[NAGDU] Cricket can growl?

[Caitlyn Furness]

Hi,

First off, it’s rude for other dogs to run up and get in your dog’s face.  Unlike most people, I don’t think Cricket was doing anything inappropriate in telling the other dogs to get out of her face by growling.

As far as corrections go, if it were me, I’d still have reminded her to leave it and have corrected.

If you don’t go over there a lot already, it’s probably no big deal.  If you want to go there more frequently, it might be good to just get Cricket around lots of other dogs and desensitize her to other dogs who might be rude.  She doesn’t have to like other dogs being rude and getting in her face, but she does have to tolerate it and be under your control.

hth,
Caitlyn

> On Dec 27, 2015, at 3:21 AM, Abby Bolling via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hi all!
> I hope you all had a wonderful holiday!
> I went to my uncles house for our annual  family get together. My aunt and uncle have two black labs and they said that of course, cricket was welcome, that Stella and Lulu would love to play with another dog. Well, that didn't go as planned.
> I was working Cricket into the house because we don't go there very often, so the layout is very unfamiliar to me.
> So Cricket and I are walking up the steps and she is doing really really good. She steps up and is on the landing and all of a sudden I hear puppy paws on the wood floor. Crickets harness handle is 20inches long because she is super short, but this means, when we go up steps, I am usually two steps behind her. So I wasn't on the landing yet. But all of a sudden, I feel Crickets head jerk around a little bit, then she turns to the right to body block me. at this point, I can feel Stella and Lulu like dancing around Cricket and getting in her  face and jumping at her. I could tell they were playing, but i have no idea what was going through Crickets head. I was very surprised when I heard my little 48 pound tiny black lab let out one of the most terrifying growls I have ever heard. I'm serious, I was taken-aback for a split second.
> I corrected her so hard that she actually did a 180 degree turn, but Stella got back in her face and she growled again. At this point I was able to get on the landing and correct her hard again, but even through the fact that the collar was tight around her throat, she was still trying to growl. At this point, my cousin was able to grab Stella and then Lulu and put them in a separate room, but Cricket was still wound up and was jumping in the air. I literally had to almost tackle her to get her to lay down and calm down.
> My family doesn't understand dog corrections, and they cringe and squawked because they thought I was hurting Cricket. I told them that I wasn't "hurting her," sure it wasn't comfortable, but I wasn't debilitating her.
> 
> 
> Now the question! In your guys' opinion, did I handle the situation correctly? Should I not take cricket over there? And what would yall have done in that situation?
> My Boyfriend asked why I didn't take Cricket out to the car, as it is really warm here, so temperature wise she would have been safe, but I didn't do that because she has really bad separation anxiety and will cry and whine and howl if she is left alone very much.
> And since I have only had her home for 4 months, I don't want to make her mad too early in the game.
> 
> So anyway, thoughts? Opinions? Suggestions? All are appreciated!
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Abby and the currently snuggly peaceful sleepy cricket.
> 
> -- 
> Abigail M. Bolling
> Wright State University-2018: Rehabilitation Services
> Phone: (513) 512-3456
> Email: bolling.8 at wright.edu
> Abilities United: Secretary
> Ohio Association of Guide Dog Users, a chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio: Secretary
> "keep a smile on your face and a song in your heart, and just let the music play." (Julie Anderson-Diamond)
> "Dance like no one is watching, love like you'll never be hurt, sing like no one is listening, and live like it's Heaven on earth." (William Purkey)
> The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back.
> 
> 
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