Dog Owner Chat v4

[taurus ;]

I'm so sorry this happened to you and Spade! What a horrible owner.

Yeah, I know, as a responsible APBT owner seeing those who aren't just get to me really badly. APBT is a great dog breed, my favorite, only second to pekingese (shshhh don't tell Spade hehe), but it takes the right owner/training to have one, imo. Irresponsible owners are why so many pits are in shelters/being put down. Even at my local shelter that I volunteer at, 15/20 of those dogs in the pens are some type of pitbull, I hate seeing it.

Anyways, Spade is just fine, jumping around like normal, eating, drinking, etc.
She's going to have a notch in her ear now, but the bleeding was stopped, hasn't started back again and vet has her on antibiotics, to prevent infection. I know she was provoked and was actually protecting me, but maybe time to get Spade a muzzle, what do you guys think ???

[Imzadi83]

I'm so sorry this happened to you and Spade! What a horrible owner.

Yeah, I know, as a responsible APBT owner seeing those who aren't just get to me really badly. APBT is a great dog breed, my favorite, only second to pekingese (shshhh don't tell Spade hehe), but it takes the right owner/training to have one, imo. Irresponsible owners are why so many pits are in shelters/being put down. Even at my local shelter that I volunteer at, 15/20 of those dogs in the pens are some type of pitbull, I hate seeing it.

Anyways, Spade is just fine, jumping around like normal, eating, drinking, etc.
She's going to have a notch in her ear now, but the bleeding was stopped, hasn't started back again and vet has her on antibiotics, to prevent infection. I know she was provoked and was actually protecting me, but maybe time to get Spade a muzzle, what do you guys think ???

I don't think APBTs needs the "right" owner. A responsible dog owner is a responsible dog owner imo. Every breed has it's unique needs as does every individual dog. And this owner seems to me that they aren't responsible enough for any dog.

As for a muzzle, I dunno. In this particular situation it could've put Spade in danger since the other dog lunged as well. If Spade had been wearing a muzzle she wouldn't have been able to fight back, possibly been more injured, and her dog aggression could become worse as a result.

I know you had her in a sit in the hopes of the other owner recalling her dog, but what about walking away? Or perhaps carrying some dog repellent, or an umbrella to distract another dog if needed? Don't know if any of that would've helped in that situation or a future one, but I just thought I'd suggest it.

[warmblood]

@halogen Unless Spade is actually aggressive towards others and is the one starting fights she doesn't need a muzzle, since if a dog attacked again she should be able to defend herself or she could get seriously hurt. Honestly hate irresponsible pet owners. They're not just annoying they're also so immature & idiots a lot of the time.

[taurus ;]

@Imzadi

Yeah, no I didn't have any kind of umbrella/dog repellent of any kind, I'll consider that.
In this situation there was no walking away, when the dog first came up to us I tried walking away, calmly and slowly and that just made the dog even more reactive. So, I really had to choice but to hope that the other owner would get control of their dog, which they failed to do.

I mentioned APBTs needing the right owner, but to me, it includes bully breeds as a whole, because they are all grouped together and discriminated against. Bully breed owners do have to be more careful, a small playful nip can easily be taken as an attack and the media and the public will be all over it, whereas if the dog was a popular breed, such as a lab or a collie, it won't be taken the same way. When you buy/adopt a bully breed, you are also buying/adopting a dog that has the potential to kill someone/something. Sure, other breeds have the potential, but bully breeds, definitely more so. Most people don't realize this, especially when adopting, that their dog may be sweet looking, but if that dog really, truly wanted to hurt someone/something, it could. Another reason why I stay away from pitbull advocates and rescues, they want everybody to see the good in pitbulls, but never the bad, which can be seriously harmful to new owners. The fact that bully breeds have the potential to kill, and therefore are more dangerous, doesn't exactly help the discrimination either, but also can't be ignored.

[Imzadi83]

@Imzadi

Yeah, no I didn't have any kind of umbrella/dog repellent of any kind, I'll consider that.
In this situation there was no walking away, when the dog first came up to us I tried walking away, calmly and slowly and that just made the dog even more reactive. So, I really had to choice but to hope that the other owner would get control of their dog, which they failed to do.

