* not sure if this is a training issue
Maddie's behaviour sometimes concerns me.
Tonight a neighbour's dog (in the backyard that Maddie couldn't reach/see) went wild with barking at her and stuff, and her fur went straight up. She then ran to the fence barking and jumping up, being aggressive, etc. I snapped and she came back to me but it's weird.
It seems to be only when she's threatened though. One day I took her to the dog park when she was younger and a BIG Akita cross came charging at her barking/growling, tackled her and grabbed at her neck. She lost it and made weird snarl/growl noises, wiggled loose and went after the dog. She chased after the dog (a good 5x her size) while making the weird sounds and biting at it's back legs/hind end before stopping after a good 40ft or so? Fur was up from her neck to the base of her tail but then she merrily trotted back to me and played with the other dogs.
Another incident happened the same day as the dog park. I was taking Maddie out of the car onto the sidewalk and some kid thought it was funny that his little pug was barked/lunging towards Maddie and LET the dog run at Maddie. Well it jumped on her and started biting and stuff, and Maddie lost it again. She grabbed the pug by it's back and rolled it over on the lawn while making those snarly/growl noises again before I was able to yank her off. But then she strained against the leash baring her teeth and barking while I yelled at the kid to remove the pug (the kid was just standing there).
And a final instance was when a friend had her dog over (SPCA dog, I think it's some kind of hound/whippet cross) and they're best friends and play all day. The little dog was starting to get a little rough and ended up biting the side of Maddie's face and pulling a bit. Once again got a quick snarl/growl and she grabbed the dog by the back of its neck and pinned it down HARD. I hauled her off before anything else happened so I don't know if she would've just released or went further. Past experiences I would say she'd let go but who knows?
Tonight's incident really made me wonder. Some people have said it's just her defensive mode but.. I dunno?
Aside from that she's VERY good with other dogs and just wants to play. And she's ridiculously friendly with people (loses her mind with excitement), and she's not possessive of food or toys with humans/dogs. She'll steal bones/toys out of my other dog's mouth but doesn't react if he does the same or my friend's dog does it (the whippet/hound). This seems to only happen when a dog gets aggressive.
I've always just equated it to someone pinching/hurting you. Some people go "ow!", turn away, etc. While others strike out. She doesn't do it to people (and lord knows I poke and prod her all the time and play rough).
Any thoughts?
Maddie's behaviour sometimes concerns me.
Tonight a neighbour's dog (in the backyard that Maddie couldn't reach/see) went wild with barking at her and stuff, and her fur went straight up. She then ran to the fence barking and jumping up, being aggressive, etc. I snapped and she came back to me but it's weird.
It seems to be only when she's threatened though. One day I took her to the dog park when she was younger and a BIG Akita cross came charging at her barking/growling, tackled her and grabbed at her neck. She lost it and made weird snarl/growl noises, wiggled loose and went after the dog. She chased after the dog (a good 5x her size) while making the weird sounds and biting at it's back legs/hind end before stopping after a good 40ft or so? Fur was up from her neck to the base of her tail but then she merrily trotted back to me and played with the other dogs.
Another incident happened the same day as the dog park. I was taking Maddie out of the car onto the sidewalk and some kid thought it was funny that his little pug was barked/lunging towards Maddie and LET the dog run at Maddie. Well it jumped on her and started biting and stuff, and Maddie lost it again. She grabbed the pug by it's back and rolled it over on the lawn while making those snarly/growl noises again before I was able to yank her off. But then she strained against the leash baring her teeth and barking while I yelled at the kid to remove the pug (the kid was just standing there).
And a final instance was when a friend had her dog over (SPCA dog, I think it's some kind of hound/whippet cross) and they're best friends and play all day. The little dog was starting to get a little rough and ended up biting the side of Maddie's face and pulling a bit. Once again got a quick snarl/growl and she grabbed the dog by the back of its neck and pinned it down HARD. I hauled her off before anything else happened so I don't know if she would've just released or went further. Past experiences I would say she'd let go but who knows?
Tonight's incident really made me wonder. Some people have said it's just her defensive mode but.. I dunno?
Aside from that she's VERY good with other dogs and just wants to play. And she's ridiculously friendly with people (loses her mind with excitement), and she's not possessive of food or toys with humans/dogs. She'll steal bones/toys out of my other dog's mouth but doesn't react if he does the same or my friend's dog does it (the whippet/hound). This seems to only happen when a dog gets aggressive.
I've always just equated it to someone pinching/hurting you. Some people go "ow!", turn away, etc. While others strike out. She doesn't do it to people (and lord knows I poke and prod her all the time and play rough).
Any thoughts?