# Question for dog owners.



## davesport (Nov 12, 2006)

I was out walking in a rural area today with Mrs Davesport when she bumped into a female aquaintance who she's not seen for years. I don't know the lady in question but we passed pleasantries & as the two women were talking I proceeded to play with her wiemaraner. Its a fit & well looked after bitch six years old. 

We started off with a bit of throw the stick & fetch & then moved onto playing tug of war with with a stout stick. Me with one hand on either end, dogs teeth clamped in the middle. Then we moved onto a bit of scratching, rolling over & me pushing the dog away whilst it tried to regain control of its stick. I have to say, if this dog had been mine I'd have been on the ground by now having a wrestling match with it. Anyway we moved on & the dog was leaning its hind quarters on my leg having a bit of a rest so I gave it a nudge with my knee to wake it up. This was done in close proximity & within full sight of the owner. 

The dogs owner immidiately shouted at me & told me not to do "that" again. I went on to enquire what she was refering to & was informed that using my knee as I had was tantermount to assualting her dog 8O A heated debate followed & although it was OK to to do all the other playfull stuff & for the dog to jump on me un-announced, nudging the dog who by the way was none the wiser, with my knee was some from of assualt that "you can't do to a girl dog" I had to cut the conversation short as I was in total disbelief, so I excused myself & left.

I have to emphasise that it was entirely a playfull nudge & not a full on knee drop to the rib cage :lol: 

Mrs Davesport has got the hump with me as well  

What I'd like to know from others is, do you think I've done something wrong ? 

I'm begining to feel like a heinous criminal.

Please feel free to give your tuppence worth.

Regards Dave.


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## mikeyv (May 23, 2007)

All sounds a bit bizarre to me, one of the joys of having a larger dog is that you can play a bit rough without fear of hurting the animal. Mine loves a good "play" battle, but dogs know when you're playing, as opposed to meaning them harm - sadly it seems your wifes mate has less sense than her dog.


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## Stanbeeze (Jan 24, 2008)

What a shocking story.  May I suggest industrial boots or a cricket bat on future walks. :lol: For use on the owner of course. :wink:


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

mikeyv said:


> sadly it seems your wifes mate has less sense than her dog.


I agree with Mike.

If you had hurt the dog at all it would certainly have made some sort of protest, and you may well have found yourself "_wearing it_" on your ankle if it was really upset. 8O 8O

The fact that the pooch did not react indicates that it was not bovvered.

Normal dog, strange owner. 8O

Cheers


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## takeaflight (May 9, 2005)

It's my experience that its very rarely that dogs cause any problems, normally it's the owners.

Little men with big dogs or high pitched squeelly women. :wink:


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## JLO (Sep 27, 2006)

My son has a St Bernard and you have to use you knees sometimes to "push" him out of the way. Dogs push each other about and as far as they are concerned "we" are part of the pack.


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## 108987 (Jan 2, 2008)

Hi Dave , You haven't done anything wrong. We also have a Weimaraner. He tends to lean on us sometimes and i use my knee to budge him (gently of course). Sometimes he tends to put all his weight in to leaning on me and almost knocks me over with being a large dog.


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## 101776 (Nov 13, 2006)

Hi Dave, I concur with the others, you have done nothing wrong, I have a 13 stone gt dane that takes great pleasure in leaning on you when you stop to chat, he has no problem with being nudged out the way.....thats if your knee has not gone to sleep!!


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## litcher (Jul 24, 2006)

Very odd! Even my cairn terrier loves a bit of rough play - she'll come at me snarling and growling, lip curled, teeth bared. looking and sounding ferocious. She loves being pushed away, quite roughly, and dived back in for more. As soon as she touches skin she's really gentle. After all, they have rough play amongst themselves.

My large labrador, like JLO's son's St Bernard, often has to be "kneed" out of the way as he's deaf now but will insist on standing in the way at the top of the stairs or in doorways. He quite happily steps aside - or stands his ground if he's being difficult. :roll: He certainly doesn't get upset and it doesn't hurt him. The cairn's much rougher with him. 8O 

Viv


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## chrisgreen (Jan 13, 2008)

the woman need's to get a life.
one thing i will warn all dog owners about,is throwing stick's for dog's.

i had a springer which i used to throw stick's for,and the dog loved it,one day i throw the stick and the dog got to it just as it hit the ground,pointing upwards,and went down the dogs throat,vet bill's came to just on 2 grand as it riped the dog's throat open inside.
and i had no insurance.
now its just balls or frizby's never a stick.
vet said it's common.


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## wakk44 (Jun 15, 2006)

I agree with chrisgreen above,don't throw sticks for dog's,ask anyone who works at a vets how many injured dogs they have in when chasing after sticks.

