I'm getting really tired of these small terriers snap snapping at my gentle Charlie. Well, I think they are terriers (I haven't got through my dog breed identification book, it wasn't the most gripping read). I've googled and the ones I mean look like west highland white terriers - anyway, sort of like that. Two were coming down the path yesterday, we stepped out of the way and Charlie sat down (no lead so he was being very good). The woman said "oh it's easier to let them say hello, mine are fine". Two minutes later and Charlie was yelping down the path with the 2 small dogs barking like mad and nipping at his sides. I got him back to me, and we stayed only long enough to have another sniff (don't want him scared of small white dogs) and then we were on our way with Charlie very glad to leave. The owner didn't think anything was wrong! And said "oh they like a play"! Today and the beach, 2 come running up (they always travel in pairs, it seems) and repeat performance. I'm afraid I called Charlie back to me and asked the owner to walk on with his dogs away from us. I know Charlie has to meet other dogs, and he does, he has a fair few rough and tumbles with big boys. But these snappy things - they are not nice. So different if Charlie meets other labradors. Yes, 1 to 2 year old males tend to push the young whippersnapper Charlie around a bit, put him in his place, but they don't snap and bite! I know I'm lucky to have a super gentle dog, but at this rate he won't stay like this if he gets snapped at and harassed on every walk! What is it with these small snappy things? There. Feel better.
Re: Got to vent - small white(ish) dogs Glad you feel better for that Julie and hope Charlie is OK. Back in the winter I was walking Hattie when I met two very elderly neighbours of mine and one has a rescue tiny little Jack Russell, he was on a harness when all of a sudden he got out of it ran full speed at Hattie and attached himself to her face, she proceeded to try and shake off the offending dog without success, but she was not cross with him at all. The lady was very apologetic, I remained calm and Hattie is still OK with small nippy dogs thank goodness as we do meet a fair few. If Hattie was a less friendly dog that Jack Russell may have found he had bitten off more than he could chew I think if you meet said White dogs again try to remain calm say "hello" to the dogs and owners and keep walking as you normally would with Charlie, I tend to do that with not so nice dogs. Helen xx
Re: Got to vent - small white(ish) dogs Well , I`ve got a terrier ( type : ) and have owned terriers and gundog breeds all my life and never had a snappy little devil , apart from the one we sadly had to return to the RSPCA because she was aggressive . I`ve had them as rescues and as pups and apart from this one sad interlude , I would say its the owners and not the dogs . I truly believe that people , sometimes unwhitingly , encourage the behaviour that they think their breed should display and seem to derive a ghoulish type of pleasure from seeing this behaviour in play , escpecially around other dogs . I also believe that some owners think it acceptable for a puppy/young dog to be bullied, saying that it teaches them right from wrong , this makes me very angry indeed . Yes, if a boisterous youngster is annoying an older dog, it deserves to be told off with a growl, but for owners of any breed to allow their dogs to distress a puppy who has done no wrong is just totally out of order in my book .
Re: Got to vent - small white(ish) dogs [quote author=kateincornwall link=topic=2245.msg20740#msg20740 date=1376328431] I truly believe that people , sometimes unwhitingly , encourage the behaviour that they think their breed should display and seem to derive a ghoulish type of pleasure from seeing this behaviour in play , escpecially around other dogs . [/quote] Quite right. My post should have read: some OWNERS of small white(ish) dogs. I agree with you about dogs bullying puppies. I'm going to be a bit more bullish about it in future! (Charlie shows no sign of sticking up for himself, so I will a little bit at least).
Re: Got to vent - small white(ish) dogs Sam never did either Julie and still refuses to defend himself, which makes it more upsetting , but thats why we love them so
Re: Got to vent - small white(ish) dogs Kate, I've said before that if my Charlie turns out like your Sam nothing would make me happier - I value his sweet gentle nature so much. I'm sure he was born without a growl, I've never heard him growl once. Not even when other dogs nick his food or toys. But my fear is that he might get a bit fearful, and then that spoil his nature in some way. I also love that he is a bouncy, happy and confident puppy - nothing makes his day more than meeting people and other dogs. He was beside himself today when a man got down on the sand with Charlie and Charlie got to LICK HIS EAR!!! (The man was a labrador owner, of course, nostalgic for the puppy years). I'll just avoid the owners of terriers (and their dogs) in future! Which is a shame, I suppose, as Karen is quite right, I'm sure lots of terriers are lovely. It's just I haven't met them yet!
