I FIGURED OUT THE SECRET! OMG!

[nickerbokker]

so as you all know....angus barks and growls when we approach people.  this, in turn, makes them afraid and they dont pet him....which, of course, pisses him off and he gets louder.  WELL...i have been ready to drop him off at the pound under the cover of night, but i haven't...and im glad, because i found the solution~

there has been a tennis ball in the apartment front yard across the street that my dogs ALWAYS try to get...i am paranoid and thinking someone poisoned it, so i never let them have it...well today they were both pulling me and i was like SCREW IT...and i let cody get it.  angus stole it from cody and had it the rest of the time...and whenever we approached someone, angus would run up to them and lean against them SILENTLY to get a rub! 

SEE...HE ISN'T MEAN, HE JUST THINKS ITS OKAY TO BARK!

BUT NOW...IF I KEEP A BALL IN HIS MOUTH ALL THE TIME, I THINK HE WILL SHUT UP AND GET PET MORE AND THEREFORE LIKED MORE!  WOOHOOOOOOOOOO

[shangrila]

Zoey doesn't have the problem with barking, and she usually loves meeting people on the street, but sometimes when people approach her she gets nervous for whatever reason and runs around in circles. I just hold the leash above my head and let her run it out.

I have discovered that having something in her mouth is helpful on walks for us too though. When we walk on new routes or paths we haven't been on in awhile she will sniff and sniff and we never get anywhere. But if she picks up a stick she will trot along at a nice pace all proud of her 'toy'.

[traklover]

Your dogs' can't bark with a ball in their mouths??  My ancient Lab greeted one of my neighbour's by barking with a white teddy bear in her mouth. Jim maintained that was the scariest thing that he'd seen a while. The Lab always greeted people with a hello woof with the ball stuffed in her mouth. Never even muted the bark. My neighbour's Border collie pup also greets people with a bark and the ball in mouth. Her bark is a little muted from the ball, a little less shrill.

[jabear]

Wango is my new favorite dog. I think he might have to be on MY kidnap list Nicks. 

[nickerbokker]

jaba...i will hand him over without a fight.

[lins_saving_grace]

I'd like to stuff a small neighbor in Lady's mouth sometimes.  
Grace Friday night found a tennis ball in the neighbors yard and sneeked up on it so no one could see her doing this:  she clampped onto it and we ran home with her new find. 
Now we get really upset if Lady wants to play with THIS ball because she found it and you can't have it.  The ball is on the counter so they don't fight over it now.