![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
aciesanimaLong-ass rant ahead on canine behavior and lack of understanding. You have been warned.
This is a very commonly asked question, especially when your dog looks like mine- she’s big, very fluffy and despite being quite lightly built looks like she belongs on the bonnet of a Mack truck in silver because of her fur. To make things a little more difficult, she’s also got a very good bark; a proper, big dog bark, and she uses it.
She can be a bit aloof and distrusting of strangers with over-exuberant pups but she just values her personal space and, like most beings, doesn’t like to be crowded suddenly.
This is balanced out by her overall personality: she’s friendly, willing, very intelligent, protective and above all, loves with all her heart. She remembers you even if you’ve only met her once and greets you with a fiercely wagging tail and a genuine excitement at being reunited. Despite never raising pups [she’s spayed, so it’s not going to happen] she has a very strong ‘mothering’ instinct and understands even human young need to be treated gently. I’ve taken her to many public places and she’s encountered many people in many different situations; and I guess this is where the origin of this rant comes from.
Often the first thing somebody says to me after silently indicating their intent to come and meet my dog is: “Does your dog bite?”
My answer is, predictably: “No.”
But every time I answer it, I’m lying.
Before you jump to any conclusions or assumptions, lend me a moment of open-minded thinking. Of course my dog bites. She has working jaws with the capability to crush bones, she chews burrs out of her fur [or tries to] and believe you me, she can demolish a chop in seconds flat. I classify all that as ‘biting’. So why am I lying?
The person is not really asking whether my dog is able to use her mouth properly, but rather “Is your dog likely to be overly aggressive or bite a stranger out of fear?” I don’t think many people know that’s what they are asking, so I’m going to take a moment to confess something that might alarm a few people: I have been bitten by my dog. My dog has bitten my father.
“She should be put down!” My grandfather would say.
“What in all hell for? You have no idea of the context.” Would be my reply.
And it’s true. Context, like any good English teacher will tell you, is worth everything. Without it, truths and facts alike can be warped to utterly disfigured ghosts of their pure states.
Here’s a little more context: I was bitten pulling my dog from a dog fight.
That’s not quite enough is it though? How about this: I was bitten pulling my dog from a fight over food.
Better, but to give you all full understanding of the situation: I was bitten pulling my dog from a fight started when another dog tried to steal her food. She was doing as any dog will: defending her meal.
She was defending. There’s the crux of the matter.
From day one, I have taught my dog that if I’m so bold as to pat her whilst she’s eating not to get defensive and to understand that I don’t want to take her food off her; as tantalizing as raw mince and an assortment of other things that make up her diet may seem. Her tolerance is almost impeccable: I can touch her almost all over her body whilst she eats- with the exception of her face. That’s perfectly reasonable. I don’t like to be poked in the face when I’m eating, do you? I can also call her away from her food or take it away mid-meal provided I give a moment’s warning. Though it may be frowned upon, I rough-house and rumble with my dog all the time. She ‘play-bites’ by gently touching her mouth to me, or at the very most gently putting her teeth around me. But I only do so because I’ve had her from day one and understand her; perhaps more importantly, trust her enough to do so. My mothers dog on the other hand I would never trust to do so simply because of her different personality, and so I don’t. I substitute actual rumbling with vigorous games of tug-of-war and other games.
The fight was started quite simply- the dogs we were living with at the time were two PoodlexBorder ColliexBelgian Shepherd rescues, one of which had a serious attitude problem and quite frankly bossed anything she could around. My dog [a labradoodle if you want to know] doesn’t mind sharing her space with other dogs, she loves the company so long as they are respectful. The other dog was not. She decided to muscle in on Chilli’s dinner and Chill reacted as is easily predictable: she defended her meal.
It was, really, quite spectacular and alarming. But never for a moment did I fear that Chilli would kill the other dog- and she was never doing to. All she did was throw the other dog away and then square off to enforce the fact that that was her meal. The other bitch went her again and the fighting thus ensued. I pulled Chilli out for fear that the other dog was not going to stop and in the moment of panic she felt at something unknown grabbing her, twisted around and bit my arm.
The change was instant: she saw it was me, she realized what she’d done and she took herself into the corner of the room and sat there without me saying a word. I didn’t scold her, not even slightly. The dogs were separated until the other bitch calmed down and then life went on. The bite broke the skin slightly but due to the fact I was wearing a thick jacket, did not require any medical attention. My father was bitten in exactly the same circumstance- the same dog tried the same thing again.
What is the point of all that ramble? To attempt to reinforce something that I fear is looked over by a lot of people: dogs bite for any number of reasons.
