Little dogs, big dogs and people with no common sense

This morning, in deference to the fact that I'll most likely have time only for a fast potty walk for the dogs at dinnertime, I took my Scottish Deerhound, Rebel, and my Borzoi, Kyrie, for a long walk.



I live on the edge of a large urban park. It's a beautiful day, cool and sunny and crisp, exactly the day you'd order for Thanksgiving.



We saw one other dog, a beautifully groomed little white bichon frise who thought Rebel and Kyrie were about to become his new best friends. He apparently had no idea he was the size of their heads. Gotta love small dogs.



However, as someone who has had dozens of giant dogs and a few large ones, I have a word of advice for small dog owners: Admire your little tough guy's attitude all you want, but please don't let him run up to two leashed giant breed dogs and jump up and bark in their faces.



Fortunately Rebel and Kyrie just stood there, and the bichon may have had a moment of sanity, because when I pulled my dogs back, he didn't follow.



His owner thought it was cute.



It wasn't.



Happy Thanksgiving from Rebel, Kyrie, and me!

Comments

[Gil.]

Off leash, was he? The little darling.



No, it isn't cute. I didn't appreciate having to correct 'my' GSD once to keep him from tearing apart an adorable small thing that ran out of nowhere to attack him in the most painful place possible. But of course, I did correct him because it's always the large dog that takes the blame, even though I shared his urge to murder.



Whether Peanut realizes he's too small to get away with lousy dog behavior or not, his owner should have enough sense to see to it that he behaves. It's downright amazing how many don't.

[Kathy Diamond Davis]

Christie, that's such an important reminder right now with people getting together and bringing their various dogs to each other's homes. You can reason with the kids about playing nice with each other, but dogs are much more the victims of their own instincts. Humans bred them that way and they are counting on us to manage their lives safely. We don't get to just sit back and enjoy the show!



My dog Believer had her first lonely-only dog Thanksgiving ever today, since both her housemates died this year. She's been an only for a month now. It's driving me crazy, but she has been luxuriating in it right from the start. She's my assistance dog, and has been able to focus much more on that work without her cranky female housemate to continuously launch attacks at her as she did for 6 years.



We never had any bloodshed between them, because the younger dog was bigger, stronger, calmer, and thoroughly sane! When attacked, she would simply hold the other female down until the split second the older girl quit fighting and then release. If the older girl wanted to sniff Believer all over, or play, or whatever, Believer was immediately ready to shift gears and meet the other dog's needs--no grudge whatsoever.



Believer deserves all good things, including just the right housemate. For her and for my needs in a future assistance dog, we are waiting for my breeder to find "Mr. Right" dog, not "Mr. Right Now."



Beevy adored my male dog Gabriel who died 2 days after Christmas last year. She has shown herself a fine pack member, and if necessary a leader, dealing with the cranky female for 6 years. This time to unwind has been good for her, thank God. I was afraid she would pine, but that's not happening. It helps that I work at home.



I am pretty confident that having a new male dancing partner come into her life will delight Believer when Mr. Right is found. I'm looking forward, after 13 years with a testy dog who wouldn't let the others work freely, to again having dogs I can train together. I know Believer will love helping to train Redeemer.



It's hard work sometimes breeding our dogs to keep them in one piece! I have an article on Visiting Other People's Homes with Your Dog that may help some folks cope during the holidays. It is common for long-term family feuds to develop over whether or not dogs come to visit, and what happens when they do! The article is in the Canine Behavior Series.

[sara]

yeah,my 5lb toy poodle wouldn't be pushing 10 years old if I let him interact with large dogs at his own discretion.



we've had plenty of problems with rude dogs coming up to us while we are walking and causing problems and few really close calls that could have landed us at the vet. I don't let my dog approach any dogs, big or small, with out some sort of convo with the owner first, and even then I'm wary. then again I'm also a bit paranoid. hee hee.

[meredith]

Here's a story from the other end of the small dog leash (and there is always a leash, at least in our house). I have a dachshund who is pretty sure he rules the universe. He is unpredictable with big dogs, but generally likes to get up in their faces and bark. Which has to be incredibly annoying. Anyway, knowing his shortcomings (no pun intended), I keep him away from other dogs on our walks, going so far as to cross streets, go up into yards, alter course, etc. However, I cannot count the number of times I have had some owner drag her great dane/mastiff/giant enormous fill-in-blank over to us, proclaiming "Sparky LOVES small dogs" or "can't he just say hello?" Uh, no!

[Meryl]

Exactly what I was thinking Meredith. My little Welsh Terrier does fairly well with other dogs as long as everyone is off leash, but forced nose to nose with another leashed dog--especially when it's one twice his size--it's never good. I think whether your dog is big or small, it's always necessary to ask before allowing your dog to greet another, and to walk away respectfully if the answer is "no".