Reverse Rant- Good Dog Owners

[HeavyPaws]

We all know shoddy dog owners that we wouldn't trust with a dead mouse, let alone a puppy, and we all bang our heads on the wall at times over the pure undiluted stupidity of some owners but...there are good owners out there, and surely, surely we know some.

My own story, I was walking Moon at the creek yesterday, dilly-dallying as usual and looking at the ducks, and a lady with a rott pup came up and said "Hi, I was just wondering if I could greet your dog? He's not been socialised with a giant breed yet" {hand motion at her pup} and we did a lovely little greet.

Her pup Binka was shy at first but warned up quickly when she knelt next to him and put her hand on his back, and they both greeted Moon together.

In the end they were rolling around licking and play-bowing, she told him to "settle down", and he sat and looked up at her, she gave him a treat and Moon got one too {liver, mmmm}, then we talked for a bit and I got her number to arrange a play date.

In a town that is home to idiots with "staffies", oodles and yappy aggressive leash rats with zero social skills and the manners of an ape, this was like a breath of fresh air.

Binka was very calm and her technique with him was fantastic to watch.

He was presented with a dog so much larger than himself, he showed that he was unsure and instead of ignoring his body-language or pushing him past his comfort zone, she showed him in turn that everything was okay, she gave her support with a touch but let the meet be independant, and when he was sure of himself she stood up and let him proceed.

He got a bit worked up at once point and Moon got a nip on her tail, she put a paw on his neck and pushed him down gently but the owner didn't interfere at all, she didn't scoop him up screeching "Oh my dear puppykins! The big mean dog hurt you?! Bad big doggy!", she just looked down and then back up to talk to me.

And afterwards, with the settle command, even though Moon was standing right there ready to play and was a huge distraction, he still sat next to his Mummy, and looked up, completely ignoring us.

Of course 30 seconds later once she said "alright", he was like "Bye Mum, who cares about the stupid treat, here's a big dog and she smells like ducks!"

He was a fantastic example of his breed and I can fully expect him to grow up to continue being an awesome reminder that BSL is stupid.

So tell me how much YOU love responsible owners, and what experiences you've had with people that make you feel like there's hope in the world

[buggerme]

what a lovely story - thanks for sharing !

We all know shoddy dog owners that we wouldn't trust with a dead mouse, let alone a puppy, and we all bang our heads on the wall at times over the pure undiluted stupidity of some owners but...there are good owners out there, and surely, surely we know some.

My own story, I was walking Moon at the creek yesterday, dilly-dallying as usual and looking at the ducks, and a lady with a rott pup came up and said "Hi, I was just wondering if I could greet your dog? He's not been socialised with a giant breed yet" {hand motion at her pup} and we did a lovely little greet.

Her pup Binka was shy at first but warned up quickly when she knelt next to him and put her hand on his back, and they both greeted Moon together.

In the end they were rolling around licking and play-bowing, she told him to "settle down", and he sat and looked up at her, she gave him a treat and Moon got one too {liver, mmmm}, then we talked for a bit and I got her number to arrange a play date.

In a town that is home to idiots with "staffies", oodles and yappy aggressive leash rats with zero social skills and the manners of an ape, this was like a breath of fresh air.

Binka was very calm and her technique with him was fantastic to watch.

He was presented with a dog so much larger than himself, he showed that he was unsure and instead of ignoring his body-language or pushing him past his comfort zone, she showed him in turn that everything was okay, she gave her support with a touch but let the meet be independant, and when he was sure of himself she stood up and let him proceed.

He got a bit worked up at once point and Moon got a nip on her tail, she put a paw on his neck and pushed him down gently but the owner didn't interfere at all, she didn't scoop him up screeching "Oh my dear puppykins! The big mean dog hurt you?! Bad big doggy!", she just looked down and then back up to talk to me.

And afterwards, with the settle command, even though Moon was standing right there ready to play and was a huge distraction, he still sat next to his Mummy, and looked up, completely ignoring us.

Of course 30 seconds later once she said "alright", he was like "Bye Mum, who cares about the stupid treat, here's a big dog and she smells like ducks!"

He was a fantastic example of his breed and I can fully expect him to grow up to continue being an awesome reminder that BSL is stupid.

So tell me how much YOU love responsible owners, and what experiences you've had with people that make you feel like there's hope in the world

[tdierikx]

There is hope... yay!!

T.

[Caesars mum]

That is a wonderful story and it is great when you do come across someone who understands their dog and their needs

[Allerzeit]

As a Rottweiler person, it's so nice to read that story! I want to find that owner and shake her hand!!

