Socialize your dog

Dogs are great companions, and generally know how their owner feels without having to have it verbalized. They are keenly aware of your change in mood and temperament. If they think you feel afraid of someone or something they become immediately protective. We've never been in a situation where any of our dogs felt the need to protect us. When we encounter others with pets we ask if they are friendly, and if it's ok for them to socialize. More often than not the owners will let them socialize, but there have been occasions where that wouldn't have worked out. We just go on our way without incident.
 
mac1911 said:
My boot has met the head of more claimed “friendly” dogs thancI care to remember. Last dog I had was s street rescue. My dad picked him up of the streets of boston

Absolute softy but very well picking up on threats. Never in his 16 years. Did he aggressively go after anybody or anything but whenever threatened, he did not back down and was borderline scary.
Today most people have dogs treat them more like an accessory. They also think that somehow magically the dogs will behave the way they want them too. My aunt very much a dog person always had large dogs always well-behaved well trained. God help you if those dogs ever feel you threatened her.
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Hi mac1911, Iv'e had dogs like that but at my age I now have an accessory dog and a can of bear spray to protect my pup and me from that unleashed pit running full speed at us. I would just like to add that my dogs have never been unleashed and the bear spray is also to thwart off the upright 2 legged animals who take smaller dogs and sell them. Sorry for being a little hypocritical but that's the way it is now. Thanks.
 
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Another story about how it's not always the dog. When I was 16, I worked at a dog kennel. If I knew then what I learned much later, I would have had them put out of business and arrested. Anyway, The owners were a women in her 40's and her mother. They would have crates labeled "biter" and others that they would not exercise because they couldn't get near them. The dogs would bark like crazy whenever either of them entered the kennel. When I entered, they would be quiet, and I had zero issues with any of the dogs. The owners' mother was an angry old lady and it ****** her off to no end that I would have no trouble with any of the dogs. Maybe if they wouldn't go up and down the cage rows banging a metal bowl across the bars as they went while shouting QUIET! the dogs would have been easier for them to deal with. :rolleyes:
 
It is crazy how K9’s and humans have co evolved. Very early on I got that how a strange dog treated me was more about the owner than the dog. There can be all kinds of glitches with rescue dogs for sure but they usually went away with time and training. My point is I see more crazy dogs now than I ever did growing up and I think it’s a direct reflection of the lack of social graces in their owners. Having had 2 pit mixes and a purebred pit I just love their sweet nature but see how their loyalty is used by their psychotic owners. We are starting to see it now with the other breeds like Cane Corso etc. This just kills me seeing guard dogs being owned by paranoid idiots.

While I do agree with spay and neutering I think it should be carried over to those mentally unfit who would abuse an animal.
 
C-Bag said:
It is crazy how K9’s and humans have co evolved. Very early on I got that how a strange dog treated me was more about the owner than the dog. There can be all kinds of glitches with rescue dogs for sure but they usually went away with time and training. My point is I see more crazy dogs now than I ever did growing up and I think it’s a direct reflection of the lack of social graces in their owners. Having had 2 pit mixes and a purebred pit I just love their sweet nature but see how their loyalty is used by their psychotic owners. We are starting to see it now with the other breeds like Cane Corso etc. This just kills me seeing guard dogs being owned by paranoid idiots.

While I do agree with spay and neutering I think it should be carried over to those mentally unfit who would abuse an animal.
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I can not agree more. I remember as a kid we would go to the local auto junk yards and true to the old saying the junk yard dogs were the meanest in that time period. Now I see people with pits that I just know they cannot control if the dog goes after someone they will be dragged along like a rag and the dog will have to be put down If/when it mauls a person for nothing other than there stupidity.
 
Charles scozzari said:
I can not agree more. I remember as a kid we would go to the local auto junk yards and true to the old saying the junk yard dogs were the meanest in that time period. Now I see people with pits that I just know they cannot control if the dog goes after someone they will be dragged along like a rag and the dog will have to be put down If/when it mauls a person for nothing other than there stupidity.
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It should be noted that Pits are really big babies. They are gentle as anything in the right hands. But in an idiots hands, they are scary. They are all muscle.
 
Charles scozzari said:
As I would think most dogs, if not all are. It's the owners that cause the harm to them.
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It should be noted that the worst thing that can happen to a breed is become popular. Then you get these backyard breeders who really are criminally stupid and just into it for $$. They start inbreeding and just destroy a good breed. I saw this happen with Irish Setters in the 70’s and especially German Shepard. One of my favorite dogs we had when I was in high school was our Setter. He was totally nuts until he was 5yrs but was schizophrenic though because my brother had trained him to be show dog. So on the leash he was incredible, off the leash a hyper nutbar.

My current best boy is now a 3yrld Portuguese Water Dog and I think he’s my favorite. He is by far the most dog polite I’ve ever had. He seemed to come this way as when we got him at 12wks he wouldn’t run up on another dog. He always just sits and waits for them to approach him and does what I call the Stevie Wonder thing with his head trying to not look the other dog in the eyes. Completely non aggressive and just loves nice dogs and people. But there has been two dogs that attack him on sight. A full size poodle and a golden retriever. Both young, both male. The poodle is owned by a Karen and the golden is owned by a nice guy who is just bewildered and keeps his guy in control. Karen is just passive aggressive so Gus just gets on the other side from them and I stare the poodle down and he stays away now. The YouTube animal trainer Beckman has mentioned he’s had several golden’s that were crazy aggressive. Another victim of popular dog destruction.
 
C-Bag said:
It should be noted that the worst thing that can happen to a breed is become popular. Then you get these backyard breeders who really are criminally stupid and just into it for $$. They start inbreeding and just destroy a good breed. I saw this happen with Irish Setters in the 70’s and especially German Shepard. One of my favorite dogs we had when I was in high school was our Setter. He was totally nuts until he was 5yrs but was schizophrenic though because my brother had trained him to be show dog. So on the leash he was incredible, off the leash a hyper nutbar.

My current best boy is now a 3yrld Portuguese Water Dog and I think he’s my favorite. He is by far the most dog polite I’ve ever had. He seemed to come this way as when we got him at 12wks he wouldn’t run up on another dog. He always just sits and waits for them to approach him and does what I call the Stevie Wonder thing with his head trying to not look the other dog in the eyes. Completely non aggressive and just loves nice dogs and people. But there has been two dogs that attack him on sight. A full size poodle and a golden retriever. Both young, both male. The poodle is owned by a Karen and the golden is owned by a nice guy who is just bewildered and keeps his guy in control. Karen is just passive aggressive so Gus just gets on the other side from them and I stare the poodle down and he stays away now. The YouTube animal trainer Beckman has mentioned he’s had several golden’s that were crazy aggressive. Another victim of popular dog destruction.
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spay / neuter often takes the aggressive behavior out, especially with males... and to a lesser extent females.
 
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