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No longer social

Posted September 16th, 2009 by bluefilly
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I have had Rastus, an Australian terrier (or some similar breed) since 2001 when he was 7. He is now 15, a little slower, a little blue tinge over his eyes, hearing not what it was.

Part of my walk takes him past the off-leash area, where there are often lots of dogs. He slows down and then stops as he gets close. He used to be friendly towards other dogs, wagging his tail and they would sniff each other happily.

Now, when another dog approaches him, he spins around, and snaps at them. I am worried that a more aggressive dog will react in return and cause some real damage. I believe Rastus is only reacting out of fear, rather than true aggression - maybe he knows his senses are starting to let him down, and his reactions are slower.

The off leash area has all dogs off leash, and many are not what you could call obedient. Their owners call, and call, and if an altercation started, I am not sure they would be able to call their dog off effectively.

Apart from avoiding the off leash area, is there a solution to this?

I have also noticed that some dogs race over to Rastus and sniff his butt, without "asking" first. When Rastus has his head buried in a clump of grass, he doesnt hear them come up, and is likely to spin around and snap, which I don't blame him for - it is kinda rude. Like putting your arms around a complete stranger without saying hello first.

I have been keeping Rastus on leash for a number of reasons - he tends to wander off towards the road, and cannot hear me when I call him back; there are snakes in the vicinity; and he still likes to chase anything that moves including rabbits. Is being on leash a disadvantage for him - it is extendable so he has plenty of room to move.

Comments

re: No longer social

Aidan's picture
On September 16th, 2009 Aidan says:

15! Congratulations, you must be looking after him very well!

I think you have summed it up pretty well, avoid the off-leash park. Once their sense go and they get a few startles they can learn pretty quickly to get a bit snarky like this.

I walk one of my dogs, a very active working line GSD, on-lead only. It does not cause any problems, only solves them. If he is still enjoying chasing things then take him somewhere safe and throw a ball for him, if he enjoys that.

Regards,
Aidan
http://www.positivepetzine.com

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