Anyone else have a dog who just doesn't care about other dogs?

kbn316

Hi all! I'm new to this forum, but below is just a quick bit of background on Duke. I will get around to posting a pic and signature with this info one of these days so I don't have to repeat myself!

Duke is a 7 y.o. Great Dane mix who I've had since about 4 mos of age. I adopted him from the Humane Society. His life before that is unknown. He is HIGHLY reactive and anxious, along with a bit of fearfulness thrown into the mix. We've been to a Behaviorist a number of times and do lots of training/behavior mod to help with these issues. I use only positive reinforcement methods of training. He began taking clomipramine about 6 months ago and this has greatly improved his responsiveness to training efforts and lessened his reactivity. He has come a long, long way.

My issue is this: Duke just doesn't care about other dogs! He never initiates play, and when another dog does so, he mostly just ignores them. I've never seen him display aggression toward another dog (fear-based or otherwise). He is, however, nervous around status-seeking dogs.

Upon first meeting another dog Duke often becomes highly aroused, but after that initial sniff-and-greet he usually just walks away and doesn't look back. It may be notable to point out that he also doesn't care much for play with humans, either. He is not a fetcher, doesn't much care about tug-toys, and squeaky toys don't seem to do it for him. He loves interactive games with me, such as hide-and-seek or find the treats. He will also play chase for a few minutes with me at the dog park, but even that doesn't last long. Duke loves training sessions! We take classes just for fun and confidence-building, not competition.

After three attempts at different daycares, we have finally found one that really works for Duke. The daycare providers say he mostly follows them around all day and doesn't pay any attention to the other dogs. But...it's only been a couple weeks, so maybe with time he will show more interest in the other dogs.

Has anyone else experienced this? If so, did you attempt to "fix" it or just let the dog be who he is? Maybe this is just Duke's personality and I should leave it alone! However, it kind of makes me sad at times that he doesn't seem to enjoy play all that much, especially with others dogs. His life is rich and full with other activities...hiking, swimming, long walks, car rides, visits to friends' houses, etc. Maybe he just doesn't care about hanging out with his own species!

Curious to hear thoughts from those of you experienced handlers/trainers or anyone who has encountered a similar situation.

Criosphynx

haha, I'd say, for a mature dog, thats pretty normal. Four of my dogs have been this way. I vote for it being a personality trait and to let it be. Obviously encourage interactions when he offers them, but if hes not interested don't force him (not that you are)...one of my biggest pet peeve at dog parks expecially is people trying to "make" their dog play or interact with others and the dog doesn't care about other dogs.

Iam reminded of this page

http://www.badrap.org/rescue/dogdog.html

honestly, most mature dogs are not the OMGPLAYWITHME dog social types...I'd say many are dog tolerant or dog selective

btw congrats on your progress with him, trust me, I understand all the work involved, you should be proud.

kmes

Penny, my min pin really couldn't care less about other dogs. She will greet politely, but other than that she would just like to be left alone. She has never played with any of my other 3, or with any other dog she has encountered. The closest thing to playing has been with my friends jack russel. They both join forces to terrorize the local squirrel population. Really though they are just going after the same moving object.
She does however enjoy napping with my other 3, but honestly I am convinced she just sees them as living heaters. She is always in the warmest location (inbed under our comforter, infront of our pellet stove, ontop of radiators...).
As long as she tolerates the presence of other dogs, then I really don't care if she wants to play or not. I just figure that, if I don't always want to interact with other people, why should I expect my dogs to want to play nonstop?

kbn316

Thanks to both of you! That's how I have always handled it, but you know how sometimes you just get a thought and like to bounce it off others? That's what makes forums like this so great! I guess Duke just isn't a dog that particularly likes to play with other dogs. We lived for several years with a Chocolate Lab, Coco, who adored Duke, but Duke really just didn't give him proverbial the time of day. Poor Coco tried, though!

kmes....I totally agree with your statement about you not always wanting to interact with other humans, so why should a dog? Great way of putting it! Duke does the same thing when he is loose in a yard with other dogs. He sometimes moves in the same direction as them, but he's really not playing with them.

Criosphynx...thanks. Yes, it has been a tremendous amount of work helping Duke through his many issues, but I wouldn't trade it for anything! Because of Duke, I think I will always want the dog that most people don't want. I absolutely love working through the challenges and celebrating the little (and big) accomplishments. That Duke is actually in daycare is a huge milestone! His anxiety and fear just simply didn't allow it before. We're also going to give Agility a shot this summer just for something fun and different. I can't wait! I don't expect that he'll be a superstar at it, but I think he will love trying.

kbn316

btw, thanks for that link, it's an interesting, straight-to-the-point read. I would say Duke falls between Selective and Tolerant, dependent upon the dog and the day.

