Dog Owner Chat V. 5

[Imzadi83]

I was walking my new dog around the block today and spooked some wildlife in the bushes and I had a weird realization. My new dog is nowhere near bonded enough to me to be willing to maul someone if I get jumped walking him in the middle of the night.

This thought occurred to me because my old dog once almost attacked my husband- someone she knew and loved dearly- because he'd decided to be an idiot and tried play a prank by crouching in and jumping out of the bushes while I was walking her in the middle of the night. He didn't even get to jump out of the bushes, she saw him crouching in the shadows and went right to barking and snarling because apparently my dog was smarter than most people and recognizes 'suspicious behavior' on sight. I'd never seen a person rethink a prank so fast in my life.

*I'd like to put a note here, this was not a response typical of my dog to literally anything, she was very friendly and if she was so much as raising her hackles at a stranger I took it as a sign of something being terribly wrong, so this was very alarming for the both of us. I thought she was going to maul a stranger without knowing why in the WORLD she would do that, aaaand my husband thought he was going to get eaten by our family pet. But he stood up out of the bushes and made all the usual sounds of an owner calming their pet and she realized it was him before I even realized he was trying to play a prank on me.

In fact, it almost happened a second time when I left to walk the dog without him and didn't know he was joining me, he took a shortcut through the same exact bushes and timed coming out of them perfectly wrong.

There was a study done of dogs to see how they would act if an intruder broke into their home. Most owners thought that the dogs would attack or try to run off the intruder, most dogs didn't. Many acted friendly towards them. Really if a dog isn't trained for personal protection I wouldn't expect it. Although just the dogs presence is often a deterrent since at the least they have the potential to make a lot of noise and draw attention.

On a personal note our late dog would go after my mom if she pretended to go after me. Gumdrop would rush over and grab Mom's wrist and hold it in her mouth. She wouldn't bite down but it was clearly a threat.

[ᴍᴀᴏᴄɪғᴇʀ]

^^ My elderly staffie, Shady, will get involved in human fights.
Before I got her, her owner gave her up to his mum who abused her, and since then she'll growl at anyone who even acts like they're about to hit someone else.
It's not personal either, if I raise my hand to my friend (or even smack the sofa) she gives me a warning bark, and she nipped my friend's leg when we were play fighting.
She does give a lot of warning, often 2 or 3 barks before she'll bite and even then its a warning nip before she goes in harder — she really doesn't like violence, and she's such a sweetie.

[Spirit23Wolf]

^^ my puppy is quite protective as well like last night I was play wrestling with my dad and he got me on the ground and Loki came over layed on top of me and barked at him and he loves my dad. Also if I pretend to fall like in the snow he freaks and starts barking and licking my face. And the place were I live the one part of town is kinda shady and when even I walk him there he is always on edge but then on the other side he’s perfectly normal happy and friendly. But he is really people savvy like my sister has a friend and he really dose not like her like he’s never attacked anyone but he barks at her all the time but then like her other friend he absolutely loves and can’t get enough of her

[Kira Nightblade]

^
One time my sister was being kinda rough with my little brother (who's 2) and Trump got up and barked at her, another time my sister grabbed my wrist and wouldn't let go and Trump barked at her, so I'd like to think if somebody tried to harm me he'd try and protect me. But if somebody broke in while we were gone he would just go up to them and lick and be friendly lol

[Naeco]

^My mutt, Skai, will protect me as well.

I am going to register Skai with the AKC and need show name ideas. I would like ideas that include any or all of the following:

1) her name
2) Native American background (Skai is Lakota for white)
3) to do with the sky (galaxy, thunder, clouds, etc)

Currently I only have two ideas: The Skai's the Limit , Stars in the Skai

[kivr & fireflii]

My dog, Enzo, would not protect me at all. lol He's a german shepherd/husky mix, but I know he wouldn't. I feel like few dogs would actually protect given a real situation. Most of the time, just in my experience, most people mix up protection and reactivity.

Also for registered names, what about "Take to the Skai" (from Owl City)? I'm having a brain fart right now, so that's the only thing I can think of. lol I've been thinking about changing my dog's registered name (doesn't reaaaally have one). He was named after the dog in the Art of Racing in the Rain, so I'd like it to be something to do with that.
-fireflii

[Imzadi83]

^My mutt, Skai, will protect me as well.

I am going to register Skai with the AKC and need show name ideas. I would like ideas that include any or all of the following:

1) her name
2) Native American background (Skai is Lakota for white)
3) to do with the sky (galaxy, thunder, clouds, etc)

Currently I only have two ideas: The Skai's the Limit , Stars in the Skai

I love "The Skai's the Limit" but something like Reach the Skai or Touch the Skai would also be cute.

[chaotic creativity]

hi there. so my boyfriend doesn’t do this kind of thing so he doesn’t have an account here and he asked for me to post something on here because he’s looking for a bit of help. he has this teeny tiny chihuahua yorkie mix, so it should have a long happy healthy life, right? recently she started losing control of her bladder, like a very elderly dog will sometimes do. thing is, she’s only eight, so she’s still pretty young based on her size and breeds. anyone have any ideas on how to help? he just bought some puppy pads to maybe help but he’s also considering going down the dog diaper route if puppy pads don’t work. any suggestions as what to do or why this could be happening when she’s still quite young? she doesn’t act old at all, she’s still very puppy-ish and hyper and loves to run around and be excited so she’s not acting fifteen years old because she’s only eight.

[Faybell]

^ That does sound weird. Something may be wrong medically. Call a vet office and ask for their opinion. They will tell you if she needs an apointment.

[veinsplitter]

hi there. so my boyfriend doesn’t do this kind of thing so he doesn’t have an account here and he asked for me to post something on here because he’s looking for a bit of help. he has this teeny tiny chihuahua yorkie mix, so it should have a long happy healthy life, right? recently she started losing control of her bladder, like a very elderly dog will sometimes do. thing is, she’s only eight, so she’s still pretty young based on her size and breeds. anyone have any ideas on how to help? he just bought some puppy pads to maybe help but he’s also considering going down the dog diaper route if puppy pads don’t work. any suggestions as what to do or why this could be happening when she’s still quite young? she doesn’t act old at all, she’s still very puppy-ish and hyper and loves to run around and be excited so she’s not acting fifteen years old because she’s only eight.

well, she may not be old, but in dog years she would be about 48-50 years old based on her age. it could simply just be a problem in her urethra, which releases the bladder that needs to be fixed. there are different methods to treat this, so i would talk to your vet. if isn't a problem with the urethra, then it can be spinal cord issues, infections, kidney stones, kidney failure, diabetes, horomonal imbalances, ect. there isn't a sure way of knowing unless you take her to the vet. they'll make an appointment and try to figure out what is wrong with your pup...hopefully it isn't anything serious.