Assessing Dogs That Bully…Using Fruit!

How do limes, oranges and pomegranates relate to bully behaviors in dogs? Bullying behaviors encompass a continuum like most behavior and The Dog Gurus have created a fruity way for your staff to communicate and assess them. Keep reading for important tips for keeping your playgroups safe and fun for all the dogs when the mounting and bully dogs appear.

What do mounting and bully behaviors have in common? It takes two to tango with these behaviors and that actually makes assessing impact of these behaviors easier. When you are trying to decide if these behaviors are a problem take a look at the “victim” dog. By victim we mean the dog that is being mounted or on the receiving end of bully behaviors.

Continue to monitor interactions when body language and behavior of the victim dog:
• Is loose, curvy or green for most of the interaction
• Includes very few stress signals observed
• Follows the mounting/bully dog after behavior stops and initiates more interaction

Intervene and stop interactions when body language and behavior of the victim dog includes:
• Stiffening
• Appeasing behaviors
• Multiple stress signals
• Low-level aggressive displays (e.g., growling, snapping, snarling)
• Attempts to hide, escape and avoid the mounting/bully dog

Why are mounting and bully behaviors so common in dogs during group play? There are many reasons and first we will discuss mounting.

Mounting

Dogs mount other dogs for many more reasons then the common response of confidence. For some dogs mounting is a play behavior but other causes include stress, boredom, excitement and anxiety.

Mounting is the behavior that humans have concerns with due to the sexual association. Many clients are concerned when they observe mounting in social playgroups and for that reason alone many centers put it on their inappropriate behavior list.

Some dogs are very persistent with mounting so staff can become frustrated trying to stop the behavior. Good recall skills and consistency can pay-off in stopping most dogs from mounting. One key to success is teaching staff to observe the behavior that precedes these dogs mounting. This is the moment to redirect the dog to another activity.

Mounting can also be a clue to a health issue, urinary tract infection or UTI. When you have multiple dogs attempting to mount the same dog they could have an UTI. Robin and I both had very consistent experiences of having these dogs diagnosed by their veterinarian after mounting was observed during group play sessions.

Bully Behaviors

There are multiple ways a dog can bully another. Just like in humans, this is not a fun experience and can escalate to cause emotional and physical injuries to the victim dog. In our experience, this group of behaviors can be difficult to clearly describe to staff and to know at what point a bully dog should be removed from your playgroups.

This is where fruit will help you categorize whether the dog is a lime bully, an orange bully or a pomegranate bully. In our opinion, all bully behaviors are in the yellow or red traffic signal categories. However, we also recognize that there are different levels of bullying so it can be challenging to draw the line on when a dog moves into the pomegranate bully part of the continuum.

Lime bully dogs – these are on the low end of the continuum just crossing from green into yellow and the behavior observed could be described as:
• Infrequent (not observed every visit)
• Easily redirected by majority of staff members
• Positive response when staff praise appropriate play behavior

Orange bully dogs – these are in the middle of the continuum, crossing from yellow into red and the behavior observed could be described as:
• Frequent (observed almost every visit)
• Multiple redirections are required to intervene during the interaction
• Staff describe dog as “not listening” or “blowing them off”
• More experienced staff members have most success managing the behavior
• Rest periods frequently used as a management tool or only half day visits permitted
• Many dogs will interact with the orange bully at times during the day when appropriate play behaviors are demonstrated
• Client is following your recommendations for obedience training and setting appropriate behavior boundaries outside of your center

Pomegranate bully dogs – these dogs are on the high end of the continuum (red behaviors) and are not good playgroup candidates. Their bully behavior creates an environment that is not fun or safe for the other dogs and your staff spends majority of their time managing the one dog. The behavior could be described as:
• Frequent, intense and focused on a few “victim” dogs
• Redirections by more experienced staff is challenging
• Staff are frustrated, complain and dread the dog arriving for playgroup
• Several dogs avoid interacting and display stress signals when in group with the dog
• Client is not following your recommendations for obedience training, denies behaviors are a problem or states they only happen in your playgroups

Any dog may mount or at times engage in a behavior considered “bullying”. The reaction of the other dogs to these behaviors is your first clue as to when and how you should intervene.

You have a responsibility to keep playgroups safe and fun for all the dogs that attend. This is the reason why it is important to identify and assess the level of bully behaviors. Lime bully dogs are at the low level of the continuum and with good management may actually stop the bully behavior.

Orange bully dogs are high risk and require open, honest communication with dog owners about the behavior. Obedience work may help some dogs, but it is very important that these dogs not get to practice the behaviors. Caution dog owners about taking these dogs to other play environments. Some orange dogs may retain play privileges with shorter play sessions or at specific times of day (e.g., morning or afternoon only).

Pomegranate bully dogs are not a fit for group play. Bully behaviors have become their play style and normal way of interacting with other dogs. It’s not worth the risk to the other dogs or frustration of your staff to keep these dogs in your playgroup.

Be sure to refer to the Problem Behavior Management Guide for additional details on ways to intervene, manage and prevent bullying and mounting behaviors. We hope our bully fruit continuum helps your team clarify the intensity level of bully behaviors in dogs at your center and make decisions on their management easier.

How have you successfully managed dogs that mount or bully in your playgroups?