huski Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 (edited) Regardless of whether you care if people pat your puppy or not, I am with LMSW. People shouldn't get annoyed with you for asking them not to pat your dog, and I think it's rude (not to mention dangerous) for people to assume they can pat any dog they come across without asking, especially when it's kids that run over and try to pat your dog without asking. ETA: LMWS maybe you should get one of the DT works harnesses that have the 'in training' or 'give me space' patches you can velcro onto it Edited December 10, 2011 by huski Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusky Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 I think it's pretty natural for people to want to pat puppies, I know in the past I have seen puppies and said hello and didn't feel as though I was being rude. Maybe I was. I do however agree that it's your dog so you get to say what happens and the hostility is strange . If someone told me no you can't pat the pup I'd say no worries and walk on. It's weird to say no to someone wanting to pat a puppy so it's no wonder people get offended. I intentionally take my puppies to busy places so they'll be smothered by strangers wanting to cuddle them. me too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dory the Doted One Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 you dont need to bottleneck your dogs experience to get better focus. Breeds like this should see people as neutral compared to you and that requires a degree of interaction with them. It never ruined any dog I had, nor my new bitch who I actually pushed under peoples noses. She turned out brilliantly and actually doesnt pay heed to other people around because she understands what they're about and any element of curiosity about them is gone. Your dog should always be well socialised especially with small children I dont care what work you want to do with it. Like!!!!!!! I'm disappointed if people don't want to pat my puppies. I want them to be able to deal with kinds of people in a kinds of situations. How can they if their whole environment is so strictly controlled??? Where is the fun and spontenaeity in that??? PLUS I want everyone to be as besotted with my puppy as I am. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esky the husky Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 Again it depends what you are aiming for. I want my next dog to be totally neutralised to other dogs. There is nothing worse than a racing dog that overtakes us on the trail and then turns around and tries to play! Or one that tries to come in from the side. Don't stress out too much LMSW you are doing a great job raising him :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huski Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 Everyone has a different approach to raising a puppy, and also different goals. I love puppies and want to smoosh them all (LOL) but I'd ask first and if the owner didn't want me to pat their puppy for whatever reason I'd be cool with that too. After all, it's not my puppy! IMO we should try to control our puppies socialisation experiences as much as is realistically possible. I got to meet LMSW's pup a couple of weeks ago (and I got puppy cuddles too) and he's a great little pup, she is doing very well with him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trisven13 Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 I think it's pretty natural for people to want to pat puppies, I know in the past I have seen puppies and said hello and didn't feel as though I was being rude. Maybe I was. I do however agree that it's your dog so you get to say what happens and the hostility is strange . If someone told me no you can't pat the pup I'd say no worries and walk on. It's weird to say no to someone wanting to pat a puppy so it's no wonder people get offended. I intentionally take my puppies to busy places so they'll be smothered by strangers wanting to cuddle them. This is how I am and I'd probably think it was odd if someone didn't let me pat their puppy - I wouldn't be offended but I'd think it was a bit odd . I'm just used to puppies equalling loads of attention from the general public. Everyone has a different approach to raising a puppy, and also different goals. I love puppies and want to smoosh them all (LOL) but I'd ask first and if the owner didn't want me to pat their puppy for whatever reason I'd be cool with that too. After all, it's not my puppy! IMO we should try to control our puppies socialisation experiences as much as is realistically possible. I got to meet LMSW's pup a couple of weeks ago (and I got puppy cuddles too) and he's a great little pup, she is doing very well with him Until this thread it never occurred to me that someone would NOT want me to pat their puppy. . Not sure that I will change things as I love that my dogs like to meet people and hang out with strangers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oscar (AmBull) Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 I think the difference in how people approach and pat a puppy is crucial, if it were me, anyone could pat my puppy, as long as they were in the right frame of mind and could contribute to the socialisation, the problem is a lot of people squeel, gush and generally excite puppies... which leads to an overexcited dog later on down the track. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cavstar Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 I think its just common courtesy to ask the owner if you can pat their puppy/dog & kinda think its irresponsible of parents to let their children just run up & pat without checking first. I was always raised never to touch 'strange' dogs without checking with the owner first & I instil this in my own children. