Lunging at other dogs with open mouth :( Help!

[roligrant]

Hi everyone,

Bentley is 9 months old now. We recently rehomed him, so don't have much of a history on him. He is great with people (too great sometimes...gets overly excited and jumps at them) but he does not seem good with other dogs. Every time we see another dog he starts shaking and whimpering and tries to lunge at the other dog with his mouth open. I don't know if he is just trying to play with them and doesnt know how to play? Or if he is being aggressive. It stresses my husband and I out greatly when we take him out for walks - though we try not to stress as much as possible as we know it can affect his behavior. This is the only issue we have with him! Otherwise he is wonderful at home and has settled in amazingly over the past month.

One time, we ran into a great couple with a large dog, same age as Bentley, but she was very calm. They were happy to try to see if he would play nicely with her. We held Bentley back and they slowly let their dog approach him. He tried to bite her and she was very close to paw slapping him!

Hoping for some advice! Thank you!

 

[2bullymama]

It seems to be that Bentley may not have been socialized as a puppy or could have been a solo puppy. He doesn’t seem to know how to play or socialize it may be good to get a trainer to slowly integrate him into understanding other dogs.

Some Bulldogs tend to not get along with other dogs because bulldogs don’t have the same body language as most dogs so it can be difficult at times for them to be accepted


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[FroxerMom]

Bentley is still so young - he can definitely learn how to walk and play appropriately. I'd contact a reputable trainer or ask your vet for a recommendation.

My girl will be two in December. We adopted her when she was around 12 months old. I've been working with her daily because she too, does not appear to like other dogs when out on walks and I do not have the confidence yet to try and let her play in our backyard unleashed with another dog (in order to determine if her behavior is due to being leashed). She lives with a large dog and they get along 90% of the time. It was not so when I first brought her home. She attacked him in the first few seconds they met. But she is an excellent listener and will stop immediately if they start fussing over something.

There is hope for you! It's been about 7 months now and I went from a snarling, lunging, barking ball of mess, to a dog that can now walk without any of those behaviors when she sees another dog across the street. My next goal is to get her to be able to walk past a dog on the same side of the street. I know she can do it. This has been 7 months in the making. It may take you some time, but I believe a dog with fear based aggression (what mine has) can be rehabbed.

I'm with you on the level of stress being through the roof when you are out walking. I was crushed when we brought her home and quickly discovered that the long walks I'd wanted to take her on were not going to happen. I have had to walk my dog at 6:30 every morning rain or shine, for 7 months because hardly anyone is out at that time near me. And that's a pain. If I can get her to the next level and be able to sleep in, I will be thrilled!!!

Good luck!

 

[FroxerMom]

Oops, and I didn't mean to imply that you can only re-train a young dog. One of my most beloved Boxers was 7 1/2 when I adopted him to prevent him from being euthanized. He had major aggression issues and it took a LONG time, but he was eventually able to live with other Boxers, go on walks, and meet and accept new people. I have no doubt your little Bentley can be helped (maybe enroll in a puppy kindergarten)?

Even if it is determined that he simply just does not like other dogs, you can still socialize him with people and avoid his triggers.

 

[roligrant]

Oops, and I didn't mean to imply that you can only re-train a young dog. One of my most beloved Boxers was 7 1/2 when I adopted him to prevent him from being euthanized. He had major aggression issues and it took a LONG time, but he was eventually able to live with other Boxers, go on walks, and meet and accept new people. I have no doubt your little Bentley can be helped (maybe enroll in a puppy kindergarten)?

Even if it is determined that he simply just does not like other dogs, you can still socialize him with people and avoid his triggers.

Thank you so much for your story! It makes me feel so comforted that I am not alone in how I feel. I too, really wanted to take Bentley for long walks and down fun streets on sunny days and felt so sad when I realized it wasn't possible. I also walk him really early or really late or anytime that's "off peak" to avoid people and dogs!

I've gotten a couple personal training lessons just to understand how to walk him better and I do see some improvement (he's great when it's a quiet street...as soon as people or dogs appear he doesnt even care about his treats)! Will keep trying and pushing on! Greatly appreciate your advice!

 

[FroxerMom]

Thank you so much for your story! It makes me feel so comforted that I am not alone in how I feel. I too, really wanted to take Bentley for long walks and down fun streets on sunny days and felt so sad when I realized it wasn't possible. I also walk him really early or really late or anytime that's "off peak" to avoid people and dogs!

I've gotten a couple personal training lessons just to understand how to walk him better and I do see some improvement (he's great when it's a quiet street...as soon as people or dogs appear he doesnt even care about his treats)! Will keep trying and pushing on! Greatly appreciate your advice!

I am really glad that you found the info I relayed, helpful. It's great you are already seeing progress with the trainer's help. The day I typed it out, we went for a walk at a time I normally would not have, just to test the waters. My neighbor with the dog she does not like, was also out walking. Normally, I tend to tense up, which I'm sure Daphne feels and reacts to, but I made an effort to just take a breath and we walked past each other without incident. But then when we went out at our normal 6:30 am time this morning, it seemed like everyone else was out too (which is highly unusual, but with the hurricane rain and winds arriving here in a few hours, I figured everyone got up early to make sure their dogs got a walk). Daphne barked and lunged this morning, which is something she hasn't done in months, but I'm considering the circumstances. So many dogs all at once.

I hope you continue to see progress. Until you have a dog that is hard to have out in public, you don't realize how limiting it is :ashamed:
I keep seeing signs that she can do better, so I keep working at it because someday I DO want to be able to take her to a dog friendly event, or at least not walk while it is still dark out! Gah!