Guest Anonymous Posted November 2, 2003 Posted November 2, 2003 Okay, I need some advice. Quite a few of you have read Sasha Quote
Guest Anonymous Posted November 2, 2003 Posted November 2, 2003 Grrr... I was logged on when I was writing that. Anyway, that was me, Mutts4Me. And Sasha is probably a GSD/Chow Chow mix, with a few other breeds in there, as well. 7 years old, and we've had her for 6 years (and she was spayed as sson as we got her). She lived peacefully with my male lab, Bandit, the whole time she's been here until he passed away in September. Also lives peacefully with our cats and formerly our rabbit and guinea pigs despite the fact that she used to catch and eat rabbits and squirrels before we got her. Thanks for any suggestions you can offer :) Amber Quote
Guest Anonymous Posted November 2, 2003 Posted November 2, 2003 Try to get her a few good friends that she can play with every week, the more good friends she gets the more she should become used to dogs in general. Good luck! Quote
Guest Anonymous Posted November 2, 2003 Posted November 2, 2003 From what you've posted, I would be hesitant to call her "dog aggressive". A lot of dogs don't like other dogs coming into or walking past their yard/space, and will put on a show to scare off any would be intruders. Many dogs also get annoyed when dogs are rude and try to play or harass them when they don't want to be bothered. The fact that she's not actually fighting (or trying to fight) with these dogs also leads me to believe she's not so much dog aggressive as she is insecure around other dogs. You say that it's rare for her to approach strange dogs... I would probably take that as indication of what she thinks of them, and unless she's acting especially interested/friendly towards one, would just politely ward off the owners. I would be especially cautious with female dogs, because from what you said about her carrying on in the yard, she's probably a bit more on edge with them than with males (which is NOT unusual). This doesn't mean that you can't socialize her, as socialization can be at any distance from any type of stimuli, so she's not really losing out by not havign strange dogs come wandering up to her. If someone comes up to you with another calm, under control dog, and you think she'll be ok with them, then by all means, try it if you think she can handle it, but I would deifintely avoid young, hyper, out of control, or untrained dogs. It may also help to have both dogs sit when you introduce them, so that the other dog isn't jumping all over annoying her, then free both if they seem to be ok with each other (still on leash though, and be careful!). And if I should continue allowing contact, what should I say to the other owner? And should I tell them ahead of time, or wait until Sasha barks at their dog? I would simply tell them that she's usually fine with calm dogs, but will correct rude or pushy behavior. And I would absolutely tell them beforehand, because if she starts barking and carrying on and gets the other dog defensive, or even just overly excited, you very well could have a fight on your hands. Just as she doesn't tolerate rude pushy behavior, many dogs would not appreciate her barking/growling at them. It would be irresponsible in your situation NOT to tell the people how she is. BTW, the above is not in any way meant to offend you, or place fault/blame on you, just in case anything in there seems that way (it's late, and I believe my brain is already asleep, so things may not have came out exactly the way I meant) :wink: Quote
Guest Anonymous Posted November 2, 2003 Posted November 2, 2003 Personally I would just keep her away from other dogs. There really is NO reason that she HAS to get that close to strange dogs. And there is nothing that you need to say to the owners. You say she is supposed to be GSD and Chow. Well GSDs are not really known for being "dog friendly". And from what I have seen, Chows really aren't lovers of all strange dogs either. Quote
Guest Mutts4Me Posted November 3, 2003 Posted November 3, 2003 From what you've posted, I would be hesitant to call her "dog aggressive". Okay, that's good. I don't really consider her dog aggressive (or I wouldn't be taking her to Petsmart), but I wanted to be upfront about the particular forms of agression she does show, and when. I'm not going to make her out to be a saint, though her flaws aren't her fault. she's not so much dog aggressive as she is insecure around other dogs. Yeah, that's pretty much what I mean when I tell them "she gets confused" by overly friendly behavior. She's okay to walk by or even briefly sniff noses with another dog, but when they persist (whether it's all out coming toward her or just plain not backing off), she doesn't like it. It may also help to have both dogs sit when you introduce them, so that the other dog isn't jumping all over annoying her, then free both if they seem to be ok with each other (still on leash though, and be careful!). That's a good idea, I might try that. I would simply tell them that she's usually fine with calm dogs, but will correct rude or pushy behavior. And I would absolutely tell them beforehand Okay :) BTW, the above is not in any way meant to offend you, or place fault/blame on you, just in case anything in there seems that way Absolutely not. I asked for advice because I wanted it :) I don't necessarily blame me, but I do wish we'd been smart enough to try to socialize her earlier. She was a year old when we got her, and we probably could have helped the problem if we'd started right away. But my parents didn't think about it, and it never occured to me at that time (16 isn't really too young to research proper dog ownership, is it. But I guess I just thought my parents knew best). Now that she's 7, I've decided we should start introducing her to other dogs? Hmm, lol... Personally I would just keep her away from other dogs. Do you mean all together? Sas loves to go to the store, and we love to take her :) So not taking her is not really an option. But if you just mean not encouraging doggy introductions, gooey suggested that too, so I guess I may just have to listen to that advice. Auroa - Thank you for having so much faith, lol :) But at this point in her life, I'm not trying to fully socialize my dog to the point of her making "friends." I think it's good for her to see the other dogs in the store, but I don't think she'll ever be able to handle playdates, quite honestly. She lived with my lab for 6 years and maybe ever "played" with him a few times. Right now, I'm just looking for the best way to handle other dog owners, not Sasha. But thanks :) Quote
Guest Anonymous Posted November 3, 2003 Posted November 3, 2003 No, I don't mean don't take her!!! Take her every where you can. :D I just meant that there is NO point in all of the doggy sniffing action. All it does is set you (or anyone) up for an "altercation" between the dogs. You KNOW how she is likely to react, BUT chances are that eventually you will run into some idiot that has NO clue how their dig will react. And chances are that same idiot will not be able to control their dog. Quote
Guest Anonymous Posted November 3, 2003 Posted November 3, 2003 And another thing. IF you run across some idiot that seems to be persistant on their dog meeting yours face to face. Tell them, "SHE BITES"! Quote
ellieangel Posted November 3, 2003 Posted November 3, 2003 Mutts 4 me your story sounds very familiar and I think my 2 are a similar nature,they are fine off the lead and would never leg it across a park to another dog and if another dog approaches calmly then they are ok but they will not tolerate a dog screaming towards them out of nowhere and they don't like being jumped on or bounced around,some dogs are just not happy with this,they do have a couple of doggy friends but when I'm out and about if I can't avoid people then I will clip them on their leads. In an ideal world our dogs would be happy free pets but because some idiots think it's ok for their dog to come belting over to you just because their dog is friendly we have to make sure that we can handle situations, I have found the best way to do this is to have a really reliable 'leave' and recall and so that way if I see another dog tearing across the park at us I can get them to me and put their leads on. I sympathise with you but don't avoid meeting places because of this I just let mine have a quick nose to nose sniff ( on the lead) and then off we go,if the dog is bouncy and noisy I leave well alone because I know that my 2 are not entirely happy with this. Good luck :wink: Quote
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