Article about responsible dog ownership with large dogs.
By Laure-Anne Viselé, July 2010
He’s just a big teddy bear
I can relate to owners of large and giant dogs. After all, I have owned my fair share. The experience has taught me to never assume that people know ‘He’s just a big teddy bear’.
Sadly, most large-breed owners let their persecution complex get the better of their judgement instead of showing extra diligence in public.
They often complain: “Why are people so ignorant? Rottweillers/Pitbulls/German Shepherds/Dobermans/Staffordshire Bull Terriers/Bull Terriers/etc. are not aggressive”.
Scaremongering media
Don’t get me wrong, I also get frustrated by scaremongering in the media, where the more “sensational” breeds (e.g. Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Pit Bulls, and Rottweillers) are drastically over-represented.
I also know that reported bite statistics (for what they are worth) consistently fail to show one breed significantly more likely to bite than another. But…
… it’s all all about perception
The way people feel about your dog is about perception, not facts. If your dog is the kind that could be perceived as scary by the general public, then no matter how sweet Scruffy is, people will be intimidated by him.
Some real-life examples of what NOT to do as a large dog owner
I witnessed these few incidents first-hand in the past few months. Sadly, this is just a sample.
Muzzled German Shepherd attack
Muzzled German Shepherd repeatedly attacks my dog while I am walking with my 1-year-old child.
Owner calls us “Hysterical” and mocks us as “The dog is muzzled”.
Wild Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Owners of a wild Staffordshire Bull Terrier mix who bullies every dog on the dog field, and will not stop “play”-biting even when the other dog yelps and rolls over repeatedly.
Owner’s response when asked to keep their dog under control? “The dog park is for everyone” (the irony seems to elude them…)
Wild German Shepherd Mix
Owners of a German Shepherd mix who allow him to terrorise other dogs in the field (mounting, rough ‘play’-fighting and relentless chasing, without any play signals).
Owners think it’s “just dominant” (sigh) and “still young“. Judging by the other dogs’ reaction (anger and fear), his antics are interpreted as anything but puppy play.
Huge Tervuren who won’t take no for answer
Owner of Tervuren (black long-haired Belgian Shepherd) who allows him to pester my dog for over 10 minutes, no matter how many times mine growls and snaps. That same dog had just chased away a family with young children for pretty much the same reasons.
Owner’s explanation (smiling and shrugging): “He’s still young” and “He has no recall“. Apparently, in this owner’s mind, the recall is outside of his sphere of influence (or responsibility). It is like a magic trick that dogs either has, or don’t. I might add that the ‘young’ dog was over 10 months old. Definitely old enough to have learned some manners.
Rough-housing German Shepherd and Black labrador
Owners of two large, rough-playing dogs German Shepherd and Black Lab, who constantly prevent other dogs from entering the dog field (through charging at them barking, and rough-housing without any preliminary play signals or even the semblance of a polite approach).
This has been a problem for months, and, to my knowledge neither of the two owners have ever:
- apologised,
- tried to get their dogs under control; or
- offered to leash them.
German Shepherd owns café terrace (and entire pavement)
Owner of a German Shepherd male who is near constantly ‘kept’ offleash on the terrace of a local café while the owner enjoys his coffee(s), preventing people with dogs from using the pavement. Using the café is now very uneasy for me, as his dog always invades my own (leashed) dog’s space (smelling his chew toy, pushing past me, etc.), potentially leading to a fight (he is cornering my leashed dog who has a bone and (at the time) a pregnant owner to guard).
The owner’s reaction when I asked he kindly keeps his dog on-leash in the café: irritatingly raising his eyebrows. How rude of me to ask him to to follow basic rules of common decency.
Hot pursuit Briards
Two Briards with no recall chasing my terrorised dog for such a long distance that we had to look for him for twenty minutes after. We were in a complete panic that we’d never find him again (this was one of our first attempts off-leash after adopting him from the shelter, and his recall had been perfect so far).
Owners’s reaction: “You should have your dog on-leash“. Oh the sweet irony, after they perfunctorily called their dogs a couple of times and just gave up and walked on.
