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Is newly adopted lab aggressive or just excited to socialize?
We recently adopted a 4yo female lab, who is very people-friendly and good with cats. We don't have info about whether she has been around other dogs, but while walking around the neighborhood, she goes nuts whenever she sees another dog. Usually her reaction is to strain/pull on the leash, whine, and bark while her ears are perked up and tail is high and wagging, but not always.
I cannot tell if she is being aggressive, fearful, or maybe just excited about these other dogs, but I am not willing to let anyone (canine or human) get bitten in order for me to find out. Is there any safe way to determine if she is able to socialize with other dogs? Is this something that I would need a trainer to help determine? If so, how would the trainer find out without putting another dog in potential danger?
Asked by
Chloe
on Sep 21st 2010
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in Socialization
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Best Answer
Getting a trainer or animal behaviorist is definitely a good idea. You also want to gain as much knowledge on dog psychology as you can. Check out www.cesarsway.com (Dog Whisperer's website). He offers great tips and info on different behaviors. Also, a great book to check out is "How to Speak Dog" by Stanley Coren. It gives pictures on what a dog looks like in an excited state, scared state, aggressive state, etc. Even if you just flip through it at the book store you will learn to read your dog better. It sounds like your dog is excited (ears perked, wagging tail), but is also dominant (tail straight up). Both of these things can lead to aggression if the dog is not read or trained right. Definitely look into the things mentioned and you will feel much better. Good luck!!
Wyatt answered on Sep 22nd.
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she sounds like our Bridget. She is very social, and she will offer a variety of signs. She will even aggress slightly if the other dog does. But, most of this is from the leash, it causes conflict.
The leash however is your safety net if the dogs do battle.
I teach my dogs to relax and not aggress if they really want to meet other dogs. Some of the reactions you are getting are also natural until the dog can get closer and read each other.
If you want to you can do a CGC test and that could give you an idea. There are testers who do it through akc. Or you can join a dog club for obedience and tell them you want the dog tested.
Clubs are great in helping, they are, if the dog club is social themselves, there is good and bad clubs out there of course.
Dieta
answered on 9/22/10.
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