We only know Goldie for a few months since May 2013. We don't know much about her background. We are second guessing her age, her birthplace and her breed. And that's all.
We don't know what she has been through for the first 18 months. Maybe she was born inside a loving home and got lost in the woods. Maybe she was neglected. Maybe her previous owner was sick and couldn't take care of her anymore and she ended up in the pound.
Adopting a pound dog is not the same as buying a discounted gift basket from the store. You can't choose something you want to keep from the basket and discard the rest. Dogs are not toys. They have needs and feelings. And you are the providers. Like I said before, they can't choose you but you choose them.
Due to a lot of unknown, we are having a tough time to understand why she becomes "bossy". She played well in the park before but now she seems to be the bouncers in the park. She tries to choose who can come in and play and who should not. That's a territorial behavior.
At the very beginning, she was care less who coming in and out. As time goes by, she hangs out by the entrance. She seems to be a greeter. But not every dog wants to meet other right away by the gate. There were a few occasions that some dogs were very nervous and started to bark before coming in. OK. That's how it started. Goldie knows she can use her voice too and tell others she is here inside. Well some dogs think their dogs are friendly and good greeters. Are you serious? Do I want to see strangers standing by the playgrounds' entrance and starting to padding my shoulders and all that. I don't and Dogs don't. Goldie is not allowed to be at the entrance at all. I now start to leash her out of the area and give other dogs space. I don't tell other owners what to do but at least Goldie is not allowed
Then I found her whining while she is waiting to play. Barks, trying to charge, pull the leash. Sorry Goldie, other dogs are still checking newbie out and you have to wait. I tried to draw her attention with treats and waved my hands in front of her. I am sure it takes a long time to adjust but at least I need to be in control
If I think Goldie will play nice after a proper greetings, that's wrong. She plays rough. It really depends on other dogs behavior. Most of the time, they are less than 3 years old. They are just chasing and wrestling. However many times dogs gang up on each others. Goldie was freaked out. And she became defensive. 90% of the time, I stopped her. But 10% of the time, she was ran far away, it took me a while to calm her down. So what's next after all the barking and chasing? I choose to stay away from the commotion and put her on leash for 10 mins. If she is not calming down, I will leave. I am sure this will become a long process. At least, I assure other owners that I am in control and I am not walking away from the situation
The other thing I am going to change is to walk her first then go to the park. In the past, I walk to the park with her. Now, I need to take her out for a longer walk first. Then went home, wait till the outside is dark, then I will go to the park. Usually bigger dogs owners go to the park later, less small dogs at that time.
Many people would say, "why don't you take her to training school". Good question, I will probably write about this after 19 Oct. We will take Goldie to the chain pet store for an assessment. It will be interesting
So when your dog becomes aggressive, who are at fault? Whose behavior should be changed first? Don't expect your dogs will behave perfectly when you can't change your behavior. We are the pack leaders.
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