Don't worry. He's friendly. Ish.

[redroanchronicles]

My dog Trudeau is easily one of the best dogs in the history of time. Sure, he's over a hundred pounds and approximately the size of a shetland pony, but he wouldn't hurt a fly.

Unless the fly is dog-shaped. Then he will cut a bitch.

It's possible that Trudeau has a little bit of a dog aggression problem. Okay, he definitely has kind of a big dog aggression problem. He doesn't seem to want to, say, draw blood or destroy his enemies. He just wants to, you know... push the other dogs into the ground and make them cry uncle and maybe pee themselves. He's like a schoolyard bully on a sugar-high. We're getting professional help, and by that I mean obedience training, not a dog psychiatrist. (I already know that he has abandonment issues and probably unresolved feelings about his parents.) I have confidence that it is very fixable, and in the meantime, we're managing the issue.

I keep Trudeau leashed and under control (though in order to do this I have to make frequent use of my Look of Disapproval and my incredible biceps), and generally this wouldn't be a big problem, except that I'm apparently the only person in the county who believes in leashes. And though everybody's off-leash dogs are perfectly friendly, they don't quite seem to understand that my dog is not. Not too long ago while walking in Sequoia Park, Trudeau and I came upon a man who was crossing our path and who, I did not notice until we were almost upon him, had a tiny and adorable little shepherd puppy stumbling along at his heels. Off-leash.

The puppy happily trotted up to us, blissfully unaware of the nature of his impending demise. I held back my instantly over-excited bloodhound/silverback-gorilla-cross monster, who was either determined to lick the puppy to death or determined to devour it in a single gulp, and who either way was very likely to kill it by accident with one of his huge clumsy platter-sized paws.

The puppy's owner, unconcerned, didn't seem to notice me struggling with Trudeau (who was doing his very best Kraken or possibly Cthulhu* impression, complete with "GIVE ME NOMS OR I WILL DESTROY UR TOKYOS"), glanced over and, apparently utterly misinterpreting the nature of my concern, said, "Oh, don't worry. He's friendly!"

As you can imagine, I was very relieved that the puppy -- who seemed barely old enough to be weaned, and certainly not old enough to have joined Fight Club -- wasn't going to attack the slobbing gorgon. I don't think said gorgon realized how much danger he might've been in. From the puppy.

Loose dogs are a problem in my neighborhood in general, and particularly since I walk my dog after dark, I've ended up with a bit of a case of the nerves about the whole thing. There's Maxi-the-fleabitten-mongrel down the street, who actually vaults right over the fence so that she can bark ferociously at us, and the Akita on the other side street who stalks us creepily from the shadows, and the pit bull on the school road who is only held back -- and only occasionally -- by a gate that seems to have been made from an old wooden shipping palette. The latest addition to the giving-me-a-freaking-heart-attack brigade are a pair of massively-muscled pitbulls, who after running amok in the neighborhood for a few days seem to have taken up residence in the cemetery, which they clearly chose for its theatrical properties. A pair of snarling pitbulls charging at you isn't quite enough; with the whole cemetery thing they were going for more of an H.P. Lovecraft-style effect, in which dogs in addition to having sharp teeth and bad attitudes are also demonic and will eat not only your face but also YOUR VERY SOUL.

I probably wouldn't have much of a problem with these animals if it weren't for Trudeau, who attracts trouble like he's a gravity well, and who certainly doesn't help these situations by baying back what I can only assume are lewd remarks about the pitbulls' mothers. Honestly, I cannot take him anywhere, and I hope he realizes he has only himself to blame.


* When I typed "Cthulhu," my blog insisted that it was a misspelling and suggested instead "Cuchulain." Thanks, blog. Now I have The Pogues running through my head, and that's not a bad state of affairs if you ask me.

Comments

[sara]

I've finally resorted to hollering, "She's not friendly!" at people from a block away or so. Which sometimes works.

(She is friendly, but I am tired of her getting jumped by other dogs, damn it. And, er, she reacts very, very badly when other dogs get between me and her. And the one time a grouchy dog got between Molly and Herself, I seriously thought Moll was going to kill the other dog -- not unjustifiably, mind you, but that's so not the sort of scene you want going on at the dog park. Hoo boy.)

[redroanchronicles]

Yeah, people just don't seem to get that. I was approached by this woman in the park who had an adorable pit mix puppy and when she asked, "Can they say hello?" and I said, "That's probably not a good idea; he's not always real friendly," she acted as if I'd rejected her dog. No, lady, I'm trying to keep your dog from getting into a dog fight right here in the park. It's a public service I'm doing for you. Thank god she had hers on a leash, at least, or she wouldn't have had a lot of choice in the matter.

