[bonesygirl]

Hey guys,

In light of my crummy situation at work, I have been thinking lately about specific behaviours from other dog owners that drive me crazy. I don't just mean things like leaving a barking dog outside when I'm trying to sleep, but things that actively affect my own dogs. I have one that always comes to mind:

There's a family at the barn I work at with a male dog, I think he's a jack russell. They were so excited when I first got Bones (my female lab puppy; she's five months now) because they thought she would be a perfect playmate for their dog, Joey. I started bringing her to work when she was 12 wks, after her second set of vaccs.

One day I was letting her have a pee before I loaded her into the car to go home, when they arrived and immediately rushed over with Joey. Things were fine for maybe five seconds, they sniffed each other and all appeared fine (though I am by no means an expert in dog body language). Then Joey lunged at Bones, snarling, and pinned her to the ground by her neck. Bones shrieked, Joey's owner pulled him off and I moved Bones away. She was physically fine, and mentally seemed fine also. Even five minutes after the 'incident' she wanted to get back to him to play.

About a week later, problems started to show up. Little dogs were scary to her. It took probably a month and a half, maybe two months, to convince her that no, not all little dogs were going to attack her. Throughout this time, these people kept trying to bring Joey over to meet her. I didn't care for it. For whatever reason, Bonesy still wanted to play with him, but I would usually push her behind my legs and leg it out of there. I actually hid behind a tractor one time when I saw them coming. Every single time they approach with Joey, he started snarling from at least fifteen feet away. And they continue to come towards us. Every. Single. Time. If I'm in the car with her, they will actually lift him up to the window so he can snarl at her through the window. It's not just Bones too, he snarls at all the puppies at the barn (weirdly enough, there are five of them within a month of Bones).

The mother admitted to me that she's made mistakes with Joey, because he was her first dog and she didn't know better. But she seems so unwilling to change her actions to accomodate that admittance. Her dog is the one with aggression issues, she should be the one to deal with it.

God, that's been driving me crazy for months!! Phew!!

Anyway, what are some behaviours from other dog owners that drive everyone else mental?

 

[Aayden]

Have you tried asking the owner to please keep Joey away from Bones? Let them know that you don't want your pup to be hurt and he doesn't seem to like her.

My problem is similar:

Ida (1 year old Great Pyrenees) has managed to warm up to my mothers dogs but it took days of work and leashed interaction. She never had socialization when she was younger and her previous owners kept her outside all her life so it's only natural for her to be odd about new dogs. Also it's in her breed to be cautious of strange animals. Whenever I walk her it seems like someone wants to come up and introduce their dogs "Aww she's so cute, they could play." to which I respond "She doesn't really like other dogs." I actually had a woman tell me today. "Nonsense, Buddies so nice, they'll get along great." My jaw hit the floor. Lady I just told you my dog doesn't not like other dogs and you proceed without a care in the world.

Needless to say we walked across the street to avoid confrontation. She is ok to walk by other dogs but if someone approaches and lets their dog get in her face she gets very nervous and growls. I've never understood why people think it's okay for their friendly dog to be able to meet a dog they've been told is not friendly. -.-

 

[sscott87]

See if the owners of any of the other pups feel similarly, and if so, perhaps it would be feasible to confront her again and ask her to keep their distance with their own dog so long as he continues to act in such a way. Your work situation though, so maybe it's just best to bite your tongue and deal with it as-is, depending on the particular person.

I guess I haven't been a dog owner long enough yet to have any particular issues with other dog owners. Two months in and I've not had a bad experience yet that's really bothered me. It helps that while Jax doesn't appear to hardly have an aggressive bone in his body, he's also pretty fearless. A recent situation had a family of 4 with 2 massive Great Danes somehow letting one get away from them and he spotted Jax and I from a distance and just leisurely marched straight for us. It irritated me a bit that they did little to go after him other than to shout for him to come back, before finally one of the parents marched on after him. Were Jax an aggressive dog, we could have had a mess. Certainly, I assume part of the reason they weren't in a hurry was in part because they know their dogs well enough to know their behavior around others (I mean, he just walked straight to us from 30 yards out, it was actually quite funny and he was in no rush), but when you don't know another person's dog, I would expect someone to be in a little more of a hurry to chase down their massive dog. Thankfully, Jax was more cautiously-curious than anything, having never encountered such a large animal. Then, of course, it ended up with me having my back to a fence, the loose Great Dane between myself and Jax, and Jax sniffing the other, still-leashed Great Dane. I've no clue why the one was still loose at that point as the entire family was around us, but nor do I know what they were all doing because I was too concerned with the situation and position I'd just found myself in with 2 massive animals and my own curious dog, and nowhere to go being between a fence and a horse (lol).