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anna Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 Surely the outcome of this interaction as a puppy is determined in no small way by the dog's general temperament? We have two dogs with very different personalities, both of which have been raised around lots of children and with lots of interaction with strangers. The elder one is super excitable, the younger one doesn't bat a single eyelid at anyone (if he can even be bothered opening his eyes in the first place). Their training and socialisation has been more or less the same. The risk you run when you control every single interaction that your dog has is that one day they'll have one that you don't control and you will not be able to predict their behaviour at all. I wouldn't be comfortable with that at all. I want to know that should my dogs escape or be put in an unfamiliar situation that they will have some idea of what behaviour is appropriate. Controlled uncontrolled experiences, I guess. The world is unpredictable. At any rate, if someone asked me not to pat their puppy, I'd be fine with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twodoggies2001 Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 Oh this touches a raw nerve, I used to walk all six of my dogs together but had to stop due to idiots. I now do three separate walks, which makes me fit but annoyed. I've had people grab my dogs tails, stick cameras in their faces without asking, grab their leads and drag them over, I've had on girl see me coming and run straight into the middle of all my dogs and start baby talking and squealing like an idiot, then complaining when the dogs growled at her...it drives me nuts Gosh, you certainly meet some pretty weird people. I must be living on the wrong side of town lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redial Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 (edited) Oh this touches a raw nerve, I used to walk all six of my dogs together but had to stop due to idiots. I now do three separate walks, which makes me fit but annoyed. I've had people grab my dogs tails, stick cameras in their faces without asking, grab their leads and drag them over, I've had on girl see me coming and run straight into the middle of all my dogs and start baby talking and squealing like an idiot, then complaining when the dogs growled at her...it drives me nuts Gosh, you certainly meet some pretty weird people. I must be living on the wrong side of town lol. You have no idea. The other day i was walking my Lurcher and Kelpie past a house and there was a big white fat cat sitting on the footpath, the cat bolted to an old lady sitting on the porch, my Lurcher being a hunting dog got excited and started whining and pulling at the sight of something running. I pulled her back, and sat her down until she was in a calm state of mind, which took about 40 seconds. The old lady in the meantime had made her way to the front gate, where she started chastising me for "Scaring her cat". the cat was laying like a seal on the front step wagging its tail not giving a hoot about anything, she said if I had such an uncontrollable dog I shouldn't walk it... I have no idea what she was on about... So now I have to change my route because I just want to walk my dogs lol that's all and it's like the universe hates me haha Edited December 10, 2011 by redial Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 no offence, but just reading your posts you sound like a grumpy rude person that is snappy - could the tone your telling people not to pat your dog with be more why they r getting offended and not that your saying no? i understand you are having to tell every single stranger 'no' but tough thats life, if they already know that u dont like you dog being petted then they are no longer a stranger! you sound like you are just sick of repeting your self have you stopped to think that your not repeting yourself to the 1 person, these people are not TRYING to annoy you, most people jump at the opportunity for their young pup to be socilised with so many different people that it wont otherwise have the opportunity to meet! and you getting on edge freaking out is not going to help ur dog, hes going to pick up on your tense body language and react differently to that then if you were relaxed. the world is not going to change because your having a cry, instead maybe you should realise that the way your trying to do it is not working and try to change to cater to that, if you want your dog to pay attention to you only then talk to him, idk what is his key for training but if its treats then treat him when you see pplz coming, maybe make him sit and relax and not jump. i havnt had a puppy in 3 years but from memory its not THAT hard to get a dog to be focused on you and how focused do you think hes going to be when he has someone come up to him for a pat when hes older or hes is in a packed area, hes not gonna be paying attention to you when there are new things his not used to, if its a natural occurance then he wont care about it later coz its the old 'been there done that' kinda thing. your being padantic and need to get over it, its going to happen people cant help being happy for you. you cant stop leaves falling off trees, you cant stop the rain from coming, or babies growing and you definatly cant control a stranger! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blitz3 Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 original OP i totally agree with and still get it even though my dog is a year old, its people that think every dog has to meet each other on a walk annoys me the most we may look like we are only walking but for my boy its training to Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roguedog Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 im completely with Nehkbet here, I have a 100% neutral dog (to both humans and other dogs) even under high stress/distraction situations... I didnt stop people meeting and patting my dog as a pup, in fact I encouraged it, I just ensured I was more interesting than they were :D she is completely bomb proof even when nutty people run straight over and give her a hug, coz she knows nothing bad will happen, I exposed her to it from a young age!!!!! In saying that its LMSW's dog and she can do what she pleases with him, just be aware if he has never had someone run over and give him a hig (you cant control every situation) and its never happened to him before, you could end up with a problem... hope all goes well with his training and you end up with the dog you want!