How precious are you as a dog owner?

[MarcoPoloCX]

How precious are you as a dog owner?
You get some dog owners who think of their dogs as their babies. They're very precious and overly protective of them and get really emotional over a little "dog squabble"
Dogs will be dogs.
They don't always get on with very dog they see. And you don't always know what exactly trigger them off with that particular dog until something happens but you know pretty much what it is.
Some will play rough and squabble over treats, balls and sticks. Even friendly dogs can have a go at each other if something triggers them off.

My question is do you accept that not all dogs will like each other and accept it as one of those things and move on when it happens or do you get really emotional and precious about it and dwell on it, and feel wary and nervous about going out.
When I say squabble I don't mean a full on nasty incident.

[missbattenburg]

Mostly I am type A. A squabble does not worry me. I've split up enough sqaubbling dogs now to know it's most all noise and movement with little damage afterwards. But not always.

However, I would still do everything in my power to prevent or avoid it to start with. Dogs might be dogs but no good comes from allowing them the chance to practice behaviour you don't want.

In addition, I don't think it's precious to be upset by a squabble. To many people they are shocking to see and hear and it is understandable that this then triggers a fear or panic or upset in them. For a few seconds your dog is in the middle of what looks like a snarling ball of biting and you have no real clue how they are holding up in there.

Moreover, if you're dog is a nervous dog to start with you fear the longer term impact of a negative experience like this. Many a reactive dog owner will tell of the heartbreaking realisation that weeks of careful training has just been risked by a 10 second squabble. I feel for them.

[missbattenburg]

Moreover, if your dog...


Oh the shame!

[FlyUpAndDieWitch]

Type A now, but I definitely started as a type B.

I got a puppy before I had children, & definitely felt parental and defensive.

It makes me quite uncomfortable to remember it now, but it helps me to be more understanding of people who are in that zone (even if they're v irritating).

[LaurieSchafferIsAllBitterNow]

nah...so long as it's all frothing and noise and not actual all out attacking then let them be

mine had an altercation with a west highland terrier...they met and had a sniff, both recalled nicely but then BadWestie decided to barrel into mine as his back was turned 8) ...the wee cheater!

Westie owner was very apologetic and just couldn't get hers under control, there was a lot of terrier snarling and snapping and mine (GSD/GRet) was just a bit bemused by it all and concentrated on keeping his ankles out of range of BadWestie.

Then she says "oh he's never liked big dogs" She seemed a bit shaken up by it all tbh, but there really wasn't any major contact so I did wonder if she was more the problem than the dog

Dogs do have sworn enemies though....my parents dog did not like another westie in their village, a mutual dislike, and there was a labrador who did not like either of them. Other than that all the village dogs got on fine!

[MarcoPoloCX]

Yes, of course if the other dog is not good with other dogs, reactive or nervous then you give them space.
But it's more like another off lead friendly dog so you let them greet but for whatever reason they don't get on.
I see some owners get more scared than the dogs and the fear feeds in to their dogs. And then they don't come out for days and you can feel the fear and tension when they next go out.
The emotions come more from the owners than from the dogs.

[Bunnybigears]

I am not a precious dog owner at all. My Romanian Rescue dog has his issues but as he grew up as a street dog he 'speaks' dog very well and will tell off other dogs if they are getting too much for him some dog owners think this is aggressive but it really isnt if you watch dogs who are well socialised (with other dogs) 'telling off' is a natural phenomenon. He can also tell when he is not wanted and will beat a hasty retreat.

