Should I worry?
 ), and very sociable with any dog who also greeted her. She made a couple of dog friends and did a lot of chasing and sprinting, she put up with small puppies biting her fur, she stayed well clear of any dogs who seemed a bit too aggressive. BUT, there was one somewhat odd looking mixed-breed dog, small, maybe 35 lbs, whom Mady didn't like, this dog wasn't paying any attention to Mady, wasn't rude or aggressive, but Mady barked at him, a few of her low "guard dog" barks (which she usually reserves for nighttime "threats" to the house), what alarmed me was that there was a woman with 2 daughters with this dog. They were making a fuss over Mady, ooing and awwing, but Mady included them as a "threat", they wanted to approach and pet her, but Mady gave them low "stay away" guard-dog barks too!  They laughed it off and didn't persist in approaching Mady, but I was not happy with her. Where was this behaviour coming from? Mady received TONS of attention from strangers and strange dogs both before and after this behaviour, and she was her usual loving self eating it all up. Why did she react this way? And how should I handle this behaviour, should I try and correct her? Not liking the rare dog for some unknown reason is ok, but warning barks at people is a no-no. |
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| I am not sure warning barks at people should be considered a no-no because that step is what prevents her from going straight to a bite. When it happens, move her out of the situation to where she is comfortable. Sometimes just walking 10 feet away can restore balance. It is definitely a warning sign and I too would give some thought to what made her react that way. Was she crowded or trapped? Were they leaning over her? Were the kids right in her face? Did they have any large hats or backpacks that might have created a strange silhouette? Was their dog nearby, adding to Mady's stress? My dogs go to the park everyday and mostly get along with everyone. But sometimes they don't. I try to cheerfully get them out of whatever situation to a distance they are comfortable and encourage the good mood and playful spirit with praise, tossing a ball, treats, etc. Sometimes, just a few minutes and trying again and then they are fine. And sometimes, there is something about a person or dog that I don't see but causes them to react. I always wonder about those people . . . not about my dogs!  |
| There was nothing unusual about these 3 and their dog, they didn't get a chance to get close to Mady, they were maybe standing 7-8 feet away at the closest, and their dog was not even facing Mady. She has been in crowds before with no issue. Once in August, she was literally mobbed by a group of people, and I was standing outside this pack of people holding a leash that disappeared into this crowd. She is used to being smothered with attention when we're outside. In this case, the woman and her daughters were nice about it and we walked off in opposite direction, even then, Mady looked back a couple of times and did little "harumph" sounding grumbles of disapproval. Mady wont just approach any dog, at this massive dog park, we've run into dogs who seem a bit aggressive, or whenever other dogs get a bit "fighty" half-serious/half-play, Mady will give them a wide birth, she'll also move away from dogs who are barking a lot. I see this as a very good quality in Mady, and I tend to respect her judgement of dog situations. Because of Mady's good judgement and her tendency to avoid possible trouble, I am not nervous walking her off leash even at the big dog park, so I don't see her reacting to any nervous vibes from me. |
| We can't always know the "why" of their reactions to things. Just as with other people we all get different "vibes" or see/sense things differently. There could have been a weird smell or who knows what. She did the smart thing and gave a warning. The key is that we acknowledge that they are not comfortable and move on. |
| I completely agree with Valerie; the barking was a good sign! Mady just didn't like them, I don't like every person I meet either. Lucy, although completely different background then Mady, is people shy. Since adopting her she's come around and will happily greet some people. If I see that Lucy is afraid of an approaching person, I step in between the new person and Lucy, to let Lucy know I will protect her. We then move away from the person. If this becomes habit for Mady I would be concerned. But since the only time this has happened was at a crowded dog park (stressful?) I wouldn't worry about it. |
| Some dogs give off bad doggy vibes. I have Garfunkel...who gives off bad doggy vibes. Anytime we go to the park, if there are other dogs around he goes on leash. I'm not sure what it is, I'm told he's rude  , probably. Most dogs don't like him and a few will challenge him. Even before we get out of the car he gets muzzled because he nips as he herds and that has caused a problem.In his favor, he has made a few friends and of course he has Simon who has endless patience. |
| BUT, there was one somewhat odd looking mixed-breed dog, small, maybe 35 lbs, whom Mady didn't like, this dog wasn't paying any attention to Mady, wasn't rude or aggressive, but Mady barked at him, a few of her low "guard dog" barks Mady may have sensed something about this dog and transferred this to the family. I wouldn't worry about this one incident. |
| I would not worry about this one incident either. Something about these people and/or these dogs Mady sensed a "caution" of. Maybe she didn't like their smell for whatever reason..Dog parks can be scary for dogs. Lots and lots of dogs and smells. Maybe she was tired. Maybe these people had a scent on them from home Mady didn't like. Our dogs sense of smell is remarkable. they can smell and sense things we cannot. She gave a growl warning meaning back off. She did what dogs are suppose to do...She snensed something either by smell or sight or sound, she gave her back off growl stay away...She did good! |
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