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Patterdale

Pinkpig65

Pinkpig65

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Hi all,
Does anyone know why my Patterdale bitch does not like pugs?
 
It could be because of the flat face and broad front. To a dog, direct eyeballing is considered very rude and intimidating body language. Regardless of the dogs' intentions, there are some breeds that just look like they facing up to other dogs - simply due to their shape, nothing to do with their intentions. You might find your dog is also wary of bulldogs, mastiffs, shar pei etc too.
 
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JoanneF said:
It could be because of the flat face and broad front. To a dog, direct eyeballing is considered very rude and intimidating body language. Regardless of the dogs' intentions, there are some breeds that just look like they facing up to other dogs - simply due to their shape, nothing to do with their intentions. You might find your dog is also wary of bulldogs, mastiffs, shar pei etc too.
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That makes sense, thank you
 
And dogs are very quick learners and good at generalising. If she saw a pug at the moment she heard a car backfire, or someone shouting, or a fly landed on her bum, she could associate pugs with 'bad experience' for a long time.

My dog used to be scared of husky-type dogs for no reason I could see - he was fine with large dogs in general. He'd go and stand behind the nearest tree or bush!
 
JudyN said:
And dogs are very quick learners and good at generalising. If she saw a pug at the moment she heard a car backfire, or someone shouting, or a fly landed on her bum, she could associate pugs with 'bad experience' for a long time.

My dog used to be scared of husky-type dogs for no reason I could see - he was fine with large dogs in general. He'd go and stand behind the nearest tree or bush!
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Rae is the same, she plays with lots of different breads. I had a woman having a go at me, saying Rae is aggressive and should never be off a lead. We ended up having a massive argument. I haven’t taken her back to her local park since. I’m debating whether to get her a muzzle even though she is brilliant and can play with anyone and everyone
 
All the other dog walkers understand dogs and know that Rae is a patterdale. I’m just wondering if this woman is right? Rae was a little aggressive and showing dominance to her two pugs
 
Did you get the impression that she might actually hurt them? There's 'bullying' aggression, where the dog really just wants to intimidate the other dog, and 'proper' aggression, which can result in serious damage. If you think she might do physical damage then it's worth considering a muzzle - unless you are confident you can always manage her, e.g. by putting her on lead as soon as you see a pug or similar dog. Actually, I would muzzle train her anyway, as it's useful if she will accept one happily if you should need it in the future.

How old is she, and has this started recently?

Even if she's just bullying (which can still be classed as aggression, though it's likely to be caused by insecurity), it's still not acceptable to let your dog intimidate others, so you do still need to manage her, and the other owner was justified in being annnoyed (my dog was a bully in the past and it can be tricky to manage, so this isn't a criticism - and most owners are quite happy with an abject apology!). I would also add that you should try to avoid an argument at all costs, even if it means apologising when you don't think it was your fault - otherwise your dog will pick up on the negativity, be particularly affected by you not being calm, and be more likely to hate pugs, and their owners, in the future.
 
JudyN said:
Did you get the impression that she might actually hurt them? There's 'bullying' aggression, where the dog really just wants to intimidate the other dog, and 'proper' aggression, which can result in serious damage. If you think she might do physical damage then it's worth considering a muzzle - unless you are confident you can always manage her, e.g. by putting her on lead as soon as you see a pug or similar dog. Actually, I would muzzle train her anyway, as it's useful if she will accept one happily if you should need it in the future.

How old is she, and has this started recently?

Even if she's just bullying (which can still be classed as aggression, though it's likely to be caused by insecurity), it's still not acceptable to let your dog intimidate others, so you do still need to manage her, and the other owner was justified in being annnoyed (my dog was a bully in the past and it can be tricky to manage, so this isn't a criticism - and most owners are quite happy with an abject apology!). I would also add that you should try to avoid an argument at all costs, even if it means apologising when you don't think it was your fault - otherwise your dog will pick up on the negativity, be particularly affected by you not being calm, and be more likely to hate pugs, and their owners, in the future.
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Thank you so much, it was not proper aggression, she was just bullying them. She was one on Friday. She also got spayed 8 days ago. Another problem is that she had her first season then a few months later had a phantom pregnancy. I think things have all been a bit too much for her. I do agree with you though regarding training her up for a muzzle. Thank you so much for taking the time out to explain all this to me
 
Ah, so she's maybe pushing boundaries with other dogs as she's an adolescent, and is likely to still be getting over the stress of being spayed. Bullying other dogs is self-rewarding so hopefully, if you manage her carefully till she's more mature so she can't practise it, she'll end up being a well-rounded friendly dog and prove just how lovely natured Patts can be :)
 
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