We received an email from a viewer who was worried about the behaviour of her dog Lou Lou.

She writes: "I need some advice regarding my Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Lou Lou. She is a very kind loving dog but she does not seem to get on with other dogs in the park, especially if we are playing ball. She will not approach other dogs and become aggressive, but if they come up to her while she is playing she will give them a telling off then will come away. This is becoming a concern for me and I would really like some advice, as Lou Lou is getting a reputation. I have another dog called Tigger, a Yorkie cross weighing just 2kilos, and they get on just fine. When Lou Lou was a puppy she mixed with other dogs fine but there has been some change in her recently."

Dog trainer and behavioural expert Howard Kirby writes: 

"The park is one of the most difficult places for owners and their dogs. When playing with a toy, Lou is unwilling to surrender her prize to other dogs, particularly those dogs that don’t belong to her pack. This is a normal behaviour and one that lots of dogs - including puppies - will display.

Her change to this new behaviour is almost certainly as a result of her becoming an adult and therefore more assertive when dealing with other dogs. You say that Lou is happy to come back to you which is great, my advice is to avoid this area of confrontation as much as possible. In the event you see another dog approaching, re-call Lou to you, engage her in play with yourself, use feed treats, keep her really close to you, whatever you do don’t throw anything for her as this will inflame the situation - the incoming dog might join in the chase for the toy, making the problem worse.

Your objective is to get Lou as close and focused on you as possible, this will normally help to diffuse any confrontations. The closer to you that Lou is, the less likely other dogs are to interfere with you and your little pack.

Exercises teaching Lou to focus on you as well as improving basic obedience are also ways to assist with lots of problem dog behaviours. I know it seems a little dull but if you can also avoid these confrontations, you will be being a responsible and caring dog owner. Avoidance of particular dog walks and times that you visit them and, subsequently, the dogs that frequent these areas will again simply allow for a much happier walk for you and your dogs.

There are lots of other dog owners for whom this is a problem so don’t worry too much - just implement these few basic actions and you should be able to change things quite quickly. Let us know how you get on."

Howard