Like my dog?

[MTNLaurelPoacher]

98% of my “Dogs I Met at Work” stories are good stories. Today, I played ball with a yellow lab named Buttermilk and a little jack russle. I would throw the ball for the dogs, set a house corner, then throw the ball again. I have been knocked over by super friendly pit bulls. I have had puppies help me dig up property corners. My crew has rescued abandoned/lost dogs deep in the woods. I have seen a dog eat a can of wet dog food before it hit the ground. (Yes, the dog was starving.)

This dog was remarkably similar to what Recoveringkinkoid described, not intending to play and well trained. The dog followed the command, spoken in German, to come, only after scaring the three of us. The lady could have called the dog back at any time, but she waited.

If the employees at my co had the choice we would bring our own dogs to work, but for liability purposes we can’t. They might scare someone.

[MadMike]

I was pretty pissed off. I dunno if I would have gone so far as to kill them, I love dogs. Had I felt like I was in serious danger, yeah, I probably would have.

My ex's father is a postal worker, and when he was still delivering mail, he came many dogs, some of them vicious.

He told me about this one guy who didn't bother keeping his dog under control even after repeated warnings. The one time, the dog came charging toward him, barking and growling, with teeth bared. Just when it was about to clamp down on him, he kicked the dog in the face hard enough to send it running back to the house whimpering.

The owner actually got mad at him for defending himself against his vicious dog, but he wasn't having it. In fact, when he got back to the office, he reported the incident to his supervisor, and they stopped his mail delivery.

The owner should consider himself lucky that my ex's dad didn't kill the dog. He may be 60 years old now, and have back and heart problems, but he's a big guy, as well as an ex-marine and Vietnam veteran.

[MadRocketScientist]

A Happy Dog Story
http://mausergirl.blogspot.com/2007/...-holidays.html

[TryNotToBeThatOne]

My dad worked for the post office for @ 30 years. He was only bitten a couple times. Both were by house dogs that got out when the house owner came out to get the mail while Dad was delivering it.

Dad also kept a box of dog biscuits in his car & carried half biscuits in his pockets. He made friends with almost every dog he met. He's also ex-Marine & does not take crap from any dog (& from very, very few people, & then not for long).

There's a family story regarding when the family dog bit my brother. My brother was a toddler & the dachshund was a good dog except for one bad trait. He hated being disturbed while he ate. My brother, being too young to know better, wanted to play with the dog while Fritzi was eating. Fritzi nipped him, causing a great howl. No skin was broken but my brother was very upset. Fritzi was scolded & my dad decided that he would have to break Fritzi of that bad habit, but later.

A few minutes later there's an anguished yelp from the dog. My brother had decided the one bite deserves another & had bitten Fritzi's leg.

[protege]

Fritzi was scolded & my dad decided that he would have to break Fritzi of that bad habit, but later.

When I was much younger, my grandparents had a beagle named Geoffrey. He was a good dog, aside from getting out too damn much. But, shortly after I started crawling, Geoffrey got on my dad's bad side. One of his favorite places, was to hide under the end table next to Grandpa's recliner. Dad said that right after I crawled under there, Geoffrey started barking and growling That didn't go over well--Dad promptly dragged his ass out, picked up the dog by the collar (so they were face to face), and spanked him. Geoffrey didn't repeat it when my brothers came along...

[mausergirl]

Hi everyone

As you can probably guess from my user name, I'm the owner of the MauserGirl blog that MadRocketScientist linked in this thread, citing it as a "Good Dog Story".

I wanted to say thanks for linking me, but I also wanted to comment on the thread. Bad dog owners (which is what this thread is really about) are one of my favorite subjects of discussion because I despise them. Bad dog owners are the reason why it's so hard for good dog owners to find a place to live, get renter's insurance, or do activities with their dogs. It's always the few who ruin it for the rest of us! I hope nobody minds that I'm just showing up and jumping in on the discussion?

I want to comment on the original post. I have to admit that I'm unsure about how I would have reacted had I been the female homeowner. I have to say that I strongly dislike strangers being on my property without announcing themselves and without my permission because, well, in this day and age you really never know what they might be up to. For all I know, strangers on my property are casing my home for things to steal once I head off for work. However, my first reaction would not have been to open the door and let the dog out. My first reaction would have been asking you who you are and, once you told me that you are a surveyor, asking you for identification.

I think she was stupid for letting the dog run outside and not calling him back. Even friendly dogs can be very territorial in their yard or if they feel threatened. From what you're describing, the dog wasn't being aggressive at all. A territorial or dominant dog will approach you with his ears up and his tail held high, wagging stiffly, not with the ears down and tail down. It sounds to me like the dog was just running over to check you out.