A nervous dog in a stressful situation will bite out of fear, a assertive dog will bite to put another in its place or defend what they perceive as theirs; a dog trained in protection will bite and hold on command, a hunting dog will bite a target to kill and a retriever will bite to complete its command and return the target to his/her human.
Perhaps the next time you go to ask “Does your dog bite?” maybe it might be better to ask something like “Has your dog ever bitten anyone?” and then, if so, “Why?”
Or even: “Is your dog friendly?” “Is your dog alright with me saying hello?”
You might even want to assess the dog yourself before thinking of asking those questions- does the dog look comfortable in its situation, does it look nervous or afraid? Does it have a toy or is it eating something it might want to defend?
All dogs bite. You just have to ask Why?
no subject
Date: 2012-07-12 03:05 pm (UTC)Definitely. And dogs can warning bite just to get someone to back off when they haven't listened to the signals. And it sounds like Chilli is a bit of a resource-guarder, especially if you can't put your hand near her face while she's eating, or take the food out of her mouth (it's a socialising thing, and can be vitally necessary for a dog's health - i.e. when grabbing something dangerous out of a dog's mouth before it has reliably learned the 'drop!' commaned).
I wouldn't say resource-guarding is necessarily 'typical' dog behaviour. Not all dogs naturally display it, for a lotf of reasons. But, that being said, it is quite common, and you handled what could have been a dangerous situation very well, imho. Some resource-guarders get so problematic with their behaviour they cannot be reliably fed while someone is in the same room with them (i.e. they will seriously and violently attack someone who is holding their ood and trying to give it to them).
I like the idea of asking 'is your dog okay with me saying hello?' I tend to ask 'is your dog friendly?' which - at least locally here - has the implication of 'does your dog accept overtures from strangers?' And if they say no, it's fine. I have seen a few dog training websites talk about teaching *people* how to introduce themselves to dogs as much as teaching dogs how to be with people, and I think it's fantastic. Advice from not leaning over a dogs head or body when you meet them (especially new dogs), and not approaching them from the front, and a lot of other things that take into account their basic language and make sure everything is as safe as possible. :)
no subject
Date: 2012-07-12 03:42 pm (UTC)She's certainly protective of her food that's for sure but not to the point it's problematic. Thanks to some dedication on our part and the strength of her character, I can put my hand to what bone she's got and take it off her. It might not have been clear in the original post, but she can be called away from her dinner with naught but a click and we've [the dog and I] developed commands for when she needs to put stuff down. "Ta!" in varying tones for playthings or something she's carrying, "Drop it!" usually said quite sternly for when it's something she's not supposed to have or really needs to put down.
However, it was just with that particularly overdominant bitch that she took an issue with. The other dog ignored all her previous silent warnings [the stare, stiffening of posture, even a little growl] and just barged straight in. With any other dog the worst it ever gets is the posture shift.
Some people get a pleasantly surprised look on their face when instead of asking "Does your dog bite?" I ask things like that. Body language around new dogs, the subtle motions we might carry out when meeting a new dog that we don't know are dominant, are something I try to tell people when they're meeting Chill for the first time particularly if they're nervous around dogs. Things like all of those you've mentioned as well as "Don't go to pat her straight on her head" and "Try not to stare at her directly, look kind of at her ears." Basic things. Usually, Chill isn't a problem- she's a downright social butterfly.
PS: Your DP, a Borzoi if I'm not mistaken? Gorgeous ^v^
no subject
Date: 2012-07-12 03:45 pm (UTC)Also, Chilli sounds like an awesome dog. How do you find her energy levels for a labradoodle? I've heard that some can be off the charts (which is great if you want that), but I do hear mixed attitudes depending. I love both poodles and labradors so I think I'd generally love their tractability and awesomeness.
Also, yes, a borzoi! I'm a fan of a lot different dogs, but borzoi are definitely well up there. Shame there are no breeders in Western Australia.
no subject
Date: 2012-07-12 04:17 pm (UTC)It is a horrifically outdated question, just like the notions of certain breeds being 'dangerous'. I used my grandfather as an example, his mindset is unfortunately locked in outdated notions. I would never tell him that she bit me, he'd probably kill her himself. :/
Chilli is darned awesome, if I may say so myself. I've owned many dogs and each is special of course, but she's just... special. Hah what a question. She's the very definition of her name: chilled. She's content to relax with you, loves sleeping in late and enjoying sunsets. That being said, she can get geared up when we let her- racing around the backyard, jumping about, furious games of tug'o'war and rumbling sessions but, true to her base nature, switches straight back into calmness with a single word [the most commonly used cue is 'Alight, enough' just said softly and just like that she's back to nosing you for snuggles].
