Very brief background: I got him as a puppy and my 14 year old almost immediately started declining in health, so my puppy's first year of life was pretty rules/boundaries free due to my attention getting spent on my oldest before he passed away. So we didn't get good socialization in that critical period of time. I don't know if this is a Boston thing but he and his siblings played bitey face -alot-. To the point where we had to take him to the vet for a puncture wound on his eyelid the week he came home. I also naturally play rough with him.
So what he does now is when my dog goes to play with other dogs he doesn't seem to understand the other dog's correction. He did this with my older dog too. He reacts when they do the lunge and bark but then he goes right back to it. It almost revs him up and he starts doing these spins and flips. He does the play bow and he doesn't seem to be looming over like he's trying to dominate, but he just can't seem to understand he's all up in their business and it's pissing them off. Also, if the dog is smaller and particularly snarly he will try to inch closer and closer and then does this thing where he bonks them on the head with his paw. He's very careful about it to so it looks like he's pawing the air just in front of their face at first and then will eventually bonk them on the head and that will of course piss the other dog off and cause them to do the correction lunge and bark thing and then he does another parkour move.
Also, I don't know if this is a uniquely Boston terrier thing, I've only had Boston terriers, it seems like other dogs always hate my dogs. I thought it was maybe their confidence because my older dog was very confident and also did not care about other dogs, and I thought maybe that pissed other dogs off. But this dog is not as confident and other dogs still seem to just naturally not like him. I personally feel like he's being friendly, kind of aggressively friendly, but friendly. He's not snarling, showing teeth, warning, or anything. He's sensitive to sound and afraid of new objects so I treat him a bit more gently than my last dogs.
Anyway, that's the gist. He's like a weird home schooled dork on a sugar high on the playground and I'm not exactly sure what it means or what to do. Can anyone offer some insight? (Also please be kind, I know I didn't give him the best socialization but my soul dog was dying, my dad and grandpa had freshly passed, I'm already a home dweller to begin with, so I know where my flaws are already, I'm just trying to understand what he's saying, what other dog's are saying, what he needs, and what the other dogs need from him or me or what have you)
submitted by /u/EfficientBottle9074
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