Nik Posted July 3, 2007 Report Share Posted July 3, 2007 My inlaws invited us to bring Navi and Pache over to play w/ their 9 mth old aussie, Jack. Except the invitation was for the 4th when we're having a big family get together. I told DH that I really thought w/ all the people it would be too much too soon for them and he agreed. So we took them for the visit on Sunday. We get there and let the dogs greet each other and things went smoothly. Now, one of our nephews lives w/ the inlaws, but when we got there one of the other nephews was there too. Not really a big deal, but as some of you know, I've been working w/ both dogs because they are fear aggressive (Pache more so than Navi), and strange men are one of their triggers. Anywho, while we were getting the dogs used to each other, one of the nephews came out and watched. At this point neither of my dogs paid any attention to him. He walked closer to the fence and I warned him not to stick his hand over the fence until we got the chance to let the dogs sniff him and see how they would react. He asked why and I told him because they would bite if he didn't. He looked straight at me and told me " I'll put a fist in top of their head if they bite." I looked at him and said, "I don't think so unless you want a fist in top of your head too." He looked at me w/ this deer in headlights look and realized I was serious, so he decided to take my advice seriously. Later we had the dogs on tieouts and when the nephews got near them they were all fine w/ them. Wanting to be petted and played with. Big, big accomplishment. But it really amazes me how you can warn somebody to NOT do whatever sets the dog off, they want to do it anyway, and its always the dogs fault. Back to the dogs now...After a little bit of playing w/ the ball and such, Jack (still being a puppy) was starting to get a little too hyper (I honestly don't remember my dogs having this much energy when they were puppies ) for Navi & Pache and both had started showing teeth to him but never snapped or bit him. We took them out of the dogrun to give them all a break. A little while later we took the dogs and kids to the nearby community park to let them all play. It took a while for Jack to finally calm down somewhat, but by the time we got back we had a pack of tired dogs. We wanted to take them to the lake to see if they would enjoy swimming in it but didn't get the chance too. Maybe next time we will do that. All in all, the day went way better than first expected, but not quite as good as I had hoped for. I know Jack still has LOTS of puppy in him and I'm sure the older he gets and the more we get the big galoots together the better they will become w/ each other. I'm proud of my two...they behaved like perfect gentlemen on our day out!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OurBoys Posted July 3, 2007 Report Share Posted July 3, 2007 "But it really amazes me how you can warn somebody to NOT do whatever sets the dog off, they want to do it anyway, and its always the dogs fault" Nicki, I know what you mean. We've had JJ for almost 3 years now and he still jumps up on people when he greets them. We take our boys out in public as much as possible. It never fails. Someone's going to stop want to pet them. When I ask them not to let JJ jump up on them, they tell me "That's ok. I don't mind!" News flash!! I do!! I have even told them I have 3 great-nieces all under the age of 4 and I don't want a 58 lbs dog jumping on them but do they listen? No! I was worried about what would happen when they came to visit. My worry was in vain. As soon as the oldest saw JJ running towards her, she let out an ear piercing scream. JJ turned tail and ran back to me. Now I'm thinking about taking a (childs) whistle with me when we go somewhere. If strangers won't listen to me, I won't have a problem blowing the whistle to get JJ in line. Maybe the next time the strangers will listen to the pet's owner. Glad your dogs had a good day. A tired dog is a happy dog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurae Posted July 3, 2007 Report Share Posted July 3, 2007 Actually, sounds like the day went really well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Root Beer Posted July 3, 2007 Report Share Posted July 3, 2007 But it really amazes me how you can warn somebody to NOT do whatever sets the dog off, they want to do it anyway, and its always the dogs fault. I find this true, too. I'm almost to the point where if I see a strange man walking toward Speedy with hand outstretched determined to pet him, I'm ready to say, "he bites - HARD!" He doesn't bite, but about half the time when I politely say, "please keep back from this dog, he's very shy of strangers" my words are ignored and then the person is surprised when Speedy snarks at them. I'm glad all went well with your dogs!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vickim Posted July 3, 2007 Report Share Posted July 3, 2007 That drives me nuts, too--you tell people how to approach the dog, or not to do something and they go ahead and do it anyway! I've told people over and over, do not approach Whisper, let her come to you. I've even told them to ignore her while she sniffs at them. And I tell them do not reach out to her (and take off the hat, don't meet her eyes, slouch a little a bit). There are those that insist, oh, she won't bite ME. Then they get nipped because they pushed her her too far too fast, and then it's the dog's fault. It galls me that we humans are supposedly the more evolved species than dogs yet dogs are expected to be on perfect behavior at all times while humans are excused lapses in behavior if they've been pushed beyond breaking points, or they've been abused. I've come to recognize a lot of Whisper's triggers (hats, hoodies, strange men, reactive dogs-and she will test every dog she meets on that point), but there are more that I don't recognize. Sorry, that's just a pet peeve of mine; I digress. Anyway, Nicki, I'm glad your dogs did so well! Extra pats to them from me! Vicki and Whisper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbc1963 Posted July 3, 2007 Report Share Posted July 3, 2007 about half the time when I politely say, "please keep back from this dog, he's very shy of strangers" my words are ignored and then the person is surprised when Speedy snarks at them. YES! Seems that when I tell people Buddy is shy of strangers, had a tough past, etc., they all think that THEY are going to be the sole human that he loves at first sight. When I tell them that he might let them pat him under his chin, or on his chest, they invariably ignore me and try to pat him on the top of his head, as if they don't understand simple prepositions! Honestly, I would probably have acted similarly before I got Buddy and knew how hard it was on the owner and dog both. My own lack of fear of dogs would give me too much confidence in the situation, and I wouldn't have understood how a dog can take a step backward when exposed too fast. My trainer says that she's learned to yell, "My dog is just recovering from mange!" That seems to scare people away pretty fast! Mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OurBoys Posted July 3, 2007 Report Share Posted July 3, 2007 My trainer says that she's learned to yell, "My dog is just recovering from mange!" That seems to scare people away pretty fast! Mary, I love it!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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