I'm starting to think...

AgilityPup

Agility freak!
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#1
That Bella's not aggressive, or reactive, but wants to play. When she's barking and lunging, her teeth aren't showing, her tail is wagging, but the hair on her back is up. But it's also up when she's playing with dogs.

When we got Bella, she was introduced to Sasha, a dominent Great Dane, Zoey, Gyp, and Tinker Bell, who are all submissive, and Morrie who is iffy around new dog - more cautious than anything. She met these 5 dogs all at once. She was on a leash, with my mother holding her leash, and me beside her. She was fine. Not scared, but wanting to see them and to play.

On the first week of Obedience, she was nervous, and cautious, but she didn't bark or lunge an odd amount. She did a couple of times, but it wasn't lunging so much as barking and jogging towards the other dogs - as far as her leash would let her.

In her grade one obedience classes, we had 6 other dogs. Some older, some younger, and some in the middle. And when she'd bark and lunge, they would never show any signs of being scared. They would wag their tails and come closer, or just stay where they were. They never showed any signs of being scared.

In our grade two class, we have 3 puppys in our class. 2 goldens, and a Bermense(sp) Mountian Dog. One of the goldens is usually timid of dogs they see on the sidewalk who are barking and lunging in an aggressive manner, but when Bella barks and lunges at her, she wags her tail, or just stands there. She's never scared. None of the dogs are. When Bella lunges at the Mountian dog, it tries REALLY hard to get closer, tail wagging, happy, and being silly.

So, I'm thinking she wants to play, and just shows it in a different manner... I'm wondering if I should try buying her a muzzle, and turning her loose in our training room with a dog I know who isn't aggressive... Doing that with that dog for a while, then trying another dog, and then another. Until I think she's ready to go without the muzzle, and then I'd put a long light but strong, training lead on her, and let her go, but be able to grab the leash just in case.

I know someone with some Golden Retrievers who would let me do that with his dogs, but he requires a muzzle on her for the first couple of trys. Not a big deal, I can buy a muzzle this weekend while I'm away (to a place with better prices!), and get her used to it over the next week, and try next weekend... I might have to pay for this, because it might be considered "private training" but I'm willing to pay for it, since the prices aren't terrible...

So, do you think this could be her just wanting to play? Or am I crazy for even thinking that?
 

lizzybeth727

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#2
It's always possible that she just wants to play. I'd suggest getting a trainer or behaviorist who knows dog body language very well to watch her and try to determine whether it would be safe or a good idea to let her "play" with other dogs. There's not a lot else we can tell you without actually observing her ourselves!
 

milos_mommy

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#3
That's how Milo is (though he is also aggressive sometimes) and it's ANNOYING. He's so ROUGH when he plays. I can't take him to a dogpark or anything because he thinks "playing" means jumping on the other dog and play biting all over while making horrid noises.
 

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