Re: Today the worst happened Hi Lauren It's me again. Just back from the Puppy Romp. About 10 puppies of different sizes all bombing around together with no human intervention. Sure there was some rough play. It is very easy to see how what was meant as play could have turned into a skin puncture. If Molly had come back marked I would have accepted it as part and parcel of the glorious pile of wriggling puppies I saw. If she'd been the nipper I would be so embarrassed. I think we all operate on double standards. On a lighter note. One little spaniel escaped, though didn't go very far, but his owners left the class. One dog found the muddy river that is part of the boundary of the field. In case you haven't guessed it was the lab. SO glad I'm not taking it home in my car
Re: Today the worst happened Sounds like the small dog felt a little intimidated and reacted. My mum's dog is terrible for this. He is a Jack Russell and has serious little dog syndrome. Even with Lola sometimes. Don't kick yourself for one mistake. Think of the fact it went well until the little dog snapped. Hopefully your friend will be able to help you both. You have put loads of work in with Penny and you should be very proud of yourself and Penny x
Re: Today the worst happened Lauren, big virtual hugs to you. As the others say, please don't beat yourself up about it. Was the yorkie dog owner ok with you? These things happen. And Penny wasn't being aggressive, she reacted to the yorkie. Things like this happen so quickly, like the other week when that man had a right go at me and meg. You're not expecting it. the sun was blinding you. I'm sure socialization classes will help her. Please don't worry. Hugs to you and Penny. Like the others have said you should be proud of yourself and Penny. Everything is a learning curve as far as our furry pups are concerned.
Re: Today the worst happened Sorry you are so upset Lauren. I am with Skooch on this one. Lilly has a tendency to be more aggressive-sounding in play, which looks bad, but the only dogs she has had true spats with are the little ones (apologies to well-socialised little dog owners). I do help a chat and some work with a behaviourist will help with all this. Try not to worry too much {{hugs}} from me too.
Re: Today the worst happened I don't think I can add much to what has been said Lauren. The yorkie went for penny for whatever reason and penny defended herself. Remember when my friends rotties got hold of next doors jack Russell ? That ended a lot worse and was play ! You are very experienced when it comes to dogs of all types and temperaments. You've given me excellent advice. Try and detach yourself (difficult I know) and look at it from your experienced point of view. The situation was very unfortunate and a horrible thing to happen but it wasn't penny's fault. Wouldn't a lot of dogs have reacted like penny did ? Just unfortunate she made contact. You said you don't know how pennys behaviour has happened because you did everything right. I'm like that with my two. I know what kicked off their behaviour but,like you probably think, its not fair. :-\. However these are our dogs that we love and we will do our best for and I know you can and will Lauren. Try not to worry, I know that's easy to say. PS. As you are lucky enough to have a behaviourist friend definitely use him. Also he might have some different ideas for you to try or he might tell you you are doing right which will help your confidence because Im confident you know what you are doing. Don't doubt yourself (again easy to say )
Re: Today the worst happened Hi Lauren. Coming in on this a bit late in the day just to add support to what the others have said. I have no clue what to do in these situations, but I definitely don't think you need to worry that you might have been in the wrong. Doesn't sound like that to me.
Re: Today the worst happened Hi everyone. I just wanted to say thank you for the overwhelming amount of support I've had from you guys. I'm feeling a lot less emotional about this than I was this morning and am feeling a lot more level headed. I haven't had a response from my behaviourist yet but I'm guessing it was his day off today so I'm hoping to hear from him in the next couple of days about when we can schedule a 1-1. In the meantime I'm going to be sticking to what we've been doing so far, but avoiding instances like this morning which are out of routine. I'll stick to walking her where we know the dogs she will meet and what time they will be there.
Re: Today the worst happened Hi Lauren, Coming to this thread a little late but just wanted to say that I don't think that you, or Penny, have done anything to be ashamed of. It's all well and good having a 'turn the other cheek' attitude, for humans and dogs, but sometimes the initial aggressor may benefit from a bit of a slap just to let them know that their behaviour is not acceptable (The school bully took my easy going nature as an invitation to keep giving me unwanted attention. When my patience was finally exhausted I hit him so hard it planted him on his backside and he couldn't stand up for 5 minutes afterwards. Guess what? No more unwanted attention afterwards ) Harvey is so laid back its ridiculous. He has received unwanted attention a couple of times now and each time he just runs away and, being a little slow on the uptake! :, then comes running back to see if they have changed their minds and now want to play with him. However, if he had let these dogs know that they should stop what they are doing I wouldn't have a problem with that. By all means revert to your normal routine for a while to get your confidence back but don't let this incident put you off helping Penny to mix with other dogs.
Re: Today the worst happened Hi Lauren, So sorry you have had a rough morning, but glad to hear you are starting to rebound a bit. When our dogs do things we don't expect it throws our confidence, for sure. And we tend to ignore or gloss over certain things we know aren't right because we just don't want to face it. I think perhaps you have been feeling a little worried or uncertain of Penny's reactions to other dogs, as evidenced by your routine of going to places where you know you can manage the situation. But coming up with this today has shown you that your instincts were right and there are some things that need addressing. It does sound like the terrier had a go at Penny first, and she was defending herself. So that's good. I'm no expert on dog behaviour, so don't have a lot of useful advice except to say hopefully it's something that you will be able to address with the help of the objective eye of the behaviourist and soon you and Penny will be feeling more confident. Hugs and sympathy to you, don't worry, you will soon sort things out, I'm sure!
Re: Today the worst happened Glad to see you feeling better Lauren,I hope you and Penny have a lovely walk together today x
Re: Today the worst happened I chickened out of walking her last night. Just wasn't up for it! But we had a nice stroll this morning although we didn't go to the usual field, I just walked her around the block on lead. I do this every now and then anyway so it wasn't a drastic change of routine. Fingers crossed I'll hear from the behaviourist today.
Re: Today the worst happened Ah, Lauren, you sound a bit like me when I was getting Charlie back to normal and off lead again after his op. It's all a bit nerve racking. I hope you can book some sessions with a company, trainer, or get to some classes. It's so difficult to deal with these things without proper set ups in a controlled environment. It'll give you a boost, get your confidence back, and get you back to normal.
Re: Today the worst happened Lauren, I understand how you feel. After that altercation the couple of weeks ago when that man suddenly appeared, i've avoided that part of the park. Luckily it's a large park and there are different routes that you can take but this morning I thought blow it, and walked exact same route. Didn't see a soul. Your confidence will come back, it was the yorkie who started it and Penny just retaliated. Have you heard from behaviourist?
Re: Today the worst happened I'm the same Lauren. Lilly does a runner after a deer, I avoid going to that place at that time for a week or so, then when I do go back, I pick the least likely time for a deer fest. I think its natural for you to avoid the situation until you build your confidence back up.
