#1
|
||||
|
||||
The Yorkie vs The Dogue De Bordeau
Hello,
I was wondering if you could help me with better understanding this situation? I brought my dogs to an off leash dog park in our area. When I got there I noticed there was a lot of small breed dogs, so I introduced myself to the group of people and asked if they would prefer that I take my large breed dogs to another area. They said no, to join them in the park so I did. My Dogue De Bordeau is 105lbs and 17 mnths or so. He was very intent on playing with a tiny Yorkie. He would go to her, and she would get nervous and be a bit aggressive with him. The dog was fearful so I would call Boswell off the Yorkie and he would leave her alone. As soon as I called Boswell off, this Yorkie would come over to us. Then the cycle would happen again, and I would call my dog off. This darn Yorkie, as scared as it seemed, just kept coming back to my dog. The owner said it was scared of large breed dogs. It was kind of unfortunate because I spent a lot of time telling my dog what to do and what not to do, while the Yorkie had free rein. Why was this Yorkie so persistent in engaging in a situation which obviously made her fearful? Cheers, Joanne
__________________
My family includes: Darby Rottie Boswell Dogue de Bordeau Harvey the English Bulldog Extraordinaire |
#2
|
||||
|
||||
The Yorkie wasn't fearful, it was dominating your dog. I have a big dog too and often the owners of little ones' say my dog is afraid of big dogs. Some are just afraid period. Size does not matter to dogs, it's I think therefore I am.
Like you I'm careful just because they could easily hurt them in play but the Yorkie owner should of corrected her. Dog parks
__________________
In rescuing animals I lost my mind but found my soul ~ anonymous ~ |
#3
|
||||
|
||||
Thanks Golden Girl.
I have a love/hate relationship with the dog park. Because my dogs are so big and could be perceived as intimidating- I want them socialized, and to be well mannered with other dogs. I do find that a few owners do not bother doing basic obedience with their small dogs, or even really pay attention to their behaviours at the dog park. My dogs are very scrutinized though, because of their size and their potential to gobble up some of the smaller dogs I know, if I don't like it I can find another park-- I am just venting because I like going to the park! Oh well, we can ignore a Yorkie Cheers, Joanne
__________________
My family includes: Darby Rottie Boswell Dogue de Bordeau Harvey the English Bulldog Extraordinaire |
#4
|
||||
|
||||
Yorkies, like many terriers, are seemingly fearless and don't let the size of any other dog stand in their way although they will show some apprehensiveness at times.
We had a similar thing happen between our Jack (yorkie mix ... bit on the big size at 18lbs) and a german shepherd - after about a minute of Jack yapping at the GSD (as we kept separating him from the situation) they got along famously and chased each other around the park for about an hour. We only had one incident when the GSD stepped on him and he took great offence to it, but otherwise all worked out well.
__________________
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Lucy - 9 yr old border(?) terrier mix Jack - 8 yr old yorkie terrier mix Gracie - 7 yr old tuxedo kitty Monty - RIP buddy ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ "If your dog doesn't like someone you probably shouldn't either." - Unknown "If cats could talk they would lie to you" |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
I'm so tired of the owners of small dogs who think they are harmless. That bloody Yorky shouldn't even have been allowed to be off it's leash!! Owners need to realize their dog is aggressive even if it is 2 lbs.
Last edited by brecker; July 28th, 2009 at 12:54 PM. Reason: add something |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
Such an interesting thread and I can relate to this now in two parts.
