Can I have a moan please? Some people....!

[Vallhala]

As many of you know I'm foster mum to a big hairy GSD, a softy with me, the DDs, my and other dogs and my cats. He was VERY nervous when he came into rescue and I sepnt months winning his trust. He particularly avoided the poor male half of the rescue owners - I think he associated him with being seperated from his original Mum although he's shown a remarkable improvement when the owner visits me and he's unaggressive although a little nervous with my stepfather, mother and other visitors of both sexes.

He's a fantastic dog out and about and has accepted the people he has met so far who all have made a gentle approach with a sit and is happy to be stroked by them.

This afternoon a man came out of a shop as we were waiting outside for DD and approached us, quite fast, hand out. Pooch growled! To be fair, he didn't make any attempt to pull towards the man but moved closer to my side. I apologised and explained that he was a new rescue addition to the family, that he was a little nervous and so approaching him was probably scaring him and expected the man to back off.

But no! The eejit persisted, coming closer, hands out, saying "Oh, let me stroke him, don't be silly boy!".

FFS he's a GSD and he has told you to go away, you fool!

I went to move on, repeating that this wasn't a good idea and the man tried AGAIN! I've no fear that he was a potential dog theif, he was just a local in our small village being obtuse. I felt very rude as I raised my voice and said, "I'd rather you didn't do that.".

The bugger tried to come closer with a hand out AGAIN!

"PLEASE don't try to stroke my dog! He obviously isn't comfortable with it! I'd like you to leave him alone please".

Man got into his car most upset with me for not allowing him to put his hands into the face of my obviously worried dog!

Two minutes later and a couple left the shop. The lady smiled at us and pooch moved gently and slowly towards her, still on lead of course, tail wagging. She offered a hand, and a gentle word, got a lick and a wag and stroked pooch, who then moved to get into her open car door!

There's a right way and a wrong way. My (and no doubt your) children know the difference. So...?

I tell ya, people never fail to amaze me with their stupidity!

My dog is very selective after being kicked in the street as a puppy by a male in a fluorescent jacket.....she is positively vile to any male in a fluorescent jacket now and I am not sure what to do.....how can I make her more relaxed?

This is JUST my immediate idea, NOT a professional opinion. Get a very dog savvy, confident male friend to visit, preferably one who already knows pooch and pooch likes. Encourage him to interact with the dog, play and offer treats. Having pilfered from a pal or bought a hi viz jacket, bring it into the room, perhaps even wear it beforehand so it smells of you. Put it on the sofa next to the pal and if pooch shows no adverse reaction let pal pick it up, watching carefully for anything which might make you want to abandon the plan there and then.

If he is comfortable and assured in himself that there is no problem, let pal stand with the jacket in his arms. If he can put it on, so much the better, all the while treating, offering toys and fussing the dog, with you reassuring her. If you can do this quite regularly so much the better, even perhaps start off with DH/DP if you have one, doing this.

When you are out take with you whatever is your dog's "thing", be that a toy, treats or a ball etc. If you see someone in a hi viz jacket, distract with treats/toy, getting the dog to focus on you and not them, praise and walk on, just as you would if pooch was stroppy on lead with passing dogs.

The key in overcoming things like this ime is to disassociate with bad experiences and replace those with good ones and feelings of trust and security.

As I said, this is JUST my immediate thought and if the experts here disagree I bow down to their far greater knowledge and experience. I do rescue and foster, and I have worked with and overcome things like food aggression, nervousness (to a point, my foster boy's behaviour today shows there's a long way to go but no-one could get near him for over a year when he was in rescue until I spent the last couple or so of months staying there for long weekends and working solely with him, the improvement is fantastic - all credit to HIM, not me!). However, I am NOT a behaviouralist, I just get the poor sods out of pounds and the like and go by instinct and the example of the rescue owner I volunteer for, whom I respect tremendously. Tis a bugger, he has the confidence needed in my suggestion, AND he owns a hi viz jacket! Don't suppose you're near Cambs, are you? :)

Thanks Vallhala.....I like the idea of the distraction with a toy whilst out walking. Will give this a try.

