Why is it that my bitch GSP who is really quite a wimp at times, always seems to bully younger dogs or bitches and get the better of them, (she doesn't bite them but likes to pin them down and stand over them). She also seems to make a lot of noise about it and I feel I am always trying to reassure dog owners that she isn't vicious. At puppy socialising classes she used to behave like this but the trainer said that she was still only playing and the other pups wouldn't have repeatedly came back for more if she was serious. When we meet older dogs or dogs who are bigger than her she always cowers and tries to win them over. It is a bit frustrating, any way I can deal with this?
Thanks in anticipation

I have exactly the same problem with my young Lab bitch.She seems to be able to spot the dogs who are less confident and will stand over them and growl, yet when she is faced with a dog that is confident she either tries to play with it or will cower down and back off. I have come to the conclusion that this is fear based. She is not the most confident dog in the world but she has come along in terms of meeting and greeting people. When she was younger she would cower and wee if some people approached her. She seems to be over that now but I just can't beat this side of her nature. I have tried everything from ignoring it to telling her off in no uncertain terms but i just haven't made headway on this. You are the first person I have come across who has a very similar problem to mine and I would love to know what theory you have for it. I own the mum and dad and they never showed any fear of anything or anyone, it was completely unexpected in the pup. I took her to classes as soon as she was 12 weeks, I tried everything I could to socialise her with other people and dogs, everything I learnt owning her mum and dad was poured in to her upbringing but still she behaves this way.Did you meet your dogs parents?If so what were they like in terms of personality? Has anything happened to your dog to make it not like certain dogs?
I would love to compare notes on this one,
Amy

Ohhhhhhh,
My dog Rocky started to do this almost immediately after being neutered!!!!!!!
He can pick out the submissive dogs, or the ones that are smaller than him, that he knows he can 'have' and pins them down, growling and snarling!!!!! He has never ever hurt one, but its still no good saying that he is not vicious when he is scaring the bejeezuz out of some poor dog!
When it comes to dogs that either can kick his ass adn will, or are too big for him to roll over, he either ignores those taht would have him, ie pretends they dont exist (he doesnt even prick his ears, or make his tail go 'poink!), just looks past them, or with the big confident ones, he dances round them barking and snarling but never ever makes contact!

Basically, he is not confident any more, so he likes to bully other dogs, it makes him feel good i think!!!!! (makes me feel crap, specially when owners of softy dogs run away when they see us coming!)
Id love to see a behaviourist, one with a stooge dog, the kind that come across all soft adn docile, and would then kick his little terrorist ass for him!!!!!!

Em

Hi,
My dog does that, she always goes for the bigger dogs, when i take her for walks she pulls away from me to get the other dogs. even worse taking her to the park and letting her off her lead,If she sees another dog she runs off,she always knows if the dog is scared, if the other dog fronts her she will back off. She is only 1 year and 2 months old.sometimes she is funny with people too.how can you get them out of this.

Hi Amy M, Sorry to say it but I'm so glad that someone else has the same problem as me. In answer to your question about my dogs parents, well I knew the mum before and after the birth (this was her second litter) and she seems docile enough, never met Cody's dad though but I believe he's sired more litters with no problem pups and the breeder herself was excellent and wouldn't have had a litter by the sire if there were any problems in past litters, so I just don't know where she gets it from. As you said it's definately fear related - Cody would run away from her own shadow at times - she's even scared of the dark! The woman who took the puppy classes did ask if she came from a large litter, which she did (one of eleven) and she suggested that she had always had to be a bit tougher to get a look in with so many siblings, was this the same with yours? I wouldn't say Cody had a nasty nature, as most of the time she is lovely, adores people and plays fine with most dogs, it's just this one thing she falls down on so I just hope both our dogs grow out of this in time!!!
If you do find a solution to this problem Amy, please share it with me!!!

Hi Cher,
My gsp Flynn is almost eight months now and he is a handful. I took him to puppy socialisation (which I personally thought a waste of time) and he was the "school bully". He does this thing with his paws where he will buff them away or try to start a game and if this doesnt get them going, he was also standing over them barking. My trainer said the same he is not vicious just being boisterous - but all the other little puppies scarpered and Flynn thought this was a great game! He has now started classes with an ex raf handler and behaviourist as I want to correct this a.s.a.p. He is now in a class of dogs all ages and sizes. I thought if one bigger dog put him in his place he may be better but alas no! he even started this with the rotis and dobes!! As well as exercise GSPs need loads of mind stimulation - games, hide and seek, different surroundings etc - is she a working bitch? When you say she is a wimp at times what do you mean? as Gsps are prone to anxiety attacks, they dont like to left alone There is a great book out called A New Owners Guide to German Shorthaired Pointers by Joan Tabor who has bred and trained many many champ dogs and Flynns happens to be from one of her lines. Flynn is such a good looking dog (everyone has fallen in luv with him) but hopefully he will also be a sociable and obedient one too!

Good luck anyway and i will keep you posted on "devil dogs next classes"

I have the other problem - my akita will take on anything (other than black bin bags which scare her whitless!)

We spent an afternoon with a friend who has an English Bull Mastiff and for about 2 hours the EBM kept putting Kia, my akita, down and but Kia persevered and ended pinning the EBM down by its throat until it whimpered! Not that I would say Kia is nasty/agressive just likes to be the top dog - which I believe is a common trait amongst akitas. That being said my 12 week old lab bitch does the same with Kia and only backs off when kia pins her down. i think it is just a normal dog behaviour of sorting out the pecking order.

Think back to when dogs were in packs and the pecking order was agreed. Any new dog that came onto their territory was subject to "discipline" and then thinks would settle down again as every one knew their place. Now bring this to the present times where very few dogs live in a pack that contain many other dogs, their territory includes the local parks/fields where you walk them, and they keep coming across dogs that they haven't met before. They no longer know the pecking order so start trying to sort it out.

My guess, and that's all it is, is that the more socialisation you can get your dog to do with other dogs the better they will become, however for this to truely work every dog owner has to do the same thing. Otherwise you will come across dogs that are not as socialised as yours and your dog, quite rightly, will respond and try and get the pecking order in place again. They like structure and routine.

Hope that makes sense. People please feel free to disagree if you want.

Tim