I’ve obviously reached an age where I have no shame. I know this because this morning I left the house on my usual morning dog walk wearing a bright yellow flourescent bib bearing the words ‘Dog in training, please ignore’.
I can already hear sniggering, but as I’m past caring I’ll ignore it and offer up my explanation.
Little Bear is fear aggressive. He’s not a biter (thank god) but his answer to anything that worries him, dogs, random people, screaming children is to bark. We have coping strategies thanks to the behaviourist which include squeaky tennis balls and tasty treats used to distract him.
Walking to the park the other day we met a man walking a spaniel that Little Bear (LB) took an instant dislike to. I’m not a dog so I can’t offer up a reason for it, but as soon as they came into sight I saw all the signs that LB was getting anxious – once that happens, we have a second or two to distract him.
Now LB knows the routine and so will look at me for the excuse not to get anxious – out came the ball and we did what we’ve been advised to do which is avoid the other dog and move away quickly. So there we were, off the path amongst the trees playing with the ball. Now most normal dog owners, spotting a potential problem would move away quickly. Not this one. As Little Bear tried desperately to focus on me and the ball game, this ‘gentleman’ decided to let his dog come over for a closer look.
Now imagine you’re really scared of spiders. You see a man with a huge spider walking directly towards. Your mum tells you the spider will soon be gone, you just need to stay calm and ignore it. So you do what you’re told and then the bloody spider comes and pokes itself in your face!
This is what happened to Little Bear and it was all too much him. He went nuts, barking, growling and generally getting really upset. Now most normal dog owners would see this, apologise profusely and give me the space to get my dog away from the situation quickly. Not this one. Despite shouting ‘Can you move away please’ he decided to stay where he was to watch the spectacle while shaking his head and muttering ‘Oh my god!’ in a tone dripping with sarcasm and disgust.
If I hadn’t been trying to get LB away quickly I would have had some choice words for this moron, especially as this is the SECOND time this has happened. Hence the bib that makes me look like a bit of an idiot.
Developing a thick skin
Now having ‘a problem dog’ helps you grow a really thick skin. Mine’s naturally pretty thin so I’m often amazed at how judgemental and sometimes downright nasty other dog owners can be. My all time favourite put down is ‘Give him an hour with me and I’ll soon have him sorted out’.
Amazingly people seem to make this offer with no prior knowledge of the situation or the dog and seem to assume that getting lucky training their golden lab to sit for a treat makes them some sort behaviour expert.
Others offer unsolicited ‘advice’ on what I ‘should’ have done. “Ah, well if you’d taken him to puppy classes….” “It’s probably because you didn’t socialise him….” and of course the answer to all my prayers….”Have you tried watching Ceasar Milan?”
“Yes he went to puppy classes. Yes he was socialised, I took him everywhere with me for months and he met tonnes of dogs. Yes I’ve seen the bloody dog whisperer but TV isn’t the answer you condescending pillock!”
Oh, I think that was my first official blog rant! How liberating! 🙂
My point is that until you’ve had a dog with issues it’s easy to be judgemental and just a little superior if you happen to have a dog who’s pretty well balanced. I’m not for a minute diminishing the hard work that a lot of dog owners put in to get their dogs, but imagine putting in all that effort and not getting the results? Just like anti-social kids, it’s easy to blame the parents but it’s not always that simple.
Although he’s always been a sensitive little soul, I can pinpoint almost to the day that LB’s behaviour changed and it was right after being attacked as a youngster by a bigger dog. Although he wasn’t physically hurt, he was shaking so hard he could barely walk straight.
Having had a rant at the judgemental idiots I have to balance the picture. The real dog people who understand what you’re going through, ask questions and share experiences rather than shove advice at you are worth their weight in gold. LB has two Westie friends in this camp and a Springer who, when he first met her pinned her to the floor in a half-hearted attempt to be a big dog.
My panic at my bully-boy’s behaviour was met with the enviable calm from her very experienced owner ‘Don’t worry, he’s just being a dog” he said gently.
Of course he is, because that’s all he knows how to be. It’s my job to make sure that he one day gets to be a dog that doesn’t view the world as a scary, intimidating place. And if I have to walk around in a luminous yellow vest to do that then so be it.
The Little Bear Dog Blog 
Hi,
My name is Megan and I used to have a mini schnauzer whose first reaction was to bark. We tried everything with him: distracting him, walking the other way, different types of rewards for not barking. But nothing seemed to work. It’s hard to get others to understand that it’s stressful enough knowing your dog’s reaction, but when other people don’t understand why your dog won’t stop barking is hard too.
My mini schnauzer’s name was Chester and although he would get used to people, he would always bark when friends came over, while walking at the park or when he heard the slightest noise. I loved him dearly, even if he was a barker and it really offended me when others would say how loud or annoying he was. But I’m sure no one else could have done any better with him than me. It sounds to me like you’ve accepted LB for who he is and that you are working with him on it. That’s the best thing you could do for him and I’m sure he loves you for it. As for the people who think they know it all, there’s always something wrong with their dogs and to cover it up they point out the flaws in other dogs or owners. I know the feeling you have, but take every other opinion with a grain of salt and take comfort in knowing that there are people who understand what it’s like to have a puppy with some issues. Good luck!
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Hi Megan,
thanks so much for your comment and for sharing your experience with Chester. I was totally amazed as I didn’t expect anyone bar my other half to read it!
It’s really good to hear that Little Bear isn’t the only Mini Schnauzer with this sort of reaction. There’s a lot of solace in knowing that other people have worked through similar issues too – and I think the point about other dog owners pointing the finger is very true – I’ll remember that and smile next time I’m wearing my yellow vest and getting a lecture 🙂
Thanks again
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