Always Learning

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

We had a situation yesterday with Murphy that I handled very poorly.  We went to an outdoor party...lots of people and five dogs (three Doodles and two Labs).  All the dogs are very good off leash, so none of them were leashed, and they ran and played very appropriately in the yard.  During the afternoon, Murphy cut one of the pads on his foot and started to limp.  I checked it out...it looked sore, but it wasn't bleeding.  I leashed him and brought him on the deck with me in a down/stay.  A short time later one of the other dogs approached him, and he snapped actually showing teeth.  He has never done this before.  He has lunged or barked, but never shown teeth or snarled. I corrected him and put him back in his down/stay.  A little while later another dog just walked by him, and he did the exact same thing....this time even more aggressive and very disturbing to see.  Again I corrected and submitted him.  Shortly after, we left.  It really bothered me, and I worried all night about this.  I belong to an online dog training site where you can submit questions, and the trainers will respond.  Before calling my trainer this morning, I decided to pose the question on that site.  The response I got was very interesting.  This trainer said that Murph was totally acting out of instinct.  In the wild if a dog is injured or lame, the other dogs will attack (survival of the pack).  He said that Murphy was feeling vulnerable (instinctively) and that he was defensive to protect himself.  He said this does not mean he is dog aggressive, just that he was fragile and thinking I wasn't doing a very good job of keeping the other dogs away from him.....so he made his own choice.  He said I should have immediately removed (preferably crated) Murph from where other dogs (especially unleashed) could come in contact with him. It seems like Murphy is always teaching me something....now I'd know what to do in the future.

I'm waiting for the Vet to call....she's going to fit me in between surgeries today.  Murph is still limping.

UPDATE:  We're back from the Vet, and Murph has injuries to pads on both feet.  How awesome is it to have a Vet who takes him in between her surgeries and then hunts to find green bandages.....and then takes the time to cut out little shamrocks to decorate those bandages.  The Drama King is soaking up all this attention.  Check out these pictures of our injured Irish Doodl.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I have absolutely no idea.  All the dogs were chasing each other around the yard, and he's the only one who "messed up" his pads.  Because he's the Drama King, I really didn't think much about it at first, but when he wanted DH to carry him out this morning to go potty I thought maybe this was really a problem.  The Vet said it would feel to him just like a bad blister on the bottom of our foot would feel to us.  Since, Big Murph isn't into pain, a bad blister would be EXCRUCIATING!  He's much better with the bandages, and he's not going anywhere near them, which is good.  She sent me home with a bag full of everything I need to "redo" the Irish bandages tomorrow.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

I also meant to add....when will your doods stop being drama kings and just be healthy for a while?  I bet you are ready for a month of no vet visits!  I know the feeling and it gets old...no matter how much we love our companions :)

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

Great to see the Irish Bandages LOL.  How did his pads get so sore?  What was on the ground that did that. As I was reading the initial post I immediately thought that Murphy felt that he couldn't run and did what came naturally.  Then I read what the trainer said and just said a big aaaah to myself. I do hope the pads are healed soon.  I think it's an important lesson to us all.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Let's hope for speedy healing for Murphy. The bandages look very fashionable on him.

[Ellen]

Thanks, that's a piece of interesting information that I will file away.  And how cute are Murphy's "footwarmers"?  You're lucky to have a very considerate and thoughtful vet!  I don't know of many that will customize and decorate bandages!  I'm sure that Murphy is loving the attention!  Hope that he heals quickly.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

A month of no vet visits? Is that even possible?

[Ronna, Murphy & Wilson]

Hugs to Murphy.  Hope he is feeling better soon.  Love his bandages and what a super vet you have!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Highly doubtful with Murph.  My Vet would go through withdrawal without seeing Murph at least once a week.  He is treated like a king there.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Murph is being such a good boy.  He's not even touching the bandages.  I think he must know that they're cool.

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

Awesome doodle, awesome vet.  heal fast, Murphy

[Angie, Hudson and Lily]

Hope Murphy is feeling better! Loved the picture! What a sweet vet!  I would have done exactly what you did if that had been Hudson. We are always learning from our dogs and I can see what the trainer meant about Murphy feeling vulnerable. He probably felt even more vulnerable being in a downstay.

[Camilla and Darwin]

Poor Murphy...

Thanks for the info, it's very interesting. Oh, and your vet sounds amazing!