Pug Ridgeback

[poodlemum]

When I saw the thread title I immediately thought - "OMG, not a another stupid designer dog"

Edited February 26, 2010 by poodlemum

[PuggaWuggles]

When I saw the thread title I immediately thought - "OMG, not a another stupid designer dog"

Sorry all,i should have thought a bit better about the thread name,definately no Pug X Ridgeback here.

[Nic oh lah]

I am sure your dog would never attack another dog but imagine if another dog attacked yours. I think the chances of a dog attcking another seemingly unprovoked are far more likely then a three legged little person.

Haha - little person, love the political correctness.

But seriously - of course there is a chance a dog is going to attack my dog. Whether I take her for a walk, take her to training at our dog club, take her to a trial, take her to an off leash park, there is always a chance someone elses dog is going to attack my dog. But I am careful that my dog is not PROVOKING other dogs, and getting slight hackles due to excitement but being clearly non-aggressive is not her provoking other dogs. And Dog's are smarter than people when it comes to dog behaviour - it's unexperienced owners I have to reassure that Sophie is not behaving aggressively, dog's dont have a problem with her behaviour. Just when you're saying

Imagine if another dog attacked yours

i dont see that this has anything to do with my dogs behaviour as i've already stated I dont allow her to run up to other dogs unannounced without asking the other owner first if it's ok.

I don't know why you're convinced my dog is a walking target vs any other dog out there when she is very well balanced with other dogs. Unless you've met my dog and witnessed her behave aggressively I dont think you have the right to insinuate that i'm irresponsibly letting her provoke other dogs or putting my dog in danger. I wish a DOLer whos met Sophie would visit this thread and back me up on this so I just don't sound like a proud mum who is oblivious to her bad habits!

Again - sorry OP if this is off-topic.

Edited February 26, 2010 by NicGSDlover

[persephone]

<<<Sorry if I'm not able to see the funny side of dogs (regardless of size) having their hackles up.>>>

I agree with erny here.

raising hackles simply means teh dog is in a state of arousal- be it fearful or aggressive.

You may 'know' that your dog will not likely attack another, even with hackles raised. Another dog might, however, interpret that signal as something else

Hackles raised in response to something making the dog uneasy is also a worry sometimes- as the dog could be very tense and concerned ..and may not respond in the same way as when relaxed.

Any dog with hackles visible- be it a pug, or a rottie, is not relaxed, and owners should be aware of other body language

Edited February 26, 2010 by persephone

[Erny]

How do you know a piano is not going to drop on your head as you walk past a three legged midget? You just know.

Yes - but if you see the piano teetering overhead, you'd be wise to act by taking precaution.

[Nic oh lah]

All's i'm saying is that in my instance you should meet my dog before you make a judgement on her behaviour and claim that she is provoking other dogs. She's the one who ran up to Huga's little pug, lay down and licked the other dogs chin. She's NOT and aggressive dog, or an unstable dog, or a dog who is going to stir up other dogs with mixed signals.

I know I get on my high horse about things like crossbreeds and other things that I will argue to the death so i'll just back off here and say Your opinion is Your opinion and you are entitled to it, but i'd challenge you to find a fault with my dog's behaviour when meeting other dogs - of course there are exceptions - for instance I have to call her and keep her with me for a slow introduction with blue heelers because these dogs she could annoy because she just follows them around nonstop and becomes really fixated on them IF i let her continue with that behaviour - but this is something i work with and it's only with 2 blue heelers that I know, and also Huga's dog Harry - every time he walked past Sophie wanted to follow him nonstop. This is because she gets confused by dogs that are extremely focused on a toy as I think she doesnt understand their behaviour. However if I see this happening I step in and intervene to make her know it's not acceptable and then she goes on her merry way and will play nice, not shadowing the other dog.

And this little quirk of hers does not involve hackles up. Basically when another dog runs over TO HER she walks over to meet them, and whilst sniffing and licking her hackles raise for maybe 10-15 seconds, and then intro over, hackles down, lets play. I'm expecting to be slammed for trying to explain it, but I think that whilst she's being vulnerable with a new dog and licking under the chin and offering her submission to the other dog, her hackles are up as to not make herself vulnerable enough to warrant an attack from another dog. A word from me and hackles are down, and its a 10seconds thing when another dog approaches her for an introduction, she's not hooning around the park hackles up or spooked.

[Erny]

All's i'm saying is that in my instance you should meet my dog before you make a judgement on her behaviour and claim that she is provoking other dogs. She's the one who ran up to Huga's little pug, lay down and licked the other dogs chin. She's NOT and aggressive dog, or an unstable dog, or a dog who is going to stir up other dogs with mixed signals.

All we (or at least I) are saying is that not all dogs might see your dog the way you do. I'm not saying your dog's intent is to provoke or stir up other dogs, nor am I "judging your dog" - if you think that, please point out where I've said it. But some dogs can respond differently to what you might expect to these signals, even if you don't think they mean anything of much. Some dogs respond to the uncertainty they recognise in other dogs, and not necessarily in an appropriate way, or the way we'd rather them. I would not deny that you know your dog - how could I? But can you deny that you don't know all other dogs?

