Dog sniffing

[Duesmummy]

Hi,
I have adopted a fantastic 4 year old rescue springer, he is very laid back for a springer ,an all round big softy until another dog wants to say hello and sniff his bottom then he completely changes and snaps at the dog
When we are on our walks he will happily walk past other dogs and even put nose to nose to say hello but if a dog is of lead and comes over to say hello he is fine face to face but as soon as the dog wants to sniff his bottom he will go for him! I don't know his full back ground only that he was a working dog for his first 2 years and then sold to a couple and this is when his problems started, harsh treatment and playfulness taken out of him! He is now starting to play with toys and is loving playing tug of war and when out you can see he wants to play with other dogs but i cant take that chance I took him to a dog class but this was in a small hall and very crowded and this was the first time i saw him snap because he is well trained in all basic commands after 3 classes i felt it was best to leave and felt the trainer was not very helpful. I have now joined a new group in a large open field and while the dogs played of lead before class we stayed at a distance and you could see Duke wanted to play, when the dog was put on lead the trainer called us over and explained to the group tat Duke was a rescue and was a little nervous of over dogs and did not like his bottom sniffed. The group was fantastic and i have had my first 1 to 1 with this trainer and after just one hour she had Duke and her own dog walking side by side and even a little bum sniff, Duke did not like this but he did not snap :-) Can anyone advice how i can improve his social skills in between class as i hope to take him to his first beach visit in July and would love to see him of lead and playing with other dogs or am i being unrealistic as he is 4 years old and not knowing his full history, Oh he is fantastic with people and children so no problems there.

many thanks
Paula and Duke

[nick_j007]

It sounds as though he is quite capable of getting used to what is let's face it an inevitable fact of life...bum sniffing!

You may well find that over time he will settle and be pretty ok about it. he is possibly under socialised you see and not fully conversant in this fine art.

Consider finding a very high value food he'd sell his soul for and pinch this so he has to work it out of your fingers whilst you would expect another dog to sniff him over. if you can keep his devoted attention on you instead of another dog's actions that could be a good start.#

May I suggest you discuss this with your new found (and sensible sounding) trainer, or even have an hour or two 1-2-1?

Best.

Nick