[corvus]

There's a fellow that sometimes goes to our dog park who has two Labs. They are lean and fit and he practises obedience with them here and there. Just basic stuff like down-stays and come. He has a pup who will turn on a pinhead when he calls her and comes racing back, and he proceeds to shove food in her face. I could cheer.

A new owner has also turned up recently with a mixed breed from the pound. He's quite a young dog and his human family take turns walking him down to the park. They often have treats on them to practise recalls. He is at that age where all the other dogs are a bit mean to him and he seems to incite chaos. His dad is always on the ball and dives in to rescue him whenever it gets a bit crazy, but gives him a chance to sort it out himself first. He was telling us recently that they almost got another dog, I think from a foster carer. They took their current dog to meet it first and the meeting went badly. The owner took the foster dog for a walk to calm down and tried again and it was on again, so they decided that dog wasn't for them. I love hearing about this average family looking out for their dog and trying to do the best by him. And just enjoying having him!

[OSoSwift]

Great to hear. Well done to Binka's mum

[Simply Grand]

I'm really lucky to have come across quite a few good owners at my local dog park. A couple of examples:

There's a man who comes now and then with his old, large male rotti (I think). He starts off with him on a leash when he comes in and does laps around the park, starting out near the fence away from everyone and working his way closer to the other dogs. After quite a while, when he's sure the dog is relaxed and happy and has had positive interactions with all the dogs nearby, he'll let him off leash, but stays right next to him and monitors every interaction. He told me that when he first started taking the dog to the park he couldn't have him around other dogs at all, especially off leash and especially around small dogs as he was very DA, but he wanted to help him get better. After a year or more of work the old dog is now generally calm and happy to greet the other dogs around him.

There are two huskies who are litter mates, who belong to two girls who are twins (I think they're about 12). The dogs are around the same age as Saxon so we've been seeing each other at the dog park for about the last year as they've all been growing up. At first I was worried about kids being responsible for huskies but they've done a great job and the dogs are gorgeous. The parents are always there too of course, but the girls are expected to take responsibility for their dog, and they do. They've always watched them very closely and have monitored who they play with, making sure they are similar size and play style, controlling their greetings with new dogs, and making sure they're gentle with smaller dogs. They also take them to obedience training. Whilst they are still young, boisterous huskies, one in particular, they interact beautifully with other dogs of all shapes and sizes and are very responsive to their owners' (the girls and the parents) instructions. Saxon looooooooves them and when they were smaller they used to play a bit, but now the size difference is so great (Saxon's a toy poodle x maltese) it doesn't work too well so they just say hello and walk around a bit together, although they have been known to lie down and let Saxon walk all over them (literally)

[W Sibs]

it's nice to read about responsible owners like that! thanks for sharing

[mita]

My own story, I was walking Moon at the creek yesterday, dilly-dallying as usual and looking at the ducks, and a lady with a rott pup came up and said "Hi, I was just wondering if I could greet your dog? He's not been socialised with a giant breed yet" {hand motion at her pup} and we did a lovely little greet.

Her pup Binka was shy at first but warned up quickly when she knelt next to him and put her hand on his back, and they both greeted Moon together.

A great story about a productive meeting between 2 knowledgeable & caring dog owners. :p

My Good Owner's story is about the man next door who has racing greyhounds....& loves dogs.

About 12 months ago, his female grey, from champion stock, had 11 puppies (all snapped up by new owners).

But the pups were with our neighbour until they were 4 to 5 months old. In that time, he deliberately socialised them with people, small dogs, little children & primary aged children. Those pups enjoyed all the socialisation they could get....just like any well-raised puppies.

Last week 3 of those former pups came back for a visit on separate days....now young adults at the beginning of their track racing.

Each grey 'remembered' their small dog pals & went into play bows with wagging tails as soon as they saw our 2 tib girls at the back fence.

More play bows & wagging tails as the children next door were brought up to the fence to renew acquaintance. Then they snuggled into the arms of the adult neighbours....lapping up cuddles.

All the while, their original owner & breeder looked on very satisfied. Remarking how their bloodline produces not only champion racers, but dogs with the sweetest, most social natures (thanks to him, actually!). He said if by some slight chance, they don't make it on the track, good pet homes will be found. And, if they do, they'll make great pets on retirement.

Edited July 15, 2010 by mita

[Loving my Oldies]

As a Rottweiler person, it's so nice to read that story! :p I want to find that owner and shake her hand!!

A wonderful story, indeed.

For lovers of breeds like Rottweilers, it must be heartbreaking to see them so poorly trained and/or misunderstood. In another life when I was a volunteer dog walker at a pound, I used to see so many different dogs and was just about sh***ing myself the first time I was to walk a Rottweiler. Did I end up loving them? You bet.

[mackiemad]

what a wonderful story!

it is so nice to know that there will be another example of a well-adjusted rotty in the world