I have another thread running on this page: dog - dog encounter
Just over the last week or two my Springer (15 months old, five weeks after her first season) she is getting funny with dogs.   On nearly every walk we have an incident now and I'm down and worried about it.  It could be her hormones, a mild phantom or a beginning phantom?   I worry whether I socialised her enough and she gets stroppy with some dogs because I did things wrong with my first dog.  Although having a heap of books here and reading in this forum since I have her.  I took her and still do take her to training classes since she had her first vaccinations done, where she met loads of dogs.  I walk her where there are dogs and she met plenty of them.  Because being a boisterous bouncy thing I never really let her just run to meet strange dogs, but asked permission first (being probably the most conscienteous dog owner in the area:rolleyes:), because I didn't want her to make bad experiences.   If she beat me and run off it always worked out well.  She actually never had a really bad experience.   I sit here and wonder what makes good dog-dog socialisation?  She met loads of dogs, some willing to play some not, some growling at her or give her a little warning for being too jumpy and bouncy, some took it without complains.   She never got bitten or really scared, as far as I can tell.   But there were times when she didn't play with other dogs (most dogs don't want to play) for a few weeks.  But she still met them and greeted them (on the lead).   She just loves to meet other dogs but for some reason, after the initial friendly greeting there is suddenly a row (aggressive barking, lunging).   We met four dogs today and it happened with one of them.
If it's the hormones would it help if she gets spayed?  She was always very good with dogs and I trusted her friendliness 100%.   Why does she seem to change suddenly???

Hi,

If it's just over the last week or two, then it is very possibly season related, as it is her first season her hormones will be all over the place bless her, has she seemed more clingy, nervy, grumpy over this period of time generally?  My girl was more clingy and quite a grump - not that I blame her at all, I know how grumpy I've felt sometimes at that time of the month!  It effects some bitches a lot more than others.  From the start of my girls season to the end of her phantom pregnancy was over 4 months, she had such a rough time of it and through her phantom she was like an entirely different dog - I had her spayed as I didn't want her to go through that again - had she had a normal season I don't know that I would have had her spayed.  I think you probably need to find out whether this is season/phantom related before thinking about spaying as if it's not then having the op could possibly make things worse.  Are there any signs of her having a phantom - swelling of mammary glands, her wanting to carry a particular toy around more than ususal, maybe seeming a bit down?  Vets normally recommend having bitches spayed half way through their cycle as this is the safest time to do it (as long as they aren't in phantom) so you have some time to figure out if it's hormonal.  In the meantime just watch her very carefully when meeting other dogs, she will likely give some signs that she is feeling uncomfortable before she lunges and try and not let it get that far as you don't want her practising inappropriate behaviour.

Karen

Hi Bagpipe,
Just to say personally I think you've done everything right, so don't beat yourself up. Some dogs don't like meeting when one is off the lead and one is on the lead - could it be anything to do with that?
When she barks and pulls towards another dog, have you tried loosening the long line, while calling her and walking briskly on?
Also, to be fair, among a group of strangers, there are often people we immediately warm to, and people we just don't take to, for no particular reason; I don't see why a dog would like every dog it meets!
The point is: to play nicely with dogs she DOES like, and get praised for it; and LEAVE dogs she's doesn't like. And if she does Leave, then you must reward and praise her highly.

Also, my bitch has been through stroppy phases, but over time (she's 18 months now) it does get better, especially if you demonstrate that YOU are in charge of every situation.

The people you meet on your walks sound nice, maybe you could arrange to meet them at a regular time, so your dog can learn to copy their good manners?

Thanks for your answers!
She is definately getting worse today from yesterday.  Wheresas she said hello/passed three dogs out of four without any trouble, today just the sight of a dog in the distance set her off barking/growling.  She also seemed to be afraid today of a squeaking B&B sign; reminded me at a time when she was five months old and felt spooked by a roadsign one day and not the other.   She was nervous today when out for a walk and she has albeit little signs of a mild phantom.  I was speaking to the vet about it this afternoon and he also said that it could be hormonal. 
I will see how she is in a few weeks time. 

You might find giving her pulsatilla or camomilla. Just a thought, they might help.

jumback - how do I give them and where do you get that from?

Actually I must say that I socialised my dobermann very well and he was always brilliant with other dogs, but at 15 months he definitely changed.  I have posted on here so many times and I have tried so many different things with him that since that I don't let him mix with other dogs now.  He is 2 1/2 years old.  Some days on lead he is fine when we walk past other dogs and other days he isn't.  I actually went to look at a kennels yesterday (it is actually a dobermann rescue centre and the lady breeds dobermanns too), I took his pedigree with me, and she said from his line, she knew some of the males, and he would definitely be quite a challenging dog.  So may be it is just in his breeding, I don't know.

Hi Bagpipe,
Camomilla can be bought from boots. I am not sure about pulsatilla but I get all my homeopathic remedies from ainsworths. They have a website.