Author Topic: Someone explain this to me  (Read 9952 times)

dohertyswissy

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Re: Someone explain this to me
« Reply #15 on: May 26, 2005, 08:01:46 am »
I agree with Stella.  Ranger is much more protective of me (I'm 5'2" and fairly small) than my husband who is 6'2".  When Ranger is on the leash with me, he never leaves my side.  If there is some strange noise in the house and we are alone, he barks, checks it out, and then refuses to leave my side until he's confident nothing is going to hurt me.

If Ranger senses something is strange....I've got to trust him, just as he trusts me.

Heather

Offline Saintgirl

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Re: Someone explain this to me
« Reply #16 on: May 26, 2005, 08:58:07 am »
I understand everything that you have all said. Hutch is by far more protective of me than my BF. I know that I could walk through the worst part of the city (it's Halifax-so even the worst part isn't that bad!) at the worst time of day and feel confident that I am same. This feeling of security is great, but the down side is definatley for my boy. We go to an offleash park daily, but very few dogs play with him. Not the other dogs choices either, the owners are apprehensive about letting them play with Hutch. Just two days ago a boxer mix wanted to play and Hutch attempted to lope after him. The boxer's owner jumped in front of my boy to stop him from chasing after his own dog. As you all know, 180lbs doesn't just come to an immediate stop, he almost took the man out. I asked the man if there was a problem, and he told me that my dog was too big to play with his dog, he would kill him by accident! Oh come on!!!! Anyway, we were lucky enough to still have him there when Hutch's pal Jackson (NS Duck Toller) arrived, and the man was able to witness my killer at play. Hutch was lying on his back with the toller strapped to his chest playfully tugging on Hutch's collar. Yup, that's right- the toller was in extreme danger playing with my boy!

I can understand people who don't have dogs being ignorant about these gentle giants, but self proclaimed dog lovers who still hold on to these foolish thoughts, now they really get me going :(.
Leah, Hutch, and Abbey

Offline greek4

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Re: Someone explain this to me
« Reply #17 on: May 26, 2005, 09:15:54 am »
I avoid the dog park.  Maia barks at other dogs who are playing and jumps around like an idoit.  She means no harm that is just what she does to get them to include her.  Rocco jumps over smaller dogs back and forth and occasionly he has kicked another dog on accident.  I can see that smaller dogs would get hurt, not mortally wounded, if he accidently stepped on them so I stop him from doing this if I can catch him.

Rocco does not back away from another male if the male snarls at him which has caused two fights.  No broken skin on the other dog, just a lot of wet dog fur, but Rocco has walked away bleeding both times and guess who got blamed for the fight.  My dog because he was bigger and reacted to a dog in his face snarling.  Luckily Rocco is good with verbal commands and I know how to break up a dog fight without getting hurt by grabbing my dog by his hind legs toward the groin area squeezing and pulling him back toward my side.  Rocco didn't go after either dog again once I got him, he avoided them but both owners yelled at me and I am easy to cry when I get yelled out so we left both times.

Maia being a female is a different story.  I can't predict her behavior around an angry dog.  She has run before and she has lunged but luckly I was right there and grabbed her collar before contact was made.  If another dog bothers Maia, Rocco will pin the other dog gently and then walk away, it is pretty cool to see but I am sure it is scarey for the other owner.

I just don't understand why some people don't see the fault in their own dog just because they are smaller.  I am by no means saying my dogs are perfect, they are not by any means.  Rocco plays too rough and loves chasing other dogs and pulling their legs out from under them.  Maia guards her stuff and snarls to protect it which I have heard to part her breed, part being an unspayed female.


As for protecting, Rocco is more interested to see what the new person might have for him and jumping on them if they are men.  Depending on the person, Maia is too interested in hiding from them or beating Rocco to them.  They big, mean barks though and run at people (to greet them but new people don't know that is what they are doing).

Thanks,

Emily and 1 husband, 1 boy, 1 on the way, and 4 crazy dogs

GR8DAME

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Re: Someone explain this to me
« Reply #18 on: May 26, 2005, 10:49:24 am »
I also avoid the dog parks, not just because of the intolerant owners that seem to abound there, that I would like to bite myself, but because of health issues.
All of the dogs there are supposed to have all of their shots and be worm free.... But I know of two cases of distemper and one of parvo, and four instances of worms that were traced to several dog parks, as close to me as Chicago and as far away as Texas. I guess I don't have much faith that everyone there is as obsessive as I am about my dog's health.
Stella

GYPSY JAZMINE

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Re: Someone explain this to me
« Reply #19 on: May 26, 2005, 12:58:52 pm »
A couple of weeks ago I had Samson out in the yard on leash for is bedtime potty...2 woman walking their fairly big dogs came around the corner & Samson started to bark because he saw the dogs & wanted to play...The women both immediatly stopped & started to turn back the way they came from...I yelled that he was on leash & they then continued this way thanking me for letting them know he was on leash...I told the big doofus (Samson) he was never going to make any friends that way....lol!