Firstly, as everyone knows (the old timers anyways) I had a 130 lbs Rottie named Ben. At the dog park, people where always leary even though he was an ambassador Rottweiler. He never fought, never acted inappropriately, never engaged in normal doggie ruckas - just an all around good natured boy. But he was definately pegged. Since Ben's passing ( my love), I have a min pin that weighs 5 lbs. I have had Julia since last June (foster failure). For the first time I brought her to the dog park because I need to exercise my foster pup and socialize her. I admit I was nervous only because my dog is very small and there could be an incident (but I had a plan of course). Julia was better than I thought she would be. She is normally aggressive and has tried to attack (on leash) my neighbours pittie. So I am certain you can appreciate my reservations about the DP. Julia was respectful, however, if another dog was too obsessed with her, she would bounce forward with teeth bared. The other dogs backed off and she continued on her way. The yorkie was exercising dominance however does rely on others including the master to control the environment. She should have been reprimanded by the owner to cease the behaviour. Little dogs do get away with much more than bigger breeds. I am absolutely guilty of this myself, but I will defend as to why. Why you ask? They scurry like mice and you cannot touch, grip, to get them to focus. They know you are coming and they take refuge in areas you just cannot reach. They are difficult to train and I stand by this. As for the dog park, if there was access to another for big dogs only - I would have gone that route. Personally, I wish there were small dog parks due to having to deal with larger dogs wanting to dominate my little girl. It goes both ways. Big, small, male or female. The solution is to either cease going to DP or finding one that you are comfortable with. |
#7
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
The reason I ask is because it would be of your benefit to learn how to look for aggression or fear aggression at a DP and when it is something else entirely. Being an owner with a large breed dog, naturally some owners will be 'on alert' when you and Boswell come around. It's unfair, but it happens. If you're able to understand aggression vs play vs dominance, you'll better be able to know when to call your dog off and when not too. The problem with calling Boswell all the time because you *think* another dog is afraid of him, is because this can be extremley confusing for your dog. You're basically unintentionally innterupting the important socialization that Boswell needs to learn, how to be 'polite' to other dogs etc, which that Yorkie may have been teaching him. Obviously you'll always run into another owner who is misreading their dog entirely; that happens often enough. In those cases, even if YOU know that your dogs were being friendly and socializing its best to move on and continue without stopping.
__________________
~B~ "If you are a dog and your owner suggests that you wear a sweater. . . suggest that he wear a tail." Bailey (Labradoodle) Tippy (Collie/ShepX) Vali (American Bulldog) Artiro (Cane Corso) |
#8
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
Quote:
Also, some people have the tendency to pick up the small dogs when they get into a jam so they never really learn proper doggy etiquette (not saying ppl shouldn't step in when needed, but I've seen people pick up their dogs at the very slightest "growl" regardless of the type of growl.
__________________
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Lucy - 9 yr old border(?) terrier mix Jack - 8 yr old yorkie terrier mix Gracie - 7 yr old tuxedo kitty Monty - RIP buddy ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ "If your dog doesn't like someone you probably shouldn't either." - Unknown "If cats could talk they would lie to you" |
#9
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
They have four legs for a reason!
__________________
~B~ "If you are a dog and your owner suggests that you wear a sweater. . . suggest that he wear a tail." Bailey (Labradoodle) Tippy (Collie/ShepX) Vali (American Bulldog) Artiro (Cane Corso) |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
I'm trying to be realistic here, and it's not fair to the DDB and it's owner. Last edited by brecker; July 28th, 2009 at 02:43 PM. |
#11
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
Dominance (as I believe what had happened in this case) NEEDS to happen among dogs because it helps them all learn how to socialize properly. Quote:
With that said, it's hard to say what should've happened without having been there to judge it in person, or if anyone should've left at all.
__________________
~B~ "If you are a dog and your owner suggests that you wear a sweater. . . suggest that he wear a tail." Bailey (Labradoodle) Tippy (Collie/ShepX) Vali (American Bulldog) Artiro (Cane Corso) Last edited by Bailey_; July 28th, 2009 at 02:48 PM. |
#12
|
|||
|
|||
Irregardless of why the dog was aggressive, it was aggressive correct? Are we on the same page? The owner of the Yorky should have stepped in and moved the dog away. Was I the only one who read "aggressive", "dog kept coming back to the DDB", "owner did nothing", "owner said dog is fearful of big dogs" ????
|
#13
|
||||
|
||||
Like I said, aggression is a very broad term that people loosely throw about when they do not understand why a dog is growling/barking/lunging. It may very well NOT have been aggression, but could've been construed as such.
It's very dangerous to think that any dog that growls/barks is being aggressive because that is how we as owners CREATE an aggressive, paranoid, overly dominant, or scared animal.
__________________
~B~ "If you are a dog and your owner suggests that you wear a sweater. . . suggest that he wear a tail." Bailey (Labradoodle) Tippy (Collie/ShepX) Vali (American Bulldog) Artiro (Cane Corso) |
#14
|
|||
|
|||
Ok - the little dog is displaying dominance which should have absolutely been addressed by the owner. It wasn't and you cannot force anyone to see that their dog is NOT affraid of the big dog - it is dominant..try telling her that.
