How to handle a dog owner....?

Question

At the off-leash park in my neighborhood there is a pug my dog does not like. My dog has only pinned & barked at this dog, who continues to approach when it sees her. Last night the pug sniffed her stick. So she pinned the pug & barked at it. I corrected my dog, & put her on restriction.

The owner of the pug was understandably upset. I apologized heavily, asked if his dog was okay, tried to explain that my dog was going through training & was still young - 1yr.

Then he launched into threats & accusations. There was no chance for & he refused to listen to my apologies. I know that he will be back at the park & I am not going to avoid it (her training class meets there). A lot of dogs at the park seem to have that dog they just don't like. Most of them seem to know & it they avoid each other (expect for this pug I guess). The dog in training so that she learns to handle the situation better, but is no threat to anyone.

How do I deal with running into this guy and his pug again?

This pug's owner has no interest in watching his pug at the park. The pug will be at one end, and he'll be at other end chatting with people. There are dogs that don't like mine, and I usher her away from them when we are at the park. I also keep her no further then three yards from me (there are coyetes that roam the edges of the park at dusk).

If I shoo his pug off, I know it will not go over well.

My dog is a sweet dog. She submits to everyone, it's a joke for most people - she runs up and drops on her back to expose her belly. She just doesn't like this pug ....

Advice? Help?

This is a good dog who submits to anything. She submits to dogs, cats - & if we walk into PetSmart - she submits to the birds & rats in their cages. She's a gentle girl & also knows the dogs that don't want to be bothered & stays away.

There's just something about this pug she doesn't like & hasn't since first meeting it. I can control her behavior quickly, but I feel helpless that I can't stop this pug who always comes up to her, sniff her toys, pesters her girly parts (she's fixed), crawl on her, etc. Her moving awa does nothing because the pug follows her!

Other dogs can do this to her (she does in fact have another pug she likes and plays with) but this one pug - forget it, she doesn't like him, wants nothing to do with him.

If I have to correct her from dominating the pug it's gone too far, which is one thing we are working on in training. Frankly I would just like this pug to stay the f' away. Do I just ask the owner to please bring his pug away (when it comes up to us

Answer 1

If it is an off-leash park...I would suggest he trains his dog to respect bigger dogs space. You might try a muzzle for your dog...ONCE, JUST to protect your dog and yourself from getting set up. When the lil' crapper plays his invader game again, your dog can pin him again ( but not bite ) correct your dog, then tell the other owner that you have done your part now he needs to wise up and do his part, or find another park. Witnesses, trainers and fellow park users could back you up on this too. If it was a bigger dog his behavior wouldn't be tollerated. I'll bet if he does this elsewhere, a veteran tough guy dog would tear him a new a$$.

Answer 2

Dogs sometimes can sense when another dog or even person is submissive to it. Since your dog submits to everyone usually, she might feel dominant over the pug, especially if she is bigger. Dogs have personalities just like humans, when they feel they can over power something they stick up. I dont have any idea what to do about the owner, he was being unreasonable, but I understand how he feels. I have a small dog who is terrified of other dogs because he was in a shelter. Even though his size he still tries to protect me. He is 3 months old and I also have another dog, Cocker spaniel 1 year, they are best friends now but when we first got him he hated her. As we also have an off-leash dog park in our neighborhood he is coming out of his shell but I definately recommend sticking with the obediance classes, they are life savers. As for the owner of the pug, always be cordial and keep your dog away from his. As crazy as this sounds maybe you could talk to him about introducing your dogs in a different way. Try out of the dog park, put the dogs on there leashes and have your dog sit next to you, have him slowly walk his dog towards yours and sit right in front of you. Let them smell eachother from a short distance. Repeat this with your dog walking and his sitting. If he agrees to doing this it should work and if he doesnt well oh well. He'll have to deal with it, especially if you were there first.

I hope this helps, and good luck, make sure no one gets hurt... big liability law suit

GOOOOD LUCK!!!

Answer 3

I would just try your best to avoid the dog and owner. If the pug comes up to your dog, just tell the owner- obviously my dog doesn't like your dog, can you take him over there/or could you please keep him away so my dog doesn't rip your pug's throat out. Then throw in there something to the effect of, dogs like people have personalities. Obviously your pug has taken on your stupidity part of your personality. Now please keep your dog away. I wouldn't apologize either, especially if he's been warned and is aware there's a problem. Just stand your ground. Yeah, you're responsible for your dog, but flip side, he is for his as well. If he's warned to move then he should. Like I said, just try to avoid him. Make sure yours is up to date on his shots as well, in case he does end up biting or mauling the little s**t dog, I mean pug.

