So this questions/solicitation for advice is two fold.
I have a 7 month old herder mix named Hugo, who is just an all around wonderful dog. He loves the dog park more than anything in the world, and is great at hiking off-leash when there are no dogs close by. His problem is the fact that once he meets another dog, I can not call him off of it. I can call him off of anything else, a rabbit, a squirrel, even a tasty treat, but if it's another dog all bets are off. When he's not around dogs he's got excellent recall and great manners. So my question is, how do I get him to respond to me off-leash around other dogs? I've tried every treat I can think of, but nothing tops playing with another dog. The worst part is he seems to have no idea what the word "no" in dog-speak is. He's been snarked/growled at several times and he just keeps going until I physically drag him away. Any tips on what I'm doing wrong in this situation?
Secondly, Hugo does have a "best friend" at the dog park. He's a 2 year old border collie mix (emphasis on the mix) who is really rough when it comes to play. He's very vocal, barking and growling and tends to fling himself around and wrestle. Hugo runs to him every time and wants to play with him, so I don't think he's being hurt, but I'm worried that he's going to think that that is the appropriate way to interact with other dogs.
Overall, I'm kind of frustrated because the dog park is his absolute favorite thing. He loves running and hiking off-leash even if there are no other dogs around, but I can't keep taking him if he's going to harass every dog he meets until I drag him away.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
I have a 7 month old herder mix named Hugo, who is just an all around wonderful dog. He loves the dog park more than anything in the world, and is great at hiking off-leash when there are no dogs close by. His problem is the fact that once he meets another dog, I can not call him off of it. I can call him off of anything else, a rabbit, a squirrel, even a tasty treat, but if it's another dog all bets are off. When he's not around dogs he's got excellent recall and great manners. So my question is, how do I get him to respond to me off-leash around other dogs? I've tried every treat I can think of, but nothing tops playing with another dog. The worst part is he seems to have no idea what the word "no" in dog-speak is. He's been snarked/growled at several times and he just keeps going until I physically drag him away. Any tips on what I'm doing wrong in this situation?
Secondly, Hugo does have a "best friend" at the dog park. He's a 2 year old border collie mix (emphasis on the mix) who is really rough when it comes to play. He's very vocal, barking and growling and tends to fling himself around and wrestle. Hugo runs to him every time and wants to play with him, so I don't think he's being hurt, but I'm worried that he's going to think that that is the appropriate way to interact with other dogs.
Overall, I'm kind of frustrated because the dog park is his absolute favorite thing. He loves running and hiking off-leash even if there are no other dogs around, but I can't keep taking him if he's going to harass every dog he meets until I drag him away.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!