I'm in Essex and I think I know of a suitable victim person to give this a go.....I need to work on people in hi viz coming to the door.

Many thanks

He was clearly a loon, Val.

Was he wearing Boden?

Idiot.

(him not you obv)

Why don't people listen.

Flowery shirt and cords? Teamed with an 'Artisan jacket'???

Bella you show far too much Boden knowledge, are you a secret Bodenite?

I bet you are currently sporting a 'fun' applique skirt, a hotchpotch shirt and a cardigan in some shage of 'melange'.

Ha ha. WTWTW - takes one to know one, my sweet

I guess I'm out of the closet now, yes. Better than being in it. The huge triffids on my rainyday mac were starting to mess with Bella's head

That dog should be muzzled. That will protect it from eejits. Oh and how very dare you go out in public with a large dog. They are dangerous. Do you not read The Daily Mail?

Seriously though, your dog sounds lovely. You and he should be very proud. Some people are idiots, unfortunately. Luckily, most people are not. And yes, both my children know how to approach a dog sensibly and they know to ask permission first. Even the toddler.

Glad I read this - I have a very nervy JR who I've done lots of training with but she still barks and lunges on the lead at small children. Trouble is I can't risk getting small children to help overcome her fears. I shall try walking with her favourite squeaky toy in my pocket near the local school and try and get her used to it!

Strangely enough the children who I meet who I know have a dog respond to her well and vice versa.

We took our two labs to a big local show a few weeks ago. They are incredibly well behaved and amenable to all and sundry, but I was amazed at how many parents allowed their children to stroke and pat the dogs without asking whether the dogs would mind.

I kept gently moving the dogs away from children - not because I thought they would do anything, but just felt it was kinder to the dogs - but people just didn't take the hint.

Quite a few of the children had ice creams in one hand too!

When my children were small I would never let them stroke a strange dog, unless we'd asked first.

My 4 year old daughter is besotted with dogs. We have a very old and soft dalmation and she thinks that every dog she sees is as daft as he is.

I'm forever telling her that she must always ask the owner before approaching a dog. I've learned to be very observant and can spot a dog a mile off!

I had to read it twice as I thought the car door was in relation to the woman getting in the car and was the wife of the numpty!

I know the feeling. My dog normally doesn't mind strangers stroking him but i would appreciate them asking first. It has become especially important in the last couple of weeks as my dog is covered in stitches so I can't risk anyone catching them by accident. Still I prefer them to the eejit this morning who came up to me and told me my dog should be put down as he was obviously aggressive and had been fighting , he was sniffing a tree at the time! Pointing out his stitches were nothing to do with a fight and he has never shown any signs of aggression didn't seem to make an impression either. Don't know why I didn't just ignore her really. She was clearly a lunatic with nothing better to do than wind people up.

ITA Val, why do other people think they know your pet better than you do?

Last week, walking near the beach, being quite clearly dragged along by our vizsla (pre-clicker days, I should add ) I was amazed at the number of twunts walking towards us who encouraged her to approach them, thereby pulling even further away from an already struggling owner. When I pointed out they weren't being helpful I was told "oh but she's only a pup" "yes, whom I am trying to train to walk to heel and pay attention to me!".

Bloody infuriating.

I'm just as peed off for you all as you ladies are for yourselves (IYSWIM) as I read your tales, but in an odd kind of way bloody glad that it doesn't just happen to me!

And Bella... that's sppoky. He wasn't wearing Boden, you ain't that much of a psychic, but he was wearing cords!

(He was also, as you rightly say, using that technical veterinary word, a loon!).

Cheers Bedlam!

Not heard anything about that woman so far but then again I've not asked either. Good for Alison for following it up!

Will keep my ears open, it's going to be hellishly busy here til Tuesday and I'm shattered already so it may not be immediately but please remind me with a kick up the ass to see what I can discover.