11-19-2017, 08:23 AM
I have just come back from a walk where I met a group of people with their dogs. One of them was a Rottweiler cross who was very aggressive towards a passing black Labrador. The man held it tightly by its collar, across the road to keep the dogs apart. Then he was giving sharp commands/semi-shouts but using words like "Now just stop behaving like this! This is no way to carry on..." etc. Of course that dog did not have the first clue what those words meant. All he knew was he was being held back tightly (thus, there was a strong threat about) And he was being joined by his human in making loud noises.
Sadly, the man must do this every time. The dog according to a lady I was talking to, didn't used to behave like that. He was never so bad, but over the months of being conditioned in that way he has got worse.
Of course he has!
I got an ominous feeling that perhaps one day that dog will be deemed to be "too dangerous", a threat to other dogs, walkers and possibly children. Then what will happen to him?
Sometimes I hear from grief-stricken people who "had to have their dogs put to sleep" because they became unmanageably aggressive. They nearly always say their dog loved them, and was very good and gentle with them, but bad with anyone else including other dogs, and they knew that was unsafe. Then some incident eventually happened which was too much....and the dog got a death sentence.
Those people are deeply heartbroken and filled with guilt. Their acute grief lasts a long time.
With information and contacts readily available on the internet nowadays, it makes me wonder why they didn't get behaviour and rehabilitaion advice from a professional. Or at least do some deep research and apply the principles themselves?
It seems some people think they are powerless with their dogs. That is completely untrue. A rather sad fact- (in the light of those euthanisations, and others which take place for the same reason) -is that most dogs who have intelligent rehab usually start to improve dramatically within a few days!
What people don't understand very well is: most dogs will do anything for the love and acceptance of their human, and they will do anything for a really tasty food treat.
Now while all that might not have helped those dogs already in the shelter environment, the dogs might not have ended up in the shelter in the first place if their people had been willing to work hard with them, and more importantly, change their own attitudes and rehabilitate themselves!
Sadly, the man must do this every time. The dog according to a lady I was talking to, didn't used to behave like that. He was never so bad, but over the months of being conditioned in that way he has got worse.
Of course he has!
I got an ominous feeling that perhaps one day that dog will be deemed to be "too dangerous", a threat to other dogs, walkers and possibly children. Then what will happen to him?
Sometimes I hear from grief-stricken people who "had to have their dogs put to sleep" because they became unmanageably aggressive. They nearly always say their dog loved them, and was very good and gentle with them, but bad with anyone else including other dogs, and they knew that was unsafe. Then some incident eventually happened which was too much....and the dog got a death sentence.
Those people are deeply heartbroken and filled with guilt. Their acute grief lasts a long time.
With information and contacts readily available on the internet nowadays, it makes me wonder why they didn't get behaviour and rehabilitaion advice from a professional. Or at least do some deep research and apply the principles themselves?
It seems some people think they are powerless with their dogs. That is completely untrue. A rather sad fact- (in the light of those euthanisations, and others which take place for the same reason) -is that most dogs who have intelligent rehab usually start to improve dramatically within a few days!
What people don't understand very well is: most dogs will do anything for the love and acceptance of their human, and they will do anything for a really tasty food treat.
Now while all that might not have helped those dogs already in the shelter environment, the dogs might not have ended up in the shelter in the first place if their people had been willing to work hard with them, and more importantly, change their own attitudes and rehabilitate themselves!