Argentinian Mastiff causing puncture wounds
Argentinian Mastiff female attacks my dog, leaving several puncture wounds, at the dog park. The attack was completely unprovoked (my dog was nowhere near her, she approached him).
Owner’s explanation when confronted by the animal control police: “They’re dogs, that’s how they work. Survival of the fittest.” He later physically (and repeatedly) threatened other park users who had complained too. His reason: we were all victimising his dog (who had been involved in at least three severe attacks in the three weeks… )
Black German Shepherd punctures toddlers’ football
Black German Shepherd repeatedly steals away two toddlers’ football, eventually puncturing it.
Owner’s reaction to my shocked look (not even bothering to talk to the nanny of the two kids): “It’s a dog park [It wasn't]. They should not bring kids here.”
Malinois x Greyhound mix terrorises Down Syndrome boy
Malinois (short-haired German Shepherd)/Greyhound mix who repeatedly chases, then lunges/snarls at joggers (and incidentally photographers, and skate-boarders, and cyclists, and the mentally disabled, etc.).
Owner’s reaction: “Yes, I really should get an electric collar” after I had repeatedly talked to him about:
- Teaching her a sound recall,
- Rehabilitating her to joggers and
- Having her on-leash until she was under control.
He is now at the stage where he systematically shouts at her and jerks her leash whenever a jogger approaches. Straight from the “What NOT to do to rehabilitate a dog 101″.
He also found it entertaining to regale us with this gem of a story: the dog had chased a teenager with Down Syndrome. The shrieking kid ran through barbed wire to get away, and tore his arm in the process.
Owner’s reaction: “: The dog “doesn’t like shrieking, so she started chasing. If only the stupid kid had stopped shrieking“. And he said all of this with his kind, patient smile… Scary.
Off-leash Rottweiller with no owner in sight
An off-leash Rottweiller comes straight at our dog walking group. Immediate group hysteria with whispers of “He’s so dominant!”. I gently guided the totally docile dog away from the group so they could ‘escape’, and, after a long while, the owner eventually turned up.
Owner’s reaction: “Ha, there he is! Thanks!” Two meters down the road, the owner unclips the leash and proceeds to let the dog wander off again…
Two Newfounlanders run towards a group of panicked children
Two Newfoundlanders dash away from their owners in pursuit of a small group of panicked young children. The mother is hysterical with fear and screams insults at the dog owner. To the educated eye, indeed, the dogs have nothing but good intentions. They are not even that rough, but that mother’s fear is perfectly legitimate.
Owner’s reaction: “That woman is always bothering me! They’re just dogs, what’s her problem?”
Bacchus, our Anatolian Shepherd
Simple equation: Macho dog = Scared people
If you, like me, are a fan of larger breeds, or (unlike me) ones that are often perceived as scary, please accept that:
- Your dog will be held to muuuuch higher obedience standards than the most blood-thirsty Chihuahua
- Most (not the exception, but ‘most‘) people feel intimidated (or downright petrified) by your dog.
Do try to remember that next time you think that:
- It’s all in their (the public) heads (“They should know that Rottweillers wouldn’t hurt a fly”…); or if
- They (the public) are the ones with (what you perceive as) special needs (e.g.
- scaredy dog,
- small children,
- different culture less accepting of dogs; etc.
Still want a macho breed?
Any comments?
I always value your comments. I would particularly like to hear from you if you:
- own a breed that is often perceived as intimidating
- are often intimidated or inconvenienced by large, or intimidating breeds
Further reading
Responsible dog ownership
- The Hague and dogs, the rules – Rules and legislation for dog owners in The Hague
- Dogs as ambassadors – The impact of ill-behaved dogs on society
- Muzzled dog attack – Account of attack by muzzled German Shepherd
- Adopting a shelter dog – Shelter adoption success story: our own dog
Dogs and society
- Hot dogs – Quick poll about hotly debated dog issues (e.g. leash/no leash, treat/no treat, etc.)
