Quote:
Originally posted by DragonMage:
I believe you hit the nail on the head, Liliara. You MUST socialize your dog properly (both out in public AND at home) if you want to come as close as possible to ensuring that your dog won't be agressive to others. Also, I've found that YOUR attitude towards other people affect how your dog (pack-mate) sees them. If you go up to a friend and hug them, the dog knows that this person is accepted. If you go to the other side of the street when you see someone while walking your dog, they WILL pick up on that.
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I would like to know at what age do dogs develop their social attitudes because we brought our pup in as a 3-month old stray and in spite of the fact that he likes Rex and Rex's dad, he does not like men in general. I have to be in Grandpa's company when he goes outside, holding one of his arms to help him support himself. The pup sees me being close with him and the pup should know (if he is keen to my emotions) that I care very much for this man, but Grandpa's fear of the pup made the pup wary of him.
We have taken other male friends out into the back yard and the pup has lowered himself, his hair on end, his teeth showing, and growled. This is not a result of any anti-social behaviour that we have instilled in him!
One of his back feet has very deep scars in it...he was abandoned twice before we got him, once by his original owner and once by the kid who initially took him in but was not allowed to have him and whose mother made him take him back to the tracks where he had found the pup. When this kid approached our fence to tell us about his one-day ownership of him, the pup approached the fence very cautiously, sniffed at him, growled, backed off and barked fiercely at the boy. He hates him and it has nothing to do with the way we have raised him since he has been in our care...we had only had him for two days when this happened.
Here is a pic of our dogs. Hercules is the pup I am talking about. Zip and Code are sisters LOL!
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You know childhood is over when a puddle seems like an obstacle instead of an opportunity.
Is Too! Is Not! Is Too! Is Not!
[This message has been edited by Moni (edited 09-08-2001).]