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redial Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 (edited) I have two particular dogs that i walk together and I completely disallow anyone to touch them as one is a rescue with a bit of an unpredictable temp he was rescued as a pup but was very poorly bred and both his parents were nasty things, the other is a maremma and even though he's a lovely animal, he takes his job of guarding very seriously and is wary of strangers. The jackrussells are both reserved but friendly and get walked together and the lurcher and kelpie are both very friendly and I walk to lurcher with the kelpie as she is so lovely to every human and dog she meets and I want that to rub off on the kelpie. I don't mind people petting, but when they grab my dog's tails and do obviously stupid stuff, it peeves me so much! Edited December 10, 2011 by redial Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redial Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 no offence, but just reading your posts you sound like a grumpy rude person that is snappy - could the tone your telling people not to pat your dog with be more why they r getting offended and not that your saying no? i understand you are having to tell every single stranger 'no' but tough thats life, if they already know that u dont like you dog being petted then they are no longer a stranger! you sound like you are just sick of repeting your self have you stopped to think that your not repeting yourself to the 1 person, these people are not TRYING to annoy you, most people jump at the opportunity for their young pup to be socilised with so many different people that it wont otherwise have the opportunity to meet! and you getting on edge freaking out is not going to help ur dog, hes going to pick up on your tense body language and react differently to that then if you were relaxed. the world is not going to change because your having a cry, instead maybe you should realise that the way your trying to do it is not working and try to change to cater to that, if you want your dog to pay attention to you only then talk to him, idk what is his key for training but if its treats then treat him when you see pplz coming, maybe make him sit and relax and not jump. i havnt had a puppy in 3 years but from memory its not THAT hard to get a dog to be focused on you and how focused do you think hes going to be when he has someone come up to him for a pat when hes older or hes is in a packed area, hes not gonna be paying attention to you when there are new things his not used to, if its a natural occurance then he wont care about it later coz its the old 'been there done that' kinda thing. your being padantic and need to get over it, its going to happen people cant help being happy for you. you cant stop leaves falling off trees, you cant stop the rain from coming, or babies growing and you definatly cant control a stranger! Was this directed to me or the OP. I wasn't sure as it came under my post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brennan's Mum Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 I'm always happy to allow people to say hello to Brennan provided they ask first. If they don't I step back and tell them that it's ''not a good time to pat her because she's too excitable''. Brennan loves people but can get a bit excitable so I like to be given the chance to put her in a sit, get her calmed down a bit before allowing some one to pat her-- for their safety as much as hers. As a child I was raised to always ask the owner's permission before patting the dog. I don't think I got turned down often, but if/ when I do I just assume the owner has a reason to say no-- doesn't offend me in the slightest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 (edited) the thing is - you are always with your young dog. It should never be out of reach of you or the lead out of your hand in a strange environment hence it should not be a big deal if a someone walks over and has a pat or gushes over them... you are always right there to help your dog learn what to do. If your dog starts getting excited you then redirect the dog back to you, if you cannot get that happening you need a professional to show you how. Not letting your pup at such a great age be exposed to random things and types of people you will invariably run into throughout the dogs life to me, is doing things backwards. Like I said every time this happens its an opportunity to teach the pup you're better and that those weird noises people make are nothing to go spastic over. This is something we did not realise would be so damaging to Oscar- we allowed people to pat him (with and often without our consent) and in general excite him as a puppy, boy have we paid the price, an excited puppy is something people love, a 40kg excited dog is not. A lot of people do not feel the need to even ask permission, whilst others do ask and ignore the response anyway. a bad tradesman blames their tools. It's not the people that have been damaging it's the owners permissiveness of the behaviour that has allowed it to go on. Now it's annoying - because there wasn't enough forethought into trying to shape the dog to behave properly when in that situation. Puppies need to be exposed to things to learn action and consequence, as well as be put in a position where they can learn so practically. Life is random - people will touch your dog, brush against it, bump it, hell i've had people kick one of mine whilst walking through a market and they can deal with it because it's been the overall idea taught to them - no matter WHAT happens look to your handler because they're awesome and they will deal with it. I think the idea of not allowing certain people to touch your dogs is something that needs to be thrown out ESPECIALLY if you plan to have this dog as more then one that lives in a secure run and doesnt go out socially. I shoved my dogs into peoples arms, let them be gushed over, poked, prodded, hell even let kids take the leash and cuddle them. Doesnt make them any less serious when it comes to work and training at all in fact I have seen how much it actually helps... and my dogs will never have a WTF I DONT GET IT look on their face when something random or weird happens. Edited December 10, 2011 by Nekhbet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huski Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 (edited) I don't see anywhere that LMSW has said she doesn't allow people to pat her dog, she just doesn't let everyone who comes up to them pat him. I don't see how that is going to turn her dog into an unsocialised mess that can't cope with anything. I've recently met LMSW's pup and he's a great puppy and she is doing a great job with him. What she is doing is clearly working for her and her pup. Edited December 10, 2011 by huski Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 I don't see anywhere that LMSW has said she doesn't allow people to pat her dog, she just doesn't let everyone who comes up pat him. I don't see how that is going to turn her dog into an unsocialised mess that can't cope with anything.I've recently met LMSW's pup and he's a great puppy and she is doing a great job with him. What she is doing is clearly working for her and her pup. Where did I write that. I'm having a discussion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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