- Dogs, my philosophical position – Canis bonus position statement on debated dog issues
- Thinking of getting a dog? Reality check – Article about responsibilities and chores of dog ownership
Dog breeds
- Raising gentle giants – Interview with Anatolian Shepherd breeder
- Splash! – Following Newfoundlanders during Water rescue training
- Dog trip down memory lane – List of dogs owned by Canis bonus with notes on individual breeds
Dog behaviour
- D-Word – Helium article demystifying the dominance dogma
- Blimey, my dog’s barmy – Interview with canine behaviourist Nick Jones
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14 Comments
Wholeheartedly agree with your comments.
I own Max, an 11 month old Wire-Haired Vizsla. He’s a big donut. So silly, not at all aggressive. Willing to play with anyone/anything.
However, he is big, entire, long legged, big headed, and many uninitiated people think he is a Ridgeback. I can see why at times.
The best thing I can advise when out walking a dog that fits the bill you describe above is to be sure that you have a sound recall. Recall the dog back to you , ask it to sit and stay whilst the other walker/dog walks past. Once a healthy distance has been created, release your dog in the direction you want to walk. I do this frequently, and especially with people without a dog beside them.
Keep up the lovely work here.
Nick
Alpha Dog Behaviour
Oh thanks for the comment, Nick. I much appreciate it, especially given the fact that you are a behaviour therapist.
I completely agree with your method: demonstrate that your dog has an excellent recall, and have him sit quietly next to you until the passers-by are ‘safely’ past. That’s what I do too: be it cyclists, joggers (they get especially nervous), people with smaller dogs, people with a leashed dog, families… You name it.
My dog has gotten so used to this little routine that he now automatically comes back to me for a treat, without me even asking, when he sees one of the people I just mentioned in the distance.
Good article. I’m the Consultant Behaviourist for Neapolitan Mastiff Welfare and work with this as well as all Molosser breeds. In my Walk Clubs I teach owners of all breeds but ESPECIALLY the large / giants that it is their responsibility to ensure that their dog does not cause anybody else any problems. In addition, that they are the guardians not only of their own dog but their chosen breed, and it is also their responsibility not to put their breed into disrepute. I constantly remind owners how great it looks when their Bullmastiff / Akita / Newfoundland / Great Dane etc has recalled to their owner for a calm ‘Sit Stay’ when people walk by. We often get comments like ‘Wow, how well-behaved are those dogs – I wish my dog would do that!!!’.
Thank you for posting, Jaq. Your comment as a ‘big guys’ specialist is particularly valuable.
I love the way you phrase this, describing the owners as the ‘guardians of their breeds’ and how it is their responsibility ‘not to bring their breed into disrepute’. That is precisely my sentiment, and very well put.
We repeat here what we twittered yesterday about this article. But, because this is not Twitter, we can use more words, hurray! We are Twee Koningspoedels – two standardpoodles, en this is what we say:
Yes – we sometimes scare people, just because of our size – especially little children coming in our home, children who normally not live with dogs, in fact we suppose they’ve never seen a dog. We have to stay in another room then – Midas is used to that, Tijs not yet! He barks impatiently then. Children often wants to see us after an hour or so, and then they see we’re nice, and everything is allright.
What? Do king poodles frighten people, you’ll say? Well, when we have all our hair, then we look like bouviers, and Midas is 65 cm high:-)
Thanks for your article. Our human is reading about dominance…
…she’s very interested in that subject. People call me, Midas, dominant. And I see them thinking: Glad we have a sleepy one.
…Our human is relieved by articles like yours. I, Midas, am a macho to some dogs – but not to people! I work together with people!
