“Fido” is out for a walk with his owner on a nice day.  Fido is young, exuberant and very interested in other dogs.  When he sees another dog he becomes very excited and charges towards the strange dog with his owner in tow.  Fido’s tail wags so hard it hits his ribs and he can hardly help but jump at the new dog or bump into him.  It doesn’t take long for Fido to spot a new friend and dash towards the unknown dog.  Much to Fido’s owner’s surprise the new dog lunges and snaps at Fido making all kinds of threatening noises.  Fido is quickly pulled away and his owner can hardly believe that someone would bring such an aggressive dog to the park.

Dogs and Rude Social Behavior

One of the dogs in the above story was certainly out of line and maybe even downright rude.  One of the dogs needs more training to learn to behave appropriately around strange dogs and one of the owners needs to learn to have better control over their dog.  It may surprise you to learn that the rude dog is Fido and his owner is the one who needs improvement in controlling or managing his dog.

It may seem that Fido was being friendly and just trying to say “hello” to the strange dog. Certainly his owner saw no reason for the “aggression” the strange dog showed.  However, Fido invaded the other dog’s space quickly and without even pausing to “get to know” the new dog.  From a dog’s perspective that is plenty of reason to give a warning.

Snapping, showing teeth, as well as growling and other threatening noises are a dog’s way of giving a warning. That Fido wasn’t injured and the strange dog’s teeth didn’t make contact show that the dog didn’t want to hurt him but rather just wanted to tell him to back off.

Is Your Dog being Rude?

So how can you tell if your dog is being rude?  Dogs who become so overexcited when they see a strange dog that they pull or lunge towards the dog, bark out of frustration, leap on or at the dog and rush towards them forcing contact are being rude and invading the strange dog’s space.  Also, watch how strange dogs react to your dog.  If your dog is often snapped at, growled at or snarled at by other dogs (especially older dogs) even though he seems to be outgoing, that may be a sign he needs to improve his greeting skills and doggy manners.

Changing Rude Behavior

Rude dogs can and should be taught to have manners when greeting other dogs.  Dog to dog manners are especially important if you like to take your dog places that there are other dogs.  Attending training class will help not only with teaching your dog to behave politely with humans but also with other dogs. You will also learn how to manage your dog’s behavior better and how to teach him to behave properly.

When you take your dog out and about avoid letting your dog rush up to strange dogs.  Not allowing your dog to go up to strange dogs is not just for rude dogs!  It is a good rule of thumb for all owners to follow. There is no way of knowing if a strange dog is friendly and even if he is, dogs are far more likely to be defensive with other dogs when they are on lead.  Some dogs can play nicely in a group of dogs off leash, but act aggressively towards other dogs when their leash is attached. The problem of on lead aggression is directly related to a dog’s need for personal space.  Also, there can be personality clashes even with the most well mannered dogs.

If you have a puppy, enroll in a puppy class that offers supervised puppy play time (such as our PuppySteps).  Early exposure to other friendly dogs will teach your puppy how to behave politely.

Teaching your dog self control and leash manners also goes a long way in helping your dog improve his social manners. Do not allow your dog to be rewarded for lack of self control by letting him pull you to other dogs.  If you can’t stop him, invest in a no pull device such as a Gentle Leader and learn to properly use it.

Rude Dog Encounters

It is likely if you take your dog out and about you will encounter rude dogs from time to time.  Often these dogs are permitted to rush up to any dog they want to visit with.  Owners of rude dogs usually view their dog’s behavior as friendly and acceptable.  It is up to you to prevent your dog from  being in a situation where he has to deal with the rude dog.

Some dogs are very tolerant of having their space invaded, while others have a larger personal area that they do not want invaded.  It is up to you as your dog’s owner and leader to avoid putting your dog in a situation where he feels he has to defend himself from rude or aggressive dogs.  Even if your dog is very tolerant now, repeated bad experiences of having to deal with rude dogs may cause him to be overly sensitive and/or on-lead aggressive in the future.

Rude Dog Tips

• Socialize your puppy to other puppies so they can learn manners

• Be aware that some dogs just don’t get along. Think of it as a personality clash.

• Respect your dog’s and other dog’s need for personal space.

• Protect your dog from rude or aggressive dogs when out and about.

• Insist your dog behaves politely with other dogs when out and about.

• Avoid situations where you are not able to control your dog’s interactions with other dogs

• Attend training classes to teach your dog both canine and people manners