Size Does Not Excuse Behaviour!

[Danois]

I don't think I have ever started a thread here venting about the behaviour of other dogs but after my trip to the park today I'm seriously over the behaviour of a large number of small dogs and the attitudes of their owners.

As the owner of a large breed I am certainly expected to have complete control over my dog around other dogs - including expecting him not to harass other dogs, to be able to be recalled away without hesitation and not rush other dogs.

Went to Sydney Park today (this is a massive parklands area) and we had 3 separate incidences of small dogs being aggressive.

First one was when I was getting a coffee and he was at my side - 2 SWFs ran up and were snapping and growly. I told the owner to control her dogs and her reply was 'oh sorry he's just like that'.

Next one was when we were walking - passed a couple with 3 small poodley type dogs - 1 came over to Boo and they interacted nicely with a few sniffs - the other 2 then ran over and essentially it turned into a pack 'attack' on Boo with the one who he'd interacted with joining in.

3rd one was a little min pin type on a lead lunging and snarling at him.

In each instance the owners really did nothing to stop their dogs behaviour or even prevent it happening. However if the shoe was on the other foot and it was my dog displaying those behaviours to small dogs I don't doubt I'd have the rangers knocking on my door or would be abused by the owners for having a dangerous/ aggressive dog.

Why do these owners not see that their dogs behaviour is aggressive and unacceptable - rather they seem to think it is cute that their dog is being brave and taking on the big dog. They even make a joke to this end instead of getting their dog under control.

I don't want to resort to carrying a stick when I walk my dog but I am sick of it and dislike the fact that my dog is now wary of all small dogs as he thinks they're going to have a go.

Rant over :D :p

[Trisven13]

I feel your pain.

I took Bart twice to a once a month doggy get together here in Albury only for him to have a maltese mix in his face growling & barking non-stop. The owner just laughed and said "oh he's so funny, he doesn't like big black dogs". Yeah it will be frigging hysterical if Bart gets sick of it in 10 minutes and snaps at your dog..... :D :p

[Starkehre]

I feel your pain too Danois and Trisven.

I no longer go to off leash parks, because my large breed dogs get blamed when a small dog comes up and attacks unprovoked.

People tend to always blame the biggest dog, no matter how well it has behaved.

[Danois]

I feel your pain too Danois and Trisven.

I no longer go to off leash parks, because my large breed dogs get blamed when a small dog comes up and attacks unprovoked.

People tend to always blame the biggest dog, no matter how well it has behaved.

Funnily enough dyzney - we met a young entire male rotty there and he was the biggest pussycat!

[tdierikx]

I feel your pain... all you want to do is have a nice day out with yer best mate, and dickheads manage to mess it up for you... grrr!

T.

[Vehs]

Dan - your dog will always be in the wrong. Just talk very loudly to Boo about the situation so the irresponsible owners can hear you.

I did just that yesterday with the D, "Oh, it's no wonder you are upset, you are so excited to goto the dog park and these rude dogs won't let you in and keep barking at you" :D

[Henrietta]

No, size is no excuse for behaviour. I own a small aggressive dog myself and I try my best to not put her in situations for her to react and certainly never offlead in a public place. And never where she can get into another dog's personal space (on or off lead).

If we were walking down the street (onlead) and I made a handler error and she reacted I would be very apologetic. This hasn't happened in a while because we are both getting better. But I certainly don't stand there and do nothing or laugh and make jokes.

I am at a loss though, as to why people think this is appropriate. Even if they were completely selfish individuals that don't give a stuff about anyone else's dogs... can they not see that they are in fact putting their own dogs in danger?

I guess they are either ignorant and uneducated or they are downright irresponsible.

[Dory the Doted One]

What about using the camera on your phone and a quick call to the Dog Ranger?

Or even a threat to that effect?

[Sky_Mel]

I can definitely relate.

I was at the park the other day with my GSD girl (Off Leash) and I avoid dogs there as so many at my local park just don't listen to their owners. One Small Poodle x came out of nowhere and launched at my girl, the owner couldn't care less and was on his mobile phone. I of course get the filthy look when my dog just barked at the one coming towards us. We were just minding our own business and enjoying our walk. I try and walk at the quieter times.

