These photos were taken about 8 years ago. Elsa is very excited and relaxed, the pit mix not so much. She is very pushy with too much hard stare at Elsa. I was a hawk in this interaction. The black dog was only 8 months here, pretty intense for her age.
Elsa was getting a quick read on the black dog here. The poodle mix (clipped like a lion LOL) was just being a horn dog make. The black dog, still hard staring Elsa.
After a few short minutes Elsa needed an out. I opened the truck door and she hopped in. As the other two dogs approached the car she gave a very clear and loud growl to stay out. It is very important to be able to read everything that is going on in an interaction. Play MUST be consensual.
Wow, it’s been a minute. Sometimes I just cannot believe how quickly time passes by. Today I actually wanted to do a podcast about this but I’m really sick with a horrible voice so blog it is.
Yesterday I took my two out for a walk; even though I am very sick. I needed fresh air and so did they. It was a relaxed and slow sort of smell the roses walk. It is all I could muster up and they loved it. I was glad that I dragged my carcass out. ;)
As you all know I always find things to write about when I’m out and about. Sometimes I am with Elsa and Riggs, other times I am not. Yesterday I was with them and this is what we witnessed. Across the field at the park I could clearly see the silhouette of a standard poodle (you know the poodley pom pom type.) Of course it caught my eye and as we rounded the park they were sort of in the middle of it, entertainment so to speak.
The woman had two dogs; a standard poodle and a very small terrier mix. Both dogs were on four foot leashes; which seemed very short for being in the middle of the field. They were way too short as I watched the interaction unfold. The poodle was chasing the terrier; the terrier was not interested in the interaction and was trying his best to ward off the poodle.
From my vantage point, the woman was promoting this behavior as the dogs circled her over and over again. It looked like she was exercising her poodle. The dogs were far too close for this type of behavior and neither were receiving any much needed feedback from their guardian.
Clearly this woman knew nothing about dog behavior because from where I stood, my heart went out to the little terrier. Was he being injured? It didn’t look like he was being physically harmed, but he was definitely being traumatized. The more times around the guardian, the more the poodle was stimulated by the tiny terrier trying to fend off the assault. It was hard to watch and sadly something I could do nothing about. I was not about to subject my dogs to this woman’s lack of knowledge and common sense.
Our walks are very calm and relaxing; it is my goal to create a time and space of peace for myself and my dogs. I take a great deal of physical space for us as we meander and sniff around the park. So after witnessing what was going on with this woman and her dogs I made a U-turn and moved away.
But as we rounded the corner we came upon them again. This time they were much closer and both Elsa and Riggs gave a very clear message to me about keeping our distance. Elsa snorted loudly, Riggs did his high pitched growl to let me know that neither were comfortable getting any closer to the whirling dervish of chaos. I found it interesting that they got what was happening and wanted nothing to do with it. Even though Elsa could tell that one of the dogs was a poodle; which she is always drawn to.
It truly is sad that so many people truly don’t understand dog behavior. Dogs communicate first and foremost with body language. Their language is quick, subtle and very clear. But, you have to know what you are seeing to understand it. The unfolding chaos in front of us was pretty clear but the woman just thought that the two dogs were playing. Sadly many dogs in our homes live stressful lives like this because of our lack of reading behavior and stepping in.
Both of these dogs needed feedback. The poodle needed to know that it was not okay to harass his little brother which would have at the same time; let the little guy know that she had his back. This is an essential part of living with multiple dogs. The old “they’ll figure it out,” is not a given and can lead to all sorts of aggression problems.
If you do not offer feedback to your dogs; if you do not step up and take charge, you leave your dogs to fend for themselves. As dogs, they will fend accordingly, as dogs. And it does not always end well.
Step up and step in when needed. Your dogs deserve this much.