Just a question....

CorvusCorax

CorvusCorax

Deary me...
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Don't want to start a row, just asking a question and apologies if I am repeating myself.

If you arrived on a yard where you had never been before and saw a large working/guarding type breed inside a dog run, a dog which you had never met before, would you rush over, making kissy noises (if you were a woman) or walk up to the dog full height and start calling it a good dog (if you were a man)?

Do you/would you ever, generally approach confined, unaccompanied dogs?
 
If a dog is in a run I would generally ignore it unless the owner indicated otherwise. No sense winding up a confined dog, no matter how much I would like to go and make kissy faces at it. :p

ETA: As happy as I am for people to fuss Dax, it would have made her initial training so much easier if people had just ignored her a lot more.

Also, some little toerag stuck his hands through the bars and whistled at the dogs as they passed at the show today. Probably the offspring of the kind of people who taunt confined dogs. :rolleyes:
 
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If it's in a run and pepople are often arriving on the yard it should be used to seeing people..I don't believe in sterilising dogs from the outside world or saying you can't go near something in a pen.
Dog may go skitz, up to owners to either secure it where it can't be seen or be happy with people approaching the pen.
 
No, I wouldn't. Seems a very odd thing to do really. If it was on a public, busy yard then I'd carry about my business as usual, even if that meant walking past quite closely etc. But I wouldn't march straight up to a confided dog (of any breed) making full eye contact and all the rest whilst it's either confined in a pen or restrained on a tie out or chain. Mind you, I wouldn't approach a loose dog either unless I knew the dog, or the owner said it was fine. I usually assume they'll come to me if they want fussing :p
 
It's a big yard, they are fine when people stay where they are meant to be or come over accompanied by me, it's when they cross the yard on their own and stand over them and stare at them.

Also the older dog is three and a half and well used to people.
 
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Still don't get the problem. It's a dog. If it is getting upset by people looking at it unless accompanied by you, put up a fence preventing people accessing the pen without you.
Assuming people aren't feeding the dogs/throwing things at them most other things I think dogs should be able to get used to, and tbh I wouldn't be bothered by my dogs barking at people, everytime somebody drives up to our house the dogs holler and get all excited. Then the person goes away or comes in and life returns to normal. fairly standard dog behvaiour unless yours is getting extremely upset
 
I would respect the reason for them being in a pen and not approach mostly not wanting to stress them but I cant think of a valid reason to do so. If a dog is loose on the yard and came up wagging its tail I would speak to it but probabley not pet it unless the owner said it was ok. So far I still have all my fingers and I want to keep it this way.

Showing my age now but now days people seem to think normal rules dont apply and common sense goes out the window.


I have to say if you had the fluffball in the run i would twist your arm to get to meet him:D
 
Maybe just put a sign on the outside of the pen to deter people from doing it?
I had to put a sign up on the stables to stop people hassling the horses as it's on a public footpath. While most were okay, some people upset them and I didn't want people feeding them. It seems to have worked :)
 
SusieT said:
Still don't get the problem. It's a dog. If it is getting upset by people looking at it unless accompanied by you, put up a fence preventing people accessing the pen without you.
Assuming people aren't feeding the dogs/throwing things at them most other things I think dogs should be able to get used to, and tbh I wouldn't be bothered by my dogs barking at people, everytime somebody drives up to our house the dogs holler and get all excited. Then the person goes away or comes in and life returns to normal. fairly standard dog behvaiour unless yours is getting extremely upset
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Well people have fed the older dog (sandwiches and biscuits to a wheat-sensitive dog :o) and kids have thrown stuff at him in the past, yes.
I do understand it is part of doggy life, they bark, that's one of the reasons they are in the front yard in the first place, I just find it a bit rude and not very good dog sense for someone to walk up to and front up to a dog they don't know and then say 'oh but I am good with dogs' when they bark.
And get a bit fed up of repeating myself. I have again plastered a smile on and welcomed people to come and say hi with me.
To add again, we also have a much bigger pen behind a fence behind the house, behind a 'private sign' for them to chill out in, but again I have also had to go and ask people to refrain from passing the 'private' sign....

