aggression" can look very scary: the dog lunges to the end of the lead, eyes bulging, barking, growling, sometimes even turning round to bite the lead... or even their owner (redirected aggression)! And yet, more often than not, it’s just an inability to manage their emotions (frustration) that causes it, rather than a genuine desire to attack the other dog. If many of these dogs (though not all) were finally let off the lead, they wouldn't attack; they’d actually just charge over to... play!

Of course, before suggesting to an owner that they let their dog off... you have to be absolutely sure! It's not something I’d recommend doing in practice.

But... it might give you some food for thought.

When I come across a dog with this frustration-based aggression issue, I can tell because my own dogs don’t react to the other dog's aggression; they aren't scared because they know the other one isn’t actually aggressive... and they often insist on going over to say hello!

In the same way, maybe your dog keeps inviting dogs that look aggressive to play because he can sense they aren’t really a threat. Obviously, without seeing it happen, I can’t guarantee this, and I'm definitely not advising you to ask the other owner to let their "wild beast" loose! But it’s a theory that might help you better interpret your dog’s behaviour.

If he’s been properly socialised, there’s no reason why he wouldn't understand doggy social cues.

It’s far more likely that he does understand them (he knows what they mean), but sometimes he gets so hyper that he just stops seeing, hearing, or taking them into account.

...in the same way a dog might know the "come here" command from his owner perfectly well, but won't be able to hear it when he’s too overexcited or fixated on something else.

So, in my opinion, it’s more of an emotional regulation issue than a lack of understanding.

And emotional regulation... well, that’s not exactly a strong point for Australian Shepherds, which are a very (too) excitable breed.

Keep an eye out for herding behaviour too, which is common in Aussies and can often be mistaken for play when it isn't really. The dog chases after other dogs, often barking nervously, and tries to stop them—for example, by nipping at their scruff or heels as if they were sheep. When herding breeds start doing this with other dogs, they can get so obsessed and overstimulated that they completely ignore social cues, even if their "target" is getting annoyed and starting to turn aggressive. In these cases, you need to learn how to stop the dog before they get stuck in that loop and "lose touch" with reality.

Anyway, there’s no big secret to it—to improve your dog’s social skills, he needs to interact with other dogs, whether on a long lead or off-lead. Dog parks, group walks organised by a trainer (a big plus), Facebook walking groups... there are plenty of ways to get him meeting other dogs.

But... to really improve his social skills, I wouldn't just let him meet any old dog, any old how.

Your dog would benefit from meeting calm, confident adults who won't give in to his invitations to play, but will put him in his place without getting too aggressive. This is much better than meeting young, playful dogs who will just keep him wound up. Ideally, these meetings should take place out in nature while on the move, rather than just standing around in a park or a field. This helps your dog focus more on exploring the environment and less on the dogs with him, keeping him calmer and more able to read the others.