I think my puppy is a bully - help!

[mortomo]

I have an 8 1/2 mo old rat terrier puppy. He is, of course, pretty hyper. The dog park that we take him to has a big dog side and a little dog side and has a weight limit of <25 lbs and >25 lbs (our dog is around 20 lbs). We started out by taking him to the little dog side when he was 5 mos old and find that he is a bully to the dogs on that side. He seems to pick one dog and just humps and pins them down by the neck (I know this is him trying to show dominance). Last night he was pretty rough with this one dog and they were growling and biting at each other. I know that puppies bite and wrestle with each other when they play, but this seemed a little bit more aggressive. We pried our dog off of the other and the owner of the other dog picked her dog up and walked away. We were so embarrassed and went home.

When we bring him to the big dog side he usually does really well, but last night there was a dog there that is known for being aggressive and we could hear him growling at other dogs, so we chose the small dog side. He seems to play much better with big dogs. Also, other people bring their little dogs to the big dog side and he doesn't seem to bother them over there.

My question for those with experience, will he grow out of this or will he just get more aggressive? I don't want the dog that everyone groans when they see us coming. The dog owners on the big dog side call him 'Killer' when we show up, but I think that's more because he keeps up with the big dogs and has no fear of running and playing with them. At least that's what I tell myself.

Just to note, he's not a mean dog at all. He's bite-y with us, but is getting better and it's not aggressive biting. He's a very happy and fun dog that just loves to run and play. I just wish he would play nice with other dogs. We use the dog park for his main exercise and would hate to lose that option.

Sorry so long. I'm just really upset about this.

[mollymoe]

I don't know how helpful I'm going to be but your dog sounds a lot like mine. She is some kind of terrier. She is 10 lbs but I don't think she realizes she is little. She plays a little rough with other little dogs. When we were adopting her, her foster mom told me she wants to be the alpha dog. I think this is a common trait for terriers.

My dog does a lot better with bigger dogs but I will say that as she gets older, she is getting a lot better. I don't take her to dog parks because I can see myself being embarrassed by her behavior

I signed Molly up for a bunch of classes (training classes and agility) and I think it helped her get used to being around other dogs in a safe environment. One thing I learned from class is to let Molly meet a new dog for about 10 seconds and then bring her back to me with a praise and a treat. Repeat the process.

[mortomo]

Thank you for the reply. The pic of your dog is so cute!

We went to training classes and while he had zero attention span to learn, there weren't any issues with other dogs. He really loves playing with other dogs and just gets so excited to go to the dog park. That's why I would hate to have to take that option away from him. I think he probably just thinks that he's the boss. Sigh.

Also, at the dog park, he usually picks on the biggest dog on the little dog side. He also seems to be able to detect older dogs or dogs that are more laid back and leaves them alone. The dog he bullied last night was about a year old and a male (cocker spaniel).

We would like to put him in agility, but he doesn't do well off of a leash.

[mollymoe]

Thanks! She is cute but a handful! I got Molly when she was 10 months old (she is three now) and at first I was very stressed with her bullying. I tried to take her to the dog parks but it didn't work for me. I'm shy to begin with so I'm overly sensitive to what I think others are thinking of me and my dog. I don't want to discourage you at all about dog parks. I'm not an expert on dogs but for me it was too hard .

But your dog is still a puppy and I bet some of his behavior is him just being a puppy and figuring out the dog rules. Sorry, I'm not much help but I just like hearing about other feisty dogs!

[mollymoe]

Oh, I wanted to tell you about agility. I was very nervous at first but really, none of the dogs were prefect. The area was fenced in and our first lessons were on leash. We would work individually on a skill and then rotate. Eventually we worked up to a full course off leash.

All the dogs took off form the course at one time. The instructor would just yell "loose dog" and we would all pick up our dogs or turn the bigger dogs to the fence until the loose dog was caught. It was really fun.

[kellbell191]

This is not my area of expertise, but I think a puppy will grow out of it some and learn out of it by interacting with other dogs. If he gets riled up and inappropriate, remove him. He'll learn that over the top behavior= no more fun. Is he neutered? The humping should calm down some once he is.

