jacqui835

I've often thought about this. I've been lucky with my two, but next breed I get will perhaps be a Basenji. They are not known for tolerance of strange dogs. Basically, I won't be getting one until I have a yard big enough to give it the room to stretch its legs in case that turns out to be the only place it can do it and feel safe. Someone used to bring a Chow to our dog park. I don't know why, really. She wasn't interested in the other dogs, she didn't ever break out of a walk, and she'd get peeved if a strange person tried to pat her. We have plenty of places around here you can take a dog for a nice on leash walk for exercise and a change in scenery. One of the parks I visit with my dog is huge and so there is plenty of room for the dogs who like to be social and play with the other dogs to do so whilst other dogs who just want to chase a ball/stretch their legs etc but don't necessarily enjoy the company of other dogs can also be comfortable. However, there are a few people who for some reason like to bring their unsocial dogs over to the group and this can and has made for some very scary situations. For example, one guy has a staffy who loves to chase frisbies. The staffy will not drop the frisbee or return when called, so the guy brings 2 frisbees and this he claims enables him to control his dog. The dog will not charge at other dogs from across the park and doesn't even seem to notice dogs who just walk past and so I would have no problem with him being in the park but for the fact that he insists on having the dog so close to others. Problem is, if any other dog touches or so much as looks at his frisbee, the staffy tries to start a fight, and sometimes, other dogs even just sniffing him are enough to set him off. Scares the crap out of all of us and I just don't get it. The guy has even said, "oh so long as he has his frisbees he wants nothing to do with the other dogs etc". Anyway, bit OT but yeah, I don't know why everyone brings their dogs to the dog park - I wouldn't if my dog wasn't obsessed with playing with his friends.

;) My dog too can distinguish between over-exuberance and aggressive rushes, but that said, whilst both he and I respond differently it is obvious that a dog rushing towards him under any circumstances is enough to put him on guard. He looks a bit thrown back, and often his hackles rise a little and is very 'stiff'. I just prefer to avoid these uncomfortable moments so as to reduce the risk of any unfortunate incidents, and yeah, it's not fair to make other dogs anxious because an anxious dog is one that is more likely to lash out.

Afraid I have to agree. I don't kick other dogs that run straight up to mine, but, if another dog stares right at my dog and runs towards it, I do typically position myself between the dog and mine and get its attention. My dog is not one to start fights or attack before asking questions etc however there are plenty that are, and running up to a dog on a lead or even just ones that are already close to their owner because they're feeling a tad unsure is unfortunately a way to increase your chances of being attacked. I don't usually make too much of a scene of it, but I have had people get upset with me for telling their dogs off and that annoys me. If I don't do it, there's a chance my dog will worry about strange dogs charging at him and do it himself. I imagine also it would be harder for people with little dogs. My dog is large and so I don't really fear any other dogs, with the exception of the bully breeds (I'm not worried they'll attack me, I have no fear when I'm out by myself and run into one, I'm only worried when I have my dog with me).

Well unfortunately for the press there was no way they could label that one a bully breed lol so had to pick something else. I just got a new kitten, and so have just been through the whole process of trying to carefully introduce a powerless and foreign thing to my large and very powerful doberman. You can tell when they're going to be ok alone together - and I'm a believer of that, but that said, if I didn't have places where I knew the cat could go and be safe from the dog, I probably wouldn't be entirely comfortable leaving them together. I'm guessing this particular dog, being owned by grandparents, didn't have a whole lot of experience with young children, and with any protective breed, particularly one that protects the territory, well I don't know what was going through their minds when they thought they could just leave the dog to do its usual job and have some foreign thing in its territory without offering any guidance or supervision... Poor child, but I can't really blame the dog for this one. I would be blaming myself entirely.

Sometimes our pets are all we have. I feel extremely fortunate in that I have more than my pets, but let me say that at least in my case, this does not make the loss of either any easier. I have lost family members and it is devastating and debilitating. I can not think about potentially losing anymore family or friends, but I also can't imagine losing my dog - both would be severely damaging blows.

My dog is not my child, but I feel as though he is a part of my family and I do feel maternal towards him (in that I feel responsible for him, worry about him, want to look after him and make sure he has everything he needs and make sure he's a well-balanced and happy pooch) and love him more than I can easily express, so I can understand this. I do have a human family, a partner and friends but I would NOT be ok if my dog died. I agree that you need to be speaking to someone to help you deal with the grieving process, lord knows I would, and even then I think it would be some time before I recovered. I'm so sorry to hear that this has happened to you

Oh so does that mean that dogs don't typically have worms? I just assumed based on what the vet told me that they pretty much had worms all the time and hence had to be treated every 3 months... He did get fleas when we stayed at a friend's house a while back, but has since been on comfortis and hence has no flea issues now.

