Size Does Not Excuse Behaviour!

[Adnil444]

I agree with everything people are saying. I attend weekly obedience classes with my dogs and I have yet to see any swfs in the classes - considering the proliferation of them being sold in petshops and over the internet etc, you would think that the owners would want to train them, but they don't. I've spoken to other responsible dog owners that attend other obedience classes and they say the same thing. Most of these swfs are sold into families but will not receive the proper socialisation, will not receive enough exercise and will not receive any training. The majority will probably be "humanised" and babied and will not be treated like dogs. They then think it is appropriate to take these dogs to off-leash parks and wonder why problems arise. I have 9 of these horrible little dogs in my street (within 70 or so metres) and I don't like using the term horrible, but they are and it is all because of their owners. They are never walked, not trained, rush everything that walks past their homes, bark incessantly etc. I feel for these dogs as they are obviously not content in their lives. Imagine never going outside your own home, life would be so boring. The owners are totally responsible for these dogs and their actions.

My girl (dobexrottie) has become much more tolerant of these dogs, but I know longer go to dog parks unless it is segregated. I believe all dog parks should be separated. I've worked very hard with my dogs to ensure that they are tolerant of just about anything. It's such as shame that owners of swfs don't do the same.

[newfsie]

It has nothing to do with the size of the dog. Its not acceptable for ANY dog to be acting that way and it is the owners responsibility to do something about it.

The title of this thread should read 'idiots and ignorance does not excuse behaviour!'

It works both ways. I see big dogs being harassed by small dogs at the park but I also see small dogs harass big dogs at the park too.

I for one have a small dog who can be reactive to bigger dogs. I manage this and work on it every day and would NEVER let her harass another dog. But honestly this reactivity has been stemmed from her being attacked and harassed by other big dogs many many times. Why do big dog owners allow their dogs to harass my dog?

It works both ways.

So seriously forget about the size of the dog and start looking at the owners as the true issue!

Sorry but the number of times my Dane has been rushed at my SWF is...who knows....lost count....I've even had to kick them off my dog.

I'm also sick of people not training and socialising small dogs properly just because they're small and can be picked up or more easily handled.

I have the same issue.........I have even had a swf hanging of one of my newfies lips, ouch......But my newfs are very good at ignoring the smaller aggressive dogs.

I make a great effort at the kennel Club to help small dog owners who want help with getting their little ones used to big dogs. there are also lots of small dog owners who do make the effort. i meet them every week at our beginners classes and advanced classes at our kennel Club.

[Danois]

Geez - what an old thread to dredge up

Wish I could say my original post was a one off but sadly no. I even had to resort to roaring back at a SWF who was nipping around my dog's face (after putting my dog behind me) while its owners attempted without success to recall their dog.

I even started to think - ok maybe it's something about my dog's body language etc so got a professional assessment only to be reassured that he offers all the right behaviours.

And PS - it is not amusing from my perspective for you to encourage your dog over to mine telling me you want to see what happens (i.e. how your dog reacts to mine).

[Dash]

i like this topic! and as being the owner of 3 completely different breeds i am so aware of this!

Having first of all the 11 year old TINY white fluffy thing (Maltese terrier), Millie, with no teeth left!,

The 2 1/2 year old Australian Cattle, Sid (my baby!)

And the newsest arrival, 4 month old dash who is a StaffyX.

we face this problem every day! Sid being the big boisterous, crazy boy he is, he rounds poor Millie up without too much aggression from her (i think he thinks she is a mini sheep! until he gets too rough then she goes nuts.