However, that said, this could have easily turned into something completely different, especially since your coworker turned around and ran from the dog. You never ever ever ever ever ever run away from a dog that is running up to you or acting aggressively because then you become prey. Even a friendly dog will chase someone who is running in play because that's a fun game. Even better if you're screaming and running. That's almost a surefire way to get chased and bitten! The correct thing to do is "become a tree": stand still, hands down on your sides, looking down but not at the dog.

The male homeowner ... well, quite honestly I think that he's a liar and was telling you the story of the dog "washing out" of police K-9 training to show off. I'm not entirely convinced he has a clue what he's talking about.

At the same time, I think maybe I should say a little something about dog training and washing dogs out of training, because there are always a ton of misconceptions about those dogs.

I have a German Shepherd and I often hear people saying that they are "vicious" and that this is why police use them as working dogs. That is not true. The reason these dogs are used is because they are very trainable, highly intelligent, very agile, and have high drive to do the kind of work that they do. For a working dog, getting the BITE is the reward. It has nothing to do with being "vicious", it's a game. All working dogs work for a reward. Drug and explosives dogs get a Kong (a kind of dog toy) when they make a find. That's what they work for and they will literally ignore all food and everything else when they're working to get that reward. (*That* is called drive.) Dogs that are taught to bite get the bite as their reward. In training, they get to carry off the bite sleeve after making a bite.

Most working dogs, and there are exceptions, have excellent temperaments and do very well in a family environment if they're in a home where there's someone who understands and can handle this kind of dog. Police dog handlers usually take their K-9 partner home after work and the dog is part of the officer's family during the hours that he is off work - families with kids, wives, other pets.

Failing training can be due to a lot of reasons. If this guy was telling the truth, that the dog would continue biting instead of holding them on the ground (I'm assuming they're talking about the bark and hold, which usually happens in lieu of a bite), it's most likely because the dog is overexcited about possibly getting the bite and overstimulated. A lot of the younger police dogs go nuts about getting that possible bite, they'll even aggress on their handlers sometimes if they are not released to go after the bad guy. This has nothing to do with the dog "not properly obeying commands". Most dogs are perfectly obedient ... until they are in that kind of drive. (Most normal dog owners experience this with dogs who love to chase squirrels.)

I agree with RecoveringKinkoid that the problem is people who let their dogs bother other people. In nearly every case of people getting bothered by someone else's dog (or attacked, for that matter), it's because of the idiot owner who couldn't bother to be responsible.

If your dog cannot be trusted to stay near you and instead hauls off to "greet" random strangers off leash, then he has no business being off leash in public. And if your dog can't walk nicely without lunging at other dogs he passes on a walk, he should not be on a damned Flexi (extendable) leash. I meet *those* kinds of dog people all the time. The, "Oh, he's friendly and he just wants to say hi to your dog" kind of people. Usually being dragged by a dominant-aggressive dog who is hackling up and posturing at my dog with the owner going, "He's being friendly. See, his tail is wagging." Then they usually get offended when I get between the dogs and tell him to get his dog away from mine NOW before I start kicking.

The same rules also apply if your dog is on your own property. If you're going to the mailbox and your dog is with you off leash, that's fine - but if someone else is walking on the other side of the road or on the sidewalk on your side of the road, your dog still needs to be under control and should not run at that person.

As a big dog owner, I have to say that most of the problems I run into are with small dog owners. There are, unfortunately, many small dog owners who think that the rules that apply to German Shepherds and Labradors don't apply to Chihuahuas and Bichons because they are soooo tiny, whom could they hurt? So small dog owners think it's okay to let their dog run up to other dogs, or act dominant or aggressive to a big dog. That's "cute" - "Awww, look, he really thinks he's a big dog at heart." Uh, no, sorry - he's being dominant and one of these days, another dog will not take kindly to that and will put an end to it, most likely seriously injuring the little dog and causing the bigger dog to be put to sleep for defending himself from this little terror.

Everyone (!!!) needs to train their dogs and control them, no matter what size they are and what breed they are.

And for what it's worth, what Protege describes in the last post may have worked, but it is also abuse. You never ever hit a dog for "training" purposes. For one, it doesn't tell the dog what he is supposed to be doing. For two, it can make a dog aggressive and fearful.

[Emrld]

mausergirl - I like what you have added. (and do not feel it was aimed at me - I just wanted clairfy some of what I had written after reading your post)

I mentioned in my post that my small dog is not on a leash on my property.
I also said that I will open the door and let her out when humans she knows approach my door. (And yes, she has been known to jump into the car with them when the go to leave . . .she loves to go for car rides.)