[Celebelly]

I was Type B at first but definitely Type A now. A squabble doesn't bother me. I've got a voice like a foghorn when needed, and that tends to de-escalate things pretty quickly! When I first got her, I was terrified of her being attacked or being scared of other dogs, but when another dog did eventually have a go at her (just all noise and slobber) she flipped him onto his back and pinned him down, so I realised she can take care of herself

[Charm23]

We got our Labrador puppy when he was 9 weeks old and it was such a big change seeing as we had no children and so our responsibilities suddenly had to get rearranged. DH and I are protective and worry about him but I think it's normal for anyone you care about.
I was more worried at the beginning when he seemed to be a total wuss who wouldn't leave my side! But now he's bigger and more confident and I feel a lot more at ease. He's had a few tiffs (usually with small dogs for some reason) but we've accepted that these things happen.
Saying that, if it turned into a nasty fight I'll admit I'd definitely get precious about it out of worry.
We're on holiday atm and although it's a nice break from responsibilities, we do miss him and can't wait to see his reaction when we get home in a few days!

[missbattenburg]

For sure I think emotions in one species (e.g humans) can infuence the emotions in another (e.g. dogs) but emotions are not under conscious control in humans any more than in dogs.

Humans are animals too. Our learning and emotional response systems work in the same way so a human who worries when they dog gets into a fight is just responding in the way their homone system and previous experiences (or lack of) dictate.

[LochJessMonster]

Oh I just let them get on with it. Dogs squabble a lot, and you have to let them sort it out.

My dog is a dick. He pushes and pushes and winds other dogs up. He always gets told off by them and put in his place. He needs it.

(disclaimer - I'm a responsible owner and if the other dog doesn't like it, or he doesn't respond to the initial warning of the other dog, then I remove him from the situation)

[IWorkAtTheCheescakeFactory]

I’m not precious when it comes to squabbles as my dog completely ignores other dogs altogether so squabbles have literally never happened and I’m relaxed enough because I know they’re very unlikely. If a dog is pestering him (he will always just stand there and pretend it isn’t happening) I will lie and tell the owner he doesn’t like other dogs so they take their dog away. Not because I think he will snap (he’s never shown a hint of losing it ever) but because I think he deserves not to be pestered.

[ChardonnaysDistantCousin]

I’m not precious.

Dogs are very good at sorting things out between themselves and establishing who is where in the pecking order.

If I see that a dog is aggressive, or too rough them I separate them and deal with it. Otherwise I let them be.

[IWorkAtTheCheescakeFactory]

I am precious about other things though. He’ll never go to boarding kennels for example. The only people I allow to look after him are my parents. I also don’t allow him to eat food scraps or anything he finds out and about. He has a sensitive tummy.

[BiteyShark]

I don't care about being labelled precious but then I don't really care what other dog owners think about me.

My dog is very submissive and doesn't tell other dogs off when they are bouncing on him and looks at me with the 'get them off me' look. I therefore simply walk away and my dog follows. The annoying thing is having to stop when the other dog fails to stop following us and won't go back to their owner or that the other owner gets shirty because I don't want to stay and let my dog 'play' with theirs.

He does have his pals, dogs he knows and they all play happily together and that's fine. Again if a strange dog approaches and they sniff and move on then that is ok with both of us. It's when the other dog is pestering BiteyDog then I have learnt just to turn and walk off in the opposite direction and at times 'shoo' the other dog away in the hope that they eventually go back to their owner who is usually in the far distance oblivious to what is happening.

[LittleLongDog]

I have to be aware of my dog’s back so do definitely get stressed when it’s a bouncy rough play and he’s trying to get away from it.

I would just walk away from the situation so that he’ll follow me away from it. And, as @BiteyShark said, it is really frustrating when the other dog comes with us and won’t go o back to its owner.

[missyB1]

Nope not precious here. But I have a very confident sociable schnauzer. She’s good at sussing out other dogs and she will listen if they tell her to buzz off.

[Floralnomad]

I’m a type A however my dog is not allowed to get involved in any rough play because I know that his tolerance level is very low and he can be evil , so to people who don’t know me / him may think I’m a bit precious because I won’t let him ‘play’ . He does have a group of doggy friends that we walk with but they all know to leave him alone

[FAQs]

Accept all dogs can be subject to a squabble, unrealistic to not recognise not all dogs will get on.