(And if you answer the question of what you would do, then you get a second serving of the big glittery cupcake with an olive branch in it :D)
 
sazzle44 said:
Maybe just put a sign on the outside of the pen to deter people from doing it?
I had to put a sign up on the stables to stop people hassling the horses as it's on a public footpath. While most were okay, some people upset them and I didn't want people feeding them. It seems to have worked :)
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That is an option which I have been discussing with mother dearest.
 
I personally wouldn't. I think if a dog barks at an approaching stranger on what the dog considers his/her territory he's doing a good job!
 
sazzle44 said:
Maybe just put a sign on the outside of the pen to deter people from doing it?
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funny-dog-gun-medication-sign.jpg
 
My initial answer would have been "No, I wouldn't". However, thinking about it I guess it would depend on the demeanour of the dog. I may go and say hi - although I woulnd;t attempt to touch it or feed it at all (I would never feed someone elses dogs withiut permission). I woukd never approach a chained dog (think I learnt the hard way as a kid when I approached a chained collie on a farm! Lol). There is a lovely warning sign on a house I ride past - they have a rottweiler and their sign is of a rottie and says (presumably to deter potential burglars) "I can make this gate in 5 seconds. Can you?" I think it's ace! lol
 
Well you probably know my answer, but no I wouldn't approach any dog without owners say so. Mine will bark when in the run, but let them out and they happily greet people, but you get the odd idiot who thinks its clever to tell them to shut up, or I've had people take their dogs over to say hello through the fence, not the best of ideas when its my dogs territory, although as those who attended the bbq last year they are fine when unconfined.
 
No, I'd use my common sense and ignore the dog unless the owner says otherwise. If I was in a dog run/something similar, I think it would be pretty threatening to have people either fussing me sticking their fingers through the wire at me or standing over me talking at me!

I agree with whoever said about common sense - I was brought up with dogs and taught to have respect for them at a very young age - the dogs we had when I was a baby were EXTREMELY good with me (:o shock horror yes I was left alone at times with a big 'vicious savage' :p GSD and a big hairy Goldie!) but I wasn't a typical tail pulling, ear tugging, grabbing snatching child with dogs.
My nephew however...is a little terror and my Dad is reaching the end of his tether when he comes round...our GSD is getting on now and takes herself out of the way to her bed...my nephew follows, my dad shouts etc etc...nightmare!!
K x
 
A dog in a run I wanted to take a closer look at? I'd go and take a look if it's on an open yard with no signs. A dog on a chain, I wouldn't.
 
What's weird about it? Obviously I'm an invited guest.. not just wandering into yards randomly. Same as if a horse is sticking its head out a window I'll give it a stroke or I might watch cows in the field/stroke horses in a field.
 
SusieT said:
What's weird about it? Obviously I'm an invited guest.. not just wandering into yards randomly. Same as if a horse is sticking its head out a window I'll give it a stroke or I might watch cows in the field/stroke horses in a field.
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but some people DO wander onto yards randomly....? I think that's the point CC was making. And you can bet that if that uninvited person got bit, it would be the dogs fault :rolleyes: even though the dog was in a sense, doing its job protecting its home and people!
And I may be wrong, but it seems to me that a dog would turn on you a lot quicker than either of those. I wouldn't approach a strange horse in a field either tbh....
K x
ETA a good point that chesnutty mare made below too; whether you have been invited or not, that dog has no idea. If he has never seen you before, he wouldn't know you from the next potential burglar etc!
 
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Personally I wouldn't. a few people have mentioned common sense, unfortunately something many people seem to be lacking.
Suzie, the dog probably wouldn't know that you were an invited guest , Maybe the doorstaff didn't give him a copy of the guest list so best mind your fingers. Bit different, a guarding breed in an enclosed run and a horse with its head over the stable door or a cow in a field. I would hope that most people would understand that.
I think it would be sensible to wait until the owner takes you over to introduce you safely to the dog. It is about respect, for both the owner and the dog.
I don't see what the point would be of having a guard dog out of sight. Surely the dog needs to see potential intruders.
 
