My dog's protection instinct
Discussion
There was an incident with our dog yesterday which has upset my wife. Her first dog, by umpteenth.
He's a 4 year old Bedlington Terrier and is soft as anything with a penchant for Cickapoos. After he got bitten he has a tendency to be snappy - usually with bigger dogs - but not all. He's good mates with a big scary Alsation.
Yesterday he went for a small dog. He didn't hurt it but he was quite vicious. Normally i'd be furious as my wife is now but I think in the circumstances it was just nature.
It happened during a family gathering at my in laws. This is his second home and the people there are 'his' family. People he has known all his life. He spends a lot of time there with his own toys and treats the house and garden as his territory.
Also at the gathering a little baby. Aged six months whom he adores. Always supervised naturally but if she's ever at the house he stays close to her cot and will sleep outside her bedroom All night if she is staying. Like all dogs we keep a close eye on him but we are all delighted by the fact he clearly adores her.
Now to last nights incident.
A caller at the house turned up with her puppy. Some sort of designer mongrel but not a Ciockapoo he really gets frisky over female ones! Why she thought it acceptable to just come into the house without knocking is anyone's guess but when she just appeared in the living room with this other dog our dog went mad. No messing, no growling he just lunged at and attacked the new dog.
There was no harm done physically. We managed to grab him but he did have the other dogs leg in his mouth.
Shortly before the woman burst in, he'd been brought down stairs after an hour or so sitting on watch outside the baby's bedroom.
This new dog and the woman stood between him the stairs and 'his' baby.
I put this down to nature kicking in. I've tried to explain to my wife that though he is our soft sweet dog he is a dog and in his mind he's there to protect us and when she visits the little baby.
Am I right?
He's a 4 year old Bedlington Terrier and is soft as anything with a penchant for Cickapoos. After he got bitten he has a tendency to be snappy - usually with bigger dogs - but not all. He's good mates with a big scary Alsation.
Yesterday he went for a small dog. He didn't hurt it but he was quite vicious. Normally i'd be furious as my wife is now but I think in the circumstances it was just nature.
It happened during a family gathering at my in laws. This is his second home and the people there are 'his' family. People he has known all his life. He spends a lot of time there with his own toys and treats the house and garden as his territory.
Also at the gathering a little baby. Aged six months whom he adores. Always supervised naturally but if she's ever at the house he stays close to her cot and will sleep outside her bedroom All night if she is staying. Like all dogs we keep a close eye on him but we are all delighted by the fact he clearly adores her.
Now to last nights incident.
A caller at the house turned up with her puppy. Some sort of designer mongrel but not a Ciockapoo he really gets frisky over female ones! Why she thought it acceptable to just come into the house without knocking is anyone's guess but when she just appeared in the living room with this other dog our dog went mad. No messing, no growling he just lunged at and attacked the new dog.
There was no harm done physically. We managed to grab him but he did have the other dogs leg in his mouth.
Shortly before the woman burst in, he'd been brought down stairs after an hour or so sitting on watch outside the baby's bedroom.
This new dog and the woman stood between him the stairs and 'his' baby.
I put this down to nature kicking in. I've tried to explain to my wife that though he is our soft sweet dog he is a dog and in his mind he's there to protect us and when she visits the little baby.
Am I right?
Edited by wildcat45 on Friday 28th August 11:12
Edited by wildcat45 on Friday 28th August 11:37
Edited by wildcat45 on Friday 28th August 11:43
Bloody Hell! Makes him sound like a four legged Kray Twin!
He's actually OK with other dogs at his own house. Maybe because there is just him and two of us so he reckons there's not so much of a need to protect. Molly my friend's working cocker is always welcome. But she's a lass.
He's actually OK with other dogs at his own house. Maybe because there is just him and two of us so he reckons there's not so much of a need to protect. Molly my friend's working cocker is always welcome. But she's a lass.
Edited by wildcat45 on Friday 28th August 15:54
The puppy is fine. Tyson - as I now call Alfie spent tonight in the local pub, having fun with humans (my single mate loves his babe magnet tendencies ) and dogs. No bother with the big Labrador and assortment of other dogs. If anything he found the Jack Russel puppy a bit intimidating.
As for rabbits. We used to have a house which had hundreds of rabbits roaming about outside. He ignores them.
I've shown my wife this thread. I hope she's getting her head round the fact that cuddly pets can be t
ts and that that is their "job" to be so now and then.
The main thing is the puppy is OK and I hope the woman owner understands that family gathering or not, the doorbell is there for a reason.
Here he is.....
As for rabbits. We used to have a house which had hundreds of rabbits roaming about outside. He ignores them.
I've shown my wife this thread. I hope she's getting her head round the fact that cuddly pets can be t
ts and that that is their "job" to be so now and then.The main thing is the puppy is OK and I hope the woman owner understands that family gathering or not, the doorbell is there for a reason.
Here he is.....
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