Sorry about the late post. It will probably be a day or so before I can get back into my regular blogging schedule. I had a great weekend and there will be pictures, if not tomorrow then on Wednesday. I have to go through them and see if there is any red.
As a dog owner, the word bite leads my thinking in a particular direction... a very scary direction, from my perspective.
We got Maxy when he was already grown. He's a chihuahua mix and he hadn't been socialized at all as a puppy. He was terrified of everything, and, as cute as he is, mothers take us seriously when we are out on a walk (with the leash) and warn them not to let their kids pet him. He looks mad and scary when strangers get too close.
Mini is the problem because she is adorable. We got her as a puppy and we thought we were doing a great job of socializing her. As a puppy she loved everybody and everybody loved her. Maybe we got lax at some point and thought the job was finished when it wasn't? Maybe I got too busy with the million things going on in my life? Whatever the reason, Mini loves other dogs but does not like people that aren't part of her family. This is doubly hard because we'll be walking along and meet up with another dog owner. Mini will be cavorting with the dog while we try to explain to the other human that she ISN'T nice. "Please don't pet her," we say. It's easier to just be antisocial, which works but isn't always possible.
My point? If the owner of a dog is honest enough to tell you not to touch his or her dog... unless you want a bit, you'd better pay attention. Meanwhile, I'll keep working on socialization of an adult dachshund, without getting anybody hurt. If you have web sites or information about this subject, please pass it on. I do love the little idiot.
9 comments:
Well, I must admit that I give the bitey all the time myself.
Hmmmm I can't control my little border collie...she's nuts! On the other hand by big chocolate lab is so docile. Hug on the big gal but leave that little nipper alone!
Hope you get it figured out...then let ME know!
Yikes. That's kind of scary. Just saying. Have a great day. :)
I'm not really a dog lover but I recently met a dog that is so well trained that I wanted to take him home with me and he's a big dog...a black lab. I think training and socialization make all the difference in the world.
That really is a tough situation. Cats are a bit different than dogs. You just naturally expect a cat to bite or scratch. I was always told not to jump and pull away, otherwise the scratches would be worse.
I wish I had some advice to help with your dog.
I'm afraid I'm at a loss for this one. I've never had a pet dog, or anything else, so cannot really offer any advice.
Hope you work it out.
Daisy: well, sure, but you're a kitty so it's okay. Cats are the boss. Everybody expects you to be assertive.
Julie: It's short dog syndrome! But really, I know some very sweet small dogs. I feel a little bit like a failure as a dog owner.
Sandee: It really is!
Corina: The thing is, we aren't absentee dog owners. I mean, I work at home so she get lots of attention and she has basic obedience training. She doesn't exactly heal perfectly but she can sit and stay and roll over and do some silly tricks. We try very hard to be responsible. I just don't know how to cure her of this.
Travis: Cats are easier in a lot of ways but I am such a dog lover and Andy is allergic, so we can't really have cats.
Anthony: Not ever? I can't imagine life without any kind of pet... well, I can, but I prefer to imagine fun things.
Yeah, our dog Nitro, toy American Eskimo, was cute, fuzzy, beautiful, white, fluffy, and looked like a girl dog.
You know the bunny in Monty Python's Holy Grail? That's Nitro. If you're not family, you are to be removed from this world.
It was so hard to tell kids "he's not nice to strangers" or "please do not pet". There's more than a few benefits of living out in nowhere with few to no neighbors :)
Whall: I love that movie.
It really does seem to be a small dog thing, huh?
I do get a lot fewer unannounced visitors than I did before. Especially when Maxy is home. He once chased a couple of teenagers down the driveway... I worry about him a little but it was funny to the these strapping young men running from my chihuahua.
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