hi , yesterday i took my 6 month old cavalier king charles out for a walk ,he wears a harness because he pulls a bit and i dont want to hurt his throat ,well anyway we were walking along and this stray dog come up to us and went to bite oliver ,i tried to pick him up as i went , i dont know how he got out his harness and started running straight for a busy road , i screamed at him to stay and thankgod he did and as i was going to him all i could think was hes not gonna stay but he did , i picked him up and took him home ,i was in tears because of what could have happened ,well today another dog came out of its garden and went to bite oliver , now oliver is wary of all dogs ,luckily the owner came out and took her dog away ,i wasnt very nice to her and told her if her gate is open and the dog gets out again i will report her ,how do i get my dog to be more brave of other dogs now ?its my first dog and i am 33 and he means the world to me ,sorry to go on ,i am abit wound up xx
Answers:
While I can understand your concern your dog is picking up on your feelings the way he see's it your supposed to be his big protector, so if your afraid he's petrified. Next time this happens and you think the other dog unfriendly in intentions be assertive stand your ground and if nessecary raise and deepen your voice letting the other dog know that your the boss (granted within reason if other dog is sheaperd size pick up your pup, remain calm and speak to the dog, if he seems unhostile you can try letting them sniff) and get your harness properly adjusted better a littlr tight for a short walk than too loose near the road, your very lucky. (you should only be able to fit two fingers between harness and neck and harness and torso.
Take him to puppy training classes. He might not learn a lot but he will get to socialize with other dogs.
Your dog is fearful because you are. Dogs pick up on their owners emotions. I'm guessing that neither dog actually wanted to "bite" Oliver. Dogs just do their doggie thing. If they wanted to bite, they probably would have.
My advice: stop being so uptight. Keep your dog on an actual collar that he can't slip or a proper harness that won't come off. Be assertive, calm and firm...even around other dogs. I've been walking my dogs since I was a youngster. I'm now in my 40s and have NEVER had a dog approach us aggressively, although dogs have approached.
Why? Because I give off an alpha air. ALL dogs respect that. You need to develop the same.
I'd take Oliver to an obedience school, not just for the obedience but mainly for the socialization side. It can scare them and make them dog aggressive after being worried by other dogs. You could even try a doggy daycare. He is still young an will bounce back. Try not to show your fear when other dogs approach as Oliver will pick up on this and become fearful.
http://www.vetinfo4dogs.com
Read these articles this may answer your query
http://www.dogsvets.net/articles/obedien...
http://www.dogsvets.net/articles/stages_...
You can also visit http://www.dogsvets.net and consult a breed expert for free
Get training for the dog and yourself.
If you are scared your dog is going to be too.
Take your pup were it can meet new dogs all the time puppy park obedience class etc. DO NOT pick your puppy up @ the slightest problem.
When a dog comes up to it tail stiff in the air it is telling the other dog don't mess with me! if the dog is wagging its tail it just wants to say hi. Don't hold your puppy back it need to make friends so to speak. If your dog got out of the harness it is not fitted correctly it needs to be tightened, if your not sure how tight if you pop down to the local vets they can help you adjust it you don't have to make an appointment just pop in.
You do get a lot of idiots out there %26 they don't really care what there dogs do so I can understand where your coming from.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment