Amazetl

I read that they still can’t locate the wolfhounds owner. Why is that? No one knows where they came from at all? What will happen? Poor little one. Just horrifying. So sad.

Curious whether you would ever rescue a specific breed knowing that they most likely were backyard bred without the proper health testing. What if that dog ended up having breed specific health issues that ended up costing a lot? Would you still do it? I’m considering this in the next so years once my older ones have crossed over. I know that there are many adult dogs with papers looking for homes too but I’m talking about with rescue organisations where you have no idea where the dog has come from. What are your thoughts?

I think I get what you’re trying to say. People do need to understand that any dog is capable of doing at least some damage and especially large dogs, even if they normally are friendly. I don’t think we know for sure yet but if it’s true that these dogs weren’t registered or microchipped and that the owner hasn’t owned up to it or indeed if the story is correct that there was a man with the dogs and when they began to attack he ran off, it seems that these dogs weren’t being kept appropriately and I would hope that the majority of owners who do have dogs capable of doing significant damage do contain their dogs properly.

The story is not fully known yet it seems. There were reports that the dogs jumped a fence and that it was a friend minding the dogs while the owner was away but the latest report was that they have yet to locate the owner or where the dogs have come from. Sounds like they aren’t registered or microchipped. The little dog was attacked. The woman was attacked. Didn’t the owner need surgery? If the latest is that the little dog has sadly passed, I’m devastated for them. We don’t know the full circumstance but it sounds like woman and her dog were walking and the big dogs ran up to them, she managed to get her little dog up and at some point in the process the little dog must have got away and gotten itself into the mud to escape. Someone saw what was happening and called police, police had to use spray to get the big dogs away. It sounds very serious. It is terrifying that any dog could be on the loose and escalate to that extent. It doesn’t sound like the little dog caused anything except to look like prey to the large dogs. I doubt it would have tried something with two large dogs, and the fact that it ran off into the mud to escape.

I’m not sure about how easily they can jump. I know Deerhounds are more than capable. Hopefully we learn more soon whether it’s correct that someone else was minding them and they did indeed jump the fence. I don’t know if it’s just me but the photos of the dogs don’t look like the photos of Irish Wolfhounds I’m used to. They seem smaller or leaner. Maybe it’s just me or the photo though. You are right. My childhood dog escaped when we went away once and someone was minding him. He obviously was scared we were gone so ran off. Thankfully someone found him and kept him safe until we returned. I think it’s good to try to learn everything we can about the circumstances surrounding these attacks to help prevent them in future.

Dogs who jump a fence and run off can act very different than when they are with their owner. They very well could normally be ‘sweet natured’ but they are still very strong capable of doing a lot of damage. There shouldn’t be any way for any dog to be able to escape. They failed their dogs there. Now others pay for it as well as the dogs. My dog was attacked walking in an ordinary suburban street some years ago from a dog who was with their owner in the front yard off leash. Since then we have always walked where it should be the safest - busy areas, busy lake tracks etc. It is a great fear of mine at how quickly and easily it can happen and how there was nothing I could do about it. I couldn’t even grab my dog or the other dog, I couldn’t even get a kick in or anything as it kept moving in a frenzy in a circle. Lucky the owner was able to whack their dog with an object to shock them out of it so they ran back into their house. The owner then walked off quickly without saying a word to me or checking us over. It was the most terrifying thing. And it was only a border collie size. Terrifying. People need to do better with their dogs for the sake of their own dog and others. It’s not that hard, just have them secure and under control. I hope the little dog is ok and owner too. They are very lucky that someone called for help for them.

Not sure in this instance the council putting restrictions on them would have helped as it sounds like the owners didn’t care and wouldn’t have complied. Such a sad story.

What happened to the dog who attacked and where was its owner? Why do they need a go fund me to pay the vet bill when the owner of the dog who attacked should be the one paying? This is why don’t ever go to dog parks. It’s too risky.

Can vouch for this. People who I know who have Cavaliers, they are the sweetest dogs you could come by, happy and playful but also calm and relaxed (can have health issues though but many are just fine). They do need brushing quite a lot. Or if you are into large dogs, get a well bred PURE bred Labrador from show lines. None of my labs have ever had a prey drive, they are big and bulky, scare some people away but are also friendly and very easily trained. They are harder work though than a small dog, simply because of their strength.