Now our human. She says: This is in fact more handling about dominance, but it interests me very much how dog-owners have different opinions about the subject. Midas is a nice dog, easy en calm at home, but outside he’s feels like the king himself. He has so much energy, runs through the woods, sniffles everywhere, is sometimes digging holes where he expect a rabbit etc. (by the way: in area’s where this all is allowed). To dogs he’s social, but very self-confident. To the females he’s gentlemanlike. Males are another story. He’s not agressive -he avoids fighting, as I see when he meets a special ridgeback-, but to some dogs -often labradors- he behaves like a macho. I don’t know the English word, but then he shows ‘rijgedrag’. I call him back, but he will do the same next time. It’s over when a dog snaps at him, but when the dog does nothing… O-o. Leads to angry owners towards me. It happened to me that a owner said: When your dog is doing that, hé’s the boss, not you. He’s your boss! And that’s something that is based on the pack-theory, am I right? I don’t believe it. This dog listens perfect when I call him back when I see a labrador on the horizon. And that’s what I do know – I let him walk near to me when a too kindly dog is nearby. No problem.
And, although I know better, I still ask myself: Is my dog abnormal? Is he a véry dominant one? I mean: It’s crazy how other dog-owners can influate you.
Thank you!
Thank you so much for your valuable comment, Midas and Tijs! P.S. I LOVE King Poodles! So smart and regal! Wow, 65cm! That is enormous! I can imagine that people are scared of him if he comes charging by, and that they might think he’ll hurt their dog when he’s all excited.
Trick for kids
Little trick for you to break the ice when there are kids around. Teach your dogs some tricks (and the kids some dog manners), and kids will be instantly less intimidated. This can also work in the dog park (to get people to instantly see your dog for the charmer that he is, rather than an intimidating ball of hair). A good book for that is “The only dog tricks your dog will ever need“. There’s lots of really useful tricks there (I taught my dog to find my car keys from that book!), and it explains really well and in simple, but complete steps.
Putting him in the other room
Can’t blame him for barking if he’s put away in the other room. I hate doing that to my dog although we also must sometimes (allergic friends, and when we had the painters in). But perhaps you could habituate him first? So that he comes to think of his “isolation” as a good thing? I know it’s not separation anxiety, but the desensitisation protocol I talk about in this article is the same idea. Check it out and see if you find it useful.
Mounting labradors: what is it about labs?
He mounts (rijgedrag) labradors? That is so bizarre. My dog does not mount any dog – EVER – except for my neighbour’s labrador!
But about mounting in general, a lot of people speculate that mounting is related to dominance, or at least ritual aggression, which, you know, it could be, who knows, but why look for a complicated explanation? Dogs aren’t subject to the same taboos that we are, and it could be that he just finds it sexually rewarding. Either way, I can categorically say that it’s absolutely nothing to do with him feeling the boss of you. It just means that the motivation of doing that is greater than what you can offer him when you’re calling him back. Imagine being in that same situation as he is (without wanting to be too graphic), and then getting a phone call. I think you’d probably let it go to voicemail, wouldn’t you? ; P
Mounting = a problem
But mounting is a problem if it makes other owners angry. If only because it ends up making you feel uneasy and not enjoy your walks so much, for fear people are going to be annoyed with you. I can understand why they’re angry too, and obviously you do too.
The solution is to teach him a rock-solid recall, a more solid recall than all their dogs, by the way. It can take weeks and weeks, but it should be possible. There are lots of resources on the internet (Dogmantics tutorials are fantastic. This one is on the recall).
I would teach him the recall with increasing degrees of distraction, gradually working your way from no distraction at all to the explosive situation (offleash, with a juicy labrador!).
In the meantime, for the sake of other park users, he should perhaps either be on a long leash, or you should be very vigilant for the presence of ‘tempting’ dogs, so that you can recall him to you (with a super yummy treat just after you clip the leash, and not grabbing him by the collar or patting him on the head).
Other dog owners and their opinions
I so agree with you about other dog owners and how confusing it is with the million theories they all have. I would really recommend a great book to you, actually, which made me see more clearly (I was also getting so confused with ‘this means your dog doesn’t respect you’ and ‘that means he’s trying to dominate the other dog’ etc. etc. etc.) The book is written by a much greater authority than the average dog owner in the Netherlands (so you’ll feel confident of your source), and it will bring it back down to simple terms, without recourse to speculation and myth. It’s called ‘the Culture Shock’ by Jean Donaldson. It’s really readable (not scientific English, but every day language).