Which is the best all-round wormer for dogs? Is there one where I can administer just that and his annual heart worm injections and he will be entirely covered?

Such a pity, seems to me like this could be a means through which to improve how much effort people put into their dogs, and change opinions about what is standard/normal behaviour for dogs in public. I wish that this meant you could have your dog in places that are otherwise dog free, like more beaches/parks etc. Seems unfair that there are consequences for having a poorly behaved dog, but no incentives for creating a better behaved and well balanced one.

If anyone is wanting to know where I get my kangaroo meat from please just send me a message as a couple of people have already done. It hasn't had anything added to it. The store I visit is in Sydney, NSW approx. 20 mins from the city.

Oh it's not all he gets don't worry and same for the dog. They just adore it though. And fortunately for us, there is nothing in this meat, it's fresh off the back of a roo lol and we're in Sydney NSW. The owner of the store is not a fan of dog food at all, and knows all about the kinds of things that typically go into it...

He didn't try to kick me that's true, only my dog I think (though since he was at my side, he came damn close to me as well), but he did follow me down the street while I was trying to walk away, yelling abuse and swearing at me, despite the dog still being off-lead (so if he was so scared why was he still coming closer?). He didn't even seem to recognise it as a dog. I don't think that is a reasonable response, and by the time I got home I was almost crying and shaking and I just don't think it's acceptable for a person to make you feel that way even if he was scared of dogs. We were on a straight long street, he saw me coming for miles, he could have crossed over, asked me from afar to restrain the dog, move off the path if he thought I should be the one to move instead etc but he did nothing and then tried to kick at the dog as we walked past. That is a not a rational, normal nor acceptable response in my opinion. Almost every person on my street has a dog, many of them large, if that's what he was even worried about - I'm still not convinced he didn't just flip out since he didn't do anything until he was next to the dog, and also the daughter's behaviour, begging her father to just leave it and please to not do this etc, but point is he can't just do that to everyone he sees with a dog, because I'm sure there will be some dogs that react differently, not to mention how much it upsets the people. I just really hope I don't ever see him again. But anyway, I didn't post this to try and justify what I was doing, and I knew it would make certain members of this crowd angry to hear about a dog off-lead under any circumstances. My dog was certainly not growling, he didn't even look at the guy until he started yelling at us. He meets a lot of people so he doesn't really pay a lot of attention to every person we meet on the street, plus he'd just had over 2 hours of exercise so he was pretty relaxed and tired. Like I said before, if people show any signs of being uncomfortable with the dog (and sometimes subtle hints are all you get because people are too embarrassed or polite), I do ensure that there is some distance between us (as much as what is possible on the path) and have him on lead and behind me, and this is something I have also been thanked for. I was merely interested in finding out what happens if your dog does react in this sort of situation, and where I would stand. I know now that off-lead, I'm probably going to be in trouble, so I'll keep him on lead from now on and I thank everyone who gave advice.

I'm of this impression also, particularly considering it was as though he was fine with dogs right until he was next to us. My bf said the same thing - that he was probably not all there and likely known to the police already, because unfortunately in my area we do have a bit of that... It was the only place I could find a pet friendly rental in Sydney though so oh well. But I'll keep him on his leash from now on, I'm not worried about him running off, he looks at me every 5 secs for my reaction to everything, and he's too much of a natural guardian (he's quite different from the other dogs I've had and I could have never had them off-lead, but for eg. I actually fell down a concrete embankment knocking myself out one day on a walk with him back when I lived with my mum, and he ran straight home and got help) but I don't want him to be in trouble for defending me or himself.

Easily the walk, but when we get back, he'll go find his bone.

It's funny you say that. The first day we gave it to them was on Saturday, when we got our new kitten. The dog nearly killed us - we're used to stinky farts from him but this was something else. However since then, he has had roo every day but fortunately hasn't done anymore of those farts, so maybe it's something they need to accustom themselves to? If I don't eat lamb for ages and then have some it upsets my stomach because it's a very fatty meat, but if I eat it every week I'm fine. We had to cut back on the eggs though because of farting issues lol it just made sharing the lounge room with the dog unbearable...

