Always send the right vibes!

[ILuvMyHounds]

So, I have had many breeds of dogs over the years and absolutely loved them all. I never even gave a second thought at mounting a young horse that had never had a person on their back before, but... I just have to say that having a dog bare all his teeth at you and stomp his feet like he is gonna come over and tear your head off is pretty unnerving, no matter how large or how small they are!

I know that the dog knows I am scared when the hair raises on the back of my neck even though I have my game face on and am trying not to act the least bit phased at the explosive display. Of course, I am very happy to report that my most recent rescue is not behaving in this way, however, I must admit I was a bit rusty when he started feeling better and flashed his pearly whites my way and emitted those unmistakable sounds for the very first time!

I found myself startled by his first outburst and it made me second guess my resolve. The moment I did that, he read me like a book! I had to step back, reassess and gather up my courage because I knew if I let fear or intimidation rule my emotions, I would never be able to save this dog!

I really think forums can be an invaluable tool and I hope that the subjects will broaden and more people will get involved and post. I would like to know how other members deal with their canine companions. I do use verbal commands with my dogs but I also use a lot of hand signals, which they respond to as well.

Once I regained my composure and committed to making this work and accepted the fact that I just might get a nasty bite if I did not remain extremely diligent, guess what? My dog could sense the change in me and was a lot less aggressive in his demeanor.

[Mike D'Abruzzo]

We use a lot of protective clothing at our place. Nothing helps the vibes like some armor!

[ILuvMyHounds]

Umm, the point I was attempting to make was that you can't be faint of heart in a volatile situation with a dog because they will recognize your weakness (fear), which could escalate their aggressive behavior towards you. My dog, in particular, acted totally different when my initial response did not convey to the dog that I intended to maintain control of the situation. After I decided not to let his attitude derail my plans to address his problems, he sensed the changed, thus it was reflected in his attitude and demeanor towards me. To make a long story even longer, if I was worried about getting hit by a car every time I crossed the street to go to my mailbox, I might never, ever check the mail again. If I had decided that I was too afraid of possibly getting hurt by this dog, I would have probably already received at least one nasty bite by now as I suspect his behavior would have only escalated once he knew he had gained control over me because I was AFRAID of him.

So, the point I was trying to drive home for the people (like me) coming to this forum because they are having issues with their dog, is that it will be impossible to achieve ANY success with their dog if they are too fearful and elect to do nothing more than try to avoid the problem/situation, as when you have a dog with behavioral issues, those issues will not go away on their own and will most likely only escalate if the dog is allowed to remain out of control and in charge.

Otherwise, I cannot disagree with you.... protective devices such as the clothing, muzzles, collars/leashes certainly help prevent injuries, but I'm betting the average reader right now might be short their "Superman" suit!