To address your frustration, I cannot since only you can decide what to do in this instance. #1 - don't go to that dog park. #2 - address the ignorant woman. #3 - go to the dog park but remove yourself from small dogs that aggitate you based on ignorant owners. Is this fair - no but you can only control you and your pet and no one elses. |
#15
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
|
#16
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
As has even happened in this thread, people assume a dog barking is immediatley aggression. Not so. Whether or not we think its aggression or fear, it is so important to find out for ourselves so that we can correctly socialize our dogs. I also believe it DOES matter for the OP because when we are confident that dogs are communicating safely, we will allow them to experience being 'put in their place' when they need to be by other dogs. This is essential for a dog, to learn its manners and how to properly say hello and interact with other dogs. If we believe another dog is fearful of ours, or aggressive, we'll always hold our dog back instead of allowing that natural process to happen. With that said, you're right BM. We can't control another persons dog, or change their mind as to what their dog is communicating. If in doubt, walk away.
__________________
~B~ "If you are a dog and your owner suggests that you wear a sweater. . . suggest that he wear a tail." Bailey (Labradoodle) Tippy (Collie/ShepX) Vali (American Bulldog) Artiro (Cane Corso) |
#17
|
|||
|
|||
Another friendly dispute Baily. For the little dog - what's the difference on the behaviour? It's not the OP's problem at all whether she interprets this as aggression or whatever else. Her focus is her own dog.
The term aggression applies to so many different things: Possession aggression, fear aggression, food possession (which is aggression) to name a few. I just don't know why the emphasis on this word. The OP wants us to comment on initial situation driving this thread. Not the term 'aggression' as it is secondary to her dog and the fact that the yorkie owner did nothing. Anyways - this is how I interpret it and I could be totally off here. (added the smiley face so that you know I am not trying to be a biachh!) |
#18
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
Maybe the yorkie is a lot like Jack - just likes to be heard? Only the owner of him/her could comment on this. When Jack is playing, regardless of whether its with Lucy, another dog, our cat, or even me, his sound could be interpreted by an outsider as 'aggressive" although he is anything but.
__________________
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Lucy - 9 yr old border(?) terrier mix Jack - 8 yr old yorkie terrier mix Gracie - 7 yr old tuxedo kitty Monty - RIP buddy ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ "If your dog doesn't like someone you probably shouldn't either." - Unknown "If cats could talk they would lie to you" |
#19
|
||||
|
||||
Don't worry, I enjoy our banter BM.
Understandably, I don't want to take this thread off topic at all, but you know me - I have to reply. To quickly respond, Quote:
Quote:
The reason I do feel that this applied to the OP is because of their comment Quote:
Regardless of whether or not our dog is the one with the curious behavior, if we understand what dogs are saying, we won't need to worry about OUR dog either. On the flip side, we'll know when we DO need to remove them from a bad situation.
__________________
~B~ "If you are a dog and your owner suggests that you wear a sweater. . . suggest that he wear a tail." Bailey (Labradoodle) Tippy (Collie/ShepX) Vali (American Bulldog) Artiro (Cane Corso) |
#20
|
||||
|
||||
Hello All,
We just came back from the dog park where my dogs had a marvelous time. Today there was mostly large breed dogs and all the owners were confident and comfortable. I did not have to stop any kind of play and my dogs were gentle and kind to everyone. Just to comment, if I knew the Yorkie, and its owner I would have let them work it out. Perhaps I was submitting to social pressure, since honestly I was feeling judged for having my big dog trying to initiate play with the Yorkie. I perceived that people thought my dog was vicious, and I am very sensitive to the comfort of others around my dogs. (I know I might have an issue here ) The owner looked nervous, I felt bad, and I called my DDB off. My DDB is well behaved and quite playful and he immediately ceased all action. In retrospect, I was annoyed at the owner. On this particular day there were five to six small white dogs and a only a few big breed, so maybe I think I just felt a harsh public opinion. There was an owner keeping her dog on the picnic table with her...etc... I spent a lot of time working instead of playing with my dog, since the Yorkie kept on coming back. The little guy had us in his sites... Please remember that I asked (while my dogs were on leash and before I entered the park) if it was okay. I was willing to take my dogs elsewhere. If the Yorkie was fearful, or aggressive from a past incident- please say so. I want my dogs to have fun and play well. I think that taking my dogs back for formal training is a great suggestion. I did have a hard time understanding if this was a timid, but playful Yorkie who was "trying his best" to play with my dog, or if it was an aggressive act. Regardless, I am proud of my DDB who listens well off leash and in highly stimulating situations, and I will not go to that dog park if the Yorkie is there in the future. We have way more fun chasing balls and romping around without the hassle. Thanks for the great debate. It is an interesting thread to read. Cheers, Joanne
__________________
My family includes: Darby Rottie Boswell Dogue de Bordeau Harvey the English Bulldog Extraordinaire |
#21
|
||||
|
||||
Great Joanne, glad to hear it. Thanks for the update! Now all we need are pictures of your beautiful dog!!!
