Aggression towards young dogs and puppies

I have a 2.5 yr old rescue dog (lab/setter/greyhound mix- we think) He has been with me for a year and gets on very well with my 13yr old male springer spaniel. We know very little about his background but suspect he was undersocialised as he lived with an elderley lady who didnt walk him.
He is fine with most dogs we meet in the park but not friendly with dogs younger than himself.

He displays dominant behaviour (tail up like a brush and hackles raised) and if a young dog approaches and I dont have a toy to keep him occupied he will curl his lips back. growl and then roll the young dog almost immediately.

Once the dog is older (18 mnths +) he then doesn't seem to bother and is now very friendly with a few of the dogs (that he has rolled in the past) that use the same park and fall into this catagory.

Thankfully it seems to be all about the display of dominance - he hasn't hurt a young dog, but I appreciate that this is unnacceptable behaviour and I am constantly on my guard looking out for puppies.

He is excercised twice a day off lead and as a rule is very good or just not at all intersted in adult dogs (he does like to run and chase with a dog that will play)
In every other aspect he is a such a good boy (well trained to basis commands with excellent recall ect) but the puppy issue does cause problems.

(as a side issue he is very friendly with people but not if they are tall and of a large build where he will then bark if they approach and growl at them before then hiding behind me and seeming fearful- we wonder if this is perhaps because he ws ill treated at somepoint by someone of this descrpition?)

Can anyone suggest things we can try to assist with the puppy problem?
many thanks

I think some dogs REALLY don't like pups and you are doing what you can to prevent any nasty situation.

I wouldn't like to say if your dog was going in too hard without seeing what happens. It is fairly normal to get a lot of lip lifting on greeting younger dogs. The rolling is presumably just that---he plays fair and doesn't injure the other dogs?

Stick with the toy and avoid neurotic owners

rune

I don't have any answers but just to say my boy Cain is the same. Also an under socialised rescue, he's had a hard time interacting with other dogs. He's much better now and loves a nice young 18 month old dog who is as bouncy as him.....however puppies really freak him out!

I think it's because they are just too wiggly and they tend to run up right in his face and under his feet without a suitable snuffy greetng. Cain's never hurt a puppy but when they run up he'll growl and pounce on them, the puppy with usually dramatise and squeal (prob cos Cain is big and heavy!) and I'll end up pulling Cain off. He's never marked a pup but I've never really given him the chance to. I don't honestly know what it is, unfortunately because they ate just puppies their recall us poor and often they are under his feet before I even see them then the owners can't get them back!

Now I just avoid puppies as it's hard enough getting him to socialise with other dogs, I don't need puppies right now!

I'll be interested in replies to this thread.

Sorry don't have any answers here either, but my dog hadn't been socialised at around two years old when got her from rescue. She has never been good with young puppies, has been with me three years now. The last pup that came bounding over(two years ago) was not greeted well at all, but was a bit miffed off because was allowed to do so by some one who was fostering/training as hearing dog and mine was on a lead? She's only a small dog, and I don't like doing it, because couldn't if had bigger dog, but have picked her up if faced with similar situations again. She is well socialised now but I wouldn't like a pup to be frightened by a stern telling off or an angry owner. We try avoid puppies too(maybe it's wrong don't know), am very interested also in any solution and hope you find a way too.

Thanks for that, it's nice to know it's not just my boy that has this puppy issue.

He seems to be OK with the very very young pups as long as they are not too in his face. It's when they are what I call half grown 6months- 1 year that he really doesn't like them. He doesn;t activly seek them out but if they come near (within 10 - 15 feet) oftern he will just make growling noises if they approach and then if I cant get to him in time he will pounce and roll them.

Usually then the pup will squeal as if its being eaten, I'm left telling my boy off with a number of firm "No" commands and dragging him away by his collar- I know he mustn't hurt the pups as they always seem to coem back for more and I;m left trying to hold his head while he snaps his teeth together.

Most dog owners are doggie people and seem to understand but I am worried that he might one day hurt a young dog or frighten it so thats its left with issues about leggy brown dogs in later life. (I also dont want to be know as the lady with the savage brown cross breed when he is a lovley boy in most other ways!)

If I intercept him before the young dog gets near he is fine and I can put him on the lead until the young dog has moved away but if they get too close the fact that I have hold of his collar seems to make him worse and he gets more seemingly savage.... I really am at a loss as to whta to do and I'm not sure if holding onto him makes him worse so I;m trying just to avoid young dogs altogether.

Thanks for your help.