I mentioned APBTs needing the right owner, but to me, it includes bully breeds as a whole, because they are all grouped together and discriminated against. Bully breed owners do have to be more careful, a small playful nip can easily be taken as an attack and the media and the public will be all over it, whereas if the dog was a popular breed, such as a lab or a collie, it won't be taken the same way. When you buy/adopt a bully breed, you are also buying/adopting a dog that has the potential to kill someone/something. Sure, other breeds have the potential, but bully breeds, definitely more so. Most people don't realize this, especially when adopting, that their dog may be sweet looking, but if that dog really, truly wanted to hurt someone/something, it could. Another reason why I stay away from pitbull advocates and rescues, they want everybody to see the good in pitbulls, but never the bad, which can be seriously harmful to new owners. The fact that bully breeds have the potential to kill, and therefore are more dangerous, doesn't exactly help the discrimination either, but also can't be ignored.

All breeds have the potential to kill. I've encountered so many owners of other non-bully breeds who do not take that seriously. They do not educate themselves on dog behavior or bother to control their dog because that breed doesn't have a reputation. Even when their dog attacks another dog they act like it's no big deal. When you buy/adopt any dog you're getting an animal that that has the potential to kill something and need to take that responsibility seriously.

I understand what you are saying but I don't think it's some special responsibility that applies to bully breed owners. It's part of what makes a responsible dog owner and should be a responsibility of all dog owners.

Although I see what you're saying about some Pit bull advocates and rescues, again I have seen that with advocates/rescues of all dog breeds. Responsible ownership should be taught/encouraged by all before buying/adopting. Many advocates/rescues are able to show both the good and bad in potential dogs/breeds. As long as you teach/encourage responsible ownership I don't see how showing the good side of Pit bulls and dispelling the myths surrounding them is a bad thing.

[_K9_]

Hello! I am getting a toy Australian shepherd in 20 days and have a quick question. On the first day, is there anything that I have to make sure to do other than give him lots of love and play around with him but let him sleep too? Thank you!!

[rainbowwrowell]

Hello! I am getting a toy Australian shepherd in 20 days and have a quick question. On the first day, is there anything that I have to make sure to do other than give him lots of love and play around with him but let him sleep too? Thank you!!

I didnt touch my pup until she finished exploring. Supervise and if possible leave the backdoor open. Let them explore hide play but if course give them a strict no if their bold.

[_K9_]

Hello! I am getting a toy Australian shepherd in 20 days and have a quick question. On the first day, is there anything that I have to make sure to do other than give him lots of love and play around with him but let him sleep too? Thank you!!

I didnt touch my pup until she finished exploring. Supervise and if possible leave the backdoor open. Let them explore hide play but if course give them a strict no if their bold.

Thank you! And I have another dog, so should I leave him outside...? And When I let the new pup explore, do I let him explore the whole house? Thank you so much!

[whatswrongwithangela]

Hello! I am getting a toy Australian shepherd in 20 days and have a quick question. On the first day, is there anything that I have to make sure to do other than give him lots of love and play around with him but let him sleep too? Thank you!!

I didnt touch my pup until she finished exploring. Supervise and if possible leave the backdoor open. Let them explore hide play but if course give them a strict no if their bold.

Thank you! And I have another dog, so should I leave him outside...? And When I let the new pup explore, do I let him explore the whole house? Thank you so much!

i'd suggest letting them only explore a little area at a time. after a day or two is when you can introduce a new room or something like that. at first the whole house might be overwhelming.

[tea!]

Hello! I am getting a toy Australian shepherd in 20 days and have a quick question. On the first day, is there anything that I have to make sure to do other than give him lots of love and play around with him but let him sleep too? Thank you!!

For the first day I'd suggest allowing him to explore his surroundings
and feel comfortable. After 2 or 3 days, you can begin to train the
pup! Try to only use positive training !

@webmonkey
A strict "no" will most likely confuse and scare a young and new puppy.
If they do something you don't want, you can't just say something
to them and expect them to know it.

For play biting/ teething : give your puppy a chew toy if they start teething
on your hand.

For barking : this one is hard as you will have to leave your pup alone until they
stop. Once they stop, reward your pup with a treat and say "good boy!" and "yes!"
to show them that once they stop, they get something !

Potty training : this will take some time, but never punish a dog for using the
bathroom in the wrong spot. After eating, take the pup outside. Try bringing
him outside every 30 minutes. Bring treats so that when he goes to the bathroom
in the right spot, you can reward him c: !

Since he is a herding breed, make sure to start socializing him as soon as possible !
Feel free to pm me if you have any more questions !