Re the incident with the weimeraner,I think you have met a strange neurotic dog owner,I have met a few like that on my daily dog walks :x 

Steve


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## vmeldrew (May 3, 2007)

Owner defies belief.


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## 105023 (Jun 7, 2007)

*Dog owner*

Perfectly sane dog. Plain nutty/overly protective/neurotic owner. (sorry not terribly PC, but I'm not in that kind of mood today  )

Ginge


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## Invicta (Feb 9, 2006)

My 8 st labrador purposely nudges people to gain attention and expects, to be nudged back! He keeps on nudging until he gets a response.

Please don't tar all lady owners with large dogs with the same brush, some of us are 'normal' unlike the lady dog owner mentioned above!


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## spykal (May 9, 2005)

Hi

I think your lady owner may have been either a first time owner and/or one that had read all the books on how to look after a dog... but did not know much about dogs :wink: . 

There is quite a bit of advice on "kneeing" when it comes to using it as a punishment for jumping up... and it is generally considered a bad idea to use it as a deterent to put the dog off jumping up when greeting someone. But you were in the midst of a game with the dog ...a situation in which the dog will have understood that your kneeing was playful and a part of the rough and tumble... not a punishment or an "assault".... 

I actually feel sorry for the dog ... living with a human is OK as long as the human knows how to treat you like a dog :lol: 

Mike


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

spykal said:


> Hi
> I think your lady owner may have been either a first time owner and/or one that had read all the books on how to look after a dog... but did not know much about dogs :wink: .
> 
> I actually feel sorry for the dog ... living with a human is OK as long as the human knows how to treat you like a dog :lol:
> ...


Spot on Mike, and some of the advice which comes from the so-called experts beggars belief.

This came yesterday from Pedigree. They send monthly emails advising you how to bring up your dog, and our Gracie will soon be 9 months old. This is the first part of a long diatribe on . . . . . well, read this bit and wonder?????????????????? *(My emphasis in bold italic.)*

"*Making His 'Furry' Encounters Pleasant And Enjoyable*

When he reaches nine months of age, your puppy will be *old enough to start* making some furry friends and to begin learning how to hold his own in their company. Although social animals by nature and always keen to enjoy the company of other puppies, you can help to make his *first encounters* good building blocks for any future meetings and relationships.

To ensure that his *first meeting with other puppies* is a pleasant and formative experience, there are a few factors to take into consideration.
. . . . . . . . " 

*Where do they dig the silly bu**ers up from???

They are actually suggesting that your puppy should never meet other dogs until it is 9 months old????

A recipe for disaster if ever I saw one!!!!!!!*

Sorry - off topic a bit, but this sort of "professional advice" may explain the lady's reaction as you say.

Cheers
....................................................................................

P.S. Just spotted this little gem in the Pedigree email - telling you how to prevent your pup being aggressive when she is eating.

"*Gently bump into him* while he eats, then drop a treat into his bowl."

The lady in question obviously didn't read this bit. :roll: :roll: 8O 8O


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## davesport (Nov 12, 2006)

I'm sincerely gratefull for all who've taken the time to reply. I had gone over this so many times & tried putting myself in the owners position. IE walk a mile in the shoes etc, but could'nt bring myself agree with her assertation that I'd done any harm.

As I said, thanks for the replies. I'm feeling a lot better.

Regards Dave.


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## annetony (May 1, 2005)

Glad your feeling better about it now, and the owner obviously doesn't watch the Dog Whisperer, Caesar frequently uses his foot to push the dog away, she would have had him jailed by now :roll: :roll: 

seriously you did nothing wrong so I wouldn't let a neurotic owner make you feel like you did, maybe they just let her out for the day :lol: :lol: 

Anne


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## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*Dogs*

Hi

I can't see that you have done anything wrong. I have a Weimaraner "on hire" and she is as tough as old boots. Maybe though, from where the owner was standing - and viewing the action from a different angle, it may have looked different.

Russell


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

Rapide561 said:


> Maybe though, from where the owner was standing - and viewing the action from a different angle, it may have looked different.
> Russell


Not getting at you Russell (  ), but I can't go along with that either.

Dave had been playing with the dog for quite a long time, and obviously both of them were enjoying it.

Hardly likely then that he would suddenly decide to boot it in the ribs, and the owner must be severely cerebrally challenged if she thinks he did.

Trouble is, when you are verbally savaged "_out of the blue_" by a rampaging female (or male :roll: ) the shock and surprise makes you feel guilty at first. It's only after you stop and think that you realise the person was off his/her trolley, and you have absolutely nothing to answer for.

Forget about it Dave, you can nudge our hound with your knee any time you like. We won't object, but if she does you will be left in noooooo doubt. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Cheers


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## wakk44 (Jun 15, 2006)

*Dog bites noisy man*

I have another story which is a variation on this theme only this was dog assaults man.I was out walking my dog on the lead under close control when a complete stranger approached and said very loudly ''I love terriers,come here boy''and bent down to stroke my dog.Ky growled to warn him off as he does not like overbearing,loud people.He does like people and will fuss them but has to be approached on his terms which is quietly and laid back.

