LoveToKnow Dogs:AllComments

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Hi Jannie,

The best way to address this problem is in a controlled environment. I'm going to suggest you enroll your puppy in a puppy socialization class at your local dog training facility. This will give you plenty of opportunity to introduce your pet to other dogs that are not likely to be aggressive. Talk to the instructor about what happened to your dog at the park so he or she can work out a plan to help your dog gain confidence.

Thanks for your question, and I hope this advice is useful to you. :)

-- Contributed by: Kelly

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I have an Australian shepherd/border collie mix. She is 10 mos. old and I adopted her when she was 4-5 months old from a shelter. She is very sweet and is just a great dog! Well, about 3 months ago we had a bad experience with a boxer at the dog park we go to. The dog got really aggressive with her and she started whimpering, but the dog wouldn’t stop and I had to run over for the dog to get off of her. Well, now whenever we encounter strange dogs she is really scared. She tucks her tail between her legs, has jerky movements, and hides behind my legs. She also rolls over to show her belly at every dog and drops down to the ground. Before this experience she was already a mildly submissive dog but it was never this bad. How do I get her back to her normal behavior around other dogs?

-- Contributed by: Jannie

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Hi Chrissy,

Your dog appears to have a naturally submissive personality, and this is fairly common. She's not very likely to grow out of it on her own. I've seen some submissive bitches become a bit more confident after they've had a litter, but I wouldn't recommend breeding as a way to achieve the change you'd like to see.

I'd actually suggest taking her to a dog training class where you could work with her on leash around other dogs. I think the trainer could help you desensitize her enough to keep her from dropping on the ground every time she encounters another pair of walkers.

I hope you find this suggestion helpful, and thank you for your question.

-- Contributed by: Kelly

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I have a labrador who is 16 months old and VERY submissive. She has never been abused, she has been socialized from a young age and she is a very spoiled dog! She plays at off leash parks and is very social. (She first lies down and lets the other dogs sniff her and then plays, wrestles, etc) However, whenver we are walking on the leash and pass another dog, she lies down on the sidewalk, rolls over, tucks in her tail.... I'm tired of people asking if she's a rescue dog! Will she ever grow out of this?

-- Contributed by: Chrissy
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