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9 month old puppy shrieking at other dogs?
I have two Boston Terriers. One is Murphy, he is 2, and is just fine around other dogs with the exception of being more submissive toward them and laying flat on his stomach when he meets a new dog.
The other is Tiger. He is a brown Boston, and is 9 months old. When he is around other dogs he doesn't know, he shrieks... loudly. It almost sounds like he is screaming bloody murder. It is a very high-pitched, chirpy sound. Definitely does not sound like a bark. To me, it seems like he is either overly excited or nervous. I have let him approach nice dogs we encounter and he chirps a little, and then calms down. When I try to remove him from the situation, he shrieks even louder!
My question is two-fold: 1) Do you think Tiger is afraid of other dogs, or would the reaction I described above be more from excitement? and 2) How do I go about fixing this? Is it as simple as bringing him into more social situations on a regular basis, or is it time to get professional help?
Asked by
Murphy
on Jul 21st 2009
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in Socialization
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If it is the new dogs then I say he is either scared or excited not sure.
If he is bristled then maybe fear.
If he wants to meet them, pulling towards them but showing no aggression then maybe just excitement.
Socialization should be started early to other dogs and people.
You can take them to classes or to the stores and practice socialization.
I would take along food to feed so that you can feed him in the tense situations.
You work on obedience at home then incorporate it into the socialization, this helps him focus on you instead of the fear or what ever is going on.
Dogs all handle stress in different ways.
A pro that can see him may be able to decide if it is fear or just excitement.
Baxter
answered on 7/22/09.
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