Domination by other dogs at the dog park

Bucky is 7 months old now, and more than 50 lbs! He’s happy, but he no longer has much interest in our 30-minute walks in the morning. I decided it’s just because he weighs more and that’s more exhausting. He was panting heavily and stopping to lay down/rest during the walk, so I decided to switch the routine to shorter neighborhood walks (10 to 15 minutes). We have also been going to the dog park, which is a lot of fun for him and Molly. He can run full speed, and then come by me and rest for a few minutes. Molly can run freely for a long time!

The first time we went, another dog mounted Bucky and started humping on him. He didn’t seem to mind, but I  shooed the dog away. It doesn’t always happen, but today it did. This one dog was focused on Buck and kept trying to mount him and Buck was getting agitated. The other dog’s owner and I kept breaking it up, and it was kind of embarrassing for both of us. Shortly afterward, a stocky bull dog came to visit my sister and I where we were sitting on a bench. This little guy was very friendly and people-focused. When he saw Buck, he immediately mounted him, and I got him off. But then, Buck seemed to notice that this dog was shorter than he was, and Buck mounted the bull dog! The dog trotted off, and Bucky pursued him, trying to mount him again.

I thought it was an interesting dynamic. The two stories I shared happened to be instances of males mounting Buck, but females do it to him, too. One day after being at the dog park, his own “sister” Molly mounted him in our backyard. I think she learned that behavior from watching other dogs in the dog park!

I think it’s probably that other dogs see weakness and decide to dominate Buck in this way—not so likely that they count legs and decide to bully him!  I didn’t see it happening to other young dogs, so I just assume they see Bucky as some sort of wounded prey by the way he moves and hobbles along.

Has anyone had similar experiences with their tripawds? I am interested in your thoughts. Thanks!

Bucky is 4 months old now and growing fast

Bucky is 4 months old now, and HUGE! Every day that I come home from work, I see larger feet, a larger nose, and bigger eyes! He’s such a fun boy! Loves to play, and is happy all the time.

Bucky, 4 mos.

He’s playing hard, going for long walks with Molly and me, and sleeps hard! He’s a great boy!!

Sleeping, 4 mos.

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He loves Molly, and she acts as both his litter mate and mommy.

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MollyBuckySleeping

Tomorrow is Bucky’s surgery

I didn’t figure out how to add words to the photos I managed to post. Sorry — I will get the hang of this soon enough. I have been enjoying and appreciating all of your friendly and helpful posts to Bucky’s intro story. Thank you all! Tomorrow morning is the surgery and then he will go home with the vet for overnight observation. I hope to get an update tomorrow. He is definitely on my mind!!! Think happy thoughts! Thanks!

Buck, 6 weeks old

I went looking for more information and found this support group — loved the name and signed up!

We met Bucky for the first time last night and fell in love! His paw was injured in the first days of his life and wasn’t treated properly. He had infection and gangrene, was turned into a local shelter, and rescued by fosters who are friends with our son. Our son kept encouraging us to meet Buck, and finally sent me a picture. We have been wanting to rescue another dog, but weren’t sure what sort of care Buck would require. Once we met him and talked with the foster mom, we decided to adopt him. He got along perfectly with our 1-year-old, Molly.

Buck’s paw fell off a short time ago, and he is scheduled for surgery this Tuesday (6/25/13) to amputate the entire back leg because of the gangrene. I don’t fully understand all of this, but I am comfortable with the idea that, because he is so young, he will learn to cope from the start. We will be able to take Bucky into our home after he has recovered from his surgery.

We are VERY excited to welcome him into our home and look forward to many years and many adventures together!

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