Hiya i really sympathise with you on this one my dog buster who we have had for a month tomorrow is the same too but not just puppie other dogs too it used to be people as well.... and it can be highley fustrating!! but we have over come the people now and he is very well behaved and even showing interest in people instead of growling snarling and going mental with no control... we got buster from a woman who had left them (Buster and his brother) in a empty back room day and night and never walked them he is 16months now but very under socialised with people and dogs... like i said we have over come his fear with people with a help from a dog behaviourist but still having difficulty with dogs... i havnt even attempted having him off lead yet.. but we are working slowly on the dogs aggression/anxiety/playing problem towards other dogs and though he isnt improving very much there are little improvements i guess its a case of being consistant and distraction keep a distance and carry on reguardless in the direction you are going you ur self not getting nervous or showing negative emotions or maybe apprehensive? might me a better word.. as the dog tends to pick up on that... mmm these are all the things the trainer and i have been working with buster on and its really worked with the people side of things... im just guess i cant push him to far in such short time (a month) with other dogs... but progress is progress im seeing the behaviourist again in a week or so and as i will be querying things along the same line as you with other dogs maybe i can let you know if there maybe be something that might be able to help you?
not sure if my message helped but i think what im trying to say is your not alone and things will get better with a little patience and consistancy... good luck

Hi Westyorkschick, my dog Clifford had a real issue with puppies and we, in our ignorance, used to tell him 'no' when he had a go growling which meant he then stepped up and would try and run them down, roll growling and snapping. I think we made his behaviour escalate by telling him off and then we became more nervous taking him out. Perhaps he thought we were the ones who were afraid of puppies and needed protection!

He really didnt and doesnt like puppies, and we learnt to not push the issue, but protect him. As he was an undersocialised rescue he wasnt showing them proper signals either. After months and months of walks off lead and on lead, he got more confident. I would still not expose him to a puppy now, but if one appeared suddenly I know he wouldnt go after it and his recall is good enough for me to get on lead straightaway before it's in his face. we can then move away from the puppy while I shoe it off. Mostly the face he shows them means they stop in their tracks anyway.

A huge sign of his progress is a puppy actually grabbed hold of his long line when he was still on the long line while its owner helplessly ran (from far away)towards us, and Clifford did not kick off despite the cheek.

He displays dominant behaviour (tail up like a brush and hackles raised) this is not a sign of “dominance” but an indication that your dog is apprehensive about a situation ie it is showing “fight or flight” response or, IMO, more correctly “fight, flight, freeze or fiddle about” this is a form of communication to both other dogs and ourselves and we ignore it at our peril.

if a young dog approaches and I dont have a toy to keep him occupied he will curl his lips back. growl and then roll the young dog almost immediately.

This is perfectly normal behaviour, remember it is the approaching dog that is invading YOUR dog’s space, not the other way round. It is up to the owners of these dogs to control them and prevent them and others (including you and your dog) from harm. Failure to do so is at best impolite, at worst potentially dangerous. (Google Flying Dog Press, go to Free Articles and open up “He only wants to say Hi”)

Once the dog is older (18 mnths +) he then doesn't seem to bother and is now very friendly with a few of the dogs (that he has rolled in the past) that use the same park and fall into this catagory.

He is merely teaching other dogs that being approached in an impolite manner is not acceptable.

Thankfully it seems to be all about the display of dominance - he hasn't hurt a young dog, but I appreciate that this is unnacceptable behaviour and I am constantly on my guard looking out for puppies.

Do you welcome the advances of all and sundry or do you expect people you do not know to keep their distance? If your dog is not hurting any other dogs there is not a problem, he is merely using canine language to put them in place. It sounds as though your dog has good social skills in this department.

(as a side issue he is very friendly with people but not if they are tall and of a large build where he will then bark if they approach and growl at them before then hiding behind me and seeming fearful- we wonder if this is perhaps because he ws ill treated at somepoint by someone of this descrpition?)

This indicates that your dog is not a very confident dog not necessarily that he has been ill treated but under socialised and not environmentally sound. Again, if your dog is hiding behind you this is a wise decision on his part and as long as you respect this and do not try to force him to accept other dogs or people your dog and others will be safe!

By the way, holding a dog’s head either by the collar or on a lead can lead to further issues as you are not allowing him to either escape or use his body language appropriately. Hence why his behaviour appears to deteriorate.

Do your best to prevent your dog being bothered by uncontrollable dogs and modify your expectations.

I have a dog with a superb temperament however like many dogs she does not like small ones or puppies I think because they do not know what to do with them and they get underneath them and make odd noises.

Relax, it is not necessary or even desirable that dogs adore everything and every body, it is only necessary that they do no harm.