Source
r/reactivedogs•
clueless996

My reactive dachshund bit a member of his pack

Ok, so this is the point of desperation for me. He never bit a dog before, he was just a growler that after repeating myself enough would move away from the situation and continue as normal. Maybe it was the situation, but I am at a loss for words, and frankly energy at this point. I feel like everything I'm doing is for nothing, and he just keeps getting worse. Where I live there are no programs I can enroll him in, just basic obedience trainings, which I've already done with him. I guess I should give you a bit more info. He's a year and 10 months old dachshund unneutered male, and I can't change that (even if I'm the primary caretaker, I lost the family vote with no chance of changing their minds). He was a lively puppy, great with all dogs, until he hit puberty. He started not liking all males, which was fine, I started introducing him on leash always, and most of the time he would calm down and actually play with them. Now, the event last night was a first. We met at the dog park with two neighbours and their dogs, a 3yo dachshund spayed female (the dog he's most attached to) and an 6yp unneutered male pug, which he met last year while he was a pup, and was friendly with, prior to last night. He did growl at him, which I corrected, and he calmed down, but one time he didn't listen, when the pug tried to hump the female, and he sort of lashed out at him. He didn't break the skin, it didn't last long and it didn't seem agressive, more of a warning, but it was a bite nonetheless. I really don't know what to do at this point. We haven't been to the dog park since, and I'm afraid that he's gonna do it again. I don't know if I should limit his contact with dogs or the opposite, or what ti do.

If you have any opinion or advice on this, please dm me, or share in the comments, because I'm at a complete loss. Thanks in advance, and sorry for my rant, but I had to share it somewhere.

Posted Sep 23, 2019, 6:55 PM UTC

116
lbw12345Reynolds (Dog Reactive)•

When you are correcting him for growling, what are you doing? Growling is tough because it's an undesirable behavior, but it's him communicating he's not comfortable with a situation. I would avoid scolding or reprimanding him for growling if that's what you are doing now because that doesn't change that he's uncomfortable, it just stops him from vocalizing his discomfort. I would recommend instead removing him from the situation, so he's uncomfortable being around the pug and female together - maybe 1x1 playdates would be better for him.

3
clueless996OP•

I just call him to come to me, so he moves away from the dog he's growling at, and he usually tones it down while coming over and stops when he reaches me or as we move away

2
lbw12345Reynolds (Dog Reactive)•

Good! In some situations making him take a quick break may be enough, but the bitches make all the boys go crazy! Being around a lady dog and another intact male just might be too much for him.

I do see others suggesting the use of aversive tools, ultimately you know your dog best and the decision is yours, but your dog is expressing his discomfort in these situations. The scenario you've described at the dog park seems to be one purely for the sake of your dogs enjoyment, if he is not enjoying it and is uncomfortable I struggle to see the value in using an aversive tool to make him stay in a situation he isn't comfortable in, while creating further discomfort by using a shock or prong collar.

I wish you the best of luck!

1
clueless996OP•

Thank you so much! I just hope he will mellow out a bit with age so it would be easier to socialise him.

1
nicedoglady•

Most dog parks are a hot mess, especially the smaller typical urban/surburban ones and particularly at the typical dog park times when people usually go, such as after work or school.

A lot of dogs get crammed in to a fenced in area with minimal movement through space and things just tend to boil over a lot. Its not uncommon for dogs to age out of dog parks and find them increasingly overwhelming as they mature, so for this to happen at this age is typical. I'd recommend stop taking him to the park and start doing smaller playgroups and other forms of mental and physical enrichment. If you are super committed to taking him to the dog park for some reason, scope out the quieter times with fewest people and keep a close eye on things.

If you haven't checked it out, our Wiki is a good place to start with some great resources and references.

3
clueless996OP•

Thank you so much for this! Yeah, we rarely go to that park, we just went last night cause I was exhausted and it was the easiest way to let him let his energy out, but I'll keep it in mind for future reference. He's usually better behaved when we go to an open space walkway a bit further away, where he has more space to roam and interact with dogs and people. Thanks for the wiki, I'll check it out for sure!

2
Doxinfinity•

I’m not sure. It would depend on how well he listens to commands.

1
clueless996OP•

His obedience is great in normal situations, a bit less obedient in these type of situations, but he does listen eventually

1
Doxinfinity•

Yes most “aggressive” behavior is a result of fear not anger although seeing another male hump his potential girlfriend probably put him in the angry side. It was a warning since he didn’t do full damage. The slip collar is still enough to give an immediate consequence and doesn’t cost nearly as much as a prong and a ecollar. When the slip or prong collar is on correct it hugs the muscles around the neck and head not damaging the throat.

-1
clueless996OP•

I'm gonna look into how it works, thanks for the advice! What do you think would work when we're walking off leash?

0
Doxinfinity•

But when he’s reactive he won’t want to listen unless his training is ingrained heavier than his need. But for an unneutered dog it may not happen.

-1
clueless996OP•

Well that's not very comforting to hear, but thanks for the advice!

1
Doxinfinity•

There’s a British trainer in the video called Demon dog. About a husky who is not neutered. What she says about the reason why male dogs act certain ways when they are not neutered. That’s a good video too.

1
clueless996OP•

Thank you, I'll certainly watch it

1
Doxinfinity•

I know a dachshund is a small dog but you can give him consequences with slip collar or a prong collar. I’ve seen them used on reactive Yorkshires which is even smaller. I just visited a Petsmart and they had a very small prong collar. I recommend taking your dog to get it fitted. Yes prong collars are usually used on large dogs, but even smaller dogs need to know consequences. You many only need it for a short time or until he gets fixed. I’ve started watching Upstate Canine Academy on YouTube and Thomas uses slip and prong collars on most in his training. If you can spend $140 you can get a Ecollar(it vibrates not shocks) which he uses as well. I do recommend watching the Yorkie video and his other small dog videos. Sure most of his are for large dogs like German shepherds because they need the most training, but his way of training is for every dog.

-2
clueless996OP•

I was considering an e collar, since dachshunds have a sensitive spine, so I'd like to avoid a prong collar, but I was hoping we weren't there yet. Also, I'm still not a 100% sure of the cause for his reactivity, so idk if an e collar could be harmful if he's just insecure?

-1