Maxx got attacked :(

[Oberon]

Poor Maxx!! Obi sends licks.

Why do so many people find it so darn impossible to apologise?

 

[Rosie]

Pongo got attacked at doggy day care several years ago.....by a chihuahua. Yep. And everyone thought it was just sooooooo funny to see this vicious little beast hanging off my poor big boy's ear. They were still laughing about it when I picked him up at the end of the day. I was absolutely furious.

 

[Cupcase]

I feel for max as I know what can happen to a dog that gets bullied, Cupar goes on the offensive. However I do wonder at the owner of the other dog, is this a first? Could they be too shocked that it happened. I know the shame I felt when my dog reacted for the first time.
I also don't agree with react twice and banned, for a dog training club should be capable of preventing this before it starts. If this is the first time this dog has reacted like this, surely the trainer could refer the owner to a behaviourist.

I have walked in the other owners shoes with Cassie at training classes. I made the trainer aware of Cassie having issues with certain bitches but the trainer encouraged me to let her off leash and allowed another bitch to be in the ring at the same time, not once but twice and both times Cassie went for her. I was told not to come back and got no assistance with this issue. I was in tears at these training classes because of Cassies behaviour. I kept my poor girl away from all dogs for months after that experience, thankfully the Internet opened up positive training and a wealth of information on how to deal with this.

To throw someone out of dog training classes because of aggressive behaviour and give no advice or recommendations on behaviourists, is in my opinion negligent.

 

[MrChew]

I also don't agree with react twice and banned, for a dog training club should be capable of preventing this before it starts. If this is the first time this dog has reacted like this, surely the trainer could refer the owner to a behaviourist.

I totally agree with this, and wanted to clarify my original post by saying that I definitely don't think a ban in the "see you later" sense helps the situation.

 

[Charlie]

I'm sorry for Maxx and no apology is not acceptable. I understand fully that some dogs need space as not all dogs like all dogs for whatever reason and that's tough on the owner and dog. I would approach the owner at the next club suggesting the bandana or lead cover saying 'DOG NEEDS SPACE." This dog should not be thrown out of the club as it needs help from the trainers. Trainers cannot always have the "tow" the line and easy dogs. What about the rest that with help and guidance can become wonderful dogs. I really hope Maxx is OK and you too. xx

 

[edzbird]

This dog should not be thrown out of the club as it needs help from the trainers. Trainers cannot always have the "tow" the line and easy dogs. What about the rest that with help and guidance can become wonderful dogs.

Absolutely this.

 

[snowbunny]

I'm so sorry Maxx was at the receiving end of this; no-one in this situation comes out feeling anything but horrible. I'm sure the other owner was simply too ashamed to apologise. Yes, they still should have done, but it can be hard to admit that the one you love behaved like a dick, and we don't always act the way we should do all the time.

I totally agree with everyone above who said that the owner and dog shouldn't be dismissed just because of this one incident. It doesn't seem as if anyone really knows what caused it. And maybe the other dog isn't one who really needs a bandana. Maybe he was just trigger-stacked from a whole load of other stuff and this behaviour was out of character. It happens to all us humans, after all. Or, maybe he does need some support, space, and behavioural therapy. It's impossible to tell from the other side of a computer screen. Blanket policies are bull, as they don't address the actual issues.

Take my sister's dog - a cocker spaniel. He has had quite a few other dogs go for him - actually, his ear was ripped by another dog just over a week ago. He never "starts it", in that he doesn't initiate any biting behaviour. BUT, there is no doubt that he does actually "start it" by giving off really hostile body language. If he were in a training class where there was a blanket "one strike and you're out" policy, I can easily see how lots of dogs would end up being excluded simply because they reacted to his arseholery. Not to suggest that is anything to do with Maxx's story, just that it highlights why it's not always fair to pounce on the one who did the biting. All of us have a trigger threshold when someone is giving us abuse, and that's effectively what Bo does to some other dogs. It's not surprising they sometimes snap.

 

[Naya]

So sorry Maxx has been hurt . I hope the training club put something in place to try and put controls in place to mitigate it happening again.

 

[Oberon]

Many dog clubs are run entirely by volunteers and aggression problems are usually beyond the club’s purview. The best option in these situations is for the owners to hire the services of a professional. The club also has a responsibility to keep its members and their dogs safe, so a ban is a reasonable response (after a second incident), IMO.