Yeah that makes sense. I have also learned with my dog that he is fine so long as there is room for him to move backwards without reaching me. Once he reaches me, he likes to separate me from the perceived threat, or at least be at my side (I've never seen him go behind me unless ordered to do so), and so the closer to me he is, the more likely he would be to take a stand. Fortunately he has never been interested in trying to start anything, or in problems that are far away from us. I really don't want my dog to ever have to bite anyone, and although he's a big dog (over 40kg) this man looked way more than double that and so I was really worried he would hurt him. I hope I never see this man again, but if I do and he yells at me or anyone else on the street, I will report him to the police because I don't think it's acceptable for people to make others feel so scared and threatened.

I suppose that's all true, and I always forget that I have a big dog, to me all the other dogs just look tiny lol. I will be keeping him on lead from now on, even on my own street and thanks for the suggestion, a hands-free leash, that sounds great. I was just really worried afterward because I was thinking that if I had been holding his lead, he might not have been able to avoid the kicks, or he may have just attacked the man anyway, and then the guy might have attacked him/me/both of us even more, or had him declared dangerous and taken off me or something. He does have a 'leave it' command and he's very good about it, I have used that before with the drunk people, dogs trying to lunge at him from their leads etc and he has always obeyed perfectly, barely even a backwards glance. We brought home a new kitten last Saturday and because of his 'leave it' command we have had no problems, despite the fact that given half a chance he would love to chase cats or anything else smaller than him. Thing is today I was so scared of this man that I didn't even think to say that, because I actually thought I was potentially in real danger. I can't stop thinking about it, and I'm petrified of running into that man again, and the scariest part for me is that I didn't pick it and had no warning. I am used to watching people as we walk down the street, because I am used to some people being scared of him, especially those with kids. So if I ever see anyone appear showing signs of being scared of the dog, staring at him worriedly or trying to move away, grabbing their children closer to them etc, I always grab the dog and tell him to walk behind me, whilst also telling the people that he is very friendly and won't hurt. In the past, people have thanked me for doing this, and I have no problem with it, I know not everyone will see my dog the way I do, and I was prepared for that when I took on a doberman. Thing is with this guy, he showed no signs, was just walking down the street and only briefly looking me and the dog over. The daughter didn't seem to notice the dog either, and you'd think that if she knew her father was phobic of dogs, she would have shown some signs of trying to prevent the response (since she seemed normal, the father I'm just not sure about). It was literally not until we were actually walking past the guy that he suddenly lunged out whilst yelling and tried to kick the dog. It was also weird because then he said, "what the f* is that" because well, it was obviously a dog... And with the daughter on the ground and the man following me for a bit swearing and yelling abuse at me, I just wasn't even thinking about telling the dog to ignore it, I was thinking god I need to get away from this man because he really looks like he might attack me and he's so big.

I took my dog for his usual afternoon walk today at about 5:30, which consists of a 1/2 hour on lead walk around the neighbourhood and then 1 hour at the off-lead park with his dog friends and then back home, and on the way, decided to quickly grab some things for dinner. I had 3 bags, plus hand bag, so once we got away from all the busy roads and were on my street, I dropped my dogs' lead so it was easier to carry them. He walks at my side anyway, even without a lead, even if other dogs bark at him or try to challenge him, he sees a cat etc. This is probably going to make a lot of people here angry, but this is actually something I often do, just because I often have a lot of bags, and he doesn't behave any differently on or off lead when we're training and when we're just walking down the street. He has perfect recall, will stop (wait) instantly on command (like I mean almost falls over himself), and won't even cross a road when a well-known friend calls him from the other side, unless he's told ok first. I am looking into getting him a backpack, so he can help with the groceries lol. Anyway, back to the story. Most of the people in my suburb know him well, and he's a very popular dog. But today on the way home, I saw what I assume to be father and daughter walking down the street towards us, man in his late 40's I'd guess, and a 8-10 year old girl. I wasn't phased, and neither was the dog, just kept walking, they looked normal enough. But as we passed, the man, who was well over 6 ft suddenly yelled and tried to kick the dog, yelling at him to get the f* away. My dog has never been yelled at, or had anyone react at him that way, and I think he actually thought the guy wasn't directing it at him, because he moved around him but basically ignored him entirely. The guy started shouting abuse at me though, and I started to get very scared because he was huge and didn't seem rational. He said, "what the f* is that?! It shouldn't be outside in public, get it away etc". It was quite terrible because whilst he was doing this, he put himself between the dog and his daughter, and actually shoved his daughter to the ground. I kept walking away, saying only, "it's a dog, he won't hurt you, calm down," but my dog had by this stage put his hackles up and was watching the man very carefully, still walking at my side though, and the man would not stop shouting, even as we got further away. The daughter had gotten back up and was trying to grab her father by the arm, saying, "daddy please don't, please just leave it" and just kept repeating that, poor thing was nearly crying. She didn't seem scared of the dog at all, or even to really notice him, but I got the impression she had seen her father like this before. The terrible thing is, my dog would not have been any closer to me on a lead, but when he is on a lead, he reacts differently to people who yell at us or behave strangely, he has growled quite ferociously in the past, and it's pretty scary but had my dog been on a lead and the guy had done that, I don't know what he would have done, but I'm confident it would have been much worse. He is not a dangerous dog, and like, in his whole life, has probably growled at about 3-5 people on the street, and they all seemed drunk and were yelling rude things at us and/or walking towards us but in a not quite right way, and they have always backed off and he has not tried to take it any further, and to be honest, I've have always been happy at the time that he's done what he did. He has also growled at one man off-lead, but this was when a man ran up towards me in the park at night when there was nothing but a fence behind me, and when he saw the dog he ran back the way he came. Point is, when he's on lead, he seems less likely to dismiss acts aimed towards us and perceives them as more threatening. What would have happened if I'd had him on lead, the guy had yelled and tried to kick at us like he did, and the dog had gone for him? I have no idea how to teach a doberman, or just about any breed really to not react at all to someone behaving aggressively towards them and their master, but would he get into trouble for defending me/us?

