Tsst!
Posted on 10/15/2012 1:08:02 PM PDT by ThinkingBuddha
Many behaviors we humans do not allow large dogs to get away with we find “cute” in small dogs. For example:
If a German Shepherd were to growl at your guest, you and your guest would both know there is a problem. Something has to be done. However, if that tiny 6-pound Chihuahua growls, well, it's just what he does. He's a Chihuahua, right? Wrong. There is no difference, in a dog’s mind, for a German Shepherd to be growling at a human than there is for a Chihuahua.
If your 5-pound Yorkshire Terrier decides to bark and growl at another dog while you are walking down the street, or as another dog passes by your house, it's almost seen as cute, because you see it as your tiny dog thinking it is a big dog. However, if your 120-pound Akita barks and growls at another dog, the Akita is more likely to be put in its place and told to stop. The fact is, no dogs should ever be allowed to display dominant behaviors...........
(Excerpt) Read more at dogbreedinfo.com ...
Is this article an effort to demonstrate how Liberals (once the small dogs) poor behavior once tolerated and humorized has gotten out of control?
Tsst!
Chihuahua’s are ‘cute’ when they bark BECAUSE OF THEIR INHERENT FAILURE TO INTIMIDATE OR CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY DUE TO THEIR SIZE. Simple as that.
However, a 5 pound ‘alpha dog’ Chihuahua can intimidate a 75 pound dog whether it barks or not. I’ve seen it with my own eyes.
The perfect metaphor I’d say.
That episode was hilarious! “He’s not your friend; he’s your son!” It is freakishly accurate about how some single moms are about their out-of-control kids. TSST!
Personally, I can put up with a big dog’s deep, explosive bark, even if he’s right next to me, a lot easier than I can stand the high-pitched yapping of a small dog.
No dog is cute when it barks. Someone moved in a few doors behind us and has two small yappy dogs. Luckily they are not left outside, but as soon as they ARE let outside the two of them are CONSTANTLY yapping.
The five minutes the lousy owners leave them out seem like an eternity. And in an hour they are let out again.
Our 85-pound mutt (2 years old) just sits on the deck and glances over there. Probably thinks like me “stupid yappy dogs”.
Virtually any type of dog can be trained to attack or cause injury. Having done dog training work, I can attest to this.
Admittedly, it’s harder for pugs. But just about any other breed can make it a bad day for the wrong person.
pingaling.
People unfairly slant the situation when a Chihuahua poo’s on the floor; they maliciously say it’s stinky and dirty. They MISUNDERSTAND the poo.
In fact, Chihuahua poo-poo’ing has different cultural tropes —it’s a kind of celebration. Do not misunderstand the CELEBRATION.
Too, Chihuahua’s lack economic power, and often they must turn to poo-poo when they lack alternative choices and have to access to alternative behaviors.
Let’s stop being narrow-minded and exclusivist against Chihuahua poo-poo, OK?
When a Shepard snarls, that’s a SNARL. But when a Chihuahua snarls, it’s a totally different, culturally-dependant thing, m’kay?
In their case, they are raised in a high-snarl environment, and so snarling is remarkably similar to saying, “hi”. They have high-snarl neighborhoods, so it’s okay for them.
If they steal lots of stuff, that’s ok, too.
Sometimes they rip-off each-other’s heads, and...uh...that’s sorta like tickling.
They also let their leashes drag on the ground, and that’s ok because....uh......it’s simply OK because they do it, you see?
So stop making trouble and causing misunderstanding.
These alleged dogs, aren’t.
LOL
That’s a shame. I think I’d probably go nuts. I don’t get people who think they can own dogs and forgo training.
A family member of mine had a big German Shepherd, a protection dog, and he was trained within an inch of his life. The ONLY time that sweet dog ever barked was when he perceived a threat to his folks.
There was a news story years ago, I remember it distinctly. A woman was returning home from walking her chihuaha (sp?) and some man tried to mug her in the hallway of her building. The little dog leapt at him, bit onto his throat and did not let go. The woman was able to call for help and the mugger was arrested.
I myself was once nipped by a nasty little dog who jumped up and bit me on the street. When I told the elderly lady what her dog had done (yes, she was standing right there but didn’t notice!) she said “What do you expect? You walked behind me!”
I expected an apology but obviously didn’t get one.
So, small dogs can be treacherous too, sometimes for good, sometimes for ill.
can you ever train a dog to stop submissive peeing? my female jack russell does this! we have her greet everyone outside!
Good article.
My best friend, who always had large dogs, recently bought a pair of “Hava-Malts” — a cross between a Havanese and a Maltese — adorable little balls of fluff no bigger than a slipper. She is taking them to dog training, just as she did with her German Shepherds, Labs, and Standard Poodles in years past. She is tough on those little guys, and I watch her working with them just as she did with the big dogs to respect human space, etc. They love every minute of it.