When I bring my shepherd to the vet, for some reason everyone wants to let their dogs come over and sniff him/play with him. Obviously, I have him on a short leash, and under strict control for a reason-he's an alpha dog, and doesn't particularly care for a lot of other dogs, especially small ones. They always get offended too, don't know why, probably because they think they're dogs are their kids. We teach our kids not to pet stray dogs, so I don't know why people think just because a dog's cute it's also friendly. Some people are so dumb.........

Answer 4

We all asume an amount of risk when we enter a dog park and allow our dogs off leash. However, we are individually responsible for our own dogs and to have them under control at all times. If you cannot call your dog off of another dog when it is engaged in dominant behavior, you need to continue your training and limit your dog's free interaction with other dogs and owners. Train on leash and be the alpha in your pack. Privelages are granted when a dog can easily display correct behavior on leash on a verbal commmand or no command.

You tried to diffuse the uncomfortable situation you found yourself in by apologizing. This is probably not the first time his dog has been the target for other dogs that engage in dominant behavior out in public and is growing tired and concerned about his own dog's safety and well being. If the pug had stood it's ground or attacked your dog in self defense, would you have seen the situation differently? Chances are good that you would be the one angered by the outcome.

I'm glad you're in training and it is an area the two of you must improve on to ensure that your dog can engage in social play with other dogs without having to engage in dominant behaviors.

Answer 5

I go to a dog park all the time. This guy needs to realize dogs are dogs and some are more dominant than others, as long as your dog isn't hurting any other dogs. Just watch for aggression problems, if you think your dog is the instigator, you may want to wait until she's better trained, she may just be a more dominant dog that is trying to let that be known... that's what dogs do! The pug will figure it out quicker than the owner!

Answer 6

The salient point is that the dog was able to leave its owner's property at will & exhibit dog to dog aggressive behavior, which means the owner failed in their responsibility to keep the dog safety contained so it did not pose a nuisance of threat to humans or dogs. You were right to report the incident to animal control as the owner is clearly an idiot unsuited to dog ownership with questionable mental health as chasing a person because they were forced to pay the price [literally] for allowing the circumstances occur whereby their dog bit another dog. Report the threats to the police & contact a lawyer for advice on how you can protect yourself from further threatening behavior. Walk the dog without the baby so you can carry a walking stick or other legal method of protection for yourself & the dog, as you are right that the last thing you want is your dog's first instinct to be to exhibit defensive aggressive behaviors to drive away dogs it perceives as a threat. It is your job to protect the dog which is nigh impossible when your priority would be the safety of the baby, & not the dog's job to decide what a threat is & how to handle it.

Answer 7

It sounds to me like this pug is being rude, and your dog is telling him to have better manners.

Excellent article on rude dogs.
http://www.flyingdogpress.com/sayhi.html

You do need to protect your dog from this rude pug. If that means keeping her on leash for now then so be it. Feel free to shoo the other dog away, if his owner can't keep him under control then it sucks to be him. There is no reason for your dog to be harassed just because the other dog is smaller.

Answer 8

Yeah, as someone already said, just be polite and say 'Hello' and keep your dog away from the pug. If you are polite it will probably annoy him anyway coz to me it sounds like he's spoiling for an argument. People like that shouldn't be allowed to keep dogs when they can't even deal with people in the first place.

You did the right thing, you apologised and asked if the dog was alright. It's not your fault or your dog's fault that this man took it upon himself to act like a total buffoon and make an exhibition of himself. Good on you, I hope your future politeness gets RIGHT up his nose...

Answer 9

You dogs are sometimes like children and their owners as well. I cannot understand that man who owns the pug acting like that. I mean his dog was not hurt right? Well then what was the big deal ? Say hello and keep your dog away from his dog. just stay out of their way. That is the only way i'm afraid you will solve this issue. good luck and god bless.

Answer 10

You know what? Don't even bother worrying about this guy. People are sooo defensive with their dogs, often times worse than their kids! Nobody wants their dog to be bullied or roughed up, but there will always be dogs who don't 'click', and most of us dog owners realize this. Just make sure you are controlling your dog so she doesn't end up hurting this pug because then you can get into liability issues. (I do insurance claims for a living and we do LOTS of dog bites.)