__________________
~B~ "If you are a dog and your owner suggests that you wear a sweater. . . suggest that he wear a tail." Bailey (Labradoodle) Tippy (Collie/ShepX) Vali (American Bulldog) Artiro (Cane Corso) |
#22
|
||||
|
||||
Yes small dogs usually get a pass and of course the giant breeds are the problem. BS I have lived through this with both of my mastiffs, and people would ask me to put a leash on them while they would do nothing to the small dogs and they would the ones acting aggressive. I would not. My favourite is the owners who think it is funny and cute when there dog challengened my almost 200 pound dogs. I would let them know it is not funny it could be deadly to there dogs if they do this with dogs who might take the challenge and they better get there dogs under control because not every dog is as nice as mine were.Bud and Boo. I still run in to it with Clark and he will take the challenge so I am constantly yelling at these people to put there dogs on leashes in the park which is not a leash free park. Because I do not thoroughly trust Clark we do not go to off leash parks and these people get pissed at me when all I am doing is protecting there dogs. Sorry that is my rant
__________________
Robin A dog has so many friends because they wag their tails not their tongues. R.I.P. Buddy 2002-2008 The best Mastiff ever. Now owned by Clark the Crazy American Bulldog |
#23
|
|||
|
|||
Amen. Most don't get it. That's my whole point as well as the OP's.
|
#24
|
|||
|
|||
Having large breeds all my adult years (and as a child) I can understand fully that people will judge the large breeds especially is there is somesort of 'reputation' tagged to them. 9.9/10 times it is unfounded - but it burned into the minds of the ignorant. What I find is that there is more ignorant people than there are otherwise.
Now having a little breed, I understand the other side of the coin however, having little dogs with big attitudes are actually worse because they will set off alot of bad behaviour with surrounding dogs - big or small. Let me put it this way - if ANYONE told me about my dogs behaviour and what I should do - they in turn would get one heck of an earfull. This will also apply to the 'regular' person to defend their dog as you would your own. Bottom line is you have control over your own animal and no one elses. If your dog may come under fire - remove your dog from the situation. Unfair? Yes. |
#25
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
My own dogs display dominance to each other all the time. We have a very clear hierarchy in our pack (almost a caricature of hierarchy, it's that exaggerated). Gracie is dominant over Heidi and Jaida. Heidi is dominant over Jaida only. Jaida doens't "speak" dominant at all, except in play, and only if she's feeling particularly beansy . Their displays of dominance towards eachother can involve barking, growling, teeth, physical contact, eye contact etc etc...lots of things. The submissive dog replies in turn with the appropriate gestures (avoidance, moving away, looking away, offering a belly, licking the lips etc etc)...and if the submissive does NOT reply appropriately, she is corrected by the dominant dog. Not aggressed towards, but corrected. In this manner they all are learning the appropriate give and take and body language of polite interactions. Never in a million years would I interrupt any of these interactions (unless for some reason it's not suiting ME at the time i.e. it's noisy and obnoxious and I want some quiet). And since I'm da boss, I stop ALL the interactions and give them instructions on what I want them to do instead (usually go lay down over there and play quietly with your toy). But I'm not punishing or stopping any particular behaviour. With dogs in dog parks, people need to understand that dogs will have these "conversations" all the time. If your dog is not stable and does not know how to interact correctly with other dogs, then you need to arrange safe, controlled interactions where the dog can practice, not take your dog to an off-leash park. If you can't handle noise/barking/wrestling, don't take your dog to a park. In the case with the yorkie, unless the DDB was a) at risk of being injured - I'm not saying this tongue-in-cheek, little dogs can inflict injury or b) the DDB could not be trusted to interact correctly and safely with the yorkie, then I don't think either owner NEEDED to do anything. The CHOICE there would be more based on the owners' needs...i.e. do I feel like hanging around the annoying little yap-head or not. I suspect that if the DDB and the yorkie were allowed to interact without owner interference (again, assuming both dogs are stable), they would have sorted out their differences on their own.