Good luck!
Good luck, see how you get on in the next few weeks, and you can always make an appointment for some private training lessons with me if you’re in the region of the Hague.
P.S. I know I’ve said that, but I LOVE king poodles! Great choice of breed.
Oooh, if you ever meet us, you would be even more fond of king poodles then you are now! We’re funny. We’re beautiful. We are cute and happy and love every new day, and we’re smart!
) All I have to do when I notice a dog which Midas shall mount, is to call in time -before he’s underway to say hello to the other dog-, and he runs near me, begging for a cookie. I think this is the best thing to do: always call him back in time, don’t you think so? The only thing that’s perhaps less pleasant for other owners is that other dogs decide to stay with us, because of the cookies.:o) But that is just for a moment the case. I can’t solve áll problems, I suppose…
Our human again:
Thank you for your valuable advises and answers! I’m glad because
- you recognize things,
- you give clear advise, and tips for reading!
- and I realise again that what I have to do is spend time to train on special things, such as: leaving Tijs in a room when scared children visit us. I’m hopeful about training because these dogs are so smart. We just started with “Hersengymnastiek voor honden” (Nicky Gootjes), do you know the book? Exercises for their brains. You should see the faces of those poodles. They like learning and working for a salary, really. It must be possible for Tijs to learn that sometimes he must stay in another room, while knowing nothing terrible is happening.
You talk about recalls, and a wonderful thing of this two dogs is that they run immediately towards me when I call them (except when they see a cat, that’s true). Since Tijs came as a puppy I carry always very tasty little cookies with me, and that’s an awesome motivation for them.
I’m looking forward to read the books you recommended!
PS Do you know “How Dogs Think: Understanding the Canine Mind”, Stanley Coren? I read it as “Psychologie van de hond”, in Dutch, and I enjoyed it.
Hi Midas & Tijs. You sound like two charmers! Who knows, maybe I’ll bump into you during one of my walks!
Yep, poodles are smart cookies, for sure. They have the wits of a Border Collie without the neurosis! ; P Can you imagine a sheep herding king poodle?
I think it’s important that other dog owners stop making people feel guilty about their dog’s behaviours for bogus reasons. A lot of people really tell you that unless your dog is a Lassie through and through, you have failed at your relationship with them. That can only lead to neurotic feelings of guilt and pressure, if you ask me. Of course some motivations are higher than your recall. They are dogs, not robots. And it sounds like your dogs have an excellent recall and can take quite a bit of temptation before they start ignoring your calls.
You’ve got the right idea with the recall, in my opinion. That’s exactly how I do it too. About other owners being potentially bothered when you have treats and their dog hangs around. I personally love these situations. If my dog is scared of their dogs, he won’t beg. If my dog is comfortable with their dogs, he’ll hang around and socialise with them. It gives me the opportunity to have a chat with the owners, so really I love it. I am sure you know to ask the owners before giving their dog a treat, so I personally don’t see a problem at all.
About the isolation to another room, I think it’s more a question of getting him used to gradually staying there for longer and longer periods of time, rather than actually teaching him something in a cerebral way. He is smart, no doubt, but this one is more an emotional ‘trick’. The whole idea is that he begs you to go to the corridor by the time you’ve finished your ‘treatment’, because you would have made it the ‘land of all things good’.
I could be completely mistaken (I need to check my records), but I thought Stanley Coren was this (human) psychologist, right? If I recall, I had started reading his book (The dog’s mind?) and got very frustrated at the many mentions of dominance (a published author should know better). Isn’t the first chapter about a Rottweiller who won’t stop nudging its owner for attention? I could be completely confused, though, and thinking of another book. I’ll need to check.
I have to admit I am desperately behind on the Dutch canine literature. So thanks for the reference! (Hersengymnastiek voor honden). I’ll check it out.
Nice chatting with you!
