Dogs
All about dogs - dog breeds, dog training and behavior, news affecting dog owners or handlers, puppy pics, etc.
Rules (Will be refined later on).
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Don't be a dick. This should cover most things, just keep in mind that everyone started somewhere and try to be helpful rather than rude or judgmental.
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No personal attacks based on training style or tools.
Discussion of balanced training including proper use of aversives is allowed here. -
All breeds and mixes are welcome. You can criticize backyard breeding practices but don't pile on people because they own a specific breed or prefer purebreds or mixed breeds.
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Do not support backyard breeders or puppy mills. Please do not link to or suggest buying from high volume breeders or those with an obvious lack of standards and testing.
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Do not help or support fake service animals. Please do not encourage people to buy fake service dog vest or ESA letters to get around rental or other restrictions & do not give advice on how to misrepresent a dog as a service or support animal.
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Owners that are sitting are giving their dog a space to be territorial over. If they're standing and walking, the dog will be on guard for their owner, but not necessarily territorial. I haven't noticed any correlation with breed, but the ones you mentioned are definitely some of the repeat offenders.
The correlation, unfortunately, is that those dog breeds are popular with assholes who treat their dogs like crap or encourage territorial and aggressive behaviour.
I've met a LOT of bully breed dogs, and when they're in the hands of good owners they're kind, loving, friendly, and incredibly loyal. I've known pitbulls who would let toddlers treat their faces like silly putty. The biggest danger they pose is a total lack of regard for personal space; pitbulls basically want cuddles 24/7.
Inherent aggression and nervousness is much more of a issue with herding dogs like corgis and collies, because they want to always be in control of what's happening around them. But those dogs aren't popular with dickwads so you rarely see the same kinds of issues with them.
If anyone wants more info on this, here’s a great read:
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/26109029
Our trainers when showing us the dog park told us to always keep moving. The dog covers new ground and gets distracted and entertained by new smells and doesn't annoy dogs with overexposure because they are forced to make short visits.
They say people who were standing still risked encouraging bad behaviour by comparison so avoid the people and dogs standing still.
So this tracks.