[WreckitWhippet]

I've just boarded a little bastard of a dog for three days. No manners, not socialised, snarls and snaps at anything and of course it's fine, as it's just a small dog. Not just aggressive and out of control around other dogs but has some lovely habits like hiding behind things and then running out to bite you.

[koalathebear]

We were at the shops with our dog yesterday, had just got him calm and he was sitting there. Then a small off-lead maltese rushed at him and tried to attack him, Elbie then became irate. My husband picked up Elbie immediately and eventually the owner came along to retrieve his dog. I guess he thought it was fine for his dog to be offlead because it's small.

Our neighbour also has a small terrier that's always escaping her house and running around on the road. As he frequently comes onto our lawn to poop, I'm in constant fear that we're going to run over the thing by accident when we reverse our car :D She seems very relaxed about his escapist ways which is weird given that we live very close to a main road!

[doggywoof]

Hi Danois, I agree with you completely. And can I just add that I think the attitude of some other people who think because Corey is only a little dog (6.5kgs) that he wont bite/lunge/possibly hurt their 'big dog' pisses me off too... Luckily my dog is under my control when we are out and about...

[julzjc]

Deffinatly can relate to this. I have resorted to carrying a stick when I walk my dogs but especially when I walk Bonnie. People think its alright to allow their small dogs to harass and attack her as "oh they dont like "staffys"", or " its ok. It will teach my dog a lesson when your dog bites him back.". I mean WTF, my dogs "lesson" will end up with you having one less dog (ie the stick is more for their dogs protection then Bonnies). Bonnie is getting better but her reactiveness to the odd dog has been caused by small dogs going for her. I have previously had small dogs (papillions) and believe it or not I had Tyke muzzled whenever I had to take him to crowded places or when visitors where in our home. He was also on light seditives for a while untill he got older and became safe again. There is no excuse for not controling a small dog just because of its size. Downright irresponsible!

Tyke was a fantastic dog untill he was stolen for our yard(around 6mths old) and brutaly beaten by teenages to within an inch of his life. No such thing as beahaviousist where we lived so took such extreme measures to keep him/other people safe untill he was re-socialised. Fantastic with kids under5 and adults 30+ but not with anyone between those ages without carefull introduction.

[baykinz]

The only dog that has ever bitten me hard enough to break the skin was a little maltese-type creature. I saw it for the first time in the middle of the street, looking lost and dirty, so I had my mother pull the car over so I could pop out and check if it would come to me and if it had a tag with the owner's phone number. It came quite readily, but unfortunately with a lot more growling and snapping than I had expected. I wasn't quick enough at standing up (due to my initial shock at the bundle of fluff lunging at me) to avoid a small wound on my hand, and have since learnt that the nasty little creature lives in one of the houses on the street and is an enemy of all living things. It looked dirty, it seems, because when it escapes the owners just don't worry about it for a few days, and wait for the dog to return of its own accord. I can't imagine wanting to live with a dog that would happily engineer an escape from the garden in order to attack a wider variety of people and pets (and it's never seemed very friendly with its owners, either).

[koalathebear]

The only dog that has ever bitten me hard enough to break the skin was a little maltese-type creature.

Oh baykinz ... you've just brought back a horrible memory. When I was a little kid, I was out riding my bike when the street's savage German Shepherd (he had bitten several people before) knocked me off my bike and bit my thigh. Legs all bloody from the fall and the bite, I went racing down the road screaming my head off with the dog behind me - just as I got to my front yard, the aggressive maltese across the road joined in and bit me on the ankle before I managed to get inside the house! The story sounds funny now, but at the time it was very traumatic for Mini Koala ... Especially as I had to have tetanus shots that same morning :D

Edited August 15, 2010 by koalathebear

[CrazyCresties]

And can I just add that I think the attitude of some other people who think because Corey is only a little dog (6.5kgs) that he wont bite/lunge/possibly hurt their 'big dog' pisses me off too... Luckily my dog is under my control when we are out and about...