I’d personally advise against it. They might be a cute puppy now but they will become big, fast and strong with a higher prey drive than some other breeds. It’s not all about how you train them but that is a huge thing. Dogs still have their own genetic breed traits and one with higher prey drive will be harder to train to not have that. Large dogs are also difficult to walk because of their strength. They can be awesome but take much more hard work and patience. If I were in your shoes, I would look to breeds that are known to have a low prey drive and go with a breeder registered with the kennel club. They will know their dog’s breed lines and whether they will be suitable. I’ve personally known friends who have lost cats to dogs and it’s terribly tragic. Also know those who get the cheap backyard bred cross, often from a friend, who are then a handful and are so hard to handle that they don’t get taken out even and then are worse to live with even and the cycle goes around. Dogs are actually quite hard work while you’re training them initially and it takes a while and sometimes a long time with some dogs, sometimes forever. But they can be very rewarding. It depends how much you want to put into them and what breed suits your lifestyle etc. All the best.

My youngest girl did this several times in her first 4ish months. It would mostly be at a pet shop if she saw another dog close to her. Sometimes she’d roll first but often some pee would just come out while standing. She outgrew it without any worries or training.

Not meant to be weird thanks. I have no idea, which is why I was wondering. I was curious as backyard breeders get their dogs somewhere as I was just thinking about whether because byb don’t pay the same attention to their breeding stock whether the sloped back of the German Shepherd had taken over the straight back there too. There was nothing more to read into it at all. I do know that there are ANKC breeders who do only focus on straight back so if anyone wanted one they would be where to look. Of course byb aren’t going to be better dogs if bred to standard is what is used. I doubt there’s many bybs who do all the relevant health testing etc. But the sloped back does seem to be more popular now. It was not a byb verse ANKC. Just something I was curious to know if the sloped back had become more popular there too. Edited to add, I can’t think of any breed where byb would be doing a better job because they don’t try to match show standards. I would imagine (not even thinking of health testing etc) that they would be doing a worse job because for many of them it’s about just breeding what they have and how are they going to have the ‘better’ dogs to breed from? They were not to be compared.

Not that I would ever get one or recommend getting one but are backyard bred German Shepherds more straight back or are the show lines leaking out into backyard breeders over the years too? I tried researching about why they bred for the slanted back that looks so uncomfortable and deformed like. Apparently it’s so they have better gait. For what? Who led this and why did others jump onto it and why are European lines generally the straight backs still? Also, apparently many German Shepherds these days also have behaviour issues and aggression, according to what I’ve read. It’s such a shame. I’d love to have a well bred one but it’s too scary to think of getting a huge big dog with possibly health issues and aggression issues.

French Bulldogs are so popular, they are one of the most popular on Dogzonline. I personally have never really met one but I hear they are adorable in their nature and quite ‘baby’ like. I think with their smaller but not tiny size, shorter hair, funny oddness abotu them and how silly and little characters that they come across as - makes them so popular. I would say it possibly would be one of the most popular small dogs with men? There is so much education out there about their health issues now so it’s no excuse. Either people buying them have money to dedicate to their extra care or think it just won’t happen to them.

Interesting, that’s a good point. So some sort of policy measures would be the only way to put some sort of stop to it. Guess that’s why they went with the extreme in some other countries. That’s sad because those breeds are so well loved and I’m sure they are very sweet/funny/cute etc. But at the detriment of their health? Probably not fair really to still breed them unless more and more effort is put into improving them health wise.

What are they so afraid of if they outcross or use the healthiest least squished dogs as breeding to properly ‘better’ the breed health wise? Are they unsure if their dog breed will change who they are behaviour wise if they bring in another dog breed? Or is it about the public wanting the squishy look? They sure are popular despite all the warnings and how so many of them need thousands and thousands in surgery so they can breathe a little better. I know some of these dog breeds are very endearing in their characters and I’d guess they don’t want to change that too much. But in the past dogs have been brought back from near extinction by outcrossing and crossing back etc (don’t know the correct terms for it). So why not do more? I guess it seems too big to properly manage/police/keep records etc. It’s sad that some of the most loved dog breeds are being banned for health in some areas of the world and just are so sick. Poor things.

It bothers me sometimes when people do ask and since I have a very nice friendly well behaved dog I say yes but then sometimes the person (adults and children alike) lean down and get in their face and pat them all over their face. Now I know my dog can handle that but it still worries me that at any moment things could change if they are uncomfortable plus I don’t think it’s fair, and if they think that’s fine and do it to another dog that does react... It’s a good chance to teach people how to approach a dog but sometimes they are so quick. What does everyone do in that situation so the person isn’t insulted that they’re doing it wrong and has a positive pleasant dog experience? How to you teach them when they are so fast even if they’ve asked first?

