"Oh, she's fine with getting her nails trimmed"...

[Sapphire Silk]

How long before she sues you for the bite,because you must have upset the dog to make him want to bite like that...

I wish her luck with that. After all, SHE brought the dog to the trimmer.

My cousin had a rat terrier with SDS. Nasty little beast. I didn't like that dog. She came into my house after barking and growling her head off at me in the drive, and jumped up on my couch.

Me: Down! Off the couch!

Dog looks startled and jumps down. Cousin is amazed. She can't ever get the beast to behave.

Me: She's in my territory and I'm the alpha, and she knows it.

I don't understand people who can't or won't control their dogs. It is just not that hard, and it is not being mean to the dog to set rules and standards they must abide by.

[wolfie]

The last time she was up here, Lily bit just about everyone. Except for me, that is. A boot upside the head (not hard, just enough to startle her) was why I didn't get bitten. Naturally, my aunt was pissed. But, I didn't care. A biting dog is a problem.

Aunt is upset about you "persuading" Lily to not bite? Hypothetical situation: Aunt is visiting someone who has kids. Kids bring their friends over. Lily bites one of the friends. What's going to happen then? My guess is lawsuit, damages, and Lily gets euthanized. Proper solution: Lily needs to be trained to NOT bite.

Now, in my dad's neck of the woods I'd never approach a pit unless I/he knew the owner (dogfighting is still a thing out there in some of the sketchier neighborhoods and there's no way to tell how the dog's been trained).

No personal knowledge (my only exposure to dogfighting has been in flight simulators), but my understanding is that even with fighting dogs, the properly trained ones are NOT aggressive toward humans. A dog that bites a handler won't leave the ring alive. Of course, ANY breed owned by a macho type who wants a "tough" dog won't be trained properly.

[katzklaw]

most fighting pit bulls were culled if they bit a person... because obviously they need to be able to handle and separate them in the ring after and between fights, and tend to their wounds and whatnot, but not all were... a very famous fighter, Chinaman, was a known and documented man biter. he was also maltreated (its documented that he fought one of his fights while running a fever.. then bit his handler afterward. that's just one of the stories on him)

there are SOME dogmen that still adhere to that, but alot nowadays are just thugs and wannabes who want a mean dog, and don't care about "proper" temperament. (i did a LOT of research before adding a pit to my household, and some of that did involve learning the history of the breed, good and bad...)

i always say that breed doesn't matter at all... look at how the dog is acting, and look to the other end of the leash... don't look at the breed.

[mathnerd]

I used to have a Brazilian mastiff. They are less well known than pit bulls but widely considered more dangerous. Many countries have outright banned them and many other countries require special licenses to own them. Baxter, as jester can confirm, might have been a tank of a dog, but he was also the worlds biggest marshmallow. Well, unless he thought his puppies (my kids) were n danger. Then he could get pretty protective. Anyway, some idiot neighbor decided he was dangerous and fed him rat poisoned laced meat. He survived, but was never the same. I became homeless shortly thereafter (I'm housed now) and a friend took him in. He still loves it when the boys visit, but he's getting really frail and probably won't survive the year. There's a special place in hell for people who do that shit.

[greek_jester]

i always say that breed doesn't matter at all... look at how the dog is acting, and look to the other end of the leash... don't look at the breed.

Respectfully need to disagree here; while I do not believe that any dog is "born vicious" it would be foolish to ignore traits specifically bred into a breed, particularly if children are involved, as that can lead to them becoming so frustrated and stressed that they bite.

Poodles, labs and retrievers are highly intelligent and can become destructive if they become bored, so it's often better to make sure they have a constant companion, preferably canine. Greyhounds and hounds were bred to chase down small furry things, so try to avoid keeping them with small dogs, cats, rabbits, etc. Huskies were bred for running the whole day pulling a sledge, so they need a lot of exercise to avoid going a bit nuts from frustration. That sort of thing.

[mathnerd]

But all that still goes back to looking at the other end of a leash. A bad owner will have a poorly behaved dog regardless if breed. A good owner will be standing there telling you what you need to know or actively avoiding situations in which the dog might present a danger.

[Aragarthiel]

Respectfully need to disagree here; while I do not believe that any dog is "born vicious" it would be foolish to ignore traits specifically bred into a breed, particularly if children are involved, as that can lead to them becoming so frustrated and stressed that they bite.

That's a point many often forget. It's (mostly) the reason I won't get a German Shepard despite Hubby wanting one. They have a strong instinct to chase (it's why they make good police dogs) and with most dogs, chasing ends with biting. That's what happened to my younger sister, she has two ugly puncture scars on her side to prove it.

[TimmyHate]

We've got a 3 year old choc lab (33kg) and a coming up on 2 mutt (about 22kg).

The Mutt, despite arriving second, seems to be the Alpha. Jax (the lab) is just too much of a sweetheart for his own good I think.

All the stories of Small Dog Syndrome reminds me of our friend - she had a 6 year old German Shepard (Now sadly gone - he was the single most well trained dog I've ever seen in my life), and 2 Chihuahua/Pomerian crosses. We'd go for a pack walk in the bus with them, and the Chihuahua were all tough when they knew Caesar was there behind them....then would back away for him to protect them!

Now that same friend (still has the Chihuahuas) but also has a gorgeous year old black German Sheppard. We let her off leash with our two boys and they played great - until Jax tried to take her ball. She gave him a warning nip and he looked like a little boy who was suddenly yelled at - completely surprised. He ran to mommy for a cuddle then kept playing.