Then poor dash comes along, the pup wants to play and Millie (being so small and getting hurt by Dash's bouncy big playing) wont have a bar of it! no excuse for her behaviour but in her defence she has no teeth left!

then the neighbouring dogs walk past and Sid casually walks to the fence to say hi, then the furry missile lets loose, charging with lack of teeth bared. it is ridiculous and scary as she is so dumb it would be her own fault if she was to provoke another dog and of course we dont want her getting hurt!

i also have a problem with a neighbour of our who walks 2 smallish basenji's past our fence and deliberately lets them up to our fence to provoke the cattle dog, his 2 dogs act with pack mentality and are very aggressive and have actually grabbed Sid through the fence, Sid who wouldnt hurt a fly didnt know what hit him! this man makes me so angry!! he has all this room and even has to walk through trees to get to our fence! :D

people with ANY sized dog, particulary small dogs as they are more likely to be aggressive and territorial need to be in control! its for its own benifit not just everyone elses!!

Cheers!

[Greytmate]

Dash, you might want to look after your old dog a bit better by stopping the young dogs from hassling her to the point where she has to growl at them. She obviously isn't big enough and doesn't have the teeth to stop them herself. Why wouldn't you excuse her behaviour? Is she supposed to allow herself to be used as a plaything by your younger, larger and more boisterous dogs?

Also, it is a natural instinct for many dogs to aggressively bark to guard their property. If it is a problem, you need to take action, not the rest of the world outside your property boundary.

[Dash]

Quite clearly you think it is ok, even legal for a stranger to walk there dogs on another persons property. it is not ok for someone to walk there dogs up to another persons fence without permission, this is still our land until where the boundary stops which in our case is well beyond our fence. please dont comment on what you dont know.

and do some research, it is NOT instinctive for a dog to be aggressive, it is instinct to be protective, there is a massive difference.

where in my post did i state that we allowed the other dogs to hurt her? i dont recall every saying we let her get in harms way and as for the way we look after our old dog, we have rescued countless dogs and other animals over the years and all of our animals are in the best health and state of mind.

please dont jump the gun and decide to be the moral voice when you clearly dont know what you are talking about. we love all our animals and have the money, space and time for them and more.

Dash, you might want to look after your old dog a bit better by stopping the young dogs from hassling her to the point where she has to growl at them. She obviously isn't big enough and doesn't have the teeth to stop them herself. Why wouldn't you excuse her behaviour? Is she supposed to allow herself to be used as a plaything by your younger, larger and more boisterous dogs?

Also, it is a natural instinct for many dogs to aggressively bark to guard their property. If it is a problem, you need to take action, not the rest of the world outside your property boundary.

[Danois]

what a delightful way to start out on a new forum

[Dash]

what a delightful way to start out on a new forum

Hahaha i know right!

couldnt believe it...you try and reply to a friendly post and get assaulted about the way i treat my animals! i wouldnt be on here if i didnt love my dogs! :D

[Danois]

what a delightful way to start out on a new forum

Hahaha i know right!

couldnt believe it...you try and reply to a friendly post and get assaulted about the way i treat my animals! i wouldnt be on here if i didnt love my dogs! :D

Ah no - I meant your post in response :D

Edited February 4, 2011 by Danois

[Dash]

what a delightful way to start out on a new forum

Hahaha i know right!

couldnt believe it...you try and reply to a friendly post and get assaulted about the way i treat my animals! i wouldnt be on here if i didnt love my dogs! :D

Ah no - I meant your post :D

well i dont think what they said was exactly polite. my post was standing up for myself. wouldnt you agree?

[Danois]

Take a deep breath, gauge the tone of the forum and your time here will be enjoyable. Go in boots and all and you'll get people's backs up.

For the record, your post made me raise my eyebrows too and Greytmate raised some very valid points. Also pays to remember that people can only go on the information you post.

[Dash]

Take a deep breath, gauge the tone of the forum and your time here will be enjoyable. Go in boots and all and you'll get people's backs up.

For the record, your post made me raise my eyebrows too and Greytmate raised some very valid points. Also pays to remember that people can only go on the information you post.

i honestly cant see how it would have raised eyebrows, my small dog is aggressive unprovoked to any dog. i worry she will get hurt. she lives with the other 2 and only just tolerates being in the same room even if the oher 2 arent near her! the post was supposed to be informative about the different breeds living together not a way of saying we let our dogs drive each other crazy!

anyway, i do agree with you that people can only go by the words on the page i just believe the tone of the reply was a little accusing and for any dog lover to have someone say the way they treat there dogs isnt good is going to get your back up! i'm sure you would agree with that

[raineth]

Take a deep breath, gauge the tone of the forum and your time here will be enjoyable. Go in boots and all and you'll get people's backs up.