OTOH, her sister in law has a Bichon that has become truly obnoxious — no training and now nips its owner. Nobody will “dog sit” that pooch.
We were discussing this the other night — how people with small dogs let them get by with all kinds of infractions, whereas large dogs cannot get by with that garbage because they would be too distructive and/or dangerous.
Don’t I know about this. I live in a home with the 4 lb. Chi dog, which my daughter and wife conspired to get.
Everything in this article pretty much hits home, and I’m saving it for my wife. (My daughter thinks she knows everything, so it is pointless trying to change her mind, at this time.)
She will jump in my recliner when I lower it so she can jump on it. I am still higher than she is, as I am sitting up and she is on the lower seat.
There is no barking or growing when I tell her, “No.”
However, what she does to express her displeasure, is, DANCE. The first time I saw that, I had to try really hard not to laugh. That is the cutest dance I ever saw. But, it means, “Screw you, I don't want to mind you.”
She doesn't like to be combed and I do that and when I put her down, she dances.
I don't think dogs belong on a bed and she has never been there. She has her own bedroom, the downstairs bathroom, with her bed and doll in it.
She doesn't jump on people but loves everyone.
I am a calm person who likes peace and calm and I think our dogs pick up on how we are and emulate that.
When she is let out of her bedroom in the morning or when I leave and come back, she comes out and checks her food bowl (I guess to see if it is still there) and is calm.
She uses doggy pads in the kitchen corner for her private business and doesn't do that anywhere else.
She is a good, sweet, calm, dog who only barks when there is something to communicate.
I think she is the way she is because that is what I expect and she has figured that out.
“However, a 5 pound ‘alpha dog’ Chihuahua can intimidate a 75 pound dog whether it barks or not. I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”
No kidding. This past weekend I had my GF’s little rat dog on the lead when the neighbor’s full size lab came over to graze around the food bowl. The rat dog leaped into the air to snap the lab’s face when the lead caught flipping it’s body upside down with jaws wide open a fraction of an inch from the lab’s nose.
Looked like a great white coming out of the water after a seal.
My chihuahua is super protective of me, but is trained. At halloween he loves the kids in costume. He doesn’t like other dogs, unless they understand he’s the dominant puppers.
The other night, I was laying in bed with him and a car pulled into our driveway and he immediately moved so he was in between me and the door. It was like “if its bad, it may get past me but its going to bleed trying”.
“When a Shepard snarls, that’s a SNARL....”
My Shepherd was afraid and snarled at me in the pool a couple weeks ago. My life passed before my eyes! Next dog will be a Chihuahua because I know I can snap it’s neck. (Not really, just and evil thought. God forgive me!)
Years ago brought my brand new Yorkie puppy to my vet. Vet said: Chickensoup, do you want a barky nippy little dog or do you want a well behaved little dog.
If you want a well behaved little dog do not leave it alone at home, take it with you everywhere. Let it see and be with people in all settings. So for a year Yorkie went everywhere. After that he went to obedience school. then he went to the office every day with me. He was a good dog.
We have two really bad chihuahuas, both adoptions. One was about 6 when we got him and, according to the family surrendering him, he had been crated about 99% of his life. He is an “alpha.” It is horrifying; I dread the day he meets the wrong dog. I have seen him terrify goldens, blood hounds. But, he loves his family dogs, and will melt in any person’s arms.
The other one won’t attack, not an alpha bone in his body, although he does mimic the other one at times. But, no one, and I mean no one, can touch him except us. He turns into the tasmanian devil.
On the other hand, most big dogs I either have or dogsit for think they are lapdogs for some reason.
"Down..."
(dog keeps trying to lick me in the face)
“If you want a well behaved little dog do not leave it alone at home, take it with you everywhere.”
That doesn’t work so well with a German Shepherd from East German blood lines. I spent two semesters taking him to a major university so he’d be socialized and not chase skate boarders or golf carts. “You are an evil spy trying to kill mom and I must kill you!” I worked so hard, but the dog is too darn smart- cute, tiny Asian girl is no threat (sigh, yawn)...goth guy, “I kill you now!” I decided he’s a barometer for evil intentions. My professional trainer gave up on him because he couldn’t train “save mom” out of him. The trainer could walk him on the Las Vegas Strip. Mom can’t walk him in the cul de sack. I love him and have signage.
My dog fit in a small Bean bag.
He had bad habits that my older (12 1/2 yrs) dog was starting to emulate, including messing in the house. The older guy actually yapped himself hoarse once.
One day shortly after that episode I had had enough of this nonsense, and rubbed both their noses in not only their own, but the other’s business, and tossed them outside into the front yard.
The INSTANT the little yaphound started his noise, I ran out the front door and soaked them both to the skin, for about 2 minutes, chasing them around the yard with the hose.
The yapping has stopped altogether, and the messes in the house are down to about one accident a week total.