Re: Got to vent - small white(ish) dogs Is avoiding these terriers the right way to help Charlie? I'm not sure, I think the way you have been getting him to sit with you is the correct way to proceed, but I am probably wrong. Helen x
Re: Got to vent - small white(ish) dogs Helen - you are probably right, I didn't particularly mean we'd change our direction. Yes, I'll do as you say, say hello and then walk on without stopping to see whether they want to play.
Re: Got to vent - small white(ish) dogs Oh dear, this brings up one of my more terrible memories involving being out for a walk with my very good natured BC (who always got picked on by other dogs!) and the Terrible Incident involving a Westie. This dog lived at one of the houses that we walked by on a regular route and I had experienced several incidences of it running out across the street to harass my dog (whom i always had on leash) as we passed. So much so that I was getting seriously annoyed. Plus the fact that the owner had come out and yelled at me one time as we were walking past and I was flicking the end of the leash at it to try to discourage it. He wa having a fit, saying "Don't hit my dog!!", etc etc. with many more colourful words added beside. We had visitors to our place and were out for a walk, a whole gang so us with about 5 kids under 10, 5 adults, etc. We walked past this place, it was evening and the sun low in the sky, blinding the driver that just happened to be passing as the white dog spotted my dog... Okay, you get the picture. It was truly horrible, thankfully the kids were all ahead of us and didn't see anything but the sounds were bad enough. I got to see it all, what a helpless feeling.....And the poor kid that was driving, just a teen.... Needless to say I am very wary of small white dogs and share your apprehension about them, Julie.
Re: Got to vent - small white(ish) dogs Lisa - how awful! Gosh, really awful for you and all concerned. I'm afraid I really dislike these dogs (ok, the owners that allow/encourage the behaviour). We met another one leaving the beach today! I was walking off the beach with the owner of a 1 year old spaniel after a fabulous dawn walk where the spaniel, Cilla, and Charlie had played the entire length of the beach and back, racing each other for balls and safestix, having great fun (talk about spaniels and energetic, Charlie was bushed after a 40 min wonderful, and very boisterous, play) and this bloody terrier had a growl, bark and snap at us! Great...
Re: Got to vent - small white(ish) dogs What a dreadful experience Lisa I know it may be stereotyping, but the only dogs that really have a go at Lilly have been terriers.
Re: Got to vent - small white(ish) dogs Lovely terriers are a joy with buckets of personality. Sadly poor owners who allow them to behave badly do create little terrors who use their tenacious strong jaws in quite an inappropriate way. We've met plenty of both and I'm generally pretty vigilant until it's apparent which kind we're approaching. Riley nearly had his nose taken off by a border terrier and then the next day we met the lady who lives on the farm next to the woods we often walk in and her Borders were just lovely
Re: Got to vent - small white(ish) dogs think it does depend on owners...cuillin's best mates in edinburgh are the two jack russels she met on her very first day in the big city park....she was thirteen weeks and a bit cautious about going in. suddenly the two russels appeared, the younger only two days older than cuilli, and she ran off happily with them for a game and theyve been buddies ever since. they have really really wild wrestling games with each other even now with the size difference...owner adores them but is really strict with them and they are lovely friendly dogs...cuilli also has a border terrier buddy Wild Jack...he's a typical loony terrier but again very firm owner and he is wild as a snake but lovely, adores cuillin and she him.... cuillin despite being a ninny with dogs she doesnt know loves wild hooly wrestling games with her buddies and terriers seem to be always up for that!! but do get the sense its the owners that make that difference!
Re: Got to vent - small white(ish) dogs Absolutely. Hattie's friend Pablo is a staffie x shitzu and is the funniest looking dog you could ever imagine and they have played together since they were pups, Hattie rolls him around and he just loves it. She knows a little Jack Russell Scruffy and no issues, but there are a couple of terriers and a Border Collie that their owners have not trained and when we approach we get "put her on a lead as my dog is nasty". One of my best friends rescued a Jack Russell cross and she is very nasty and attacks dogs of all sizes regularly, she darts out her front door at any opportunity and attacks the neighbours dogs. Wendy got a dog trainer in for help, he advised her how to deal with Ruby and she did nothing and that was 4 years ago, now Ruby is so bad the vet has advised her to have her put down if she attacks another dog. So what have they ever done to help these dogs - sadly nothing. Helen x
