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In my neighborhood there's a dog who roams the street and goes through peoples' yards. She's well known, older and some kind of hound/black lab mix. She belongs to a family that has two other dogs, both German Shepherds. At least that's what I've seen. It could be more dogs, but I don't think so.
We've been here 2-1/2 years and "Maggie" refuses to make friends or be social with my dogs. This drives them crazy because they like other dogs and love the dog park, but because Maggie ignores them, they always go berserk.
She will often sit right in front of our house, sit down and start scratching herself then check to see if they are watching. She seems to be taunting them, nutty dog! I notice that the neighbors leave her out all night, or about 4 a.m. And she doesn't seem to interact with the other dogs in her household. She's just not a social dog.
My dogs just can't accept that Maggie's not friendly or sociable. They're not used to that. It makes them seem like wild dogs, when they are simply trying to get her to interact. Never going to happen! When we first moved here, they ran up to her a few times sniffing and wagging, but she rebuffed them every time.
When she sees that I've let them out front, tied (no fence), that's the exact moment she decides to do her walkabout. If I'm out there by myself, she doesn't bother. Sometimes I catch her on the lawn or out back, but never when we're outside. I think she likes torturing them. *shrug* No big deal, it's just interesting to watch.
I have a Shih tsu. He's a friendly, happy soul, and all he wants to do is play, play, play.
Our neighbors have a female chocolate lab. If both dogs are outside at the same time, my dog will run to the fence and try and interact with the lab. She might come to the fence and say 'hi' (they touch noses) but then she's done, and will move on.
Mine is wagging his tail furiously, hoping she'll come back and play. But she doesn't. lol
I think that's partly what Maggie is: a Chocolate lab mixed with some hound. Also, she lumbers along, so I think she's somewhat elderly or getting there. My dogs are old but still have a lot of pep at times. I was also thinking that long with being an introvert dog she's perhaps getting some dementia? Maybe not. Just an idea. I keep watching for signs of dementia in my old dogs. So far, I only see pain and have to really watch for it.
I have an electric fence, but the collars stopped working. Will try upping the intensity of the vibration on the collars. Until then, they're back to being tied up. So frustrating, because one of my dog's leg gets tangled in the leash when he lunges. Then his leg gets hurt. Dangerous.
Kind of sad, isn't it when a dog wants to play and the other doesn't?
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"I don't understand. But I don't care, so it works out."
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I had been told by my foster group that this is very dominant behavior. I had a foster dog like that - in a dog park, he acted as if he couldn't even see the other dogs. No reaction whatsoever to them.
He was actually a very fabulous dog - didn't need a leash when out because he just did what his human wanted him to do, all the time.
Maybe your dogs will learn to accept this dog's aloof behavior. As it it, it sounds like they're enjoying it thoroughly, the way dogs enjoy hating squirrels.
When a dog's body language rejects friendly overtures, the response of the rejected dog is often to flip the switch to dominance/threat/challenge behavior. For some dogs, that switch is immediately permanent between those dogs.
And I would not doubt, at all, that "Maggie" is taunting your dogs a bit.
I had been told by my foster group that this is very dominant behavior. I had a foster dog like that - in a dog park, he acted as if he couldn't even see the other dogs. No reaction whatsoever to them.
He was actually a very fabulous dog - didn't need a leash when out because he just did what his human wanted him to do, all the time.
Maybe your dogs will learn to accept this dog's aloof behavior. As it it, it sounds like they're enjoying it thoroughly, the way dogs enjoy hating squirrels.
After 2-1/2 yrs I don't think they're going to learn! I do think that's part of it (enjoying hating squirrels).
My dogs love it when other dogs come on the property. Especially a couple dogs that periodically visit the property out back. There have also been a couple of stray dogs that they have enjoyed greeting. One dog a neighbor and I were able to catch. He was going to call the pound but he decided to keep her and try to find the owner and if he couldn't was going to keep her. Beautiful dog. She was probably just a roamer.
It's just that they are frustrated this particular dog doesn't want to socialize with them. Like I said, she's a loner. She's always lying in the road or in her owner's front yard. They have other dogs. Have never seen her interact with them.
When a dog's body language rejects friendly overtures, the response of the rejected dog is often to flip the switch to dominance/threat/challenge behavior. For some dogs, that switch is immediately permanent between those dogs.
And I would not doubt, at all, that "Maggie" is taunting your dogs a bit.
Yep!
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