[nagdu] what do you consider an attack?

Thu May 9 19:07:50 UTC 2013

Tami, that's my probblem! Holly loves those little fluffy dogs! She sees one 
and it sure is hard to keep her from wanting to play!  Maybe they look like 
squeaky toys?
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tami Jarvis" <tami at poodlemutt.com>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, May 09, 2013 2:31 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] what do you consider an attack?


> Julie,
>
> Interesting questions! Hm... I would consider an attack to be genuine 
> aggression that resulted in significant physical interference or injury. 
> So far, we've only had that from a couple of min pins (motto: death to all 
> poodles!) who were leashed and just obnoxious at the end of the leash. And 
> a chihuahua or two. The result is that Mitzi will still react when 
> startled to small, fluffy bouncy dogs in places where they may or may not 
> be service dogs... Of course, once she vocalizes, then I need to deal with 
> her so can't worry about whether the other dog is legit if not as strictly 
> handled as the poodle monster would like. Sigh. I know it's just her 
> schooling snark, but she can't be doing that in public, so she must settle 
> down. In some cases, I do have opportunity to notice that just because the 
> other dog is on a leash does not mean it is under control! Fortunately, we 
> do not run across this often, and it's only when we've all been super 
> stressed that Mitzi has her issues and talks about them.
>
> I think because I like to hang around dogs and because we've spent a lot 
> of time around other dogs, I generally can get a feel for an approaching 
> dog, and I trust what Mitzi tells me. So minor greeting interference isn't 
> terribly upsetting for either of us. I listen for the human, too, if a dog 
> is vocalizing. You can get a better indicator of what a dog might do from 
> its human sometimes. So I know a lot of the Portland crowd throw fits over 
> all the dogs of the homeless on the streets, seeming to assume all to be 
> vicious. However, the few times we have passed such when the dog was 
> making scary noises, I could hear a human calming the dog and controlling 
> it so had no fear. When the human reacts aggressively towards the dog or 
> there is no human reacting to a possibly threatening dog, then I feel some 
> worry! Even so, I just take a deep breath and encourage Mitzi to keep 
> moving, so there we go. So far, so good. I think with dogs that have 
> caused concern and cause Mitzi to dance a little extra, I just rely on my 
> alpha B thing as I do with iffy humans. The Look is useful in many 
> situations. And because I've spent so much time in dog parks around many 
> types of dogs, Mitzi speaks the languages of many breeds and knows The 
> Look herself. She's not the super dominant type of alpha B, but she does 
> have a way of ruling without necessarily appearing to. /smile/
>
> Anyway, don't know if that really answers. I think you're right that for a 
> guide dog user who can't see the body language behind surface behavior and 
> vocalizations, and knowing the possibility of dog attack and what it could 
> mean for one's guide even if it's relatively minor... Well, it's extra 
> scary! I would also think an individual's reaction would depend a lot on 
> local dog culture... In my stomping grounds, it's a pretty good bet dogs 
> are well-socialized and responsibly handled. The ones I need to worry 
> about are the exceptions. So I can stay calmer, which is a good way to 
> keep anything from escalating, because of statistics. In other areas, it 
> is probably a better bet that a random dog deserves concern... I've been 
> in a few of those areas and have to work harder at staying calm and 
> transferring that to my dog. So if I lived where I regularly traveled 
> those sorts of scary dog zones, I would probably be a basket case!
>
> Tami
>
>
>
> On 05/09/2013 09:14 AM, Julie J. wrote:
>> We often talk about dog attacks on this list, but perhaps what I 
>> categorize as an attack is different from others definition.  So I’m 
>> asking, what do you consider an attack?
>>
>> Is it: a dog coming toward your dog
>> a dog coming toward your dog growling/barking
>> a dog coming close enough to sniff your dog
>> a dog coming into physical contact with your dog, nose, tongue or feet
>> a dog who bites, but does not break the skin with or without 
>> pain/bruising
>> a dog who draws blood with a bite
>> or something else?
>>
>> Does the intent of the other dog make a difference?  For example it is 
>> fairly common for dogs to jump on each other and slobber all over each 
>> other during rough play.  But jumping on another dog could definitely be 
>> aggression in different circumstances.  Granted it is often extremely 
>> difficult to gauge a loose dog’s intent without being able to watch their 
>> body language.
>>
>> Would you consider a situation to be an attack if the other dog 
>> approaches friendly, but your dog doesn’t appreciate it and reacts 
>> causing the situation to escalate?
>>
>> Curiously,
>> Julie
>> _______________________________________________
>> nagdu mailing list
>> nagdu at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
>> nagdu:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/tami%40poodlemutt.com
>>
>
> _______________________________________________
> nagdu mailing list
> nagdu at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
> nagdu:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/lkeeler%40comcast.net
>