I don't want to make a bigger deal than I might have already, regards to your dog's hackles. But I was concerned about the complacency expressed in some posts about the presence of hackles, and them being "cute". Hackles are a sign of tension. They should not be disregarded, just because the dog is small. That in itself has not been expressed (smallness of dog) but it is the impression I'm getting.

As I mentioned/asked in my previous post, would there be as much complacency about this signal of the dog's emotions if the dog were are larger breed? Discrimination of whether behaviour is ok or not often occurs in size differences. That's how and often why we have many 'snappy' little dogs ..... the early signals for fear/uncertainty were ignored and as time and experiences marched on, the behaviour escalated.

I'm just saying "watch it" and take some heed in what your little pug might be saying. Doesn't mean you need to do more than what you already do (I couldn't know because as you say, I'm not there to see your dog), but don't dismiss it too easily.

ETA: Sorry - I didn't realised that this thread switched to being your dog and perhaps your dog is not little. Point being, "hackles" are telling you something. Don't ignore them, nor think hackles on any dog (big OR small) are "cute".

Edited February 26, 2010 by Erny

[Nic oh lah]

All's i'm saying is that in my instance you should meet my dog before you make a judgement on her behaviour and claim that she is provoking other dogs. She's the one who ran up to Huga's little pug, lay down and licked the other dogs chin. She's NOT and aggressive dog, or an unstable dog, or a dog who is going to stir up other dogs with mixed signals.

All we (or at least I) are saying is that not all dogs might see your dog the way you do. I'm not saying your dog's intent is to provoke or stir up other dogs, nor am I "judging your dog" - if you think that, please point out where I've said it. But some dogs can respond differently to what you might expect to these signals, even if you don't think they mean anything of much. Some dogs respond to the uncertainty they recognise in other dogs, and not necessarily in an appropriate way, or the way we'd rather them. I would not deny that you know your dog - how could I? But can you deny that you don't know all other dogs?

I don't want to make a bigger deal than I might have already, regards to your dog's hackles. But I was concerned about the complacency expressed in some posts about the presence of hackles, and them being "cute". Hackles are a sign of tension. They should not be disregarded, just because the dog is small. That in itself has not been expressed (smallness of dog) but it is the impression I'm getting.

As I mentioned/asked in my previous post, would there be as much complacency about this signal of the dog's emotions if the dog were are larger breed? Discrimination of whether behaviour is ok or not often occurs in size differences. That's how and often why we have many 'snappy' little dogs ..... the early signals for fear/uncertainty were ignored and as time and experiences marched on, the behaviour escalated.

I'm just saying "watch it" and take some heed in what your little pug might be saying. Doesn't mean you need to do more than what you already do (I couldn't know because as you say, I'm not there to see your dog), but don't dismiss it too easily.

And i fully 2nd what erny is saying. Hackles ARE a danger sign, aren't cute, and that's why i've worked hard to understand why my dog is doing this and am working with her to get her to stop this behaviour. I am confident in her behaviour, but others arent and i completely respect that, and at the end of the day I know the hackles are a physical demonstration of some level of "usure" from my dog which i dont want to see. I've only had Sophie 3 months, prior to which she was beaten by humans, and had not been socialised with other dogs which i'm sure is a factor for this behaviour, but I know she's not aggressive and am trying to get rid of this behaviour by making careful introductions and letting her trust me. She's not aggressive or unstable, she's come light years since she's been with us, and she's a wonderful gentle social dog, and I am taking steps to have the hackles cease, but I just get annoyed when people hint that my dog is provoking other dogs etc because I'm careful about where and with who she socialises. I guess really she's being rehabilitated from an awful start to life, and this hackles thing is a throwback to her past. I want her to move past this but in the meantime I get irritated that people judge her as dangerous or aggressive for being cautious whilst submissive. However this week when we had a stranger invade our yard and I was home alone with only the dogs I was delighted that she got hackles up and defended me. She's a great dog.

So basically, Sophie = great dog, Hackles = something I want rid of, and Hackles are never "cute". We all good?

Edited for spelling -and to clarfiy that I never said hackles were cute, and that yes, my dog is friggin massive! lol.

Edited February 26, 2010 by NicGSDlover

[Erny]

Edited for spelling -and to clarfiy that I never said hackles were cute, and that yes, my dog is friggin massive! lol.

No - Lab_Rat did. I'm not even sure how how what I've said has been taken as if it were marked for you .

[Nic oh lah]

Edited for spelling -and to clarfiy that I never said hackles were cute, and that yes, my dog is friggin massive! lol.

No - Lab_Rat did. I'm not even sure how how what I've said has been taken as if it were marked for you .

Um - because you quoted my comments? Oh well - never mind.

[Erny]

Edited for spelling -and to clarfiy that I never said hackles were cute, and that yes, my dog is friggin massive! lol.

No - Lab_Rat did. I'm not even sure how how what I've said has been taken as if it were marked for you .

Um - because you quoted my comments? Oh well - never mind.

And sorry, but you posted directly after me, starting with the words "Alls I'm saying ..." so I thought that post was directed at me.

But agree ..... never mind.

[Greytmate]

Cats get hackles up too. I would imagine some other mammals would as well.

[Nic oh lah]

I was shocked when Vader's went up the other day! It just looked so weird on a Greyhound! Like he was a bit of paper that had been folded and been in a pocket in the washing machine!