So I guess what irritates me is simply dog owners that just don't seem to have much concern for others. I got it, you know your own dog and you're ALMOST certain how he's going to react when he's loose, whether intentional or not, but you DON'T know the other person and their dog that yours is going to or after. That's just a recipe for disaster.

^^^Aayden - EXACTLY! Just because a person knows that THEIR dog is friendly and will most likely do well, they don't know your dog. That's a very, very annoying thing.

 

[bonesygirl]

I should definitely say something, but I'm so non-confrontational that it's easier for me to avoid them/hide behind things like a child than actually speak up. lol

Ida (1 year old Great Pyrenees) has managed to warm up to my mothers dogs but it took days of work and leashed interaction. She never had socialization when she was younger and her previous owners kept her outside all her life so it's only natural for her to be odd about new dogs. Also it's in her breed to be cautious of strange animals. Whenever I walk her it seems like someone wants to come up and introduce their dogs "Aww she's so cute, they could play." to which I respond "She doesn't really like other dogs." I actually had a woman tell me today. "Nonsense, Buddies so nice, they'll get along great." My jaw hit the floor. Lady I just told you my dog doesn't not like other dogs and you proceed without a care in the world.

I had kind of the reverse experience. One of the blacksmiths has an ACD who is not so good with other dogs. And he kept insisting I should take off Bones' leash and let them run around/play. I was like...ummm, no thanks? I'm fine with her getting gently corrected for being puppy-rude, but I'm certainly not going to set her up to get hurt by a dog with no patience for well-socialized adult dogs, let alone a lab puppy.

 

[bonesygirl]

See if the owners of any of the other pups feel similarly, and if so, perhaps it would be feasible to confront her again and ask her to keep their distance with their own dog so long as he continues to act in such a way. Your work situation though, so maybe it's just best to bite your tongue and deal with it as-is, depending on the particular person.

Everyone else does feel similarly. We all hide our puppies from him, as childish as that seems. It's just that the woman is so incredibly sweet, outside her ignorance of her own dog's behaviour, that I have a hard time thinking of telling her to keep her dog away from mine, even as politely as I could phrase it.

 

[Canaqua]

Does the other dog belong to a boarder or a lesson person, as opposed to a coworker? If so, talk the barn owner about making some rules for people bringing their dogs. It's a privelege, not a right, for customers to bring their dogs to the barn. Most barns do allow staff to bring dogs, but many don't allow boarders to. This is the first barn I've been at that lets me bring my dogs. We've had some issues with one boarder's dog at the barn my horse is at. The dog steals everthing that isn't put up high (people's gloves, someone's brand new Escadron boot, etc...) and hides them out in the field where they usually aren't found. The dog runs around like crazy, pestering the other dogs. I keep my young BC mix leashed, because she has not got the hang of not chasing horses yet and can't be trusted. The other boarder's loose, no manners, dog comes running up and jumps all over her and it's just not safe around the horses in the barn. A number of people have complained to the BO and she's told them woman to keep her dog under control or she won't be allowed to bring it any more. If you work there and your dog is well-behaved and a boarder's dog is causing trouble, the BO should be able to make some rules.

 

[Amaryllis]

I am just amazed at people in denial of their dog's DA, though I've seen it myself. I was so worried about my old dog hurting or killing another person's dog. I can't imagine the guilt I would feel. Meanwhile, these people invite such a thing and explain it away when it happens. I want to tell them "look, DA doesn't make your dog bad, but you do need to be careful." I think maybe they feel like DA dogs are bad, so they deny it.

Around my neighborhood, we also get what I call recall fail. These are dogs that are never leashed and always where they shouldn't be and completely ignore their owner's attempts at recall. It doesn't matter how many times you confront them with their dog where he shouldn't be, they'll say "oh, he NEVER runs away" or "she ALWAYS comes when called". Then why are we having this conversation?