Just to clarify, I don’t advocate ignoring a scared dog or just leaving their presence. I was referring to the more baby talk and reinforcing the behaviour. I’m sure it’s helpful to sit with them and pet them etc. I definitely wouldn’t suggest anyone leave their dog with a trainer. But you can get some interesting ideas watching training videos that as long as it’s not aversive can’t hurt to try. The video I saw was aversive but tweaking it could be beneficial. We all like to grow our confidence and it’s great to have guidance from human who has patience. Lastly, I also wouldn’t advise getting a second dog when you are struggling so much. However dogs can learn from one another in a way that can be different to what we can do. If you have a stable dog friend around it can be helpful with some dogs. I myself got a puppy when my girl was much older and stable - I respected and accepted that she was a dog who liked being more in her shell and since she didn’t have anxiety I just thought that was who she was. And I was very surprised to start with when she didn’t accept the puppy but over months grew to love puppy and learn how fun puppy is and what a little explorer puppy is and it’s brought her out of her shell in a way I didn’t realise she was so in her shell. That is amazing to see, when another dog can bring out confidence and stability in another dog in a different way than we can. I’ve read now the pup was an older pup when you got him. That could change things a lot as I was imagining him to be 8 weeks old or so when you got him. It could be that if he was all that time at the breeder he already had his life set up most likely with other dogs he’d known since day 1. It could all be a bit much and it’s only been two months which is still pretty new really. Equally if he’s had some different homes throughout that time he could also be confused or missing someone or a part of his life before. They do live in the moment but also they know what they know/what they’re exposed to early on. Maybe he was kennelled even and isn’t used to a house arrangement. It could all be so big for him. It does sound like a high possibility of a socialisation situation, or perhaps even having a scary experience with a deeper voiced man etc.

Sorry you are going through this. I know how hard it is to have a very dependent dog. One of my last dogs was similar and would absolute panic when I left the house. It was extremely hard, however he was elderly and I was in a position where I could basically take time off from everything and be with him as much as I could. This was a long time ago so there has been a lot of education and behavioural therapy since then. We did try medication but it didn’t work and didn’t know to try a different sort, etc. On another note, my current lab who is now a senior came to me by plane (as a puppy) and I believe he was traumatised during the trip. Thankfully there’s no separation anxiety but he does have some other difficulties he’s had his whole life with episodes of hyperactivity and nothing really helping to reach him while he’s in one. It’s probably best to work with a vet behaviourist and if you feel like you need a fresh look then I’d probably decide to try another vet. I’d probably try that approach with a trainer as well. Do you have another dog? Some dogs come out of their shell when there is another dog or even a dog friend to guide them and see that things really aren’t so scary. My senior Golden was a bit flighty but once she became a big sis to a more confident puppy Golden she has flown out of her shell that it’s amazing to see. Other than medication and therapy I would look at trying to get the set routine down that helps to relax the most. I’d try stress relief treats and scents. A safe place for him to access, perhaps a crate or similar with the gate off. Maybe a blanket over a desk even. Gentle calming music. Enrichment toys, being very patient, just any new safe experience to build confidence. I don’t care much for a certain celebrity dog trainer but I do remember once seeing a segment where there was a very fearful dog that lashed out with aggression to its owners. And it turned out the dog was just really scared. So the trainer took the dog for a while and got it trying all these new things, it was more forceful than I’d like but the premise was interesting and the result was good. I’ve seen with my own dogs when they overcome a scary thing and how they then realise it was nothing to be scared about and how proud they are for overcoming it as well as it flowing over in other aspects of their confidence. Also depending how old he is, there could be fear periods happening. I would try to read as much as I could on this sort of situation and see what people do that helps. Just stay away from any aversive style training. Dogs pick up greatly on our own feelings and anxieties as well so see if there’s something you’re doing that could be rewarding the scared behaviour, such as offering comfort or sweet words, or even just feeling sad for him, because he’ll be picking up on all that. It can be hard not to offer that comfort and certainly don’t be mean or anything but when they are showing they are scared of something and you go to pick them up and comfort them, it’s reinforcing their behaviour and they think they are meant to act that way and it becomes a cycle. Just a note on the breeder - it could also be if he was part of a litter or had older dogs around him at their place he was a different dog being able to follow them and look to them for guidance but then not having them anymore and also the potential emotional trauma of being on a plane could now have him not sure of himself or where he fits. All the best.

That’s definitely more than just a bite on the face, that’s a hold. That poor pup possibly would be affected by it for life. I really dislike doggy daycares. There are more and more popping up and their websites read like they are a wonderful safe happy place for your dog to burn energy so when you get home from work they will be tired and sleep. There are photos of doggies, usually not video which could show a more realistic picture of any dogs being uncomfortable. It’s tempting but it’s marketing. They claim it’s safe but there’s simply no way they can know that for sure or make it safe completely. No amount of how many staff at any given time in the daycare watching every move and knowing dog body language to stop anything before it happens can be fulfilled completely.