She's a stark contrast to my mother's labradoodle who is from the same breeder but different parents and it shows. Chilli's father is the coolest bloke, just like her, and her mother is highly trained/qualified in obedience; Chilli is a good mix of the two of them. Ziggy however is from two parents used only for showing and breeding, and is right off the scales in terms of energy. Which is bad because she's deviously intelligent and gets bored way too quickly for my mother to deal with.
I've only seen one Borzoi here [NSW] but I think he was imported! Oh Australia, why this serious lack of gorgeous sighthounds!? They are right up there on my list, along with Beaucerons which are just as hard to find.
no subject
Date: 2012-07-12 04:23 pm (UTC)We do have a few borzoi here, but not being bred. I know there are breeders in the Eastern states, and there are actually two litters on the ground in Australia right now (one in Queensland and one in New South Wales) but still, they are a rare dog, and apparently decreasing in popularity with time. Don't get me wrong, I love staffies! But I sometimes wish we had more variety here in Australia. Do you get a lot of whippets where you are? They're very common here - and come up for rescue (sadly) a lot - but I prefer the long-haired sighthounds, particularly staghounds / deerhounds / wolfhounds / borzoi.
I like beaucerons, though I am strongly, strongly opposed to the ear cropping that they put them through in the USA. It is thankfully banned here though; so they can retain their full, beautiful ears! They are striking, incredible dogs.
no subject
Date: 2012-07-12 04:54 pm (UTC)I know of one in Queensland, Alyosha? But not of many more. It is sad they are decreasing in popularity, they are amazing dogs! Variety is something the Australian dog-sphere needs more of. Like you, I adore staffies, and kelpies, blue heelers, red cattle dogs, collies... all the working dogs you'll see a lot of. I don't get a lot of whippets where I am, but where I used to live [Newcastle locality] I saw plenty. And Italian Greyhounds mistakenly ID'd as whippets.
My current roosting town has two resident wolfhounds, though I don't see them out and about much. I just about threw myself out of the car when I first saw them- the noise I made just about stopped the car as well >v> The rescues up here see more staffies, bulls and such mixes, usually from piggers. My neighbor had a gorgeous dane x bullmastiff cross, rescued, fostered and then sadly re-homed when they had a child.
I'm opposed to cropping/docking in any situation unless it is utterly dire eg. one of the dogs in the local RAAF base had his tail docked because he injured it, a rescue I know had her ears cropped [traditionally not cosmetically] because they'd been ripped up so badly they were just hanging tatters. I think Beaucerons, like Dobermans, should just be left natural.
If you offered me a choice between a Beauceron and a Borzoi I couldn't tell you what I'd prefer, hehe!
no subject
Date: 2012-07-12 04:18 pm (UTC)"Is your dog friendly" or "may I say hello" are my favorites if the dog seems relaxed and interested but isn't approaching/is constrained, but given that I live in a very dog-heavy town and most of the dogs are very friendly if semi-trained, it's often bypassed by the dogs themselves approaching with interested ears and wagging tails to say hello, on or off lead. "Hello, friendly," is my usual go-to in that circumstance, because if nothing else it gets the human's attention and they'll take action if it's needed.
My much-beloved heeler (the aforementioned dog's sister) would do this. She'd tap with her nose, or very gently put her open mouth on my leg, but it was a game we'd played since she was a puppy, and I trusted her more than most humans. And now I'm all nostalgic.
Thanks for writing this, I wish more people would pay this much attention to dogs.
no subject
Date: 2012-07-12 05:01 pm (UTC)Ours is a fairly dog-heavy town as well, but also very tourist heavy so the dogs have to be well socialized to put up with crowds of strangers. I always watch other dogs as much as I watch the people reacting, likewise if I can see Chill's getting overworked I step down a street I know will be quiet and we take a little time out/detour around the crowds.
Heelers <3 I'm all nosalgic now as well, one of my first ever dogs was a heeler. Fantastic dog. Chill's gentle mouth is semi-instinctual from the labrador half of her genes and semi-trained into her. I've done the same, roughoused since she was a pup and when she'd bite too hard [more my fault then hers] I'd let her know.
Very welcome, it's all I can do to share. Like the title, it all comes down to a lack of understanding ^v^
no subject
Date: 2012-07-12 08:30 pm (UTC)Chill sounds like she is really lucky to be your dog. Communication really is everything IMO.
I don't think I'd ever seen pictures of a labradoodle that wasn't in a show before, never mind met one, so it's cool to read about yours. We pretty much don't have them here - lots of heelers and heeler mixes as we're a cattle area on top of everything else, lots of labs because everyone loves them, and a few retrievers, coonhounds, and assorted hunting dogs. Not so much poodles, though.