I’ll check the book of Coren! I read it years ago and I lent it out, so I can’ read now what he says about dominance. It is possible I didn’t notice then, because I read it before I had a dog myself – and after that I gradually learned about the different theories of dominance. Once I thought the pack theory was normal, but later -when I looked at my own dogs- I started to doubt. You keep learning when you have dogs, don’t you?
Have a nice day!
Success with your good work.
It’s funny, I was just listening to a podcast by him (Stanley Coren) about age-proofing your dog (including teaching them sign-language!). Very interesting stuff indeed, and very original and thought-provoking. I am just a little uncomfortable with the fact that he presents himself as an academic in the dog field, when all his publications are in human psychology. I do not know whether the later editions of the “Canine mind” were updated to show the latest knowledge on dominance (although it’s nothing new, the whole pack theory thing started to be rejected in the scientific community in the 80′s)
How very astute of you to have noticed that something was iffy about the pack theory. I had never really thought about it until I started reading serious scientific literature about dogs. I admire people who instinctively pick up on the oddities of the theory (like Alexandra Semyonova, American author and behaviourist who moved to the Netherlands and wrote 100 Silliest things people say about dogs). She also thought it was odd, but, as she is a scientist, she conducted all sorts of experiments on her dogs at home.
By the way: I like dog owners. Anyway, most of them. You could write a book about owners!
Dog owners are one of the nicest things about having a dog. I’ve had some interesting chats with them while out on walks!
I love to get to know them, and go walking together as a group. I’ve done that with a few people and the dogs LOVE it!
But because of the misinformation about dogs being pack animals, and the whole alpha leadership thing, they can really put a lot of unfair pressure on other dog owners, making them feel like, somehow, their dogs do not respect them, just because the dog shows one behaviour or another. That’s when it gets challenging.
Our Leonberger is about 50kg (female) and just 3 years old, thus still very playful, but very stable, loving character. Leos are usually very quiet, but until they grow up, they are still big dogs that are not aware how strong they are and their owners often underestimate it. As our Leo was never hurt by people, she loves everyone, especially children. You can imagine how strong is her tail when she wiggles it from happiness.. We trained her quite well to make her ready for the world outside, some valuable skills are for example to lie down when a small child is approaching her; or not to lick anyone’s face or not to take any food from anyone unless allowed from us (not yet 100%).
However, even that she is well behaved, it is the small dogs that are attacking her (biting her legs from behind, growling & barking when on leash) and the irresponsible owners just say “what can my dog do to yours, he is a giant!?”. Yes, but gentle giant, never fights back. I think people underestimate that small dogs have also teeth, can have a complex, bad memory and if their owners don’t spend enough time with them (have them as a toy), the energy gets out on others in a park..
Also, there are some breeds that get labelled as perfect family dogs, but there is always a dog somewhere that was not brought-up well. Our last leo almost lost his eye and the skin on his skull was ripped open when he was as a 1 year old puppy attacked by female golden retriever in a park. The owner just ran away, which means it wasn’t the first time..
Yes, not all are comfortable when seeing large dog, but it is ultimately the owner’s responsibility to educate their dogs, think ahead, show respect to others and make the world a better place where there is space for dog lovers and non-dog lovers.
Thanks for all your articles, I love them!
Wow, Lubka, so many really really really good points.
Small dogs have teeth too: Absolutely, and thanks for pointing this out. I can’t abide owners of small dogs who just let them run totally unchecked under the pretext that they’re small. They’re being really poor ambassadors to dog owners everywhere plus, they could really turn ‘gentle giants’ into ‘paranoid mountains’ if they are allowed to nip, bark, and generally annoy them.
Well done on all your training efforts. You’re really going above and beyond the basics, and that’s fantastic. Great thinking on teaching her to lie down when there are kids. Although I should probably say that ‘kids have teeth’ too, as there are limits to what your poor dog, big or not, should be willing to tolerate, right?
Wow, that incident when your dog was a puppy. I can’t believe it’s not developed a huge aversion for other dogs, or at least dogs of that type. Well done again for raising such a stable dog.
So, again, thanks so much for your really good points. Food for thought, everyone!
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