For the record, your post made me raise my eyebrows too and Greytmate raised some very valid points. Also pays to remember that people can only go on the information you post.

i honestly cant see how it would have raised eyebrows, my small dog is aggressive unprovoked to any dog. i worry she will get hurt. she lives with the other 2 and only just tolerates being in the same room even if the oher 2 arent near her! the post was supposed to be informative about the different breeds living together not a way of saying we let our dogs drive each other crazy!

anyway, i do agree with you that people can only go by the words on the page i just believe the tone of the reply was a little accusing and for any dog lover to have someone say the way they treat there dogs isnt good is going to get your back up! i'm sure you would agree with that

the thing is that from what you wrote it doesn't sound unprovoked.

Well adjusted and socialised dogs will tell rude dogs off.

You said one of your dogs tried to herd your little dog and the other one tried to play with her but due to the size difference it is too rough. Most dogs would stand up for themselves in that situation by growling and snapping.

She has probably told them before with other body language that she has had enough before she steps it up to the growling and snapping stage.

If she had teeth she would give them a nip and it would probably be enough for them to learn their manners with her.

I really think it is up to you to stand up for her. Put the other dogs in a time out if they start harrassing her. She is small and old and needs you to be step in for her.

I won't comment on the fence fighting it does sound like a frustating situation. If he is on your land you can report him to the police or the counsel.

[Dash]

Take a deep breath, gauge the tone of the forum and your time here will be enjoyable. Go in boots and all and you'll get people's backs up.

For the record, your post made me raise my eyebrows too and Greytmate raised some very valid points. Also pays to remember that people can only go on the information you post.

i honestly cant see how it would have raised eyebrows, my small dog is aggressive unprovoked to any dog. i worry she will get hurt. she lives with the other 2 and only just tolerates being in the same room even if the oher 2 arent near her! the post was supposed to be informative about the different breeds living together not a way of saying we let our dogs drive each other crazy!

anyway, i do agree with you that people can only go by the words on the page i just believe the tone of the reply was a little accusing and for any dog lover to have someone say the way they treat there dogs isnt good is going to get your back up! i'm sure you would agree with that

the thing is that from what you wrote it doesn't sound unprovoked.

Well adjusted and socialised dogs will tell rude dogs off.

You said one of your dogs tried to herd your little dog and the other one tried to play with her but due to the size difference it is too rough. Most dogs would stand up for themselves in that situation by growling and snapping.

She has probably told them before with other body language that she has had enough before she steps it up to the growling and snapping stage.

If she had teeth she would give them a nip and it would probably be enough for them to learn their manners with her.

I really think it is up to you to stand up for her. Put the other dogs in a time out if they start harrassing her. She is small and old and needs you to be step in for her.

I won't comment on the fence fighting it does sound like a frustating situation. If he is on your land you can report him to the police or the counsel.

Definitely, she doesnt mind sid rounding her up she normally tells him off and he leaves her alone, normally it is just every other dog she is aggressive with.

as for the fence we have definitely thought about ringing council, he seems to get a kick out of it! his dogs have bitten people before also so next time he does it i think i will make the call :D

[fuzzy82]

There are plenty of badly behaved big dogs too. It's not a small dog problem, it's a general dog owner problem where a lot of people don't bother training their dogs and expect them to train themselves and instinctively know good behaviour from birth.

I have two small dogs, they are super friendly, well trained and we often walk around our huge local dog park. Pretty much every time there is a big dog running up to us. They usually end up being friendly, but it's quite scary when a dog 10 times the size of yours is running at you at full speed, and when they do reach us they are usually over excited and intimidate my dogs (who usually just end up sitting on my feet letting the big dogs sniff them, no growling or aggression at all). My dogs never run up to other dogs, usually they stay well away from them, if they do go up to other dogs they are calm with good manners.