When it is a cat in the yard my dog will freeze and not move - personally she wants nothing to do with cats. (I have no problem with cats or cat lovers . . .I do like to breathe and therefore personally I prefer to not be around cats due to breathing when a cat is near is not possible for me)

When another dog comes along - my baby tries to climb me like I am a tree to get away. If a dog approaches her and tries to sniff she will growl, snarl, and snap at the strange dog. Note - this is the dog approaching her, not her going up to the big dog.
One of the reasons I have a pet stroller is that I know she doesn't like strange dogs approaching her. This allows me to be a responsible pet owner. She loves human attention so I have her out around people. At the same time I prevent a lot dogs approaching her.

[mausergirl]

Hi Emrald,

You're right, I was not talking about you or anyone else on this thread when I commented about small dogs. I'm not sure whether it was entirely relevant to the thread, either, but I wanted to point out that there are a lot of small dogs that are out of control and they are just as likely to bite as a big dog if they don't have a responsible owner.

I want to comment on what you said here, though - "When another dog comes along - my baby tries to climb me like I am a tree to get away. If a dog approaches her and tries to sniff she will growl, snarl, and snap at the strange dog. Note - this is the dog approaching her, not her going up to the big dog."

The reason she is growling, snarling, and snapping at bigger dogs that approach her is that she is afraid of them, and as she has no way of getting away from the other dog, except for you to pick her up, she's using the "offense is the best defense" method to scare other dogs off.

The problem with this is two-fold.

One, you don't want your dog to make decisions about who may and may not approach her. That is your job. Since you know that she does not like strange dogs approaching her, the best thing to do would be to stand between your dog and the approaching dog and telling the owner to please stop letting their dog approach yours. If there is no owner attached by means of a proper leash, stand your ground and tell the other dog in a loud, low voice "NO! Get away!" For most dogs, just posturing and talking in that tone of voice will be enough to communicate that they are not wanted and that you will take other steps should they continue to approach.

And two, obviously, it shows that the owners of other dogs are being rude and clueless. A good owner never lets their dog run ahead of them and approach a strange dog in a setting where it is inappropriate - in other words, outside of an off-leash dog area or a training facility where it should go without saying that all dogs must be friendly and well-behaved in order to interact off leash, it should never happen. Yet pretty much anywhere you take your dog, you'll have someone being dragged behind their dog going "He wants to say HI." You'll recognize a good dog owner by the fact that he will have his dog in a heel and under control and ask, "Is your dog friendly? May we come over and say hi?"

I think too many people - people with dogs and people without - seem to assume that having your dog out in public makes your dog public property. I get many people who let their dogs run up or who just reach out and pet without asking. I consider this just as rude as someone reaching out and touching ME without asking, or sitting on the hood of my car, for example.

If everyone just used some common sense when it comes to handling dogs and interacting with others, life would be so much better. I bet there'd be a lot less to talk about on this forum, too. *lol*

[Emrld]

mausergirl - I like the way you think

It does drive me crazy when I pick up my dog or have her in the stroller and ask another owner to keep their dog back.
I understand their dog is much more social and wants to make friends. Rae however isn't of the same mind. I was claimed by her when she was 2 years of age. She is now 8 . . .I have made a ton of progress with her. She now doesn't cower and sprinkle when a straight man approaches her . . . She doesn't skitter as easily as she did. But, I haven't gotten her used to bigger dogs.

Please note that if someone asks you to keep your dog back . . .they usually are not making a judgement about your dog . . .it could be their dog is sick, dog is in heat, child has a fear, they have a fear, they are allergic to dogs, just spilled a bag of chocolate sprinkles and don't want to kill your dog.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Exactly. My sister had a wonderful Ridgeback. She was absolutly great with people. She never bit. However, she didn't like other animals. She would bite other dogs. People would let their dogs run up to her (while she was on a leash, mind you) and my sister would say, "Hey, you need to keep your dog back." And they would inevitably say "Oh, my dog doesn't bite."

To which my sister would say, "Well, mine does." And then they'd look at her like she was a leper. Which sucks, because here's my sister trying to be a responsible pet owner and not automatically assume that her dog's behavior would be impeccable, and she's the one getting the stink eye from the irresponsible pet owner who can't grasp the concept that dogs do not think and behave like people.

[LifeCarnie]

I knocked a dog out one time. It wasn't one of my finer moments.

I was hiking up up Mount Washington with my friend and his 6 month old malamute and had stopped at a hiker's cabin on the trail that located at the junction of a few trails, which is a common rest area for hikers and as a courtesy, most hikers will leash there dogs so that they don't bother other hikers.

And than there was Mr. Entitled, everything thing I'm wearing is brand-new, top-of-the-line & likely to spend the rest of it's life in the nether reaches of my closet.

And his dog, trouble.

Trouble was an unleashed, 100 pound+, Belgian police dog, who harrassed every dog that came and left the cabin, but took particular interest in picking on Zoe, my friends dog.

