Zoee's being aggressive?

[Taz_Zoee]

Val, Zoee is only 3 years old. Her last vet visit was on March 26th. She had seizures on Easter morning and we went to the ER vet then did a follow up the next Wednesday with our regular vet.

Sophie, thank you, I like leash reactivity MUCH better. As for the question does she seek them out to be mean....No. With the Schnauzer yesterday he was the first dog she went up to then she just snarled at him. And with the Golden Retreiver he was just wanting to play with her and she snapped at him. Then the second encounter with the same Schnauzer it looked like Zoee was going after him, but I think that was the fact that the Schnauzer was already scared of her from the first encounter so then she DID go after him in that way. Or the Schnauzer lashed out first out of fear, I'm not really sure...they were standing behind people when it happened and Zoee almost knocked someone over.

Just to note: These were the only two dogs she had a problem with. In fact there were two other Mini Schnauzers Zoee met and she was totally fine with them, plus a bunch of other dogs. Sigh.....I just don't know. Like I said, we are taking a break for a while. Maybe next weekend I'll try to take her to a different park and see how she is.

Thanks for your responses Val and Sophie.

[kallisto4529]

Oh my sweet Zoee girl!!! Cindy do you think the seizure might have changed her attitude a little? I dont know if it is possible but it does affect the brain some. Could be she was just having a bad day!!!! I hope everything turns out ok, I will try and give you a call this weekend. give her and Taz some kisses.

[Taz_Zoee]

You know what Marti, I actually did think maybe it had something to do with her seizures. But it's very inconsistent. So I just don't know. I'm still going to blame that Husky! The owner wasn't very nice about it either, like it was Zoee's fault and I've seen them there before and have heard her yelling her dogs name LOTS of times. The dogs name is Keeva (pronounced that way anyway).
You sure can try to give me a call this weekend. I have NO idea what I'm doing, but I'll be happy to talk to you if I can. And I will gladly deliver your kisses to my babies tonight.

[Animalhouse26]

Well, Not being there to see the behavior makes it very hard to Diagnose. I know my Falise is like that as well. she has been VERY Social since 5 mo when I got her, and Dog parks, Doggy Day care.. everything. But as of the past yr, she has started getting almost Grumpy. She will growl at the dogs in the begining, But give her like 2 min or a ball to chase, and she forgets. I just tell her "Falise cut it out" Or I will leash her, and walk her to another area. What for her to relax.. and she is fine after that. But, I am VERY in tune with my dogs behavior. I can usually Point out a dog in the dog park to stay away from. It is a great Idea to have them.. But, can also be a pain. As people bring there dogs there as there ONLY Way of excersize. And this can start the issue of aggression because of the pent up frusteration. So, you just have to be aware of who is there... and know the behaviors the best you can. It is a toughy. :-/ But, Like I said.. This is IMO.. And from what I know.. from MY Dog.

[venus74]

I have an Akita (that are known to be dog-aggressive) whom I have been taking to a dog park since she was 5 months old. I am a huge advocate of the dog park and credit it with making her so social. She is just over 3 years old now. We still take her and she is still great with the other dogs. I have heard (keep in mind that this comes from those that think the dog park is an awful place) that around three years of age some dogs will start to change their disposition and they may become more dog-aggressive. I would be so sad if that happened and so far I haven't seen any sign of it, but that was something I was told. I was being warned to not let my gaurd down as things can change. (???)

[Giselle]

I don't think one can necessarily gauge at what point a dog becomes aggressive, and I think blanket generalizations are unfair. It's good that you're on your guard, but you mustn't keep yourself on your toes just because you have an Akita. Yes, Akitas require certain owners, but it sounds like your pup has been heavily socialized from the beginning and you really need not worry. Should you be proactive and always supervising? Of course, but I would do that with my ultra-friendly-greyhound, too

However, the younger the aggression/reactivity shows, the more likely it is that the problem is genetic. Ivy started showing reactivity at around 6 months. VERY young. Since the beginning, I've always thought she was predisposed to certain behaviors and the fact that her problems arose so early in life tells me that much of it was already ingrained into her. I like dog parks and I advocate for them all the time, but many many dogs are not suitable for dog parks/doggy day care. If your dog is suitable, fine, you're lucky! If not, fine, find another venue.

As for Zoee's problems, Cindy, I'd say try her again but muzzle her. Some people will be put off by it, but I am a firm believer in muzzles for safety's sake. I've seen Zoee at parks before, and she seems very relaxed, so I think these few incidents could definitely be attributed to the Husky incident. Another way to help her is to give her a job. If she's snapping out of fear, give her something constructive to do so that the dog become less of something to fear than just mere distractions. For example, with Ivy, I work a lot of recalls and heeling. Anytime you fear Zoee's going to lash out, recall her and move away from the offending dog. Good luck with that

[Taz_Zoee]

Exactly, luck is what I need. She can not be distracted when we are at the park. Balls and frisbees mean nothing to her. She is a follower and loves to chase any dog that runs. She has also been running over some of the smaller dogs. But my outlook on that is don't bring your small dog into the big dog park if you're worried about them getting ran over. And I've never had an owner get upset for getting "rolled" by Zoee......yet.
I'm not against muzzles, but honestly I don't think I could bring myself to put one on Zoee. She can't even handle a gentle leader over her nose. I'm sure if I had a muzzle on her she would freak out. If we ever "dress" her up with glasses or hats and things she freezes and won't move. And I don't think we are at the point to need a muzzle. I sure hope we NEVER get to that point either.
I guess I could tuck her leash into her collar so she'd be easier to grab. With her long hair it's hard to find her collar quickly.
I'll try the park again in a while. I'm not giving up on it. I am just afraid of her hurting someone elses dog. That would kill me.
I seriously think it was the incident with the Husky. I believe she is afraid that another dog is going to do what the husky did so she is reacting before they have a chance to. Does that make sense? How would I break her of that? Maybe I'll try her on leash and see how she acts for a bit.

Thank you all for your advice and suggestions. I do appreciate them. And I'll keep you updated on our next visit to the park.