Interesting article.Originally Posted by HCM
I am convinced that one of our four dogs tries to speak to us, but can't make her vocal chords make the noises that she wants to.
Interesting article.
I am convinced that one of our four dogs tries to speak to us, but can't make her vocal chords make the noises that she wants to.
"It's surprising how often you start wondering just how featureless a desert some people's inner landscapes must be."
-Maple Syrup Actual
Any thread where dogs get mentioned always turns out entertaining.
The idea that anyone's pet is equal to a child is stupid. "Dog Mom" and the like is simply foolish. Those who act like their relationship with a pet is anything equal to a parents relationship with a child are either A: childless and just don't have the depth of understanding those with children do, B: Hyperbolic, C: Terrible parents. Animals simply aren't an equal to humans. While a specific animal may be revered and a specific person may not be, on the whole animals simply aren't equals. And your 20ish year life span pet simply isn't equal to a child who you influence and mold who will continue to influence and mold others. One has lasting impact and one does not. One can change the world (even if over generations) and one is probably a really great pet. The notion of pets as kids is stupid.
I'm not a fan of little dogs. Anything much smaller than a Sheba Inu is not my cup of tea. My parents have had small dogs for years at this point. I find them yappy, fearful, at times aggressive, scatter brained, and often misbehaved. Some of this is my parents failing to properly discipline or teach their mutts. More than my parents dogs I sincerely hate the goes-everywhere-with-me attitude that often comes with small dogs. Your mutt doesn't belong in the grocery cart I put my kid in. Or in the store. Leave your fuzzy shit machine at home unless you're going to a place that's appropriate to have it with you. Nobody else thinks of Mr. Piddles as equal to a human, or is amused when you announce "I Just Can't Believe It!" because they pissed on the watermelon stand or on my car in the parking lot. They always seem bad with kids as well. Just wholly unimpressed with little dogs. Because I don't like them apparently some here would assume that makes me a neer-do-well.
Dog's "Superior Judgment" is an odd thing. It's always true in hindsight, but I'm not sure that means every time is true. Some dogs are just ugly natured, be it because of breed or up bringing is kind of irrelevant. If this thread was about violent dogs there would be countless examples of PFers who have had to defend themselves from dogs, or almost so, or know this one person with a really mean dog. Does that mean everyone that dog tries to attack is somehow nefarious? No.
Some people are afraid of dogs, for whatever reason. Often, dogs will react to those people in a negative fashion. Does that mean those people are somehow bad? No. They're just scared of dogs, and the dogs pick up on it and push them a little. There are plenty of folks who are good, moral people but are afraid of dogs and thus, don't like them. I don't distrust those people. Usually they'll relay their bad experience or fear before you even ask about it.
However. If you have a dog that doesn't have a history of abuse, and isn't ugly natured, and is generally amicable with everyone but it always reacts in a negative way to one specific person... I would look for reasons why. If it's a first time meeting thing then whatever... could simply be an "I don't know this person" reaction. If they've seen you 4-6 times and you've spent an hour or two around them each time then the dog should be coming around. If they're not then I would wonder why. Does the person always smell like gas, or other animals, or something else? If there is no discernible reason that a dog doesn't like them I would evaluate how much I know/trust the person. If this is someone that I'm pretty close with and have a long history with then I may chalk it up to personality clash.
I've always grown up with dogs, and look forward to getting a new dog for our house hopefully soon.
-Cory
Last edited by Cory; 06-23-2019 at 09:50 AM.
I wouldn’t say dogs have superior judgement. They are just more perceptive.
I’m not fan of small dogs. They are considered “harmless” and as a result have not been bred for good disposition. This is often compounded by failure to train and discipline them.
While dogs are not children, there are significant parallels between raising a well adjusted puppy and a well adjusted child. Nothing I’ve seen in 20 plus years of dealing with failures on the human side of that equation has contradicted the idea.
Last edited by HCM; 06-24-2019 at 12:33 AM.
I'm not sure I'd call them significant, but absolutely there are parallels. Otherwise, I'd say I completely agree.
-Cory
Last edited by Cory; 06-24-2019 at 06:22 AM.
I'm not really a little dog fan either, though I draw the smallness line more at corgis than Sheba Inus. Probably the funniest dog experience I've ever had involved a little dog. I forget the specific breed, but it was one of those small white puffball ones, owned by my wife's cousin. We're at her house and the dog approaches me all challengy and barking. I wasn't having it, so I hit that poor little dog with the heaviest dose of "I'm a LOT bigger than you and I DGAF"-style scorn I could muster and then thoroughly ignored it. I don't think I've ever seen a more confused dog in my entire life. It totally thought it was the boss, and my eye contact and follow-on body language gave it a serious reality check.
Oh, just ignore the dog, he won’t bite. Sure, that’s how my mother got bitten.
Oh, don’t make eye contact either, because Fido doesn’t like that. Sure, because 80 pounds of snarling snapping menace is so easy to ignore.
Everyone with a dog always has an excuse for the dogs poor behaviour. Keep your mutt under control - verbally, or otherwise.
If you holler at your mutt to come back, stop, sit, whatever, as it comes running toward me, then why should I believe you that oh, he won’t bite....??
Working farm dogs? They have a purpose in life, and tend to listen. Hattie ( @LittleLebowski ‘s Dad’s dog) was awesome. Well mannered, sweet, trained, cattle-working-dog. As was the neighbors Corgi, etc. Bourbon, the French wire haired griffin was a sweet (albeit rather...uhm...learning disabled) specimen as well.
What those dogs had in common, were owners that didn’t put up with the dog acting like a raging nutcase, and in the end they had dogs that were pleasant to be around - ie, not aggressive...
Last edited by Dan_S; 06-24-2019 at 09:25 AM.
My wiener dog's idea of working is using his butt to make sure the sofa doesn't fly away.*
*In his defense he did protect the daughter from a rattler by attacking the rattler, and saved the old wiener dog from being eaten by the mountain dog once when the old wiener dog stole the mountain dog's bone and the mountain dog decided to eat him instead.
In general NO.
I used to say I would never date a woman that didn't like dogs, then I met my wife who grew up in the city and was afraid of large dogs. Then I changed my motto to never dating a woman who my dog didn't like. The latter I do think is a pretty good rule to live by in all aspects. I really do think that dogs (and other intelligent/empathetic animals) are able to pick up on other cues that we as humans have had to suppress and that makes them better judges of character that most people are.
Years ago my Grandfather hired this guy to redo our roof. My dog, who was usually a very friendly dog, hated this roofer and would become fairly aggressive towards the guy to the point we had to keep him inside while the roofer was working. Long story short - the roofer worked a day then took the deposit and ran.....
So much for hiring un-vetted workers, but good on my dog for calling a spade as spade.
When I was courting my wife, her family had a little rat terrier named Zipper. Zipper absolutely loved me which blew everyone’s mind because he apparently didn’t like most anyone else. My wife told me that her mom knew I was a good man (hey, don’t we have another thread about that?) when Zipper thought I was his new best friend.
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