Posted on 02/08/2012 5:36:55 PM PST by beaversmom
You’re right and an alarming number of people have no idea how to interact with dogs or how to read dog body language. I can’t tell you how many people rush up to my large dog and get right in her face, or worse still allow their small children to do it. Luckily she is an easy going golden retriever who is very unlikely to bite, but they should never assume that. I always correct children when they do that. I don’t care if their parents are offended and I’m nice about it. If I keep one child from getting bitten down the road it will have been worth it. And by the same token I always praise the ones who ask first and tell them how smart they are to always ask first since not all dogs like to be petted by strangers.
Does anyone know if Max has had a legal defense fund established. Can I donate?
Really! People need to be taught “dog language”, and respect their warning signs.
Go back and watch the first linked video. Watch the dog’s tongue, and see how often he “lip licks”. That is a signal that he is stressed, probably because she is not petting him properly.
First of all, never excessively pet an dog who does not know you. It makes them very anxious. Let them smell your hand, and stand sideways to them, letting them sniff your shows, pants, back of your hand, etc - without making eye-contact. Never confront them “face to muzzle”. If you know the dog is stressed or uneasy, give a big yawn, and then lick your lips. This is a calming signal to them.
Then, respect them, and wait for them to “ask you” for a pet. If they don’t ask, leave them alone. They are not ready to trust you yet, particularly if they have been in a stressful situation.
Any parents reading here, teach your children how to “read dog language”. It isn’t hard, because they are kids, and already know how to read the language of other kids on the playground.
I have a little Havanese, who is quite easy-going, but somewhat shy. You would not believe how many people will bend down, looming over his 12 pounds of cuteness, and try to pat him on the top of his head, and they have no idea how lucky they are that he isn’t a fear-biter.
Why is it so hard for people to comprehend that dogs do not like to be aggressively petted, particularly in their sensitive areas? You have to earn their trust before having that privilege.
I’m not sure why the owner didn’t ask her to back off tho.
Well of course. However, still, not all dogs will snap the way this dog actually did, over what was actually done. Period. Many dogs (not to mention cats) will simply “flight”/”avoid” response and back away if they are uncomfortable. And many, also, will give a “warning” as even Cesar would say. I noticed no real warning from this dog; he looked to be enjoying the previous handling. It just suddenly happened. The dog is most likely relatively unstable.
Was she dumb? Yes. Did she “deserve” it? No. Was the dog out of line? Yes. The only good thing was that it was “only” a snap, and not a continuous relentless attack or hold.
You really have to not be thinking to stick your face right up to a dog that’s been recently traumatized by an attack. You just don’t do that. That she’s been living as long as she has been and has never learned that fact, amazes me.
I have only ever done that to dogs that know me very, very well, and that I can read and know their history. And I probably would not even do that to one that was a pit bully-type dog, even if they were always nice to me.
I’m sure you’re not suggesting it’s okay to get into the face of a strange GSD.
Because believe me there are just as many people feel the way about the GSD
and with just as good reason as you feel about this dogs “type”.
AmericanInToyko & Pinkbell - sooo true!
max americana - exACTly!!!
onona - so sad, but you are right - dogs ALWAYS seem to be on the losing end of human stupidity! arrrgh!!!
Our comments really are much more centered around the human’s stupidity, rather than the dog’s “temperment” - we’re just saying it’s not a good thing to mess with a stranger’s face (human OR canine) and that the odds, when doing this, are NOT going to be in your favor.
If you watch more closely, you’ll see her move down with her face into the dog’s —that is NOT a move dogs do to each other without recourse. THEY respect each other’s space. Cesar would NEVER to that-—ESPECIALLY to a dog that just had a major trauma happen and might still be on alert to any weird movement or irregularity. It is totally her fault. I had it happen to me with my hand - I was reaching up to comfort the dog by petting his head - I’m lucky to HAVE my hand. I had that happen, and I STILL believe it was her AND MY fault.
But sluggo has no thumbs..
Another example of a similar mistake...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHLnjiISsOo
They try to explain it, or excuse it, as a trained reaction
but imho it is an instinctive reaction.
And who can forget Barney...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9myqGe_B2vE
You cite the sole sensible reason to leave the seat down.
Should have left the dog on the ice.
I was saying the same thing to my husband this morning. He wasn't showing his teeth until the mili-second before he bit her. I'm no Cesar Milan. Maybe he would have recognized the signs, but I don't think I would have seen it coming. I don't believe I would have gotten in the dog's face either.
That's a VERY important test in an animal adoption, especially if there will be children around. Food aggression is something that can almost guarantee a bite response, and not all dogs have this response. While food aggressive dogs can be placed, it's only with certain people willing to take the chance. For a pet adoption service, placing a food aggressive dog is almost a guarantee of a law suit.
Mark
Common sense dictates that you don’t challenge a dog by sticking your face against its face, unless it’s yours and yo know it well. Not all dogs are totally non-aggressive like a beagle. It doesn’t mean they need to be put to death, they just need control. I remember the old cowboy’s saying my grandfather used “be careful behind a horse or mule, in front of a bull and anywhere around a damned idiot”. The idiot human is dangerous to everyone including himself.
As a young adult, I had a rented duplex that was a block from the neighborhood redneck bar. I had a 6-ft privacy fence with a locked gate around the backyard that my doberman roamed in (and he was the old type, not the show type). One night I heard what I thought were the obvious sounds of a dogfight, went out the back door, and he had a drunk guy about fifty years old who had tried the gate, climbed over the fence, the guy got thirty plus stitches and a newfound respect for a 90 pound dog. To this day, I have no idea what the guy thought he was doing or where he thought he was going. Ended up going to the hospital, I ended up paying the bill to avoid a lawsuit, even though I had the gate locked, etc. This dog was one of those who was everyone’s friend unless they were fighting, or you left him alone in an enclosed space. If you left him in a house, yard, or car, he thought it was his sacred duty to protect it to the end, but you could turn him loose at a party with 300 people and they’d all pet him. Let a fight break out and he’d put a stop to it in a hurry.
Just read this on FR:
Before fatal crash, wrong-way driver screamed: 'You guys ready to die?
FR Link
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