A simple fix! (rant)

Train the owners and the dogs!!!

Go Dogs wrote:
I wanted to add that when I spoke with her about her dogs, she said, "You don't know the breed (JRT), that's how they are.".
I felt as if I was on the, 'Candid-Stupid Neighbor-Camera' show!

Too bad I can't introduce her to Buster the 4 yr old JRT owned by an 11 yr old boy in our 4-H club. That is the nicest mannered JRT I have ever met.

Of course the flexileash does not help with the lack of training and control!


~ Dori ~

So if someone messes with me and I bite them, Am I a bad dog.. um person

Depends on whether or not you've had your rabies shot! :B

There are "bad" dogs as there are "bad" owners. But "bad" is a relative term which holds a different meaning from person to person. Am I a "bad" dog owner because my Springers are spoiled rotten but are well-behaved in public? Or can doggies just have bad days like humans? Or am I going to be judged as a "bad" dog owner when Jesse is a little friendlier than someone might like? Or is "bad" truly in the eye of the beholder? Points to ponder.

Our Texas Heeler is an extremely intelligent dog, smarter than any dog I have ever had and she's an Alpha that was abused before we got her. When we go in public it's a real juggling act we can never take her in crowds without a muzzle, little kids have a habit of coming up behind her to pet her. Last month for the first time in the 71/2 years we've had her (she's 9 yrs. old)the other day we were able too walk her through a major pet store wearing her muzzle and she did not pay any attention to anyone that we passed, thank goodness no tried to pet her, but it was a major improvement. If the owner or the victim uses common sense there is seldom any reason to get bit. We have had people say I bet I can pet her, bad idea thank God I had her on a short lease. Not trying to rant on my dog, just trying to show that with a little common sense there is no reason to get bit and it's not always the dogs fault.

@ bound4fl...

Depends... if you look like Edward Scissorhands.. probably BAD.

If you look like Jeffery Dean Morgan you might get a hall pass ... OR...should I say a bite pass?.......

*evil giggling*
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So if someone messes with me and I bite them, Am I a bad dog.. um person.
Lol

Go Dogs wrote:
If a cornered raccoon bites a child-is it because the raccoon is bad? Or, was it just being a raccoon?
If an Alpha dominant, untrained, unneutered dog is challenged, or has their prey drive activated-and bites someone. Is the dog bad? Or, were the humans entrusted with this dog's care bad?

Nope.. the raccoon is not bad at all (good analogy btw). It's just communicating using the ways of the raccoon. But.. some dogs will move off when challenged while other dogs (with a more alpha nature) will stand their ground and bite to get their point across. A biting dog is also just communicating, but by people standards...that's bad behavior. If a person owns an aggressive dog then it is THEIR responsibility to keep that dog from situations that cause problems... but often times people don't...and the dog pays the high price for doing what comes naturally to it - protecting it's property and family. We had a highly aggressive Rotty/Boxer cross for 10.5 years. She was a walking liability to say the least, but never once in those years we owned her did she get put into a position to follow through with her threats. She was a rescue out of a drug house in Spokane, WA - she was the greatest guard dog we ever owned, but like so many old dogs when she got up there in age she became unpredictable in areas where she had been controllable and reliable as a young dog.

We used to let high school students who were considering careers in vet medicine into the clinic to observe/help out. The FIRST RULE OF THUMB we taught them was that even the kindest of animals will "COMMUNICATE" using their language if fearful or feeling too pressured - "cats scratch - dogs bite - horses kick - and cows will flatten you". Some of the kids understood that concept a LOT faster then others... I'll just leave it at that... lol.

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If a cornered raccoon bites a child-is it because the raccoon is bad? Or, was it just being a raccoon?
If an Alpha dominant, untrained, unneutered dog is challenged, or has their prey drive activated-and bites someone. Is the dog bad? Or, were the humans entrusted with this dog's care bad?

Go Dogs wrote:
I don't believe that there are bad dogs, unless there is an organic, cognitive problem. I believe there are clueless owners, that create badly behaved dogs.

With all due respect and honestly I'm not trying to start a war... but ....IMO - dogs are extremely smart, and also classic opportunists. If they have a weak, clueless owner (or even a very soft hearted, kind owner) then the dog takes charge and it's just the hard wiring of the dog to assert aggression as a way of gaining and holding Alpha status. Then..they are indeed just that "bad dogs" by societal standards no matter how or why they are that way (idiot owner - poorly bred... whatever). If they end up with clueless owners then their initial problems are just compounded by lack of control and make them even more dangerous to the general public.

What drives me crazy about these kinds of owners is that it's rarely the dog's fault, but it's some poor little kid that gets nailed in the face and then the real disaster is ON.

Just like some insane people ... not every thing with a brain is playing with a full deck.
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I don't believe that there are bad dogs, unless there is an organic, cognitive problem. I believe there are clueless owners, that create badly behaved dogs.