That's great news, I think they would both disown me now if I stopped feeding them kangaroo! This was fresh, never frozen, and it doesn't seem to even smell as strongly as say chicken or beef/lamb so I don't mind it at all. It's just the meat, nothing added. I am in Sydney, and he also gave us a frozen kangaroo tail which the dog devoured. He is a great pet supplies guy, and he knows how to ensure I don't go anywhere else lol.

Well the owner of our local pet supplies place loves my dog, and always gives him a treat when we go in. The other day, he gave him a kangaroo fillet steak to try. The dog loved it - like, I've never seen him so excited over food, and this is a dog who has chicken carcasses, lamb meaty bones, fish etc every day. Our new kitten also went spastic for it and so I'm keen to get them some more. Just wondering though, is kangaroo meat good for animals? And I guess the reason I'm really worried is that since having the fresh kangaroo meat, neither the dog nor the cat will touch their dry food, but they become very interested when I go near the fridge as this is where we kept the meat.

http://www.parracity.nsw.gov.au/residents/...hip/dog_attacks Wait wait, I didn't say that I didn't think that what happened to your dog was wrong, it was, and I would not have stood by and let my dog go through that either, especially not with 3 offenders. My point was merely that a distinction should be made between dominant dogs that require a dominant leader and DA dogs which will attack and/or try to kill other dogs at every opportunity. Biting the ears and dragging the dog is a dominance behaviour, biting the neck, legs, drawing blood etc are aggressive/hunting/killing behaviours. There's a difference and it's important to note, because fact is, I know plenty of dogs who would engage in exactly that behaviour if their owners didn't stop them, and yet, in the right hands, they hardly ever demonstrate it and so are perceived to be safe, tolerant dogs. My dog is one of these. He does not want to kill or even hurt other dogs, but he does want to dominate some of them, especially dogs younger than him and largish ones (he ignores the small ones), and given half a chance, he will do this by charging the dog, putting his head over its' neck and biting the ear, knocking/pulling it to the ground, jumping on top of it and mouthing its neck. This looks and sounds (there can be a lot of growling) terrible to most people, and although I know my dog will/has never left a mark on any other dog, I always intervene, and I ensure that I maintain a level of obedience that enables me to be able to have my dog remain in a down even if the other dog is trying to jump on him (in a playful manner). Most dogs actually don't mind this so much, they will come up to the dog afterward and lick its mouth, ears back etc, or even try to engage in play, but it is not acceptable behaviour at any rate, firstly because it can upset other dogs (and/or their owners which can upset the dog), and some dogs will up this into a fight to determine who should be dominant. So please don't think I'm trying to tell you that what your dog went through wasn't unpleasant and obviously terrifying for you, I'm only making the point that if you had come up against 3 DA dogs - 2 bullies and a shep, well, I'd say that unfortunately there would be a 95%+ that you would no longer have your dog, and at the very least, your dog would have spent a decent amount of time in hospital