Opie on the other hand ended up with a small scratch on his Muzzle when he tried a second time to get the ball....our friend was all apologetic and we were just 'he had to learn'

Just remember a nail clipping story - Jax (our Lab) had split his nail almost down to the quick. Vet had to clip it back really far - made him whine and (for one of the first times in his life) nip at the vet. Two seconds later he was licking the vets hand and wagging his tail....although the liver treats in the vets hand might have helped.

[the lawsmeister]

My wife's dog used to love the vet.
He always got so excited that he'd pee in the exam room. They ended up having to treat him outside on the lawn because they got sick of mopping up after his visits

[katzklaw]

Respectfully need to disagree here; ....

ok, let me clarify... i did not mean to say that certain traits of breeds should be ignored. it's quite important to know the traits of a breed before acquiring a dog to make sure it will be a good match for your family... how much energy a dog has, if it likes to chase things, or work hard, or laze about, etc etc etc... i was referring to the idea that some people have that some breeds are just inherently vicious and/or dangerous, even going so far as to say that it's "in their nature" to try to justify their hate and fear. this is just not so. it's a dog, not a monster. look at how it's acting, and look at how it was treated to get an idea of how it will act. dogs as small as yorkies and pomeranians have maimed and killed people, and dogs commonly viewed as inherently dangerous are used as therapy dogs, guide/assistance dogs, search and rescue dogs, discus dogs, agility dogs, and just plain ol loved family pets.

you can NOT point your finger at an American Pit Bull Terrier (or American Staffordshire Terrier, or Staffordshire Bull Terrier, or Bull Terrier or Miniature Bull Terrier) or a Doberman Pincer or a Rottweiller and say "that is a vicious dog".... all you can do is point at them and say "that is an intelligent strong loyal dog that might possibly be aggressive to other dogs and small furry animals (but not people) and has a bulldog's hard-headedness and a terrier's tenacity" or "that is a good guard dog extremely loyal to those he loves, but is sensitive so may react poorly when stressed", or "that is a strong calm loyal dog that has a strong personality so needs an owner willing and able to show they are boss without cruelty."

that's all i was trying to say

[greek_jester]

you can NOT point your finger at an American Pit Bull Terrier (or American Staffordshire Terrier, or Staffordshire Bull Terrier, or Bull Terrier or Miniature Bull Terrier) or a Doberman Pincer or a Rottweiller and say "that is a vicious dog".... all you can do is point at them and say "that is an intelligent strong loyal dog that might possibly be aggressive to other dogs and small furry animals (but not people) and has a bulldog's hard-headedness and a terrier's tenacity" or "that is a good guard dog extremely loyal to those he loves, but is sensitive so may react poorly when stressed", or "that is a strong calm loyal dog that has a strong personality so needs an owner willing and able to show they are boss without cruelty."

Absolute 100% agreement here from me. There are very few behavioural issues which can't be traced back to a bad owner.

[Seshat]

look at how the dog is acting, and look to the other end of the leash... don't look at the breed.

I love that. Words to live by.


I also agree with the addendum that an owner has to be aware of the dog's personality traits, physical strength, and so forth. If you're bringing a dog near mine, I know I need to shorten my lead, be ready to distract my dog, and - at need - to physically pick her up and prevent her over-excitement from causing a problem.
If you're bringing people near my dog, I shorten my lead, instruct her to sit, and am ready to teach children (and sadly, sometimes adults) how to properly approach a friendly dog.

It's all about knowing your dog and being their alpha, and being in control of the situation - whatever it may be.

[EricKei]

On cats: I can tell you from experience that Feliway works wonders on most cats (then again, so does spiking their food with catnip ) -- My vet back home kept a Faliway vaporizer on hand for the exam room, and plugged it in for a few minutes before bringing a cat back there for a checkup. It's a synthetic pheromone that apparently help cats to feel "at home;" it can even alleviate their usual need to "mark" a place. I used a vaporizer when I moved to my new place a couple of years ago with my 2 kitties. While they were a bit stressed out from the 6 hour drive, once they got to the new house and came out form under the bed, they were calm and collected. They were their old selves again in less than a day, and I never had to deal with any marking issues at all. The vaporizers have enough fluid to last for a month, and I only ever needed the one. By the time it wore off, they really were "at home" there.

[WishfulSpirit]

I guess we're lucky that my dog behaves somewhat the same around others as he does around us (no problems with strangers, anyone who comes in the door gets barked at but it's the "play with me" bark). He doesn't like his feet touched, doesn't matter if we do it, the vet does it, the groomer does it, doesn't matter. "Don't touch my feet." He doesn't bite (that we know of) but he does try to get away. So I can tell caregivers that he doesn't like his feet touched.

[raudf]

I know my cat is unlikely to bite anyone. He puts up with stuff I would have taken someone's head off for doing to me, before walking off with a hiss. Also, if he ever met a human that he didn't try to trip for lovings, I'll be calling an exorcist. Even baths, which he HATES, the most damage you'll likely get is a stray claw as he tries to get away. He's a lover, not a fighter. Unless you're a dog. He hates dogs. He didn't use to, but then one of my parents "adopted" dogs was cat aggressive and put my cat up a tree.. nearly minus a leg and tail.

When I worked at MW Repair, the techs always hated it when a custy didn't warn them of the small dogs. We had quite a few bite due to the poorly trained rat-terriers, chihuahuas, toy poodles, doxies, yorkies, and if it's small it's probably improperly trained dogs.

It's like the owners don't realize that a small dog's bite can be just as bad and painful as a big dogs. My parents are a perfect example of this, because their dobies are well trained to not bite, only bark or growl, but it's the rat-terrier that can and will bite. And she lunges at strangers, until one of the bigger dogs clear the stranger as "okay." (One of the bigger dogs will sniff the person and move on, ignoring them.. but only if we're about.)