Even in training class there are big dogs who regularly snap at other dogs, and dogs that are so big that their tiny female handler has no control. One of my dogs is already worried around bigger dogs due to being attacked by a big dog once, and a huge GSD pulling his handler around in class doesn't help her fear, and it makes it difficult for her to focus. He would probably be perfectly fine if they met, but he was too excited to remember his doggy manners and I spent the whole class just trying to stay out of his way.

Edited February 5, 2011 by fuzzy82

[sallyandtex]

Just a bit off topic, but i am a bit disturbed that some "small" breed owners I have met will hit their dog if they bark or act aggressive when a large dog approaches. I would imagine it is a (mostly unwarranted) fear based tactic on the small dogs part.

What would you say to the owner in the case (if anything/)?

P.S.

Sally generally avoids smaller dogs, but is more interested in her size to play with etc.

[rubiton]

We came across a small wandering dog this morning in one of the parks - Im thinking oh no I dont have my phone after thinking maybe should check the collar (turned out there was no collar). Then it showed its true colours it saw us not friendly at all approached but there was enough space to go past and it had the unbroken stare at my dog. And the stiff legged walk. Im watching this dog and as we pass it is a metre away and starts growling to add to the stare and rigid pose. Then it tried to get around the back and rush my dog - quick thinking and got it with a light backwards kick in the ribs it was only then it backed off a bit further (I growled and charged it to see it off and it also ran back towards to houses away from the main road). I didnt need this dog attaching itself to mine and creating an expensive vet bill - especially her back legs. There was no id on it and there are plenty SWF living in the area.

But the signs were there the unbroken stare at my dog, the stiff walk the rigid pose and the growling - all aggressive behaviours. Luckily for dogs like this my dogs reaction is to put me between her and the aggressive dog.

[sas]

Just a bit off topic, but i am a bit disturbed that some "small" breed owners I have met will hit their dog if they bark or act aggressive when a large dog approaches. I would imagine it is a (mostly unwarranted) fear based tactic on the small dogs part.

What would you say to the owner in the case (if anything/)?

P.S.

Sally generally avoids smaller dogs, but is more interested in her size to play with etc.

I wouldn't say anything to the owner, most people don't take well to having a stranger tell them how to manage their dog.

The only time I would comtemplate saying anything is if the dog was being treated cruely or was in danger.

[sallyandtex]

Just a bit off topic, but i am a bit disturbed that some "small" breed owners I have met will hit their dog if they bark or act aggressive when a large dog approaches. I would imagine it is a (mostly unwarranted) fear based tactic on the small dogs part.

What would you say to the owner in the case (if anything/)?

P.S.

Sally generally avoids smaller dogs, but is more interested in her size to play with etc.

I wouldn't say anything to the owner, most people don't take well to having a stranger tell them how to manage their dog.

The only time I would comtemplate saying anything is if the dog was being treated cruely or was in danger.

I guess you are right, I just HATE seeing dogs being hit, esp around the face. Prob the reason they are agro in the first place

[kiesha09]

Sid being the big boisterous, crazy boy he is, he rounds poor Millie up without too much aggression from her (i think he thinks she is a mini sheep! until he gets too rough then she goes nuts.

Then poor dash comes along, the pup wants to play and Millie (being so small and getting hurt by Dash's bouncy big playing) wont have a bar of it! no excuse for her behaviour but in her defence she has no teeth left!

I can see why people were concerned about your post. You did infact say that Millie was getting hurt by Dash's bouncy big playing. Just because she doesn't show aggression when being rounded up doesn't mean that your dog is enjoying it. She probably gives off so many warning signals in terms of other body language to warn Sid that she doesn't like being rounded up and the growling is the last straw. I think you should be stopping it at soon as it starts.