My dog is almost 18 months old. He is usually very sociable, but lately his behaviour towards other males has become quite worrying. As soon as a dog approaches and tries to sniff his rear end, he hates it and snaps at them – even if the other dog is only a 2 or 3-month-old puppy. Why is he doing this? Could he have been traumatised as a puppy? Where we used to walk him, there was a dog that tried to hump every other dog, so maybe he was traumatised and it's all coming back to him now. What can I do to stop him from snapping at other dogs when they do this?
Thanks!
Translated from French
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My dog’s aggression isn’t about whether the other dog is male or female; it’s definitely down to their individual personalities. I don’t get stressed, but I do have to stay alert. Sometimes I get caught out (last year I stopped her from putting a dog in its place after it had rushed at her, then fifteen minutes later, when I’d completely put it out of my mind but she was still frustrated from not being able to have a go at the first one, she went for a bouncy puppy. I wasn’t expecting it at all, the owner panicked... well, you can imagine the scene!)
One of my girls is exactly the same, even though she was looked after with loads of other dogs every afternoon until she was nearly 2 and it all went very well.
(She became quite selective with other dogs after her Scottie friend passed away; she can't stand 'big shots', scaredy-cats, rude youngsters, and Dogo Argentinos. Luckily, I’ve worked out her 'instruction manual' over the years...)
Even now she’s nearly 8, I’m still telling her 'be nice to the dog!', and I give her loads of praise every time she is 'nice', because naturally she’s a right little terror.
No, your dog isn't being sociable.
(Be careful—at his age, his personality is starting to set, so you need to nip this in the bud now. You don't want to be dealing with this for the next twelve years or so.)
Sniffing bums is just standard doggy etiquette; he shouldn't be snapping!
If I were you, dealing with a dog with such poor manners, I'd hold him still while the other dog sniffs him. If he lashes out for no reason, I'd even keep him pinned to the ground to encourage the other dog to come and have a sniff.
It’s a win-win: your dog learns a bit of humility, and the "victim" doesn't lose their confidence entirely.
So, I completely disagree with Misantrope’s suggestion; that would only encourage him to become the local bully. Personally, I wouldn't stand for it on principle, but also because it just causes all sorts of trouble—both with other dogs and their owners.
Our dog is very well-socialised; he’s been around other dogs very often, even every day, since he was two months old. He’s perfectly fine with females, but it’s a completely different story with other males.
Do you think that forcing him to stay calm and "forcing" him to let them sniff him would help sort things out? Or should I just avoid other males altogether?
How would you like it? Your dog is perfectly normal. It’s actually the other way round that isn’t. Dogs have become over-socialised. Don’t blame your dog; just stop others from sniffing his bum. There are other ways to say hello.
Er, no, there aren't any other ways. So until that’s sorted, that dog is considered unsocialised and is borderline dangerous for puppies who need to learn that this is exactly how it's done.
It’s just a way of speaking, with a bit of humour. You’re young—at 12, you didn’t realise that the first sentence was simply there to kick things off on a light-hearted note. But as for the rest, young lady, I’m right!
