Dogs will be dogs
Keeping things in perspective
Social media is awash with people complaining about other people’s dogs. You know the kind of thing ‘another dog rushed up to my dog, it was awful etc.’ This short missive demonstrates the lack of understanding shown by many dog owners and ‘experts.’
Before I continue, let me be clear, I am not advocating that dogs are allowed to run wild. I am suggesting that owners try to understand what they are seeing when out with their dogs.
The picture above shows my dog (the white Lurcher, Clint) playing enthusiastically with a terrier. Now this play was vigorous and noisy, with plenty of playful growling. Both were having a fun time. Now, the problem with this picture is that many people would have viewed this as aggressive behaviour. They would be wrong. This is, merely, a normal dog interaction. Keep this in mind when you read the following narrative below.
Clint and I were in the local park, he was off lead pottering along quite happily. We were approached by a couple with a, fairly, lively Cockapoo. Their dog, who was off lead also, approached Clint with some enthusiasm and, Clint took this as an invitation to play. He chased the little fellow for a couple of yards, voicing his enthusiasm. The little dog was a little overcome by Clint’s play and yelped, although Clint had not touched him. This, as I described above, was, simply play. As I acted to put Clint back on the lead, the dog’s male owner demanded I keep my dog under control (something that, clearly didn’t apply to his dog), as he snatched his dog up into his arms, while his wife just looked panicked.
The owners behaved, out of context to what was happening and misinterpreted the behaviour of both dogs. In fact, at no time did they put their dog on the lead. This couple represented a trend displayed, frequently, of dog owners reacting, inappropriately, to simply situations and responding with, immediate, aggressive responses, without taking responsibility for their dogs.
So, what can be done to make these interactions less demanding for dog owners? Well, the first point is that all dog owners have the responsibility to ensure situations do not get out of hand. Firstly, owners need to learn a little about what is normal dog behaviour and to understand what they are seeing - this alone will go a long way to helping keep things in context.
In this, specific case, the other owner could have put their dog on the lead as they approached, given that, it is likely, their dog had responded in the same way before. I would then, have ensured Clint was on his lead. We could have then met, calmly, or just passed each other without incident.
Finally, we need to learn how to remain calm and resist the temptation to immediately enter the ‘red zone,’ and respond out of context and with aggression.
Remember, dogs will be dogs.
