Quote:
Originally Posted by Mjohn32210  maybe beating a dead horse but what is the advice here other then patience. what would you guys do in this specific situation. should i do anything? can or should i bring him back to the dog park, if i should when should i?
how should i deal with these types of situations when he gets like this towards other dogs? |
I'd keep him on a leash, this is very dangerous behavior for a small dog and you need to have absolute recall on him, hence the leash. Maybe visit the dog park during less busy times, but be ready to interfere and stop him for bad behavior, so keep him close to you. I'd also recommend a puppy class, without the pittie pup. And in between the critical fear periods. This will teach him how to be social around strange dogs.
When he does escalate, put yourself in between him and his target, you facing him and slowly walk towards him to make him have to back up. This is a 'claiming space' exercise.
Once he escalates to an attack, all you can do is stop it. You have to watch him, they all give a signal right before they attack, and you need to be able to identify the sign(s). Once you learn his signal, that's when you can prevent him from attacking, by interrupting his plan before he has a chance to put it in action. He can still hear you then, but once he 'red zones' (full escalation) he won't even know you're there.
Some common signs are becoming very still, a stare, squinting, a very low growl (mine used to squeak like a rusty door), a lip quiver.
Some of the things that can set him off: Dogs with white in their coats (or anything different than what he is used to seeing), a glance from another dog, a head tilt, tail motion, a single step or movement, the flick of an ear, blinking eyes, lip quivers, barks ...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mjohn32210 also to add if there isnt a full understanding. both dogs he went after were doing nothing at all to the yorkie. neither of the puppies attacked were in anyway engaging in activities with the yorkie nor did they do anything to ask for the attack or really showing any attention to the yorkie. he out of the blue did this and sought after them.. |
They did something he didn't like... maybe breathed some air... This is a Yorkshire TERRIER we're talking about. They have huge hearts and tremendous courage, they don't think of the consequences their actions may cause. They are fearless, and you as the owner need to protect your Yorkie from doing silly things that may hurt him. They will try to attack dogs 20 times bigger than they are.
Hope this helps....