Are people really this stupid?

[Tazz]

OK, so Rella has been going to obedience and next week is our last week. She is doing awesome and following the commands really well.

For two weeks now, she has had a problem with one of her classmates. A lab mix who has tons of energy! We all know the kind...comes charging up to you jumping and barking
Anyhoo...Rella has made it very clear she does not like Baileys approach by snapping at her each time, very aggressive. So far I have managed not to have any bloodshed simply because I control Rella and do not allow her much freedom when Bailey is nearby. So we get out of class, I am standing in line to get the dogs monthly flea treatment and Bailey and owners come charging up behind us. Just by luck, I managed to catch Rella as she turned round to snap. I almost lost it! Rella is almost 50lbs now and she can do some damage to Bailey if left unattended. Why in the world would anybody allow their dog to continue to charge such a large dog? (personally, I think Baileys owners need another 8 weeks of classes, but who am I to say?)

For the record, Rella loves the other dogs we meet up with so long as they do not charge her. If the approach is friendly without the jumping and bouncing, she just loves them!

Baileys owners seem to feel this is Rellas (my) problem and not theirs! I say it is their fault for not training the pup to meet and greet properly.

Advice or suggestions?

[schelmischekitty]

ugh!  yeah, i DEFINITELY know the type!!  people like that are so ignorant, and think that it's a "puppy" behavior, when in truth, it can cause a lot of trouble.  axle will try to maul a dog that does that to him.  he's about 140ish now that he's full grown and i know how much of a problem it can be.  we've learned to watch real closely, and try to avoid the dogs that act like that.  if it ISN'T possible, then we do "axle look" to get him focused on me and we get out of there.  you may want to talk to your trainer and see what he / she says.  she may be able to move you or that dog to another class or at least put you further away or say something to them.  it's a really crumby situation.  who was it last year that posted that funny thing about how if that would be how people would act??  i'll have to see if i can find that post for you.

modified b/c i can't find the post, maybe someone else will.  it's about how a person would react if another person came up acting like the dog you described.  people sometimes expect them to be polite, but if i were to do that to THEM they would snap and probably beat the cr*p out of me! 

[schelmischekitty]

THAT'S what i was thinking about!  thanks holly!

[Tazz]

Print out this article and give it to Bailey's parents.  Maybe it will help them understand.

http://www.flyingdogpress.com/sayhi.html

THANK YOU!!!! I'll print it out and have our instructor hand it out on Sat. She has spoken with them as far as Baileys "playfulness" and has even given them a halti harness in which to work with her, but they just do not see it as a problem.(They put the harness on her and attached  the leash to a regular collar)

I am just relieved the instructor was being honest when she told me it was NOT Rella. I thought she was just being polite. This article even gave me some ideas on how to control it before it gets out of control.

Never thought of the look at me command as a tool for this! Rella has lerned that and it is ffective about 98% right now so I will try it as well!

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!

[schelmischekitty]

it doesn't stop the "snap" BUT it does get her to pay attention for that split second that you need to get her out of that situation.  that way she doesn't anticipate the event and you won't (likely) have to recondition her to not expect this with other dogs (or mostly puppies).  with us, that second has saved us quite a few "bad dog" looks!

[Tazz]

That is my hope! She is great with the other puppies. My daughter just got an 11 week old pug, he is a jumper when playing, but he does not jump when she first brings him in the house. Rella is fine with him.She is fine with the other pups in class. They do the whole sniff sniff thing first, then play and jump. She has not gotten agressive even once with them. Bailey just bypasses the sniff sniff and goes right to the jump...lol.

Oh well, one more class to get through, so hopefully I can just get through it with no bloodshed or hurt puppies!

[navarre1316]

I was thinking of that exact article when I was reading this post!!!  Issy is kind of the same way, 7mths old full of energy, in your face to some other dogs.  She is getting better, I have started to tell her to "leave it" or "back up" something like that.  A friend of mine has a 9yr old boxer who has little patience with Issy and she will snap/growl at her when they first get together.  At first my friend was like "I'm so sorry, did she hurt her?  She's just an grouchy old lady", I immediately let her know that it was Issy's fault and she is teaching Issy manners, just like Daphne does everyday, that are sometimes better taught by a dog!!  Hopefully your instructor can incorporate that into the class and some people will get the hint.  Good luck!!

[schelmischekitty]

lol peanut is the annoying puppy, too!  we taught him "calm" to help keep him out of dogs faces, though it doesn't work very often yet    his little body just isn't big enough to contain his excitement i guess?  i agree that sometimes lessons are best taught by other dogs!

[Tazz]

Thanks for the replys everyone!

Rella is still learning her manners as well so she can still be a bit unpredictable. She has recently started jumping on adults and we are working on that.

I guess the part that really bothers me about Bailey is the owners just don't "get it". They know Rella does not like Bailey in her face, yet they insist on letting Bailey do just that. Then they expect me to correct Rella when she gets upset with Bailey. I do pull Rella back to min the potential damage, but I really feel they have to play a role in controlling their dog to avoid any fights. I do NOT place any blame on Bailey. She is just being herself. But what good is training classes if the owners allow the dogs to be out of control when they know it is a problem? Even the trainer can not get through to them.

Makes me crazy