My 15-month-old Cane Corso is far too rough with other dogs.
He hasn't got a mean bone in his body and just wants to play constantly, but he's way too heavy-handed when he sees another dog. It's at the point where other dogs take his behaviour as an attack and try to defend themselves.
What would you recommend? It's becoming a real struggle as I just can't socialise him with other dogs at all.
Translated from French
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So, I’ve just got back from a walk. There was a Golden and a three-month-old Cane Corso puppy being walked on lead by two teenagers. The little Cane pup was growling at my dog, who’d just gone over for a sniff, and the girl was dragging him along saying “no”... at only three months old!
I had a bit of a chat with her and told her the puppy was perfectly safe. Then, as we were talking, she tells me that her mum doesn’t really go to parks because she’s scared of big dogs. That’s a first for me – a lady who’s scared of big dogs but decides to get a Cane Corso!
I pointed out that her mum’s choice was a bit of a strange one ^^ and she just said, “Yeah, but he’s her baby, so it’s different.” Honestly, people are hard to figure out sometimes. Dogs are simple enough, but owners... there’s a lot of work to do there.
Being off-lead should be the norm and being on-lead the exception, not the other way around. But I’m noticing more and more that owners rarely dare to speak to each other, let alone suggest letting their dogs off for a run. It’s so sad! How is your dog supposed to be socialised if you aren't? Ever since I got my dog, I talk to everyone; I almost always suggest letting the dogs off together if they aren't already. Owners with puppies are usually thrilled, whereas the older lot can be a bit grumpy at first but they soon warm up (the humans, I mean!). The only exception is when I run into potentially dangerous cases (funnily enough, the ones who have never been off-lead). I reckon getting a dog means committing to making an effort to socialise constantly, at least for the first year or so, even if you end up doing your own thing a bit more later on. A solo walk on a lead is pretty much worthless.
I completely agree with you!
Most of the dogs I come across are on-lead too...
I think it’s also a matter of taking the "easy way out"...
It’s less of a hassle to keep them on a lead than it is to actually keep an eye on them, stay alert, and work on their recall and so on.
A friend of mine had a right go at a young girl with a husky; she’s always seen with the dog on a lead, chatting away on her phone, just spending five minutes on a tiny patch of grass...
Yeah, you’ve just got to stick with it and stay confident; you have to trust your dog. Especially since you’ve got nothing to lose with a puppy, so you should definitely make the most of this stage! The thing is, the more you shy away from a problem, the more it'll escalate, and that’s especially true with dogs.
And you’re always going to come across people who aren't exactly the brightest, but what’s the worst that can happen, really? You might hear the odd daft comment, but it's no big deal.
You’re right, Lorna, but it’s not always that easy. When you’re young, you don’t always have the confidence to speak up, and then when you finally do, you get brushed off—more or less politely—with "Your dog’s going to eat mine!" five or six times during the same walk... Pff, you really need a thick skin and the courage to just shrug it off and keep at it. Sometimes you do come across lovely people, though, and perseverance always pays off in the end! ;)
Being off-lead should be the norm and being on the lead the exception, not the other way around.
But I’m noticing more and more that people rarely dare to talk to other owners, let alone suggest letting the dogs off for a run together.
It’s a real shame! How is your dog supposed to be socialised if you aren't?
Since I got my dog, I talk to everyone; I almost always suggest letting the dogs off if they aren’t already running free. Owners with puppies are thrilled, and the older regulars can be a bit grumpy at times but they soon soften up (I’m talking about the humans here!). The only exception is when I come across potentially dangerous cases—usually the ones that have never been let off the lead in the first place.
For me, getting a dog means accepting the need to make a constant effort to approach others, at least for the first year or so, even if you walk in groups a bit less later on. A walk all alone on the end of a lead is completely worthless.
Hi, I know exactly how you feel. I’ve got a young dog who’s just turned one; he weighs about 4 stone (around 60 lbs) and is very boisterous with other dogs—though it’s only because he wants to play! At first, I was getting really disheartened, thinking his behaviour was scaring everyone else off. I tried to find dogs the same size or bigger who might be able to put him in his place, but there aren't many big dogs around my way.
One day, I happened to run into a lady with her whippet. We actually see each other quite often, but I’d never really noticed her before. She asked if her dog could say hello to mine, and I agreed, though I warned her that he’s lovely but a bit of a handful and might knock her dog over. The dogs said hello and Nelson started making a right scene, but she thought he was cute and suggested going somewhere quiet so they could have a proper play. We let them off the lead and it was a miracle! After five minutes of him jumping around and acting like a maniac, once he realised the other dog wasn't rising to it at all, he started playing gently. And there was this whippet, weighing barely 1.5 stone (about 25 lbs), playing away with him because he’d finally calmed down!
I really think finding dogs who are well-balanced helps massively, as the others have said. I tried it with my gran’s dog, who weighs about 13 lbs soaking wet; same thing—he ran all over the place and tried jumping over her, but she just completely ignored him. After five minutes, he eventually got the hint and started playing nicely! 😉
So, you didn’t actually answer my question, but I’m assuming it’s a ‘no’ – he doesn’t get the chance to interact off-lead with other dogs on a daily basis. A week in a boarding kennel is all well and good, but it’s what you do every day that really matters.
If you’re only taking him for on-lead walks and holding your Cane back every time he tries to greet another dog, you’re going to have some serious problems further down the line. It feels like you don’t really grasp your dog’s fundamental needs. You’ll need to satisfy those needs if he’s ever going to calm down.
I've had three Dobermanns before this one, but I'm really struggling to get a handle on this behaviour. When he gets worked up like that, he just ignores me and does his own thing, as if I'm not even there.
I think instead of trying to control him, you should focus on teaching him self-control. You need to help him work on that, and keep in mind that other dogs will also help teach him the ropes if you give him the chance to socialise with plenty of them every day.
Just be careful with how you react, though, as your responses can really shape your dog's behaviour.
First of all, thanks for your replies.
I left him at a boarding kennel for a week where he met other dogs. It went really well with some of them; they were just as playful as he is. But with others, they mistook his enthusiasm for aggression, so they tried to defend themselves.
When I take him for a walk, everything goes great until we pass someone else with their dog, and then he lunges at them—always "just wanting to play".
It’s a real struggle; I’ve had three Dobermanns before him, but I’m finding this behaviour really difficult to get under control. When he gets worked up like that, he just has a mind of his own, as if I’m not even there.