Have to agree with that statement - I know Louis has issue due to his poor start in life ( http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=202474 ) and as a result I always keep him on the leash and very close to me when other off leash dogs come close. But we went to the beach a couple of days ago (mid-week knowing it would be quiet) which it was so Daisy was off lead, but someone came onto the beach and let their dog come flying up straight into Louis face - surely if a dog is on lead it's on lead for a reason at places like this, and you should keep your dog away from it :D

The only dog that has ever bitten me hard enough to break the skin was a little maltese-type creature. I saw it for the first time in the middle of the street, looking lost and dirty, so I had my mother pull the car over so I could pop out and check if it would come to me and if it had a tag with the owner's phone number. It came quite readily, but unfortunately with a lot more growling and snapping than I had expected. I wasn't quick enough at standing up (due to my initial shock at the bundle of fluff lunging at me) to avoid a small wound on my hand, and have since learnt that the nasty little creature lives in one of the houses on the street and is an enemy of all living things. It looked dirty, it seems, because when it escapes the owners just don't worry about it for a few days, and wait for the dog to return of its own accord. I can't imagine wanting to live with a dog that would happily engineer an escape from the garden in order to attack a wider variety of people and pets (and it's never seemed very friendly with its owners, either).

Sorry you got bitten, but it sounds to me that the ones to blame in this situation are the owners who obviously have not given this dog a good start to life :p

Edited August 15, 2010 by CrazyCresties

[Adnil444]

I hear you totally and I'm over it. These owners are relying on the good natures of the bigger dogs to excuse their dogs intolerable behaviour. There is no separate rule for small dogs and bigger dogs in my opinion. Imagine if the big dogs behaved that way - there would be a complete uproar. I know of lots of big dog owners who now cannot let their dogs offleash around these swfs anymore because of their behaviour and the swfs get let off scott free. Dog parks should be segregated and swf owners should be made to understand that they must control their dogs just as they are relying on the owners of the big dogs to control their dogs. It's the same rule for all.

[Adnil444]

No, size is no excuse for behaviour. I own a small aggressive dog myself and I try my best to not put her in situations for her to react and certainly never offlead in a public place. And never where she can get into another dog's personal space (on or off lead).

If we were walking down the street (onlead) and I made a handler error and she reacted I would be very apologetic. This hasn't happened in a while because we are both getting better. But I certainly don't stand there and do nothing or laugh and make jokes.

I am at a loss though, as to why people think this is appropriate. Even if they were completely selfish individuals that don't give a stuff about anyone else's dogs... can they not see that they are in fact putting their own dogs in danger?

I guess they are either ignorant and uneducated or they are downright irresponsible.

Hi Emm, glad to read that you don't fit the bill of swf owners - I wish all of them could be like you!! :D

[Adnil444]

I've just boarded a little bastard of a dog for three days. No manners, not socialised, snarls and snaps at anything and of course it's fine, as it's just a small dog. Not just aggressive and out of control around other dogs but has some lovely habits like hiding behind things and then running out to bite you.

Oh sounds like the perfect pet dog - Not!! How can people allow their dog(s) to get like this. The dog surely can't enjoy it's life living like that, nor can the owner.

[baykinz]

Oh baykinz ... you've just brought back a horrible memory. When I was a little kid, I was out riding my bike when the street's savage German Shepherd (he had bitten several people before) knocked me off my bike and bit my thigh. Legs all bloody from the fall and the bite, I went racing down the road screaming my head off with the dog behind me - just as I got to my front yard, the aggressive maltese across the road joined in and bit me on the ankle before I managed to get inside the house! The story sounds funny now, but at the time it was very traumatic for Mini Koala ... Especially as I had to have tetanus shots that same morning :p

That's not funny; it's awful! We had some pretty scary German Shepherds on our block when I was a kid, too, but they all stayed in their yards. The loose dog the neighbourhood kids were all afraid of was a medium-smallish white dog who ran loose (never saw a big dog off its leash while outside its yard as a kid) and I have many memories of running frantically down the street with him in hot pursuit. We used to run out in front of the cars on a busy road our street connected with because the dog wouldn't cross it and we were more afraid of being bitten than being hit! Obviously I'm lucky I haven't developed a complex about roaming white dogs under 40cm at the shoulder. :D