This chap stepped back in surprise and said in his best John Inman voice,''oooohh whats the matter with you then''.I was just about to explain how to approach him when the daft devil did exactly the same thing and tried to embrace the dog whilst talking loudly.This time there was no warning and Ky latched onto his hand and gave it a good shake.

The man walked off muttering something about b****y vicious dog,now correct if I'm wrong but this was a totally unsolicited approach from a stranger who didn't ask me if it was ok to stroke the dog .Might have been an interesting case for Judge Judy.

Steve


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## some-where-in-oxford (Apr 18, 2006)

A few years back I was at a game fair. Sat in the food area I was eating a bacon butty when a dog wandered up and sat in front of me, watching me eat with those sad eyes.

Well I did the only thing you could do in that situation, pulled out a bit of bacon and gave it to the dog, the owner was nearby and was watching, I was expecting a grin from the owner and for him to call the dog back telling him not to be pester people.

Next minute the owner just lost it, called me all the names under the sun, and was shouting and swearing in front of everyone.

As far as I was concerned I did nothing wrong. After a while I forgot about it. 
At least the dog was on my side.


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## Groper (May 17, 2007)

Nothing wrong with your reaction to the silly woman. 
Slightly off topic but reading another reply about people approaching dogs without asking. 
A few years ago we had a border collie who could be a little fractious to say the least if approached in the wrong manner.I was sat waiting outside a shop with him when a man came up and said "hello doggie " and bent towards him. 
I warned him that the dog was rather choosy about who patted him."All dogs love me "he replied.He bent towards the dog and was rewarded with a show of rather sharp "gnashers " and a low growl."That dogs dangerous" he said! 
Animals are great , humans can be very stupid.


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## 108921 (Dec 30, 2007)

Dave - REALLY! How COULD you. Nasty, cruel man.

Seriously, though I was interested in that the woman said, "You can't do that to a GIRL dog." Is it ok, then, with a male one..... or is she afraid of the word BITCH as she knows who is the real one!

My little Llasso was attacked in the park by the most ferocious corgi imagineable ..... alright, alright ... only small but the nastiest creature on God's earth it was .... My dog was walking alongside me and the corgi came flying from about 100 yards away. The nasty old geeser who it owned, came up and told me that I should keep my dog on a lead and f**k off out of the park!!!!! I was gobsmacked for about 60 seconds and then I am ashamed to say I used some choice words to him. There was a lake next to us and I soooooooooo wished I had the courage to throw him and his fiend from Hell into it.


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## 107088 (Sep 18, 2007)

I was taking the pooches over Seaford Head he other night, and I was watching what turned out to be the funniest converstation bewteen 2 people.

went loik this it dood.

Woman, having a screetch at a youngish bloke, who was waving his finger at the woman. As we ( me and the dynamic duo) appraoched, she was verbally assaulting the bloke about his inability to control his dog. I watched this womans rat- on- a -rope barking, snarling and snapping at the biggest most handsome GSD I've seen for ages. Then as the proper dog voiced his disgust at the hamster on a lead, the woman started all over again about the GSD being a lethal, uncontrolled animal, and that her thing ( she called the mutant a dog,ho ho) was only playing.

To his credit, the man and the GSd just walked off, toward the road, with the dog and man in perfect harmony, as the owner opened the door or the POLICE -DOG SECTION - van and drove off. 


I nearly fell over laughing. 

so anyway back on topic, come to my neck of the woods, and you can rough and tumble with my two, anytime.


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## 107012 (Sep 14, 2007)

That's a brilliant tale bandaid and just goes to show how daft people of small dogs can be. A lot of them are Soooooo scared of the larger, real dog item, such as the my Dobermann and I have a story about that.

We like to let our dogs run free whenever possible and so we walk them a lot in the local woods. One day our 32kg dobe bitch met this little jR who felt inclined to sort her out by latching onto her lip! He barked and snarled at her and my girl Rowan just stood quietly looking at him perplexed, as if to say, "what's your prob bro?"
After a few minutes of his insane ranting and while I chattered to the owner, Rowan had had enough and stamped on the little ble***r, holding him down face down in the dirt. His legs spread out like a cartoon character and when she decided to release him, he had this huge Dobermann paw print on his nice white back and a right look of shock on his face.
Good job we all laughed.


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## 107088 (Sep 18, 2007)

Love that, 

short ars* syndrome, I reckon. 

The only Dobies I have met have been real sweethearts, and such handsome dogs too. Mind, they can be a bit willfull if you dont lead them, having said that its the same for all pooches.

