Hi Tab

got the impression from the headcollar thread that your dog is a basket case when he sees other dogs?

he doesnt sound too bad?

Oh, Dahlia sounds just like Dexter!

He doesn't understand that some dogs don't want to bounce around and play and be friendly. And he also sometimes does the mock stalking thing - if he sees another dog from a distance. The first time he did it I just stared, I'd never seen any dog do it before - he drops to the ground and sort of slinks forward, then freezes, staring, then slinks, etc etc.

It really disconcerts other dog owners and also many dogs!!

How have you been helping your girl to play 'correctly', if you don't mind my asking?

I've done a few things:

1. If she goes into the stalky posture I snap her out of it by stepping front of her and cutting off her line of vision. Usually she looks up at me at that point. At worst she tries to skirt around me to continue staring at the dog and I keep cutting her off. If she is REALLY persistent I'll turn and walk away with her. No greeting for stalky dogs!

2. I've been working on getting her to sit before allowing her to greet. This is harder than it sounds because she's SO excited her butt has trouble staying on the ground.

3. And the major thing that seems to have settled her down a bit is meeting the same dogs over and over again and realizing that their play bows MEAN something and that their jumping on her isn't the end of the universe. She was always very tense about dogs jumping on her or ramming their nose up her behind and would give them warning growls and air snaps if they persisted. I've been trying to do something my instructor recommended which is to give her treats when a dog is being rude and shoving his/her nose up her butt and then stop when the dog stops as a way to show her that their doing that means good things for her.

It's a work in progress but she's mostly ok.

Interesting, thanks for that - I'll have to try it next time Dex goes into stalking position!

Same here - I managed to get Dex to sit today when we greeted some dogs but it was hard work! He literally quivers with excitement.

I have tried this as well, Dex actually ignores treats if there are other dogs around, which did amaze me at first as he's a Lab

Many thanks for the tips, much appreciated

HI KRUSEWALKER

Yes, Dexter goes mad with sheer excitement and frustration when he's on leash and he sees other dogs.

In fact it's only in the past two weeks that the training seems to be kicking in and we can now actually walk past dogs on the other side of the street without Dexter going beserk!

When he's off leash he's not too bad, just incredibly bouncy, but then he's a young male Lab so I guess to a certain extent it's to be expected.

We're still working hard on passing dogs on the same side of the street though. He gets sooo overwhelmed at the sight of another dog, bless him...

...my view prob wont be popular.... without seeing it no-one can be sure..but are you sure he wasnt trying to tell your boy to slow down and be a bit less boisterous?

You may be right, it's a fair point. I'm wondering if because the RR was the older dog, Dex came over as being 'disrespectful'?

I think I was just taken aback that the RR nipped at him - and the RR is a very big dog so Dex was terrified

if a rr wanted to hurt your boy i think you would of known about it

...i know we can be anxious parents..but Dex to me has prob learnt a lesson..how else would you expect him to learn? they learn manners better through each other than us.
you say he was terrified...what was you doing at that point?

TBF this is how Benjie plays with my two - when he feels like it.

He's brought Sadie down a few times and she only weighs 15KG and him more 25-30KG, he'll grab a hold of her scruff and try and pull her down. Whilst barking and growling at her. I know it's play because if it was anything else Sadie would tell him to back off and believe me - you do not want to get on the wrong side of her!

Same with Louie - I can tell when he plays with him it's playing because pups (if I am not mistaken) are very intuned into what is a threat and what isn't (?)

The RR probably didn't have the correct manners of greeting and could also by the sounds of it have been a pup also.

Louie greets dogs the same way. He tried to greet Mojo on the Staffs walk but as she was so small and he didn't know how to be gentle - Skye told him off - and boy did he avoid her the rest of the day!

It sounds to me like rough play, but the best person to ask about how RR's greet and play - is a RR owner

At that point I had wedged myself firmly between the two dogs, as the RR was still standing there staring at Dexter, and also at me.