It sounds like he just needs more time. He's pretty young, right? They're still unsure about the world. Also, in general, a dog park is not a great place for puppy who is just beginning socialization. They are wonderful after they know doggie language and how to approach, but it all depends on the dogs there that day really. Some dogs will connect with a certain dog more than another... those Jack Russells can be crazy! hehe. Most of the ones that come into our dog park are nutso and Jackson isn't big on a lot of them... the ones that just run alot he really likes though because he likes to chase them or get chased.
While a human can certainly be at fault for this kind of behavior, it sounds to me like he's just young and give him some time to come around. Jackson is spoiled too-sleeps on my bed, gets a lot of treats, good food, etc, but he loves to run run run and play play play with other dogs. Maybe just keep trying to take him to the dog park and there's bound to be a day he connects with a dog. Try not to pick him up unless he's getting totally bombarded, or is going to be really injured, or being humped, etc because you don't want him to learn every time a dog does something I don't like, mommy is going to pick me up! Dogs tend to be able to work it out for themselves and they need to learn how to communicate with each other. When dogs try to hump Jackson, he usually just moves away to show he doesn't want that... if the dog continually keeps trying, I will move in and physically take the dog off Jackson, and they end up just working it out for themselves. |