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Full Version: Why is my dog so friendly?
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So I adopted my dog when she was 2 from a shelter. I've had many dogs from German shepards, labs, collies, and pitbulls. My dog now is so insanely dog friendly it's almost bad. We have an invisible fence and at least 15 loose dogs have wound up in our yard. My dog has been attacked by 2 of them. She doesn't defend herself I do. She's about 50 lbs. looks like an Australian cattle dog blonde husky. On runs she's been actually attacked by chihuahuas. But since we have the invisible fence many people (20 dogs, I've counted) use our yard as a personal dark park and let their dog/s play with my dog in her yard. Literally not an aggressive bone in her body. (She's never outside by herself I'm always with her but she can go all around the house and doesn't bark so sometimes I just hear her playing) my question is, is it posdible that being this friendly and playful is bad? I'm worried she's going to get attacked one dag and I won't get there in time. Also many if the dogs she plays with have her as their only friend and the owners tell me she's the only off their dog can play with. Why is it that dog aggressive dogs want to play with her and like playing with her only? She's great and all but she's got the energy if a husky I don't get it?
Is she spayed? Sounds like you've got a great dogSmile
Yes, the shelter I adopted her from automatically spays and neuters. My biggest concern is why dog aggressive dogs play with her so well. And if in the future these dog aggressive dogs that play with her so well will eventually become aggressive with her too.
I know it can be a little frustrating when it comes to her defending herself but really just cherish that you have such a lovable dog. Just like people dogs have there own little quirks and personalities and I guess she is just one of those dogs who would rather love than harm and that is just great. If I were you I would not change that part of her because it is really rare.
Many dogs are bred to have certain dispositions, and often times it has to do with how they were raised (i.e. what behaviors were encouraged and which were discouraged). You must also consider that she is a female dog, and that dogs have a determined dominance system. If she was raised as being a non-dominant dog, she will naturally submit to other dogs, especially those that are aggressive towards her, and particularly males.

You must also consider that she was spayed, which is often used, not only as a form of indefinite birth control, but as a way to calm aggressive, energetic, and incorrigible dispositions. If you consider all of these things, your lovely and friendly dog may be the way she is from a combination of some or all of these things, leading her to be severely non-aggressive.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with this either, unless you had intended to use her for a guard dog or police dog which requires some aggression. However, it doesn't seem like this is the case. So, I do not think you need to worry about her disposition.

What you need to worry about, is your irresponsibility in handling her safety. Knowing how she is and how she interacts with other dogs, you are putting her in danger by allowing other strange dogs to interact with her and potentially harm her. Your invisible fence may keep her in, but it obviously isn't keeping other dogs out. You have a responsibility to keep her safe, and you are not performing your duty. I suggest you build a real fence, and only let her interact with dogs you know.

Dogs that are aggressive towards other dogs should not be allowed to interact with other dogs, it's as simple as that. Especially ones that you know will not or cannot fight back. It saddens me that you would allow your dog to interact with other potentially dangerous dogs. Please do your research and educate yourself before becoming a pet owner if you are unsure about these things.