I have an 11 month old female standard poodle who is spayed.
My dog LOVES dogs, and is very eager to play with them any chance she gets. We are learning when to leave it and when to engage, but I’ve been sick recently and haven’t been able to take her on walks, so we’ve been going to a large dog park near me for her to get her energy out.
This is my first dog so I am still learning body language, but I’ve gotten pretty good at understanding that my dog is almost always initiating play behaviors and showing submission to other dogs (tail wagging, loose/bouncy movements, give-and-take engagement). She does not growl or become stiff, and I know when she needs a break from a pushy dog when she comes to me and curls her back end in.
That being said, my dog is a little pushy with wanting to play. I have noticed that some dogs don’t readily engage with her, and will chase her/be chased by her, but also kind of bite at her neck or legs. My dog also does this, but it didn’t seem like it was in an aggressive way, and she only does it to dogs she knows well. My dog will continuously try to engage play in a dog that doesn’t seem interested, and I am worried about a dog attacking her.
So, my question is, when should I disengage her behavior and redirect her? It’s been difficult for me to tell when a dog is showing aggression since my dog doesn’t show it often, so I don’t have much experience. We haven’t ran into too many problems (other than a dumb owner letting go of the leash of a clearly aggressive dog) and overall have had good experiences at the dog park, but I would hate for something to happen or make another owner uncomfortable.
Should I be teaching her to back off? How do I do so? When is a dog showing aggression to another dog during play when it looks like they’re playing? Anything helps!
submitted by /u/leanmeancuizinee
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