Mikey

Does Duke play with you? With toys? Perhaps he just missed that critical period of 'play' and doesn't know how?

fawkese1

i don't think there is harm in exposing him to other dogs, so long as they are polite, you never know, he may develop a friendship with another dog... but like crios said, trying to force a dog to interact when they clearly aren't interested is just crazy, imo.

i would also like to ditto the kudos to you on all your hard work... good job

malekthemasher

There are 6 general personality types of dogs that may help you figure out why your Duke seems so uninterested in others, they are:

• AGGRESSIVE
• CONFIDENT
• OUTGOING
• ADAPTABLE
• INSECURE
• INDEPENDENT

It sounds to me that Duke could either fall under the adaptable personality or the independent. Here's a little more information about those two specific personalities:

Adaptable:
The adaptable dog requires the least amount of supervision as he will adapt well and fit into most situations with ease. The adaptable is easy to handle, eager to please, cooperative and readily accepts either human or canine leadership due to their naturally submissive nature. The adaptable is a mixture of the outgoing and insecure, tending to be somewhat shy, reserved or fearful when initially thrust into a new situation, yet fitting in quickly and exhibiting some extroverted traits to a lesser extent than a true outgoing.

The adaptable will rarely if ever resort to violence in the resolution of disputes tending to lean more towards pure submission when confronted with an aggressive or confident type. However, as with any animal when pushed too far or placed in a position where they are fearful, they could snap or momentarily lash out in a defensive nature, tending to immediately follow this with further attempts at submission.

You will find this personality type easy to intimidate and in the presence of an overly strong human leader there is a tendency to misdiagnose them as having been previously abused due to the fact that they naturally lean towards the traits of the insecure as a method of finding their place in the pack. The general demeanor of the adaptable is gentle and affectionate and they make high quality family pets. They have a higher tolerance to being left alone than the outgoing or confident types and they will demonstrate less destructive or separation anxiety related behaviors.

The adaptable shows no real potential for conflict with any of the other personalities tending to have good compatibility with all. This is another reason that they make a great family pet as there is less concern about personality conflicts for families that already have another dog.

Independent:
The independent personality is basically the un-dog like dog and demonstrates traits that one could attribute to either a fox or a cat and not to a dog. This is not to say that the independent is non affectionate, it is just affectionate on its own terms and when it chooses to be. The independent tends to be very aloof and appear disinterested in human
interaction leaning more towards limited social interaction with other canines. Always appearing to be on the outside of the window looking in, rarely showing strong pack behavior or a high play drive the independent marches to the beat of its own drum.

The independent is the least likely to resort to violence in the resolution of conflict choosing to adopt more of a neutral role or flee the situation entirely. The independent when forced into a never before seen situation tends to freeze up and show a high level of anxiety, to include rapid heart beat, urination, defecation or a release of the anal glands. The independent can be very easy to intimidate when in the face of overly strong leadership or an overbearing owner. Like the insecure this personality does best on a diet of positive reinforcement; negative reinforcement or attempts to dominate it will only result in strengthening its independent and aloof nature.

Do not expect this dog to grow into a super loving, human attention seeking member of the family and understand that there is nothing wrong or askew with this personality that needs repair. The independent will exhibit little or no destructive or separation anxiety driven behaviors when left alone and will settle on a nice place to sleep. The independent
nature of this personality does leave it prone to wondering off or escaping as it does not have a strong bond to the family pack. It is unlikely that it will respond to yelling or frantic actions if it finds the opportunity to
leave a controlled environment and will continue to walk away as if it has not a care in the world while you call for it to return.

I hope this helps you to figure out your Duke.

MattTS

my dog simply ignores other dogs (or cats) too. He actually feels uncomfortable when passing close and very seldom he stops to socialize. If the other dog shows an aggressive stance or bark at him, he just hurries to pass them. He is friendly with people he knows and shy with those he doesn't. But never aggressive. I think it's just his personality.

Radar

KBN316, your posts show that you love Duke very much and are doing all you can to make his life a good one. What a terrific furparent you are and Duke is so lucky to have adopted you!

Malek, that was wonderful information. Thanks!