Just the way you said 'that I wanted to take a look at' came across as a bit odd! Like if you want to look at something then you will, regardless?!

At my old house we used to have a lot of walkers come past especially at weekends, you would be amazed at how many, when confronted with Tilly barking through the fence at them (her being the GUARD DOG, that doesnt remotely look like something you would want to be anywhere near when in this guard mode) would stop, try and speak to her and... POKE THEIR HANDS THROUGH THE FENCE! :eek: :eek: Some people CC are totally, utterly, dim! :rolleyes:
 
It`s a funny old world these days is`nt it?Quite a few years ago now ****** came into our property and stole eight dogs,nightmare! All were tattooed ,and after a period they all got home thru various site raids.Since then all the kennels are alarmed and "the box" is indoors ;sensor lights are in use,cameras etc,AND two guard dogs,one a GSD and one a Malinois.The whole area is well fenced ,totally dog proof,notices are in place .gate padlocked at night.In other words someone would need to be a)athletic b)illiterate c)determined or very stupid to get into our property. Now apparently that is illegal! Dog warden not happy,no one has even tried to get in since these arrangements have been in place,so personally I cannot see the problem. She thinks I should be out there with said guard dogs,my reply was they`d be grateful ,if they were that cerebally challenged enough to break in,that I was`nt..as I would shoot `em.
What is one supposed to do..offer the b...stards a cup of tea?
 
Well I am now having a sense of humour failure because some clampet in a cloth cap saw no reason why not to parade his JRT up and down the yard at 7.30am while the dog turned himself inside out waking EVERYONE up (apart from me, this is training day anyway). I swear to God EK if I had my own way there would be electrified razor wire around the whole place.

There was a Spangle in a car parked in the yard the other night, I was actually going to post about it, it was obviously unhappy and barking it's head off for about 90 minutes (I know what a frustrated bark sound like, it was non stop), I thought, will I say something, no, I will mind my own business, I get annoyed when randomers comment on my dog husbandry unbidden.
I actually decided not to let my OWN dogs out on my OWN property so as not to further upset this dog, should not have bothered when people think the place is theirs to do what they like with.

These people are invited in a sense and the vast majority are fine. But a lot seem to think that they have free rein to do whatever they like and go wherever they like, I'd love to go for a cup of tea in someone's house where I'd never been before, and go and check out all the rooms, open all the cupboards and take a walk around the garden without being asked!!!

To add, AGAIN this dog is fine once a proper introduction has taken place with myself or my mother present, people and (polite) dogs.

My best friend's dad is a sign writer, I am seriously thinking of a beautifully handpainted jobby with swearwords.....
 
Hi All (been a while)

I wouldn't - mostly because a dog in a pen is either doing a job or in it's own safe space so I wouldn't barge up and interrupt its peace. (I have a picture in my head of happy dug looking bewildered at the large 2 legged thing squawking and making kissy noises on t'other side of fence...).

I have the same issues with people making gooey oooey noises to beastie when she's flaked out on her front seat in (her) landy if I've nipped into use a supermarket loo between yards...
People look in astonishment when I ask them to step away and stop annoying my dog... and are still bewildered when I ask how they would like some giant strange faces suddenly gibbering noisily an inch from theirs.

Beastie doesn't bat an eyelid and goes back to sleep - other dogs I know would be left barking for ages... eejit folk just canna look at the bigger picture of what their actions look like from the other side... they've done their bit and "comforted an abandoned dog"... ach well, what can I say?!

ps patting every strange horse in a yard... biosecurity anyone???!!

OK, am off back to my cloud. Anyone want poached eggs on toast? :D
 
ps One of my clients has 2 lovely rotties and a sign at the (open) entry gate about 30 yards before the closed main gate which has a pic of a lovely rottie head and the words:

"I can get here in 3 seconds.
Can you?"

Both Dogs are as soft as butter but who would test it?! ;)
 
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