It may not work for everyone, but it worked for my little guys.
Now if only my neighbour would shut his infernal Jack Russel Terrorists up! One of them literally SCREAMS when he gets excited. It's so loud it'll raise the hairs on the back of your neck, since it sounds like he's being murdered.
Very wise! I have a big, rescue Golden Retriever who was already close to full grown and totally untrained when we got him. I treated him just like you did your Yorkie, and he has turned out to be a wonderful dog.
He pulled me down in the grass behind the plant the first week I had him (in my white wool plants and yellow Pendleton blazer) and later dragged me across the street and right up to a stranger’s door going after a Schnauzer. I had NO control over that juvenile delinquent. I went right into the office and phoned the nearest dog trainer, and we started dog school that very week. LOL.
After a year’s work, he and I came to an agreement about walking on a leash. He’s 11 or 12 now and just a lamb. He still comes to work with me every day, and we have the golden fur on the carpet to prove it! Sometimes I leave him home, and everybody wants to know where he is. He never barks, whines, whimpers, or misbehaves in any way.
What you report about your Yorkie is really interesting. I had a friend who was given a Yorkie puppy when her 1st husband left her. She doted on that dog. She later remarried, and that little dog did not like the new husband at all — nearly broke up the marriage. The dog had to be confined to a different room when her 2nd husband was in the house. He’d growl and nip and pee on the floor.
“Now if only my neighbour would shut his infernal Jack Russel Terrorists up!”
I don’t think I’d knowingly move into a neighborhood that had a JRT. I love dogs, but I see a JRT and think, “back away slowly and hide.” I’m cursed (or not) with being someone every dog loves. I’ll never own a Terrier. Neighbor’s terrier used to come to my house with his ball and expect me to throw it till my arm fell off. With a Shepherd, I just say, “Go patrol.” I think it’s encoded in their DNA.
I tried the water hose early on out of sheer fear for his life. I have a shock collar. I just have to commit to using it.
Gorgeous puppy! And look at those ears...you have your work cut out for you.
He sounds like a very sweet tough guy!
Thanks pops, He has all the traits you would imagine for the breed. At 12 weeks he has demonstrated fearlessness that I couldn’t comprehend for a dog so young. Bulldog stubbornness and boundless energy. He’s a fast learner and we are both working very hard to come to an understanding of what we expect from each other. If I don’t hold up my end I know about it immediately. A great challenge with great rewards, he’s a good dog! :-)
For some reason (I think it likely he’s too small for the contacts to contact his skin properly) the bark collar had NO effect on Spazz whatsoever.
Toy dogs are a whole different critter. I’ve had many dogs over the years, but this guy is something I’ve never seen.
I’m not sure how big your dog is, but what I’ve learned during THIS dog’s training, the ONLY way to deal with a toy is the firm hand of an unrelenting, fervent, and loving leader.
I was very lucky in that my brother had a lab-a whip-a-bull (Zoot) that fell in love with Zippy the day they met, and mentored him when they moved into my house. She taught him how to be a good dog. That, and the fact I was in some tight financial straits and able to spend ALL my time with him turned him into the best little guy.
Unfortunately Zippy is getting a little lazy due to his approach to dotage, so the burden falls to me.
Best of luck, and let the FR pinglist know how it goes!
Handsome pup.
bump
I have two miniature schnauzers... the rescue we’ve had for 3 years and is almost 12, the other, from a breeder is almost 2... Sunday morning my 12 yr old bit me. Took him to the vet yesterday - they kept him and sedated him for x-rays as he’s had what we thought were “hip” issues for a couple years. Turns out, the x-rays show that at some point in his life, he was shot with a shotgun. There’s bird shot still in him and he has one missing and one severely compressed disc in his back.... hence why he bit me... lifting him up wrong. When the vet told me this, my heart broke for him. We’re continuing his medications and glucosamine/chondrtin therapy for now.
After a tetanus shot and starting antibiotics, my hand will be ok, tho sore - the wounds will heal. We bought a muzzle for him for things such as combing him out...
Our 2 year old... she’s the one with the small dog syndrome. I swear if we ever get her trained it will be a miracle.
The trick is that this is joy on the dog's behalf -- they are overwhelmed with joy at someone coming in. The solution is: when you or anyone else comes into the house, ignore the dog -- even if she is jumping up and down, desperate to get your attention.
Greet everyone and wait for the dog to calm down -- don't even say "Calm down" to her. Ignore her utterly and she will calm down on her own.
After a few days or weeks (depending on the dog) it will take its effect and she will be able to "contain" herself :)
So I have. Recently while walking my chihuahua, we encountered a great dane and his human. Chihuahua 1, great dane zilch. Of course, a great dane is a total couch potato and typically non-agressive. Anyway, never underestimate the power of a small dog’s bite or aggressiveness.
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