What a sad situation. As much as it hurts when there is a dog who has some really lovely moments - when they are mostly stressed it’s probably best to bring them peace. I would assume all avenues have first been taken such as medication and training. I don’t like the idea of rehoming a dog that has bitten even superficially but in an aggressive warning way. That is passing the problem to someone else who may not be experienced or may be naive. For this reason I’m reluctant to adopt a rescue, not knowing it’s complete history or the way it acts/reacts in all situations like I can know with my own pup I’ve raised. (This is not to say there are some wonderful rescue dogs out there - just personal preference). Sorry that this is happening. Her owners don’t seem to have a lot of care and just want to wash their hands of her. Either bad breeding/brain disorder or their raising or lack of has caused her to be this way. Very sad. Does she have a breeder to get in contact with? Or was she a backyard bred dog? A couple of my dogs are seniors but still have a relationship with their breeders and they would want to know if one of their lines was having aggression issues and would advise on best way of going forward. I don’t think it’s fair on other dogs to have to make her feel at ease. I don’t think it’s fair on her either. Some dogs just don’t dog and some don’t dog and also don’t people. I will never use doggy day cares or dog parks. Let alone not knowing what the other dogs are like, they always seem to wear collars and I have read too many stories of dogs being strangled to death by their collar caught on another dog at day care. I wouldn’t risk it. My dog is my responsibility. Sure good for them to have a good dog friend or two where they know each other well and can play to burn energy but not that traditional set up that seems so popular. I’ve seen the worst and won’t risk it.

I would say we had a good routine happening when he was about a year and a half. But it took getting out there every day no matter how difficult a walk it might be. I used to do the same walk to begin with so he’d know what’s what and generally there wouldn’t be any surprises. It was worse if we saw another dog because sometimes he’d even happy scream which was very embarrassing. But just getting out there every day and getting him used to it and not allowing any reward for that behaviour really helped. He’s somewhat of an excitable/typical lab so just have to constantly monitor even when he’s now old if someone wants to make a fuss over him. Generally though he listens and I just don’t allow people to pat him or goo ga over him. All his crazy puppyhood behaviour (tearing my clothes, bruising me, jumping up, nipping) was over by age 2. He’s pretty lazy since then.

It’s not the same as first hand experience, but there are also lots of youtube videos of puppy socialisation where they play many different sounds ongoing at different levels of volume. Some have calm music with just some scary sounds in there that’s very dim and some are quite loud sounds. You are meant to play these videos when the puppy is doing happy things such as eating or playing with toys or even napping. But not play them if puppy is crying or anxious etc. Some breeders I know do this with their puppies from the moment the pups can hear. Also getting a puppy from a breeder who has them inside with all the everyday sounds of a household and TV etc is very beneficial too. I’ve had both, one raised outside from when they were born to 8 weeks and then one born and raised inside and the differences were amazing. Also take your puppy everywhere you can from day one other than dog parks or ground frequented a lot by dogs. Carry them, put them in a trolley, etc. It’s so beneficial.

I don’t know how many times, too, I’ve come across someone with their dog who clearly looks like he wouldn’t like other dogs but they tell me don’t worry they won’t bite and then they go to sniff and the dog tries to do just that. Same with children, I know stories of dogs who sometimes are perfectly fine with kids and then for whatever reason other times just aren’t, but the owners like to hide that fact. (I used to work with dogs). A lot of people are in denial or think they are just playing or our dog is a gentle giant and will let the toddler climb all over and never does anything. And that might be the case but perhaps that dog isn’t really liking that (what dog would?)

They say that dogs can feel everything about you through the lead… My big Lab, when he was young he was leash reactive to an extent, but it was excitable, not aggressive. So trying to get to the person or dog to say hi. Very difficult for me with this big strong dog. He’s a very sweet kind boy but people see big dark dog and don’t know what he’s going to be like. So I started doing that when he was fully grown, would tense the lead and it would make it worse. I had to learn to just pretend like the person or other dog wasn’t there and just walk through with confidence and then he felt confident too and like we were on our way, no time to stop and play. He is very easy to walk now, still has that excitable face but is well behaved, but it was hard at times. You do need to find the balance because you don’t want the pup to grow up to be fearful of others and other dogs but you also don’t want them to see everyone as something to play with or jump on etc. In my experience no matter how hard it is, get them out there and exposed to everything as often as you can so it becomes just normal and boring. Of course teach them manners too and always ask the person if they can say hi etc. Not everyone wants it. Same for them to be asking you too but it doesn’t often happen unfortunately.