Bullying among dogs: Have you experienced that? What was just play suddenly turns into a wild chase. All against one. And your dog? Once a victim, always a victim? Or always the perpetrator?
If you don’t intervene now, it can have consequences for your four-legged partner’s entire life.
Dogs Need to Learn Social Behavior
Like all dog owners, you undoubtedly wish for your puppy to grow into a well-socialized, friendly dog. You invest a lot of effort into proper training. Puppy school, dog school, companion dog test—the whole program. Nevertheless, not every unfamiliar dog immediately becomes its best friend, and your dog’s behavior leaves something to be desired in some encounters.
Normal social behavior for your furry friend includes occasional power struggles or boundary-setting. But not every chase and takedown is considered bullying. Bullying or bullying behavior occurs only when at least two dogs specifically and systematically team up against an individual to attack and suppress them. This situation repeats itself with each encounter.
Full-on bullying at the dog park? About Perpetrators and Victims
During normal play, all dogs have fun together. Everyone takes turns being the hunter or the hunted. The atmosphere is relaxed and stress-free. Suddenly, the situation changes, and the play becomes too intense. The whole pack chases after a single individual to finish them off, and your dog is the ringleader. You stand there horrified, wondering how this could happen.
Your otherwise peaceful four-legged friend reveals a side you’ve never seen before. It selects its victim and fixates on it. Growling, teeth bared, it attacks the seemingly weakest link in the dog group. It doesn’t back down even though the other has already submitted, showing no consideration, as is usual in play.
Or your dog is the follower, getting caught up in the group dynamic and joining in. Yesterday, the victimized dog was its best friend on a two-person walk. Is your dog the bullying victim, being abused by its peers as a plaything or prey? It is under extreme stress, tucks its tail, whines, snaps around, and tries to escape the wild chase.
The first thing it does is seek protection from you, its trusted person. It presses against you, attempting to hide between your legs. Now it’s up to you to protect it from the pack and advocate for it.
The victimized dog: nipped, grabbed, dragged around
If your dog is the bullying victim, and you want to help, ask the other dog owners to call their dogs back so that everyone can calm down again. Statements like “they have to go through that; they’ll settle it among themselves” must be strongly opposed. Nothing resolves on its own! Only with your intervention can you prevent the behavioral pattern from solidifying, and your dog from losing trust in your friendship. You protect it from being hurt, bitten, or running headlong into the next car in its panicked escape.
Additionally, this experience can lead the bullied dog to draw conclusions that significantly impact its behavior:
- It doesn’t receive help in threatening situations.
- Certain breeds or dogs of specific sizes are perceived as enemies.
- Social behavior suffers since other dogs subjectively pose a threat to it.
If you don’t act, and your furry friend is regularly bullied by others, its negative experiences can affect how it interacts with other dogs. Once an open, friendly little guy, it may possibly bark at every approaching dog and overall appear aggressive.
What Signs Indicate Bullying in Dogs?
Dogs do not consciously bully like humans, but they can target another member of their species in a distinct manner.
You can observe this in your beloved pet’s behavior:
- Dogs that bully other peers fixate on them beforehand.
- Typically, bullying affects dogs that differ from your dog in terms of breed, character, and temperament.
- A bullied dog is usually surrounded, jumped on, barked at, nipped, and, in extreme cases, bitten by other dogs.
- Stress symptoms are noticeable in the bullied dog, such as dilated pupils, panting, whining, frantic snapping, and appeasement signals.
Bullying Among Dogs: Even Perpetrators Need Help
Unlike a submissive animal, a dog acting as a bully cannot be easily recalled from the group. During the chase, endorphins are released, creating a sense of superiority. The perpetrator dog wants to experience this rush repeatedly. If you do not set boundaries and tolerate its behavior, it will continue to try to dominate other dogs. It may become a problematic companion that needs to be constantly kept on a leash.
If it does not respond to your recall, intervene without shouting or harshness, grasp and leash it. This is the only way to restore calm, and you show it as the pack leader that its behavior is unacceptable. Help it get out of this situation, as it is neither malicious nor ill-mannered but needs to learn to step back in play and control its impulses.
Important: Dog liability insurance is crucial protection if injuries occur to the opponent during a scuffle.
Risk of Repeat Behavior in Dogs
If you, as the owner, do not address the bullying, it can result in the following learning effects for your dog:
- It can easily bully other dogs.
- If you do not intervene as the owner, it sees it as a game.
Social interactions are crucial for your dog. You don’t want it to become a loner. If you’re unsure how to help your dog, a visit to a dog school might be a good alternative. Additionally, you can avoid future bullying situations by deliberately steering your dog encounters and selecting playmates that match in terms of size, character, and play behavior.
