Maggie starts Novice obedience!

[Stacy]

So, Maggie and I didn't get the memo that our Novice obedience class was going to be full of dogs who know what they're doing and that they're totally going to show us up! I think we need remedial novice. Some of those dogs have real titles already.  She said, stand your dog for exam, and I'm like uh, what? And then it was, "hold the leash like this and hold the treat like that and put it right here..." And I'm thinking, people I'm going to need at least 2 more hands to do all these things at the same time. Especially if I'm not supposed to trip over the dog too. Coordination is hard, and those ballet classes did not help. Sorry, mom. 

Needless to say, we have homework. I'm supposed to teach Maggie to stand. We need work on our long sits and downs (3 minutes feels like eternity to me too.) Our figure 8's need some work. Ok, everything needs some work. But she's having fun and that's why we're doing it. I just secretly want her to be the best. I have to remind myself that 2 sets of classes ago she didn't even know how to sit. She should get an award for most improved. We like awards.

There is this Belgian Malinois in our class (I thought he was a mutt at first, and I kept looking at him and couldn't figure out why he still had his boy bits, when I realized he was a Malinois.) He seems like a nice dog, but so intense. His focus was incredible. It looked like he was saying, "awaiting my next command master." I've always wondered what it would be like to have a dog that was so high energy and scary smart - a malinois or a border collie or something. I think it would be a poor choice for me, but, I would kind of like to try it out for a couple days just to see what it felt like. 

In summary - tonight was a lesson in all the things I really kind of thought we already knew. Canine Good Citizen is as far in obedience as I've ever gotten with any dog. Now I know that there is so much more out there that we can learn and do.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Off topic a bit, but I need to post his somewhere and don't need a whole discussion.  Talk about inappropriate dogs!!!!  We have been camping at this same place for 30 years and I may be done.  Not because I don't still like the campground, but the dogs.....  In the old days, some people brought their whatever kind dogs but mostly small to medium sized.  Years ago our dear old Simon was actually attacked by a boxer as a puppy when the owners were cleaning up to leave, but that was a true rarity.  This summer, the BIG scary dogs have arrived.  Certain breeds, including Pits are banned (although I've seen two) but the dogs I'm talking about are Pit big brothers: Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Cane Corso, and Bull Mastiff, American Bull dog,  and shelter mixes there-of.  One lady today said she had a Weimaraner/ American bull dog mix (according to the shelter) but we all know how well shelters identify dog breeds.  Two of  these dogs have shown real aggression other than alerting when they see us down the street -  the American Bull Dog that twice had a "thousand yard" stare-down with Charlie (that's when he pulled me over :-{ ), and the mastiff/boxer type at the campground square that wanted to eat Clancy; I have avoided them if I have my boys with me.  Ned and Clancy often have a pack mentality - "let's growl and protect the pack," and Charlie is just plain reactive.  Gosh, even the labs are huge this summer - definitely hundred pounders.  Perhaps because of Charlie's reactivity, I've become more aware of reactive dogs - but these big boys are just plain scary.....

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

American Bulldogs are the breed from which the American Pitbull Terrier was developed, and they are responsible for the highest number of deaths to humans only after Pitbulls and Rottweilers. (Of the incidents in which the breed was known.) They terrify me. 

Staffordshire Bull Terriers are pitbulls. 
Cane Corsos are banned in cities in 7 different states and are known to kill smaller dogs. 
I would find another place to camp, too. 

[Stacy]

I'm so sorry you're experiencing this. I blame the owners. It's interesting, since starting to train Maggie I've realized that there are quite a few dogs who I am actually afraid of. I don't think there are many people who love dogs more than I do, but I've never been a fan of "pit bull" type dogs. As a child they were banned in our town and even though I didn't have a bad experience with one I never had any interest in interacting with them. There is this huge stigma that they face even when it's a nice dog. I see a lot of dog bites at work and the majority of them are pit bull type dogs. For better or worse, we could probably have a very long conversation about whether the dog was really a pit bull or not, but they are identified as a pit bull.

There was (I think) a cane corso who came to test with us for our CGC and I gave that dog a wide berth, but he passed without any difficulty. He obviously had an owner who was prepared to deal with a dog like that. And the instructor of our beginner class shows and breeds pit bulls and Staffordshire terriers (apparently they can be dual registered - I don't know how all of that works.) That dog was the demo dog for beginner and she has been in our CGC class and is now in our Novice class. She's only 11 months old. I wouldn't have any hesitation about letting my girls play with Carlie. She's a smaller dog. She's bright and friendly, she's well socialized and attentive and I kind of love her. But her mom is the type of dog person I want to associate with. At least in this case it isn't so much about the dog as it is the human on the other end of the leash. She's a great responsible dog owner. The problem is that an irresponsible dog owner who has a shih tzu can get away with a lot more than a person who has a big strong dog who was bred for protection work - or whatever those dogs natural job is. 