I recognise my dogs signals now, she attended social classes as a puppy and goes to dog day care with other dogs a few days a month, and if she is off lead in a walk and a dog in lead is approaching I put her straight on the lead as I’ll presume the other dog is on a lead for a reason and doesn’t want to be approached. Wish all dog owners did that and didn’t allow their off lead dogs no matter how friendly they think they are approach dogs in lead.

But I also hate being called her mummy or her pawrent.

[steppemum]

I'm pretty laid back, as steppedog just tends to trot on past most dogs, and doesn't want to interact.
But he is more and more inclined to turn round and have a bark at the other dog, so I do call him back to me so we pass other dogs together, instead of him being miles ahead.

I do agree with being pestered though. The other day there was a small spaniel off the lead who was going nuts. Steppedog just looked bemused, we tried to walk off several times, but the owner had no control and dg was coming with us, so I got steppedog to come to me and sit next to me and we stood still, while this little pest ran in circles round us. Steppedog did a great impression of dignity and calm, as we waited for the owner to reach us and grab her dog.
Steppedog was calm though because he had me next to him, and I was calm, and he felt safe next to me (when we first rescued him he would hide behind my legs if there were too many other dogs around!)

[adaline]

I'm definitely more type A.

However I have been accused of being precious before. We have a beagle and his recall is poor unless we're somewhere like the beach where he can't run off after a scent. So he's kept on a lead/longline in other places and I get fed up when other owners tell me to just let him off and play - no, he's on a lead for his own safety as I know he would just disappear otherwise and I would stand no chance of getting him back if he caught a scent.

I think it's important to know your dogs strengths and weaknesses and to act accordingly. I try not to get upset by other dog owners' perceptions of me - if you have a dog with great recall, or who is excellent around other dogs (or another positive trait) you don't realise how difficult it can be to have a dog who isn't like that.

[SJane48S]

Annoyance with another dog they and you know, not precious. Squabble with a strange dog in the park, not precious but I step in quick if it looks like it could turn. The exceptional attack by another dog that's going to end in injury, very precious and very sweary to any idiot out there (and we've all met them) who don't keep a dog with a history of going for others on a lead.

I'm also ridiculously precious about anyone insulting my dog - a good friends DH (who is an opinionated dick and dislikes all dogs) told me he 'bloody hated my dog'. It was like he'd told me he'd hated one of my children (and the dog is a darn sight nicer tempered than he is!)

[Jouska]

I'm a type C miserable bugger who does not want my dogs mixing with dogs I do not know.

I can't be arsed to fend other peoples badly trained dogs off mine so I avoid at all costs.

Our walks and time out are for the enjoyment of my dogs and me - our time.

[GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman]

Type A, sometimes brinking on Jouska's Type C.

I spend a lot of effort keeping Dog1 out of trouble (barky bugger, sounds 200% worse than he actually is, people who know him say, 'Oh God, you again...'), and Dog2 is a total social butterfly who reads other dogs well enough to stay out of likely rucks. But when I am out training Dog2, and people can see I am training her, and let their dog-with-no-recall barrel over, I get a bit pissed off, so I take evasive action - often by going somewhere where no one else is likely to be.

[Orangepancakes]

Not precious in the slightest. We have little dogs and people expect us to be precious. It surprises them when we're not.

Precious dog owners are the worst!

[Whine]

I’m hoping this isn’t a hijack but this thread has really made me think so I’d really appreciate views on whether I’m too precious or not!! I’m reverse precious I think- dog is medium to large and v bouncy (rude). She loves everyone/everything but is only slowly learning manners (will cheerfully bound up to other dogs and try to initiate play). She takes a clear no fine. But I worry that if she did that to something reactive etc. So she’s not off lead unless I can see it’s clear for miles. Am I precious about other people’s dogs? I’d hate for her to upset one/ have one go at her?