 

[Oberon]

Also, clubs usually dont have a trigger response to these things. Incidents get reported to the club’s committee who will discuss it, with submissions from owners, and then a decision is made, conditions determined etc etc. Also, people don’t just get chucked without advice and referrals to qualified professionals.

 

[Lab_adore]

I agree @Oberon, our club is completely voluntary for all of the trainer's and admin staff. They are awesome people and very kind and would never just chuck someone out. But they are firm about owners using yellow bandanas or flags on the leads if the dog needs space.

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

Sending healing pets to Maxx.

 

[Shaz82]

Pongo got attacked at doggy day care several years ago.....by a chihuahua. Yep. And everyone thought it was just sooooooo funny to see this vicious little beast hanging off my poor big boy's ear. They were still laughing about it when I picked him up at the end of the day. I was absolutely furious.

I do not know a nice chihuahua, they are little shits! Sorry to offend any chihuahua lovers, maybe it is the owners fault but I have not been proved wrong yet. (I'm in a bad mood this morning)

Hope Maxx is ok, poor boy x

 

[Cath]

Poor Maxx, how is he today

 

[snowbunny]

I do not know a nice chihuahua, they are little shits! Sorry to offend any chihuahua lovers, maybe it is the owners fault but I have not been proved wrong yet.

I used to be really anti small dog because they are so often snappy and nasty. I think some of it is that the owners don't think it's a problem because their dog is so small, but I tend to be a lot more sympathetic to the actual dog these days. I don't think many of these dogs are treated very with much understanding by their owners. It must be pretty intimidating to be so small, and so not surprising if they are more often reactive than the average larger dog - they surely have more "right" to be nervous when everything around them is so big - especially when they are being put back into those situations time and again because the owner doesn't recognise it as being a problem for their dog's emotional wellbeing.

 

[kateincornwall]

I dont like to generalize where a breed is concerned . Nelly is a long haired Chihuahua x Shih Tzu , a more inoffensive little dog you would be hard to find , totally without aggression . However , I do know of one or two of the more " trustworthy " breeds who are anything but ! I have total admiration for those who find themselves in a difficult situation with their dog and try their hardest to correct it , or simply manage it x

 

[Rosie]

sympathetic to the actual dog

Yes, and I didn't and don't blame the dog at all! Dogs act a certain way for a reason. But I was livid that everyone thought it was amusing and acceptable just because the aggressor was a cute small fluffy thing and the victim with the bloody ear was my big, gentle giant.
None of the dogs were laughing, just the poxy hoomans.

 

[Cupcase]

I do not know a nice chihuahua, they are little shits! Sorry to offend any chihuahua lovers, maybe it is the owners fault but I have not been proved wrong yet. (I'm in a bad mood this morning)

Hope Maxx is ok, poor boy x

I was in this camp for years, all small dogs were little yaps, however I am most definitely in this camp now.

I used to be really anti small dog because they are so often snappy and nasty. I think some of it is that the owners don't think it's a problem because their dog is so small, but I tend to be a lot more sympathetic to the actual dog these days. I don't think many of these dogs are treated very with much understanding by their owners. It must be pretty intimidating to be so small, and so not surprising if they are more often reactive than the average larger dog - they surely have more "right" to be nervous when everything around them is so big - especially when they are being put back into those situations time and again because the owner doesn't recognise it as being a problem for their dog's emotional wellbeing.

Having a reactive dog opens up your eyes to all dogs, as you question why your dog is reactive. No one wants the dog that snarls and barks at every dog it meets.
It really doesn't matter what breed of dog is doing the snarling, be it a chihuahua or a great dane, one may be able to do more damage but both should be dealt with in the same way. Let's do away with that myth, ' small dog syndrome'.

 

[Charlie]

A trainer told me some years ago that dogs don't know their size or any other dogs either, which puts the onus on the owner. What do you think? x

 

[Jen]

A trainer told me some years ago that dogs don't know their size or any other dogs either, which puts the onus on the owner. What do you think? x

That surely can’t be right. Like they might not appreciate their actual size but a Great Dane must realise everything around it is smaller and a chihuahua must feel as though everything looks huge.

I definitely think small dog syndrome exists but I would agree with @snowbunny that it is most likely out of fear. While it is annoying that small dogs can attack your dog I’m also quite grateful that they’re the only dogs Stanley has had a run in with because one swift kick or shove if necessary and Stanley will not come to any serious harm. But I know he wouldn’t stand a chance against a big dog because he’s too soft to defend himself.