I walk him daily in the morning but due to some reasons i had to hire a dog walker for 2 months with whom he goes in the evening also. So when I used to walk him, he was not showing any insecurity whenever I pet any other dog…many dogs used to come to me for pets & he was cool, minded his own business, played… But ever since I stopped taking him I noticed a change in his behaviour… He became kind of possessive…didn’t allow any “pet dog” near me…used to growl whenever they came to greet me or I went to them…
I thought this problem would resolve once i resume taking him for walks myself…it’s been a week, he is still growling.
He is cool with me petting community dogs… problem is only when a pet dog comes near.
What could be the reason & How can I change his behaviour back to normal?
The reason could be that during his walks with the dog walker, some incidents happened with pet dogs and he developed a negative association with them.
For a few days don’t try to correct his behaviour just focus on a structured walk, do not try to meet with any pet dogs at least for 14 days, after that try to find a pet dog who is calm and not excited, try to start just meeting him.
This way we can reset the association back to positive, but long structured walks are necessary first for his mind to be calm in different situations.
He is not having a problem with dogs in general…he still plays with them…problem arises only when I come into the picture… suddenly he is guarding me, not allowing others to come near me
I walk him for 20-30 mins towards a park where he plays for another 20 minutes and then we come back home walking which takes 15-20 minutes…
Or some days a 45 minutes walk and then play in a nearby park for 15 minutes
The problem arises when you come into the picture or when he is wearing a leash?
When I come into the picture…both on leash & off leash…even if he is far away…if he sees me with other pet dog …comes running & ghus jaata hai dono ke bich mei…and then starts growling if I’m petting the dog or dog is asking for pets…in both cases he growls on the dog only not me …i have stopped engaging with other dogs due to this.
I am also surprised why is this behaviour only with pet dogs & not the community dogs as I spend more time with community dogs than other pet dogs.
Got it.
So generally pet dogs are more excited and they often enter into intimate space which in dog language is a “claiming behaviour”.
Generally, community dogs are more gentle and give space too, and they don’t act to claim you.
So your dog will have problems with dogs who are excited and project territorial behaviour.
If you want to tune down this behaviour then you must start focusing on giving long structured walks 2 times every day.