Socialising Boerboel with other Dogs

[Dan]

Hi
My boerboel is a male 11 months old and very confident and friendly with both dogs and people.
I socialised him actively with other dogs up until around 16 weeks.
He still meets other dogs on a daily basis - but at the moment I prefer to keep him on the lead while they meet as other dogs far too often growl and snap at him.
My concern is that if he actually does get properly bitten, his bad experience may make him more likely to become dog aggressive in future.
I am not really concerned that he will get injured (most of the "culprits" are just snappy little midgets), but I really don't want him becoming dog aggressive in future as it is such a pain to manage.
It's the owners that irritate me more than the dogs - it seems that their willingness to offer unsolicited opinions and advice is inversely proportional to their ability to control their own dogs.
The typical scenario is that they approach with their dogs off the lead.
I put mine on the lead.
Their dogs growl and snap.
Mine doesn't react.
They offer me advice - and say that I should let him off the lead!
Sorry for a long post
I am just interested to hear other boerboel owners' views on this.

Regards

Dan

 

[DennasMom]

Not a BB owner... but little dog owners are sooo crazy.

You let your dog off lead when he becomes more possessive/protective of the human when on lead... not when getting buggered by little dogs that are off lead!

You could say, 'sure, I could let him off lead, I was just afraid he'd mistake your dog for a squirrel, and wasn't sure what he'd do when he caught him.'

 

[Dan]

 

[elasticpurejoy]

I have taken our Boerboel to the dog park just about every day since he got all his vaccinations. Especially the first several months I tried to expose him to as much as I could. He plays with all the dogs of all sizes. It is amazing how he is able to turn his energy level down and play with toy dogs. I have had several dogs go after my dog. He has not reacted aggressively nor has he run away. The only time I saw him go after another dog was when a standard poodle attacked his park buddy an Akita. The two dogs were in a full fight. My dog ran full speed between the two dogs busting up the fight turned to the poodle and nipped his side to drive him away. But when he had a Pitbull hanging off his jowel he just stood there almost as if he was saying "are you serious? Are you really going to bite me?" He still has the scar.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2

 

[DMikeM]

My BB often does not react to other dogs aggression she just looks at them like they are on the stupid pill. If a dog does manage to take a bite at her she just dodges it and tries to turn it into play. She is just not concerned with other dogs attitude, except other boerboels it seems when her sisters or brothers make faces at her she does it back.

I think if a BB gets bit it will not even care that it happened. This is if what they are calling the temperament is correct.

 

[Dan]

That certainly rings true so far with Ronny.
He just seems to either not care that he is being threatened - or doesn't have the sense to know that he dould get bitten

 

[BeauxJaxson]

Welcome to the world of large interesting dogs !! Every walk I go on w/ Beaux someone with a little dog on a retractable 30ft leash insist the dogs meet and play, explain to me how its a must bla bla bla. You are not alone its is bothersome to all of us I assume. Just stick to what you feel is right you know your dog better than anyone and ultimatley you are responsible for his/her actions and well being

 

[DMikeM]

I will pose this situation to the Boerboel groups and see if it is common for a Boerboel to just not react to other dog threats.

BTW if a dog, any size dog were to do this to one of my Rott/Chows it would be over in the blink of an eye. But especially prey size dogs because of the idiots with retractable leashes or the assumption that they can present their dog to mine through our fence.