__________________
Owned by: Solomon - black DSH - king of kitchen raids (11) Gracie - Mutterooski X - scary smart (9) Jaida - GSD - tripod trainwreck and gentle soul (4) Heidi - mugsly Boston Terrier X - she is in BIG trouble!!! (3) Audrey - torbie - sweet as pie (11 months) Patrick - blue - a little turd (but we like him anyways) (6 months) __________ Boo, our Matriarch (August 1 1992 - March 29 2011) Riley and Molly |
#26
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
Now back to the original issue, I would have personally told the Yorky owner to remove his dog from mine cause he was acting aggressive through fear, which the OP clearly stated. In this case this owner of the Yorky was clueless. I do not think this is even debatable is it? If the DDB was acting this way, he would be completely kicked out of the park. If we are all trying to be responsible dog owners, let not take a dog to an "OFF leash" park that is aggressive to big dogs through fear! Last edited by brecker; July 29th, 2009 at 08:56 AM. |
#27
|
||||
|
||||
the whole "fear-aggression"stuff irks me...
in the first place, I seriously doubt the yorkie was legitimately fearful...IME little dog owners are far more inclined to mislabel their dog's status/dominance-related behaviour as "fearful" or "timid" or "protective" than big dogs. Also, I don't think the yorkie was actually being "aggressive"...it was not doing anything to actively HURT the DDB, it was just yelling. I don't think this is totally OT, so I'm gonna post it...an excellent article on aggression by Joanna Kimball, Blacksheep Cardigan Corgis.
__________________
Owned by: Solomon - black DSH - king of kitchen raids (11) Gracie - Mutterooski X - scary smart (9) Jaida - GSD - tripod trainwreck and gentle soul (4) Heidi - mugsly Boston Terrier X - she is in BIG trouble!!! (3) Audrey - torbie - sweet as pie (11 months) Patrick - blue - a little turd (but we like him anyways) (6 months) __________ Boo, our Matriarch (August 1 1992 - March 29 2011) Riley and Molly |
#28
|
|||
|
|||
Breker - please watch the p's and q's with me being an owner of an 'aggressive' dog. I have a tempermental dog whom I REMOVE from situations that are disruptive or can initiate problems in these types of settings. You may or may not know this - I am very well versed when it comes to behaviours so let's get that straight.
Bendyfoot, my point is this: dogs that act inappropriately in this type of settings should be addressed. People with small dogs are more defensive about them (probably due to their size) and will not listen to those that have larger breeds - it seems to ALWAYS be the fault of the larger breed and not the smaller ones. It is not fair I understand. What small dog owners do not seem to get is that their small dog's behaviour can spark negativity within a group of dogs and the small dog will get hurt - not the big dog. When I had my large breeds I was very well aware that people do not take responsibility for their small dogs as they should. The solution was to remove mine in order to avoid any confrontation with a smaller breed which would LOOSE in a BIG way. Does any of this make any sense at all? If you all read my comments properly, I am with the OP on this one. |
#29
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
I dunno, I understand the potential for risk of injury for the smaller dog, even if the larger dog acted completely appropriately and non-aggressively to correct the smaller one for its rudeness. I guess I just object to the idea that the owner of the bigger dog should automatically have to remove her well-behaved dog for the sake of optics. Part of me, honestly, thinks "let the DDB thump the little snot", if it really truly was being a brat and not just engaging in boistrous play. So on that line, unless the owner of the little one felt their dog was in danger, I don't really think the little one should be automatically removed either.
__________________
Owned by: Solomon - black DSH - king of kitchen raids (11) Gracie - Mutterooski X - scary smart (9) Jaida - GSD - tripod trainwreck and gentle soul (4) Heidi - mugsly Boston Terrier X - she is in BIG trouble!!! (3) Audrey - torbie - sweet as pie (11 months) Patrick - blue - a little turd (but we like him anyways) (6 months) __________ Boo, our Matriarch (August 1 1992 - March 29 2011) Riley and Molly |
#30
|
|||
|
|||
I'm just trying to get the point across that in this case we have a type of aggression that is being exhibited and the owner clearly stated that he is aware that his dog "is scared of large dogs"
My only point is he should try to pretend his yorky is actually 100lbs in size and could cause something "negative" to happen. My "opinion" is he should only let the dog off leash when their is not a "large" dog in sight. Yes?/No? This wasn't fair to the OP in this particular case. If some people want to think this is just dominance being portrayed from the Yorky, then the owner STILL needs to realize it's not the OP's dogs fault is he "dominates" back. So why gamble... ? Off leash dog park participants should only let dogs with no issues run free - this dog has an issue. Make sense? |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|