My Belgian shpherd is an amazing bitch. Protects the collie, whos afriad of all small dogs, there again, shes a complete trollop if theres a male shepherd about.

Belgian Shepherd, Tauverner, looks like a GSD thats been shrunk in the wash.
"

Met another owner when I was working the other day, and got chatting as dog people do, and she said that they use BSD's as Police dogs on the continent.

I said ( given the dimiinutive size of the breed) " oh, for small criimes then?"

The " too difficult light" went on in her head and she wnadered off.


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

bandaid said:


> My Belgian shpherd is an amazing bitch. Protects the collie, whos afriad of all small dogs, there again, shes a complete trollop if theres a male shepherd about.


Lovely breed Bandy.

What about a photo or two.


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## 107088 (Sep 18, 2007)

Zebedee, 
I'd really like to show a piccy of the young tart.

unfortunately, shes 3 1/2 and if last nights efforts tryiing to upload photos was an indication, the dog will be dead from old age if I try with hers.


however, I'll have a go.


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

bandaid said:


> Zebedee,
> I'd really like to show a piccy of the young tart.
> 
> unfortunately, shes 3 1/2 and if last nights efforts tryiing to upload photos was an indication, the dog will be dead from old age if I try with hers.
> ...


 >>This<<  might help.

And speaking of little tarts, our Gracie loves to have her chest scratched, and at the slightest opportunity she's on her back with her legs in all four directions and a sloppy smile on her face.

Look forward to the photos.

Cheers


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## 107088 (Sep 18, 2007)

Thanks for that, I'll sort out a cute one, ( where shes actually upright and not, laying down with her bits on view,I did say shes a trollop, ) and bang in an attachement.


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## 107088 (Sep 18, 2007)

here goes then
apologies for poor technique.


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## 107088 (Sep 18, 2007)

also


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## 107088 (Sep 18, 2007)

I feel quite proud of myself having done that. I'l have another go with this imagery malarky


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

What poor technique Bandy??

Lovely mutts. Now you've mastered the attachments, let's have a photo of the trollop at her worst. I bet she's not a patch on our little tart.   

Cheers


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## duxdeluxe (Sep 2, 2007)

The OP reminded me of our old flat coated "retriever" (a misnomer if ever there was one). She used to do exactly the same - usually to get someone pinned into a corner so that she got an extra scritch on the head. With a dog that big, a swift nudge with the knee usually gives the hint to move off and also a cue to try another trick to get a free head scritch.

nutty, neurotic, dimwitted owner who doesn't deserve a lovely dog


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## 107088 (Sep 18, 2007)

I take her by surprise ....thats her favourite, apparently, according to half the male GSD's in the vicinity.


Poor love, she tries hard to get a Sh*g, but she's not quite realised that shes had her " womenly bits " removed/.


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## bigbazza (Mar 6, 2008)

*Small dogs*

"Rat on a rope.
Hamster on a lead.
Her thing.
Daft people of small dogs.
Real dog item"

That sounds a little biased.
Thousands of people have very small well behaved dogs.
The majority of people who have dogs of all sizes are animal lovers.


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## 107088 (Sep 18, 2007)

Yeah, it does sound biased, and in honesty I am,

I'm not sure who, or what I'm biased against tho' either small dogs in general, or owners thereof.

I walk my 2 in a recreation ground daily for about 1-11/2 hours every day. 

We meet, regularily a couple of labs, a dobie, ridgeback and they behave, in the main, very well indeed. The owners seem to realise that they have a sizeable animal and therefore take some care regarding their behavior.

We also meet several pekes, a JRT, and a couple of whippet like crosses.

These small breeds are, in the main, yappy, aggressive and snap at anything or anyone who goes within charging distance.

The owners of these animals seem to consider that their " little babies" are, by virtue of their diminutive size, beyond training, beyond reproach, and therefore, anything unpleasant that happens is entirely the other dog/owners responsibility, their attitude seems, that aggression is a " breed trait" and I, among others must accept that, 

Unfortunately, my dogs do not rationalise, they don't have a discussion regarding the behavior of the other smaller breeds in the rec, they are snapped and yapped at, and react.

Like dogs.

I for one, recognise, that among the owners of dogs, large and small, there are those who are responsible leaders and their dogs behave appropriately, however, we :wink: are in the minority, nevertheless, I am really sick and tired of having to take my dogs away from the park because of the attitude of the smaller dogs.


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## andyangyh (May 1, 2005)

We call those little yappy things "Barking Armpits". Especially in France where they seem to tuck them under their arms permanently


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## bigbazza (Mar 6, 2008)

*Small dogs*

I'm not snapping at you or being aggressive but you are tarring all small dogs & owners with the same brush.
Maybe you have this problem in your area.
I have seen very aggressive large dogs and also yappy small dogs sometimes unleashed, but in both cases I doubt it's the dog that is the problem.


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