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
Sounds like a normal reaction to me! Whenever any of my friends bring dogs over, I meet them at the park behind my house and the dogs meet on neutral territory. I would NEVER have a dog that my dogs don't know just turn up at the house and introduce them there. Having an unknown dog turn up would be bad enough, but having it literally just appear in the house would cause a riot!!
I know it's Wikipedia, but...
Bedlingtons are sharp and plucky. Their bark has been called hound-like[2] and has been compared to the firing of a machine gun.[4] Fast dogs with high endurance,[1] the Bedlington Terrier is just as quick in water as it is on land, and their swimming speed rivals that of the Newfoundland.[2] Bedlington Terriers "have pace enough to keep up with the ordinary speed of a horse."[5] Because of the Whippet in their lineage, they have a tendency to bolt.[1] Their versatility has been praised, with some dogs willing to "[be] a house-dog, a gun-dog, a rat-dog, a badger-dog, or, if needed, [to] bolt a fox..."[10]
They are also known for their intelligence and tenacity when it comes to taking on vermin.[2] Bedlingtons are quite fond of fighting, and are prone to jealousy when around other dogs.[2] One man stated that "this dog was about fit to kill any other dog of his weight"[2] and compared him to the fighting dogs used in dog fighting.[2] They have also been used in pit fighting.[
Bedlingtons are sharp and plucky. Their bark has been called hound-like[2] and has been compared to the firing of a machine gun.[4] Fast dogs with high endurance,[1] the Bedlington Terrier is just as quick in water as it is on land, and their swimming speed rivals that of the Newfoundland.[2] Bedlington Terriers "have pace enough to keep up with the ordinary speed of a horse."[5] Because of the Whippet in their lineage, they have a tendency to bolt.[1] Their versatility has been praised, with some dogs willing to "[be] a house-dog, a gun-dog, a rat-dog, a badger-dog, or, if needed, [to] bolt a fox..."[10]
They are also known for their intelligence and tenacity when it comes to taking on vermin.[2] Bedlingtons are quite fond of fighting, and are prone to jealousy when around other dogs.[2] One man stated that "this dog was about fit to kill any other dog of his weight"[2] and compared him to the fighting dogs used in dog fighting.[2] They have also been used in pit fighting.[
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
wildcat45 said:
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.
Not at all. A woman and a dog appeared in your house without knocking etc, the dog was well within its right to want to know what the hell was going on.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
My female doesn't have an ounce of aggression in her, but if somebody suddenly appeared in the house she'd go bezerk!! Actually, to make it a bit more understandable, wouldn't a human be startled if you heard something and all of a sudden somebody was in your house?
Jasandjules said:
If the other dog was not being aggressive I'd say yours overreacted.
Knowing what dogs you have, I'd be suprised if there was anything left other than the shoes she was wearing and the lead she was holding 
Despite no signs of aggression, if a person and a dog just burst in to your living room, your dogs wouldn't react?
Edited by Autopilot on Friday 28th August 21:12
Edited by Autopilot on Friday 28th August 21:13
Autopilot said:
Knowing what dogs you have, I'd be suprised if there was anything left other than the shoes she was wearing and the lead she was holding
Despite no signs of aggression, if a person and a dog just burst in to your living room, your dogs wouldn't react?
My dogs would put themselves between the new arrivals and us/baby. They will react and basically make it clear that they will not accept any threat...... This will be by barking/growling - usual dog signs.. Despite no signs of aggression, if a person and a dog just burst in to your living room, your dogs wouldn't react?
But they do not attack unless there is a threat and that threat will not retreat. If someone came in aggressively however or a dog that was aggressive, well, they will deal with that threat until it is no longer a threat.......
Not really your or your dogs fault. Perhaps an overreaction but another dog entering a home unannounced...
But as there was not injury, I'd suggest things looked and sounded a lot worst than they actually were. Having seen a bedlington shred a rabbit in seconds recently I'd expect an injury to the puppy.
But as there was not injury, I'd suggest things looked and sounded a lot worst than they actually were. Having seen a bedlington shred a rabbit in seconds recently I'd expect an injury to the puppy.
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.....
The situation was probably made worse by the puppy not yet being fully conversant in doggy etiquette yet. An older dog might have read your dogs body language and acted accordingly. I'm convinced we only see the big dog body language stuff but there's lots of subtle stuff we miss resulting in us thinking stuff happened with no warning. No doubt there was lots of puppy squeeling which is there get out of jail "in just a puppy" card until they learn the subtle stuff.
In an ideal world if the 2 could meet in a neutral venue it might be good for the pup
In an ideal world if the 2 could meet in a neutral venue it might be good for the pup
Daisy our Frenchie can be like that when other dogs just appear at our house, she went for a friends Daschund a few months ago, there was no harm done but it scared the owner, I'm not sure whether Daisy is trying to play and getting a bit over exuberant and it is the other dog not being sure how to take it and kind of freezing; the Daschund in question is massively molly coddled and a bit pathetic, or it is Daisy being defensive over her house.
She can be very rough in her play, Barry knows how to handle her and gives as good as he gets.
She can be very rough in her play, Barry knows how to handle her and gives as good as he gets.
All I can say is our last dog Jimmy would never have acted like that and neither would our current dog Bryn (both whippets)
Now maybe that is the breed nature (probably has something to do with it) or we are just lucky.
I do feel that whilst I can understand a dogs protective instinct is stronger in some, Bedlingtons being the ultimate in deception re their look compared to actual character, it still seems a slight over reaction on your dogs part and something that may become more of a problem. Not condoning the other owner though, she was irresponsible in how she came in!
Now maybe that is the breed nature (probably has something to do with it) or we are just lucky.
I do feel that whilst I can understand a dogs protective instinct is stronger in some, Bedlingtons being the ultimate in deception re their look compared to actual character, it still seems a slight over reaction on your dogs part and something that may become more of a problem. Not condoning the other owner though, she was irresponsible in how she came in!
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