I mean no disrespect but is it just me or did anyone else read this particular story and not feel like the staffies and shep intended to seriously injure/kill the puppy? It's just, if 2 staffies and a shep wanted your dog dead or seriously injured, there would at least be some marks on it, and I seriously doubt you would have been able to remove all 3 dogs by yourself. When a fight breaks out with bully type breeds, they latch on pretty quickly, and once they do, they don't let go, and certainly not just from being hit with a lead and screamed at. My understanding at least is that going for the ears is a dominance thing - there's a huge difference between going for the ears and going for the neck etc. I don't deny that this would have been a seriously scary experience, but I don't think these dogs wanted to kill yours, I think they were just extremely dominant, and not under effective control. Additionally, I think you're right that your dog avoided injury by not trying to fight back, and that a more dominant dog could have found itself in trouble, but, I still just don't get the impression death was the goal here. Please don't think I'm trying to say that I think this is acceptable behaviour, but, I do think a distinction should be made between fiercely dominant dogs and dogs who actually want to kill other dogs. ETA - I think it's important to make this distinction because a dominant dog can be fine in the hands of a competent and dominant handler, but DA dogs potentially pose a threat in anyones hands...

My gosh lol I am sitting on the couch now next to my partner having a late breakfast after we finally succeeded in getting the dog to take his comfortis tablet (no mean feat - a bonding experience all round) and it occurred to me, my partner takes greater offence to how much time I spend on this site than to my relationship with my pooch.

Well just read through this entire thread and just wow but hopefully that part is all over now. I have been animal mad since forever, but grew up in a family where dogs were outside only and we thought bad behaviour was almost entirely a personality trait. Needless to say, countless hours of research have shown me otherwise and I now have a doberman who I think is close to perfect (for me). Many people, particularly my own family describe him as spoiled, because I do like snuggling up to him in bed on occasion and I do feed him a varied fresh and dried diet. But like a few other posters have said, I do not think this makes a spoiled dog, he takes nothing without it being given to him and expects to have to do something to get it. My partner, like just about everyone else, initially tried to talk me out of getting a doberman because he believed some of the common misconceptions, but now when we meet people who make silly comments about the dog, it's something we can laugh over together. He always liked dogs, but wasn't obsessed with them like I was, and tried to tell me dogs should be kept outdoors, because he thought they were dirty. I actually think though that other factors come into it. The thing is, I am obsessed with dogs, but not all dogs, and in fact dislike most of the dogs that I meet. They don't listen, they're not trained or as trainable/intelligent as I would like personally and I don't like any small fluffy dogs. My partner is in awe of my dog now, because he has never met one that was so obedient or clever, who doesn't have a doggy smell, who guards us and our house and is so beautiful and loving to boot. I knew from my own family that not everyone loves dogs the way I do, and if the dog is dirty and poorly behaved, it's a lot more difficult for non-dog lovers to accept. This was important to me because I have quite an active social life, and I wanted a dog I could take with me everywhere, that everyone would accept and at the very least, not mind, but hopefully even like, and I have worked very hard to create that. Now he fusses over the dog like it's his baby, always wants to play with him, loves taking him through his obedience routines and helping out with his care. We don't like going anywhere that we can't take the dog, and my partner now keeps asking me if we can't pretend the dog is a guide dog or something, so we really can take him everywhere. The dog though is a doberman, and true to character, he is a bit of a one person dog. He loves my partner obviously, and listens to him (and that's something because he ignores strangers completely), but he is my dog. He follows me everywhere, and doesn't hesitate, and hangs off my every word, so now, OH has decided he wants his own doberman lol. Talk about a complete turn-around. But people never realise how much effort it takes to create a dog that can win people over like that. And there's only one dog. OH wants his own dog now, but doesn't really have time for it, because he's a lawyer, and often works over 12 hours a day. Having watched me, he realises that our dog is the product of training, love, exercise and discipline, and it's not something that will happen by itself, so that's on hold for now. I would never be with someone who didn't love animals, but, I am a very clean person, and so I think that makes it easier for others to accept my dog, and accept that he is very much an indoor pooch. The only issues we have now are that well, dobermans are not a particularly small breed, and having him on the bed can be difficult because he likes to be literally on you, and if you laugh or say anything to him that suggests he could get away with it, he will go for the face and he has one massive tongue. But you're very right, relationships involve more than one person, so there is going to have to be compromises. You just have to work out what you can't live with or without, and hopefully once that's done, there's someone left that you can be with.

I think he was just trying to think of other breeds that look like what people think pit bull terriers look think. I think he seems to be very much a 'punish the deed not the breed' person - from these comments which are all I have to go on.