I have had my 3 month old Border collie pup, for over 1 week and have ventured to the dog park for some socialising.. But at first encounter with every dog he meets, he growls and snaps at them?? Has he got a attitude problem or is he just nervous of other dogs?? His tail goes up after a few sniffs and I try to say what a lovely dog, the other dogs is in a hight pitched "mad woman" kind of way, whilst stroking both dogs.. Any suggestions for correcting this behaviour??
danish_bird
I have some advice, but it doesn't involve correcting.
The dog park isn't for every dog. Confident, happy-go-lucky dogs who are well socialized with other dogs do well in the dog park, but an unsocialized puppy who may be fearful or just overwhelmed is going to fail spectacularly. So stop setting your dog up to fail and stay out of the park. (Plus, it's really unfair to the other dogs to have to deal with a snappy puppy.) Instead, socialize your puppy with puppy kindergarten classes and/or carefully planned playdates with one other dog known to be good with puppies where she can meet slowly and learn some manners and confidence.
The dog park isn't for every dog. Confident, happy-go-lucky dogs who are well socialized with other dogs do well in the dog park, but an unsocialized puppy who may be fearful or just overwhelmed is going to fail spectacularly. So stop setting your dog up to fail and stay out of the park. (Plus, it's really unfair to the other dogs to have to deal with a snappy puppy.) Instead, socialize your puppy with puppy kindergarten classes and/or carefully planned playdates with one other dog known to be good with puppies where she can meet slowly and learn some manners and confidence.
Amaryllis gave good advice. Also, your puppy is 3 months old? Has he had all his shots? If not, a dog park is not a good idea. Usually, the rules are, only bring healthy vaccinated dogs to the dog park. But, unless your dog park is super regulated, an unhealthy dog could be there, and if they poop, diseases like parvo can stay on the ground, even if the actual poop is picked up.....
Thank you for the advice.
Yes he is fully vaccinated and I have checked with the vets, who says he is good to be out with other dogs.
He was one of a litter of 9 pups and he was the last pup to leave "home" 12weeks old. The farmer had 13 other (working) dogs on the farm too so he has been around other dogs from the start..
For every walk we have done, he is getting much better w the other "park" dogs, the more time we spend there.. But you are right, he is properly being thrown in at the deep end..
My thinking was, it was better to get him use to as many things (people, kids, dogs and sounds) now, whilst he is young, rather than try to introduce it later in life, when it might be a bigger issue.
Yes he is fully vaccinated and I have checked with the vets, who says he is good to be out with other dogs.
He was one of a litter of 9 pups and he was the last pup to leave "home" 12weeks old. The farmer had 13 other (working) dogs on the farm too so he has been around other dogs from the start..
For every walk we have done, he is getting much better w the other "park" dogs, the more time we spend there.. But you are right, he is properly being thrown in at the deep end..
My thinking was, it was better to get him use to as many things (people, kids, dogs and sounds) now, whilst he is young, rather than try to introduce it later in life, when it might be a bigger issue.
You are right about getting him used to as many things now as you can, but, you have to weigh the results. For instance, if you throw him in at the deep end, as you say, and he develops some issues as a result, it really hasn't helped.
The thing is, socializing is great, getting him to meet people, dogs, taking him to new places. BUT, you can get him used to other dogs in different ways. For instance, visit a pet store, but stay in the parking lot, and let him watch the other dogs coming and going from a bit of a distance. Gradually shrink that distance, and eventually take him inside.
Or, if you know people with calm, well behaved dogs, you can set up a few meetings. Of course, supervision is key. An older dogs will, sometimes, let a puppy get away with bad doggy manners, because they realize it's a young puppy. But, that "puppy license," as it's called, wears off eventually. So, in the meantime, you want to watch them meet, and if your dog is behaving rudely, immediately remove your dog, and let him observe the dog from a distance.
As Amaryllis said, the dog park isn't for all dogs. You can socialize puppies without going to one.
The thing is, socializing is great, getting him to meet people, dogs, taking him to new places. BUT, you can get him used to other dogs in different ways. For instance, visit a pet store, but stay in the parking lot, and let him watch the other dogs coming and going from a bit of a distance. Gradually shrink that distance, and eventually take him inside.
Or, if you know people with calm, well behaved dogs, you can set up a few meetings. Of course, supervision is key. An older dogs will, sometimes, let a puppy get away with bad doggy manners, because they realize it's a young puppy. But, that "puppy license," as it's called, wears off eventually. So, in the meantime, you want to watch them meet, and if your dog is behaving rudely, immediately remove your dog, and let him observe the dog from a distance.
As Amaryllis said, the dog park isn't for all dogs. You can socialize puppies without going to one.
For dog parks if you still want to go, maybe find times when there's less dogs there. Going in when there's only 2-3 other dogs playing around is definitely less overwhelming than entering and having 10 dogs charge you.
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