A friend of mine tells a great story about the "don't worry, he's friendly!" people... she was out with a friend, both working on socializing their lovely Rottweiler puppies to crowds, and they'd taken a break at a coffee shop. My friend waited outside with both puppies (one of whom was quit timid and easily spooked) while her companion went in to get their drinks. This guy approaches with a pit bull -- obviously very friendly, but absolutely out of control, wanting to jump on everything and everyone and just towing the guy along. "It's okay, he's really friendly!" the guy insists, while the two Rott puppies are cowering under the table in fear and the exuberant pit is trying to climb into my friend's lap to bathe her face in slobber. I don't think that people realize that "friendly" is not a substitute for "well-mannered."

[sara]

Yeah, quite.

Molly...well, aside from the still not coming when called when she's in trouble thing, which is...obnoxious...I actually think that if she were a 50 lb. dog, people would think she was very well-mannered for such an obviously bouncy dog. Sadly, a 104 lb. dog with a big whacky tail and a tendency to lean on people is...not widely perceived as particularly ideal.

[redroanchronicles]

Preach it. It drives me nuts that people allow behaviors in little dogs that if a big dog did it, they'd be euthanized. I saw this tiny little Pomeranian thing at a street fair that just attacked some passersby's shoes, and the owner seemed to think it was "cute." No, it's not cute. If that was some kid's face, you'd be in deep shit. Just because my dog is huge doesn't necessarily make him dangerous, just like their dogs being small doesn't make their dogs safe.

Trudeau is finally learning to come when called, although it's situational; he will come if he's paying attention. Which if some fascinating scent has captured his nose, he isn't. When we're walking I'll often walk in the middle of the road just so he doesn't stop and go nuts smelling every blade of grass; I could probably pick him up and give him a manicure when he's nose-deep in some smell and he wouldn't even notice. In this respect, bloodhound mixes are not ideal. :D

[sara]

Yeah, Moll is definitely smart enough to know when she's screwed up...and that's when she refuses to come. *sigh*

Although she does let me trim her nails without whinging, so.

[damietta.livejournal.com]

I am in TOTAl agreement on leash problems. I have a rescued pit bull mix (they are a beautiful breed that has just been ravished over the years) and the people who get mad at ME for having a "dangerous" dog while their beloved terror is off a leash and running toward us. Good luck with the training (it hasn't worked for us entirely, but he's better).

But, despite all the issues, my dog, Hooch, is a wonderful, wonderful soul.

[redroanchronicles]

I love pitbulls, which is why I am dismayed after all these experiences because I'm finding myself developing a genuine fear of them. At this point I know intellectually that they're a wonderful breed of dog, but I also know that all of the ones I know around town are ones whose owners got them because they think they're tough, they encourage their antisocial behavior, and they never let them out of the yard, much less take them for a walk. There are a few on our normal walking route that are obviously guard dogs, and it's not a comfortable feeling to be walking down the street, hear them rushing at you like a freight train, and realize that all it's going to take for you AND your dog to get mauled to death is for the owner of said dogs to not securely latch the gate that the dog is about to hit. It gives me the heebies.

[sara]

...yeah, having had to literally beat a pit bull off a woman and her two dogs with a broom handle, once, I am...*sigh*...well, I've met some nice pits, but I have definitely had the Really Bad Pit Bull Experience. This was a few months after that woman was mauled to death in SF, and I had a very strong feeling of "Oh, not on my block, damn it," but I really had to beat the tar out of the dog before he would back down and she and her dogs could get away. I felt bad about it -- he was my neighbor's dog -- but there was really no alternative.

We managed to get him back in his run, finally, and called animal control to come get him to a vet, and then I had to explain it to the neighbors when they got home. Fortunately they were basically understanding. It was still a Very Very Bad Day all around.

[redroanchronicles]

That's um... what's it called... my worst nightmare. What really scares me in my neighborhood is that so many of the dogs that hassle or try to attack us are the kind of dogs that are normally never let out of their yard, so it's not as if they're what you'd call well-socialized to people or dogs. Just yesterday on a walk we were confronted by one that acted like it wanted to kill us, and then when I got a few feet further up the street, I realized the property's gate was standing open... right at the same time the dog realized it. It came charging out after us and thankfully it stopped when I responded to like I was willing to fight, but they don't always, and I'm dreading that day when one of them feels the need to take it that last step. One of my friends suggested carrying a stick when I go walking, but it's not exactly ideal for a runner. I have considered mace or something, but I'm just sure I'd only mace myself...