It was a doberman who went after us the night we took the CGC. I feel very warm and fuzzy about dobies. The next door neighbors who I adopted as my surrogate grandparents had a black and tan dobie named Eve when I was really little. I think of dobies as friends. But the owner had absolutely no control over that dog. She was barely on her feet when she came through the door, the dog was pulling so hard. And that dog whipped around and went after us completely unprovoked. Maggie was just standing there getting her ears scratched. Maggie doesn't have an aggressive bone in her body. She's a marshmallow. But I still feel sorry for the Doberman. That dog has an owner who was completely unprepared for the dog they own, and the dog will be the one who suffers. That's why I have doodles and not a malionis. I would be a terrible owner to a dog who is that intense. I think we really need to continue working on educating dog owners on what type of dog is the right fit for their personality and lifestyle. 

In the meantime, I hope these people figure it out and your campground can go back to being a fun place. I don't think I would be able to go back either. 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I'm really sad about it.  I don't know if these dogs are pure breed dogs but they are huge powerful dogs and just by being there, I am frightened.  I have always been 'iffy' about powerfully built dogs, but with Ned and Clancy getting older and growly and with Charlie's reactivity, I have become a scaredy cat whenever I potty walk (I do 99.9 % of the potty walks :-} ) so it isn't good for them either to have a person at the end of the leash who is afraid.  So far, I have been able to pretty much avoid them - except for the lady who stopped and said her dog only wanted to play.  PLAY?! Like my dogs are catnip! :-}  Luckily, I was able to keep a low hedge between us so the dogs didn't actually see each other. I got to look into his grinning jaws though. I'm sure this guy loomed bigger than he was, but he looked like  hip tall at the shoulder and 150+ pounds to me.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

And this is the supposed Weimarunner / Pit mix.  Skip said he was about 28-30 inches tall and at least 90 pounds, on a harness - uhhhhhh.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Just his chest alone would scare me.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I know!  I love dogs, but......   

My son had a 120 pound oversized Doberman.  He spent hundreds, if not thousands of hours training him.  At first I was afraid of him, even as a 3 month old rescue puppy that was as big as my lab/Australian Shepherd, but I soon learned that he, personally, was a wonderful dog - lots of that wonderfulness though was due to his training.  I would have trusted him with my life.  But I don't know any of these dogs, and their reputations are scary, AND the owners are from 'the Valley" which in Central California means Bakersfield, Fresno where there are lots of lovely dog-owning people, but lots of puppy mills and uneducated dog-owners who have very different ideas about dog ownership than most of us do.

[Carol and Truffle]

Wow. While I absolutely understand the fear of Pits & their derivatives & mixes (and my DH absolutely refuses to consider rescuing one), the ones I have known have been marshmallows who just want to be loved.

Truffle started a "Middle School Manners" class yesterday, and there is a pittie (who might be crossed with an English bulldog - his chest is like a barrel). He was super friendly & I just "knew" that Truffle would likely bond with him. Truffle is the youngest in this class (currently just shy of 5 months old) & the others are between 5 & 10 months old).

At the end of class there is a 15-20 minute free play time, and sure enough, these 2 were right together running & chasing each other.

However, since his legs were only 2/3 to 1/2 as long as Truffle's, and being that he was quite bulky & she is quite lithe, she ran circles around him. He tried so hard to keep up but he was heaving & gasping before she ever broke a sweat or tongue came close to hanging out. ...

On the other hand, my 85 pound Golden Retriever was very mellow & with people was very lovable, but he had to be very carefully introduced to other dogs or else he was very aggressive ... I have to confess that as owners, my family did a horrible job of socializing him & acclimating him (however, he was born in 2004, so dog behavior & psychology was not where it is today)

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Carol, you are so correct in that the visually scary dogs might not be the ones you need to beware of. None of us knew in 2004 what we know now!  We all purchased backyard bred dogs or pet store dogs in pure innocence and sometimes those dogs had 'issues' that we certainly didn't know how to properly address.  I don't think we loved our dogs any less, but we didn't always help them be 'all that they could be' :-}

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Saw a new dog today.  I got a photo - a bad one but was able to 'match' it to one I found on line.  This is a Pit Bull/ Cane Corso looking mix - and INTACT. Right my photo; left computer photo.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I think it's not coincidental that those ears are cropped to resemble devil horns. 
A lot of people who own these kinds of dogs like them to look scary. 

[Stacy]

And look at the size of that neck! Whenever I'm looking at collars I see the 20+ inch collars and I wonder who possibly wears those. I mean, Maggie is a big-ish dog and her neck is only 15". I guess that dog is the one wearing those collars!