We have a dog that gets picked on at dog parks because he is so laid back. I will intercede and body block other people's dogs, but I have found it is far more effective to let him put them in their place. If your dog really isn't getting their cues, then separate him, but as long as the other owners ok, I would let their dogs handle it. And pick playmates carefully.

I do think people make a mistake when they rely solely on the dog park to get their dogs energy out. If he can fetch, or run with you, or go for walks or whatever, those are also important. Its not just physical exercise that wears them out, but also mental stimulation through exploring new places, learning new commands, etc. If he isn't getting enough other stimulation he will continue to be a terror no matter how much dog park.

[mortomo]

He's neutered, so unfortunately we can't look forward to that changing his behavior.

We also bring him for walks and play with him, but the dog park is what really wears him out. We also play fetch with him at the dog park. We don't have a fenced in backyard, so the dog park is where we let him get his running in.

When he was acting like that last night, we separated the dogs and went home. The other dog was barking, growling and biting back, but it only only seemed to egg my dog on. Actually, I think the other dog is the one that started the growling and biting, but then my dog started pinning him down and putting his mouth around the other dog's neck.

Thanks for the feedback. I guess we'll try to stick to the big dog side and remove him immediately when he starts getting too rough. Hopefully he'll grow out of it.

[kellbell191]

Puppies are crazy man! They do get less crazy : )

[setsail1999]

My younger girl gets very over-stimulated when there is a lot of fast playing. She's not really trust worthy in a dog park situation but I've had similar problems when she's getting super ramped up playing with another dog. We try to keep her to short play segments and then separate before she gets too intense and then do it again. Like your guy she does better in large groups with a lot of activity, she's not that good one-on-one with some dogs and she's a btch when she's "working".

As for agility, check to see if they have a recall class or a more advanced obedience class. The main goal of dog sports to want your dog to connect with you and enjoy the activity. My girl has a horrible off leash recall outside but she has amazing focus and recall when playing flyball. Start working with him outside, take him to a safe area and put a long line on him. Clap, whistle, run away, drag a tug toy.....make yourself interesting! If you feel like a damn fool you're on the right track. Always reward for interacting with you in distracting environments, get him to think you are so much more fascinating than the world around him. The recall and focus will increase while you build up a working relationship. But remember, he's still a puppy with little attention span so take it easy and keep it super short.

[caz1221]

PPs have all given great advice. I ditto doing more classes with him, especially if he has attention issues, poor recall, etc. Solidifying his training should help with some issues, though at 8.5 months old, I think PPs are right that some of it is just him being a puppy (and a terrier no less)! The agility class we did required dogs to be good off leash (and good with other dogs), so I would just check the requirements for any agility class and consider doing more basic training (or advanced if you already did basic).

I think it's also important to be vigilant at the dog park and just know your dog. Try to spot the signs that he's getting too riled up, and either remove him or give him a time out (put him in a sit/down next to you but off leash to avoid any leash issues with other dogs that are off-leash). My dogs learned quickly that rude doggy behavior on their parts meant we left the park. GL!

[mortomo]

Thanks for the advice! I hope it's him mostly being a puppy. I knew that puppies were crazy, but I grew up with Golden Retrievers, so having a terrier is VERY different!

The place we went to for obedience training requires him being good off leash for agility. We talked to the trainer about it when we went for training. It's hard to train him to be off leash because we just don't trust him right now. The other day he backed out of his collar while we were outside for a potty break. The only thing that would get him to come to me is a bribe of the dog park. Treats, walk, etc didn't work. We try to work on it at the dog park if there aren't any other dogs there since it's fenced in. We also work on commands in the house, too.

[dirtyred]

I think you have a dog with a dominant personality. I would recommend seeing a behaviorist (not just a trainer) to help you manage this, as it's only going to get worse if you can't make the dog understand that he's not the boss.

That's the thing with terriers (I've always had terriers because I love their personalities), they think they can rule the world.