Also, aside from the requisite guilt at having to hit any animal, you shouldn't feel at all bad about that situation. I'm sure the woman that you saved from the neighbor's dog appreciates that you were there, and if the neighbors were anything less than understanding I'd be more than slightly disgusted. :-/

[sara]

I actually bought some pepper spray last year, because we had a crazy raccoon that would not go over the back fence (even when hit with a broom handle). I haven't had to use it on an animal yet, but I figured it would be a good deterrent and not require me to get as close as I do with the broom handle method. I also got a slingshot, which I'm more hesitant to use because there's some possibility of putting a rock through Grouchy Neighbor Lady's window, and nobody wants that.

Ugh, yeah, I mean...I have no doubt whatsoever that Molly would handily take apart any animal that came after us (and, er, no human has actually been stupid enough to come near me in a threatening way while I'm out with the dog), but she might get hurt doing it, and I don't want that.

[renshai]

Neither of our dogs are real fans of other dogs. Sam is alright - whether off-leash or on, she'll hide behind one of us. But Max....if Max is on-leash, and the other dog is off, he'll take a run at them every time. What grinds my gears is when people then refuse to call their dog off - or are incapable of calling their dog off. Sure, Max is a mini dachshund, who tops out at about 14 lbs; that doesn't make his teeth any less sharp, and he can pull hard. I've got my hands full trying to get him behind me, I don't need to be maneuvering around your dog in the process.

And if you can't call your dog off, if you can't reliably work him or her at a distance, then he shouldn't be out without a leash.

(PS: I love pits. They are, when properly trained and raised, one of the sweetest breeds out there. It broke my heart when I went to a doggie first-aid course, and the teacher expressed astonishment when I came up and asked to pet her beautiful brindled pitbull - usually people were too afraid of the dog to pet it, despite the fact that they'd just watched it calmly demo everything from CPR to makeshift muzzles. That doesn't keep me from being cautious when I see pits I don't know - pitbulls may be sweet dogs, but a dismaying cross-section of their owners are irresponsible morons.)

[redroanchronicles]

Yeah, that's the big thing I've noticed about other people's off-leash dogs... usually I'm sure that it's not a huge deal if they don't come the first time they're called, but when they're strolling up to my dog and he wants to beat the tar out of them, it's a different matter. IMO, if your dog really has a recall, he recalls no matter how interested he is in some other dog or delicious smell. Trudeau is not at all the kind of dog who always recalls -- he's the kind that recalls if you have a treat and he's not in the middle of smelling anything interesting -- which is just one reason why I never let him off-leash.

I just don't get the total obsession with off-leash dogs in my county. I have several friends who've practically been peer-pressuring me about letting my dog off-leash to run, and one of them was getting on my case about it when I'd only had the dog a few days... he didn't even know his new name yet, much less how to come when called, and I wasn't exactly going to let him run loose on the grounds of the stables like my friend kept insisting I should. (Good call, me: it turns out he wants to chase horses. Turning him loose at the barn would've qualified as Worst Idea Ever.) The assumptions that people make not only about the behavior of their own dogs but about other people's as well just boggles my mind.

[cofax7]

Just because a dog is nice in one's own home does not make him or her okay to have outside (particularly off leash). Many dog-owners fail to recognize this.

That said, many very nice dogs get less nice in the presence of my dog, because TNG is such a wimp that she gives off "Please Kick My Ass" vibes to everyone, and there are very few dogs that can resist that invitation. So I keep her with me, and when I meet up with other dogs on the trail I ask the owners to call their dogs, and try to explain that it's not THEM, it's HER. Sometimes they get it.

I suspect that if she weighed 20 lbs this would be less of a problem: but she's a 65-lb GSD, and they cannot resist the urge to bully a dog that big once they realize they can get away with it.

[redroanchronicles]

Yes, exactly. And I absolutely relate to the problem of TNG... she is exactly the kind of dog that sets Trudeau off. He wanders around all day in my office with my boss' bichon and blind mini poodle, and he's fine with them because they just sort of ignore him. If, however, we're out on a walk and he comes across an aggressive dog or a very subservient dog, he feels the need to defend his honor. Being on-leash actually seems to make him worse, too; there've been a few times when I'm pretty sure if I hadn't actually tried to pull him away, he'd have just stood and stared, but once I tried to move him along, it was like I turned on his crazy switch. We're starting obedience next month so hopefully that will help give me more strategies for dealing with and getting past it... at very least we'll be around a bunch of other dogs in the classes so he'll get a lot of exposure for being around other dogs and learning not to go all crazygonuts.