[nagdu] What do you do when you're angry with your dog?

[Michelle]

Gosh, this is a really good issue here. When I'm angry with my dog, I do 
tend to overcorrect from time to time, but there are times which all of us 
have encountered, when we know we're not overcorrecting, but others need to 
butt out of our business and get their facts straight before making 
accusations. I use a gentle leader all the time now with my dog, so when I 
get angry with him, I use a stern voice and gently but kind of firmly tug 
the leash, but of course not very hard at all. Troy is much more sensitive 
to it, so he takes my hint very quickly. I've also found that when giving a 
harness check, sometimes pulling up on the harness puts pressure on Troy's 
chest, without having to yank it for the desired affect, and he takes the 
hint that I'm not happy with him too. It's all the subtle things I'm trying 
to think of which gives clear signals to my dog that I'm p'd off with him at 
that time for acting up, but without the public noticing it in case they 
think I'm being cruel, because of course most people shoot first and ask 
questions later. If I do hear someone nearby, I make sure that my clear 
signals towards Troy are seen as gentle enough for the onlooker, but very 
understandable for Troy so he doesn't act up because of others standing 
nearby if you know what I mean. I don't want the dog to think it's ok to 
misbehave just because the person who's watching might think it ok for a dog 
to misbehave in harness any time he/she wants. Troy is a good boy though, he 
learns very fast, and my instructors are very happy with how I handle him 
now, and they're also very happy with his work performance and general 
behaviour.

Michelle
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jenine Stanley" <jeninems at wowway.com>
To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, March 22, 2010 12:33 AM
Subject: [nagdu] What do you do when you're angry with your dog?


> Lisa brings up a good issue here. What do you do when you're angry with 
> your
> dog?
>
>
>
> I'm sure just about all of us have had those moments when we were 
> incredibly
> angry with our dogs. Whether they chewed up a favorite possession, went
> after some food for the millionth time or just went seemingly brain dead
> during a guiding task, I'm sure we've all had pause to consider just what 
> to
> do. Sometimes we don't pause and that can lead to all kinds of problems.
>
>
>
> One of the things that really hit me when I got my first dog was that I 
> was
> now responsible for another being, not only its care but its actions, and 
> I
> couldn't always control those actions as well as I'd like.
>
>
>
> I wonder if this is what new parents feel like with toddlers? OK, all you
> parents, am I close? <grin>
>
>
>
> I'll pose the question here. Do you talk about anger and frustration 
> during
> guide dog class? Did it surprise anyone when first encountering anger 
> toward
> your dog? Do those of us who have had many dogs over time still feel angry
> and frustrated with the current dog over things or does that lessen like 
> it
> seems to with kids, the youngest getting away with more things because the
> parents are either tired, or have just relaxed a bit with experience?
>
>
>
> If you were to craft a class lecture about anger management, what might 
> you
> say? We can't all be Buddha all the time just for our dogs' sakes.
>
>
>
> We've all, I'm sure, seen someone whom we feel is over correcting his/her
> dog. How do you handle that, especially if you can tell it's out of
> frustration?
>
>
>
> It's a good topic to discuss. Lisa, I feel for you here. My last dog was a
> champion at destroying things when out of harness. She chewed up a Braille
> watch, numerous bits of paper, including a dividend check for over $500, 
> and
> the insoles of many a pair of shoes. I did everything to keep her from 
> these
> exploits, but when allowed freedom, she exercised her superior Poodle
> intelligence and Labrador tenacity by redecorating my house. I'm almost
> pleased to hear that in her new home, when thoroughly bored, she's been
> doing the same things.
>
>
>
> Jenine Stanley
>
> jeninems at wowway.com
>
>
>
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