 

[Dan]

You have described the situation as if you were there!
So often I meet people who INSIST that the dogs must meet and play etc ...
Without knowing me, my dog - or even knowing what breed he is - they assume that they know best.
Thanks for your comment - I will stick with my instincts as you suggest.
Dan

 

[Dan]

Those "retractable leashes" are a menace aren't they?
Several times when he was smaller, people have brought their dogs over and then stood there while they circle each other and the leashes get entangled.
I actually think that the insistence that the dogs meet and play has far more to do with the owners' need to socialise than it has to do with the dogs'.
I'll be interested to hear what you find from other boerboel owners about their reaction to threats.
Dan

 

[DMikeM]

I posted this in a few BB pages and the general reply has been it is typical for a Boerboel to just ignore threats from other dogs, but if a threat is followed up they will not take any abuse. But an attack from small dogs are usually ignored and the Boerboel shames the dog by acting like it was all play. Some did paw the pup down and lay on it which is a typical move for many mastiff dogs when they wish to end a situation. The dogs that did show Dog Aggression (DA) were not socialized and almost all males, but the aggression was not started by the Boerboel it was a defensive reaction. Only one person said they could not have their Boerboel around other dogs. So far this is only about 20 responses.

My recommendation is take it to class and make sure to socialize your Boerboel. A big dog like this must be trained and socialized to some extent. There is always the odd one out that may be aggressive and if you don't have training and control you could be in deep doo, someone could get hurt and you lose your dog.

 

[Dan]

I posted this in a few BB pages and the general reply has been it is typical for a Boerboel to just ignore threats from other dogs, but if a threat is followed up they will not take any abuse. But an attack from small dogs are usually ignored and the Boerboel shames the dog by acting like it was all play. Some did paw the pup down and lay on it which is a typical move for many mastiff dogs when they wish to end a situation. The dogs that did show Dog Aggression (DA) were not socialized and almost all males, but the aggression was not started by the Boerboel it was a defensive reaction. Only one person said they could not have their Boerboel around other dogs. So far this is only about 20 responses.

My recommendation is take it to class and make sure to socialize your Boerboel. A big dog like this must be trained and socialized to some extent. There is always the odd one out that may be aggressive and if you don't have training and control you could be in deep doo, someone could get hurt and you lose your dog.

Interesting that the general response (to paraphrase) on BBs seems to be that they don't initiate a scrap - but may deal firmly with an aggressor.
This is exactly what breeders here have told me to expect.
To be clear about my situation, my dog at 11 months is well socialised and well trained.

I think the problem is that some people seem to think that "socialising" dogs means just leaving them to it and expecting them to sort themselves out.

I can always control my dog - even in the direct face of aggression from another dog. The thing is, this is expecting him to be passive in the face of aggression - which is unnatural - and can even embolden the "offender".
...
and also frankly why the heck should all the control be on our part?

Anyway, rant over

Some people will never be able to control even tiny dogs.

To misquote Mel Brooks ...
"These are simple people. The salt of the earth.
You know...

... a**holes"!

 

[DMikeM]

Well in the past with my other dogs I have told people to contain their dog or I will not be held liable for it's death. My Rott/Chows will try to kill any dog that tries to get too close without my control of them or it. If Jade was to show any aggressive raction I would say the same and take control of her immediatly.

 

[steel5859]

I don't let any dogs near my puppy. He's only 13 weeks old but weights 47lbs. I just don't know or trust other people and I politely tell them to keep their dog away. When I walk my dog I keep pepper stray on me just in case. I give the owners warning to get their dog, but if they don't listen or the dog doesn't listen then it's a shot in the face.

 

[DMikeM]

That's a bit heavy handed, someone will eventually file charges on you for something like that.

 

[steel5859]

I don't take a chance of my puppy being attack by an unknown dog. Cause you know as well as I do, once your puppy is attacked, he's more than likely will be dog aggressive for the rest of his life.

You have dog owners that let there dogs roam free and don't have them trained to come when called. And like I said before, I give them fare warning and politely tell them to get their dog.

 

[elasticpurejoy]

Wow. I really am at a loss for words. I will leave it at that.

 

[Smokeycat]

Wow. That sounds like an excellent way to ensure an unhealthy reaction to the approach of a strange dog.

 

[DMikeM]

The dogs always feel the owners emotions. So I am always calm when other dogs approach and warn the owner if I feel it is unsafe. My boot has always been enough to stop any unwanted movements from either dog. A good strong arm, leash and collar with firm control of your dog is the best start.