 

[bonesygirl]

Does the other dog belong to a boarder or a lesson person, as opposed to a coworker? If so, talk the barn owner about making some rules for people bringing their dogs. It's a privelege, not a right, for customers to bring their dogs to the barn. Most barns do allow staff to bring dogs, but many don't allow boarders to. This is the first barn I've been at that lets me bring my dogs. We've had some issues with one boarder's dog at the barn my horse is at. The dog steals everthing that isn't put up high (people's gloves, someone's brand new Escadron boot, etc...) and hides them out in the field where they usually aren't found. The dog runs around like crazy, pestering the other dogs. I keep my young BC mix leashed, because she has not got the hang of not chasing horses yet and can't be trusted. The other boarder's loose, no manners, dog comes running up and jumps all over her and it's just not safe around the horses in the barn. A number of people have complained to the BO and she's told them woman to keep her dog under control or she won't be allowed to bring it any more. If you work there and your dog is well-behaved and a boarder's dog is causing trouble, the BO should be able to make some rules.

The problem dog belongs to a boarder. The barn is leased by one guy who runs his business out of it, then my boss and one other man rent stalls from him. There are three separate barns run out of the same building. There are probably seven or eight dogs that are brought to the barn regularly, plus mine and two others that are there every single day, and this one dog is the only one that causes an issue. Mine's still a puppy at five months, so I keep her leashed or crated at all times. The problem is the guy who leases the whole barn is a real piece of work. Before we moved in, he brought his rhodesian out every day, until the dog attacked the property owner one too many times and he was told not to bring him anymore. Based on his past behaviour, I think he would be unlikely to perceive Joey as a problem because he is a small dog. Maybe I should speak to my boss and see if we can come up with a set of rules for our end of the barn/our clients.

 

[Tofu_pup]

It's not just Bones too, he snarls at all the puppies at the barn (weirdly enough, there are five of them within a month of Bones).

Is the JRT okay with adult dogs? I've worked with several dogs that have zero tolerance for puppies(I can't always blame them).

Honestly, I'd say something to them about this. I'm saying this as somebody that avoids confrontation(or perceived confrontation) at all costs.

 

[bonesygirl]

I am just amazed at people in denial of their dog's DA, though I've seen it myself. I was so worried about my old dog hurting or killing another person's dog. I can't imagine the guilt I would feel. Meanwhile, these people invite such a thing and explain it away when it happens. I want to tell them "look, DA doesn't make your dog bad, but you do need to be careful." I think maybe they feel like DA dogs are bad, so they deny it.

Agreed. I also want to tell her that having a dog with DA doesn't necessarily make her a bad owner, but refusing to acknowledge it/be responsible for it does. He's small enough that I think he's unlikely to seriously hurt another dog, but puppies are so vulnerable it just takes one bad experience to scar them for a long time. It's incredibly frustrating the lack of responsibility some people feel.

 

[bonesygirl]

Is the JRT okay with adult dogs? I've worked with several dogs that have zero tolerance for puppies(I can't always blame them).

Honestly, I'd say something to them about this. I'm saying this as somebody that avoids confrontation(or perceived confrontation) at all costs.

I would understand if he just had a severe dislike of puppies. I'm not always a huge fans of kids running up to me and getting in my face. But he did go after my nine year old lhasa apso in the fall. I'm no expert on dog behaviour, but given the reaction of all the dogs he's met during his life with me, Chompers is one of the most non-offensive dogs out there, so I don't think he did anything to provoke. I don't think he was even aware of Joey at the time. I had sort of forgotten it because I was able to block him with my leg so nothing happened beyond the initial attempt.

It's weird. There's a three year old rottie female that he loves. He and Bones had one successful play once she grew bigger than him, so I thought maybe it was a size issue, that he disliked dogs smaller than him? But than after that one play session he went back to going after her all the time.

 

[Tofu_pup]

I would understand if he just had a severe dislike of puppies. I'm not always a huge fans of kids running up to me and getting in my face. But he did go after my nine year old lhasa apso in the fall. I'm no expert on dog behaviour, but given the reaction of all the dogs he's met during his life with me, Chompers is one of the most non-offensive dogs out there, so I don't think he did anything to provoke. I don't think he was even aware of Joey at the time. I had sort of forgotten it because I was able to block him with my leg so nothing happened beyond the initial attempt.

It's weird. There's a three year old rottie female that he loves. He and Bones had one successful play once she grew bigger than him, so I thought maybe it was a size issue, that he disliked dogs smaller than him? But than after that one play session he went back to going after her all the time.

Well I wouldn't call that DA really, maybe selective DA, reactivity, or just plain crappy social skills. Whatever it is, don't underestimate a terrier(I know that's a very broad generalization).