After about 45 minutes of resting, we were sick of the dog, and decided to move on down the trail. Trouble followed us for about 300 feet or more into the woods, the whole time barking and trying to push past me to get to Zoe, who could have cared less about this dog. Finally, after being covered in spit, and dealing with a growling barking dog, who was only about 2 inches away from my bare hand, not to mention that the terrain on this part of the mountain is fairly technical, and the trail was really narrow, all finally contributed in severing that last nerve.

I turned around and punched the dog right below the ear, in the side of the head. The dog didn' t lose conciousness, but it definitely staggered the dog, and he immediately lost all interest in harrassing us any longer.


I had to listen to two days of "I can't believe you hit that guys dog!" from my friend, but what the hell? I go hiking to get away from obtuse assholes, who operate under the belief that common courtesy does not pertain to them or their animals. Mount Washington is a big mountain, he and his dog should learn to share it with other people without bothering the hell out of them.

[looney_librarian]

I worked on a horse farm one summer and the owners had a malamute mix. This dog was as tall as me when he jumped up on a person (I'm 6'0" and 215lbs btw) and had to have weighed 120+ easily. He's usually on a chain and behind a fence for most of the day. He's gotten off his leash before and we've had to go looking for him on 4-wheelers due to the land that the owners have. One time the dog nearly killed a cow after he had gotten loose.

Well anyway during the summer the farm was having camp for little kids. Most of which have very rich parents and seemed very spoiled. I was doing my normal chores (i.e. cleaning out stalls), when it was time for lunch. The owner and camp counselors were inside getting lunch ready. One real brat of a kid starts playing with the dog. I'm not fully aware of the situation, but the kid wound up getting bitten on the ear and was rushed to the hospital to have 5 stitches in his ear. Apparently the kid had been pulling on the ears of the dog and slapping him. Luckily the farm foreman (my boss) talks to the family and the family doesn't press charges or lawsuits or anything. (I think the family understood that their brat of a child prolly forced the dog to react in that way by the way he treated the dog)

[Gabrielle Proctor]

It's not really the fault of the dog. It's just doing what it was trained to do. The owners should have made responsible decisions like keeping it on a leash considering they know it bites!

People like that make life for my rottweiler(who is the BIGGEST sweetheart) harder than it has to be! People treat her like some killer, when infact she LOVES people and children and has never bitten anyone in her life! She's the type of dog that you can just walk up to and start loving on, she doesn't require to sniff you first.

This is a sensitive subject for me. My rottie is my baby. The feelings people have for their children I have for her.

[MTNLaurelPoacher]

Clarification: We were hired by the homeowner to come survey. The office had called the day before telling the homeowner that we would be there. We put a code in the locked gate to drive in the neighborhood. (Given to us by the home owner.) There are security cameras at the front gate, both at the entrance and exit. They get a time stamped picture of the car coming and going. We had set up survey equipment, were wearing orange field vests, talking on Motorola Radios (the big ones), using $800 bright yellow metal detectors to locate the corners and looking at large maps of the property. I completely agree about having strangers on the property. I don’t like having strangers roaming around, and I am sure she didn’t either. But this is like sicking your dog on the meter reader.


The crux of this story is that this dog was not like the other 1000 dogs I have come in contact with. I believe he was highly trained, normaly well mannered and was only doing what he was told. This makes the homeowner a SC, the dog was only the tool of the SC. I also don’t 100% believe in the police dog wash out story. It sounds better than, “Look at me, I’m so scared of society that I bought a very expensive and highly trained guard dog to protect my multi million dollar house in a gated neighborhood in a county who’s crime rate can be measured with a teaspoon!!!"


I love German Shepherds as a breed, they are very noble and almost always wonderful dogs. My earliest memories of a German Shepherd was one that my tee ball coach owned, that loved cheese doodles and would go to pretty much any length to get a cheese doodle. So strong fond memories are attached to the breed as a hole.

German Shepherds as a breed have an image and a reputation brought on by how they are used by humans. This image is promoted by media and reinforced through popular culture. German Shepherds are smart, swift, strong, brave and trainable. This makes them ideal police, guard and/or military dogs. They also are loving companions and as a breed have very few personality defects seen often in smaller dogs.

I am familiar with dog moods, and how the feelings and actions of humans affect them. I also realize that dog’s body language varies by breed. My Boarder Collie’s happy was different from my Yellow Lab's happy, which is different from my friend’s Brindled Great Dane’s happy, which is diffent from a Jack Russle Terrier's happy. Darn it… I’m going to stick to cats from now on.

I wrote up this story because it was anomalous and weird, not bashing German Shepherds. Sorry for any misunderstanding.