# Why is my Big dog afraid of small dogs? Please help...



## emuncy (Apr 18, 2008)

*My big dog is afraid of little dogs! Anyone know why?*

Hello everyone,

I have a puppy about 5 months old. Her name is Dori and she is half Rottweiler/Border Collie. I took her to a dog park today and I noticed that she is afraid of all dogs and runs from them with her tail between her legs. Now I can understand being afraid of larger dogs, but being afraid of tiny ones too? 

Like I said, she is only about 5 months old and is about 40 pounds and she is literally running with her tail between her legs from a 10 pound dog. 

Is this normal because she is a puppy? I'm just curious, and I don't want her to be a (for a lack of a better word) sissy dog. 

Many thanks for the help in advance.

Eric M.


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## jesirose (Mar 27, 2008)

*Re: My big dog is afraid of little dogs! Anyone know why?*

So the problem is not that she's afraid of little dogs, but ALL dogs. She needs to be socialized more. She shouldn't be afraid of big dogs either. Did she go to a puppy class?

Dog parks aren't that great - you don't know the people, the dogs, if they are UTD, if the owners have done ANY training, etc.


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## Nezzra (Mar 16, 2008)

I know what you mean by being afraid of small dogs, my aunt has 3 Maltese, and they terrorized Dixie (shes about 60 pounds). She just ran away from them. 
Was that the first time you've taken her to the dog park? My guess is that if she isn't used to being around other dogs she might be a bit nervous and unsure. I'd say just keep socializing her, take it small steps first so she doesn't get overwhelmed. Let her get to know a few dogs first so she can see that they are friends. If she has a favorite toy it might help to take that to the park and play with her there so she can see its a fun place.
This is something I'm still working on myself with Mya (Rott/Aussie), I take her to the dog park and she stays near me for a long time (and she drools >.< ) but I just talk to her and walk around some and eventually she follows Dixie and goes off after one dog or another. I think it helps with my dog that she knows one of the others there, that being my other dog who does not know what unfriendly means, so she has someone to act after.
Give her some time, I'm sure she'll get a couple buddies there and will be happy to go back and play.


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## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

*Re: My big dog is afraid of little dogs! Anyone know why?*



emuncy said:


> Is this normal because she is a puppy? I'm just curious, and I don't want her to be a (for a lack of a better word) sissy dog.


This statement really bothers me. 

It's a problem if your dog isn't good around dogs of ANY size- big or small.

You have a pup and sounds like she needs some good socialization. I agree, enroll in puppy classes for starters. 

You shouldn't be concerned about having a 'sissy dog' but rather be putting in the effort required to have a happy dog with a sound temperament.


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## Curbside Prophet (Apr 28, 2006)

*Re: My big dog is afraid of little dogs! Anyone know why?*



emuncy said:


> Is this normal because she is a puppy? I'm just curious, and I don't want her to be a (for a lack of a better word) sissy dog.


It's normal if the dog came from bad parentage. It's normal if the breeder did not raise the pups correctly. It's normal if the owner does not socialize the dog when she is young. This isn't your dog being a sissy (I know you were looking for a better work), it's your dog being a dog. Dogs are hardwired to fear novelty, and if they haven't been exposed to novelty while young they can grow to fear novelty more than a younger pup or well socialized dog would. 

Puppy school or an obedience class may be a place to start, but please mention this to the instructor. Your dog may need some individual training before entering the class. 

The best thing you can do now is to not overwhelm the dog with novelty, approach novelty slowly, reward your dog for good behavior, and ignore fearful behavior.


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## emuncy (Apr 18, 2008)

She has a great temperment. She is amazing around people and is very socialized when it comes to human contact. She goes almost EVERYWHERE with me. I've had her since she was 6 weeks old and since it was winter when she was born, we've really hadn't had a chance to get her socialized to other dogs. With the winters here in chicago, it seems like no one takes they're dogs outside. 

Up to now, the only dogs that she's ever been around have been my moms dog, a small mixed dog at around 12 pounds. she is perfectly fine with him. And then my brother has the sister of my dog, about a week ago was the first time they've seen each other since they were seperated. She did the same thing when they first met saw each other. You could tell that my brothers dog was the more dominant one. 

As far as being raised the wrong way and bad parenting..... I can assure you that I've done an amazing job in raising her so far! Well, from what I can tell. I've grown up with dogs in my life and even lived on a farm for about 5 years where we had about 6 dogs.... I've just never seen/noticed this type of behavior before.



Laurelin said:


> This statement really bothers me.
> 
> It's a problem if your dog isn't good around dogs of ANY size- big or small.
> 
> You shouldn't be concerned about having a 'sissy dog' but rather be putting in the effort required to have a happy dog with a sound temperament.


I'm not sure if you understood what I was trying to convey. I wasn't trying to say that I wanted a dog that would dominate other dogs. I meant that I want a dog that is balanced and is a great all around dog.....


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## Aggie (Mar 13, 2008)

She may have just been overwhelmed/scared.

Try taking her at a non-peak hour (lunch, early morning, etc) and weekday evenings (vs weekends-those are ALWAYS crazy) and let her run around and get used to the area when there are none/few dogs there.

It took my dog a few days of going at the same time, seeing the same dogs, to settle in enough to play. He needs 20m or so to settle in, then he's ready to go play chase and wrestle with the other dogs. He sticks pretty close for those first 15-20min while he absorbs everything going on.

I'd take her there when other dogs won't be there, most likely, and let her get used to the premises.
I'd then try to take her the same time, every day- not weekends at first, those can be crazy- and see some of the same dogs every day, and she can start getting to know some of them.


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## Poly (Sep 19, 2007)

Emuncy:

When we talk about dog socialization, we don't mean just socialized to human contact. Yes- that is very important. But dogs need to be socialized to other dogs, to strange noises, to strange smells, etc., etc. 


I know the idea of pre-determined "fear periods" is somewhat controversial these days. But I do think that dogs have "fear periods" in the sense that they can become fearful if they are introduced to new things too quickly - or to too many new things at one time. So the whole dog-park experience may have been too much too fast. I wouldn't force it. 

Forcing dogs into situations that they are afraind of is called "flooding" and it is a really bad training training method.

One of your jobs as a leader is to make sure your dog isn't put into situations that make her unnecessarily fearful. 

A *well-run* puppy kindergarden class during the winter would have helped your puppy a lot. But she may be a bit too old for that now. The better classes usually have a cut-off at 5 months so the little pups aren't pushed around. 

Try to find a 'pet obedience' class in your area. You don't want a _formal_ obedience class but one that is geared toward making her a better pet. Sometimes these are sponsored by the 'big-box' pet stores or given by trainers from regular training schools as a way of introducing you to their school. Here is a typical description of one:



> This class is for dogs 5 months and older. This class will cover all basic obedience skills and address various common behavioral issues. They will learn sit, down, stand, wait, stay, come, leave it, loose leash walking, off and more. The focus of this class is to get your dog on the road to being a well behaved pet, and teach you how to be an effective, calm and assertive trainer through use of food, praise and your relationship with your dog.


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