I respectfully request advice to eliminate or minimize risk of my dog causing me potentially permanent injury, as in losing a body part.
Dog is a male red moyen poodle age about 8 months, whom I'll call "M." M has a lot of energy and is a loving, affectionate, and exceptionally fun family member. This family comprises sum total M and two adult humans. Home is moderate sized, w/moderate sized private yard. Quiet neighborhood except two fences border families who sometimes use their yard, which causes M to bark. M's claws and foot pads far exceed normal proportions for a dog of his size and 35#, exacerbating this problem. AFAIK M is the quickest and hardest cornering dog I have ever seen. He is so quick my eye and head can not follow him.
There are two conditions wherein M strikes me in the groin. Earlier, from mid-Feb when we got him till about May, M jumped on us more frequently than now. He randomly struck one or both body parts when jumping. IIRC such strikes caused less injury than the current problem. Also IIRC, I started holding him away and doing what I could to minimize such strikes. Several weeks, probably more than a month went by without a strike.
The current and more recent problem: the height of M's head just happens to exactly equal that of my groin area. We face each other, and wham! He suddenly raises his right paw, punching said L body part. (Do dogs favor L or R paw, like humans are L or R handed?) The quickest athlete in the world could not defend him or herself from such strike, lightning fast and without warning. I have worn a leather apron but it's uncomfortable and short term partial remedy at best. Needless to say this must end, with a long term fix.
We planned on social training @ PetSmart, but such was another Covid casualty. Our vet told us that lacking social training with other dogs, M thinks he is a human (apparently one with limited verbal skills but infinitely superior athletic capacity).
For personal and confidential reasons, my SO and me must minimize risk of Covid exposure resulting from interaction with a trainer or other dog owners. Such would be last resort only, and we still might avoid it if it was the only option. We'd require a ton of trust to give him up for private training.
Thank you for sharing my burden on this sensitive subject.
Dog is a male red moyen poodle age about 8 months, whom I'll call "M." M has a lot of energy and is a loving, affectionate, and exceptionally fun family member. This family comprises sum total M and two adult humans. Home is moderate sized, w/moderate sized private yard. Quiet neighborhood except two fences border families who sometimes use their yard, which causes M to bark. M's claws and foot pads far exceed normal proportions for a dog of his size and 35#, exacerbating this problem. AFAIK M is the quickest and hardest cornering dog I have ever seen. He is so quick my eye and head can not follow him.
There are two conditions wherein M strikes me in the groin. Earlier, from mid-Feb when we got him till about May, M jumped on us more frequently than now. He randomly struck one or both body parts when jumping. IIRC such strikes caused less injury than the current problem. Also IIRC, I started holding him away and doing what I could to minimize such strikes. Several weeks, probably more than a month went by without a strike.
The current and more recent problem: the height of M's head just happens to exactly equal that of my groin area. We face each other, and wham! He suddenly raises his right paw, punching said L body part. (Do dogs favor L or R paw, like humans are L or R handed?) The quickest athlete in the world could not defend him or herself from such strike, lightning fast and without warning. I have worn a leather apron but it's uncomfortable and short term partial remedy at best. Needless to say this must end, with a long term fix.
We planned on social training @ PetSmart, but such was another Covid casualty. Our vet told us that lacking social training with other dogs, M thinks he is a human (apparently one with limited verbal skills but infinitely superior athletic capacity).
For personal and confidential reasons, my SO and me must minimize risk of Covid exposure resulting from interaction with a trainer or other dog owners. Such would be last resort only, and we still might avoid it if it was the only option. We'd require a ton of trust to give him up for private training.
Thank you for sharing my burden on this sensitive subject.