When you are dealing with something that an animal is afraid of, the best approach is to find his "comfort" distance from the thing that scares him. A busy street makes this a bit more difficult, as you have to find a way to give him that "distance". If you have a car, maybe transporting him to a less busy area might make a good start. Perhaps a side street, where he is comfortably away from busy traffic. You could then walk toward the busy street, pausing as soon as you see some sign of anxiety, and retracing your steps just little until he is in his "comfort zone" again. Gradually…...with the use of bribery and rewards......ask him to approach closer to the scary stuff. Liberally reward him for being there, then retreat. The idea is to not force, let him decide when he is ready. If he feels he can retreat at any time, he will have more confidence. This approach may take awhile, but is less likely to create a permanent aversion. (it works well with spooky horses).
Bad weimaraner and vile owner
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It's why I always say the most dangerous creatures at the dog park are the people…
Sorry, but I think the breed of the dog has less to do with what happened than the loony that was at the other end of the leash.
Depending on the other person, I'd probably be afraid that photographing the other party would REALLY set them off... this guy does not sound like someone I would whip a camera out on. But if you have pictures of your own dog, it could be useful.
Hope Kipawa's okay.
Yeah, I was really heated up earlier, but you're right. The person at the other end of the leash was the problem. And I should know better about pointing at a specific dog breed and knocking it.
Kipawa is still sleeping. I took a damp wet cloth and wiped the area. The puncture mark is quite small, barely broke the skin. As I was cleaning it, he was gazing at me, giving me 'soft eyes'. I'll wake him soon and take him out for our short late evening walk.
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So sorry you had that experience with poor Kipawa suffering the brunt of it. I agree that the Weimaraner is not the problem, the idiot at the other end of the leash was the problem. Stomping around the dog park with a rotten attitude and anger issues probably was easily picked up by his dog, which meant the whole package was off balance and looking for trouble. That guy doesn't sound like he's dealing with a full deck.
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Hi Fran - so very sorry to hear about your awful encounter! Dog parks are usually so wonderful, but every once in a while a "bad element" shows up and ruins it for everyone. I actually petitioned (and won!) to get our dog park here several years ago and I have taken a hiatus now and then because of just this kind of thing. Someone comes to the park for a while who creates a bad environment for everyone, I leave, eventually they stop coming, and I come back. It is such a shame that it has to be this way. But, thankfully, for the most part, the people who come to the park are great. I guess it's true what they say, one bad apple CAN spoil the whole bunch! Hang in there, maybe this guy will eventually find other avenues for his anger and he'll move on. Good luck tpo you and sweet Kipawa!
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While I have known some crazy intense Weims, I really have only known one nasty one.
Okay not to be bringer of doom and gloom, but any time you get a puncture, however small, you need immediate treatment. If you have a syringe at home, flush it out with saline. Tiny puncture holes can lead to very very nasty infections fast. I long ago stopped even trying home treatment… puncture hole equals vet flushing, injecting antibiotics into the wound and antibiotics. Heck of a lot easier to prevent than treat afterwards.
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Fran, if you ever have this happen again, maybe you can take a photo of the guys car/license plate.
That way, you can report him to the animal control. You can also show photos of your dogs injuries.
Glad it wasn't worse…. -
I can understand that some dogs dont get along. And I can even understand that we may make a mistake sometimes and cause a dog to react violently… what I dont understand is why the man reacted that way. As if it was your fault that the dogs got aggresive..
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Fran, I only just got on to the site after a few days. I hope that Kipawa is quite recovered by now. What a terrible experience for you.
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Kipawa is doing well - the mark is now negligible. You wouldn't notice it if you didn't know what had happened. Thanks for asking Patty, and for all of you who did.
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Sharron, thanks for asking about Kipawa. He is fine - a little of his coat got scraped away and there is a tiny bite, looks like it was made with one tooth. More than anything the incident tuckered him right out.
I think I might get into the habit of carrying my cell phone with me, in a pocket. I usually have it in a small purse where I carry poop bags, treats, my car keys and a collapsible water bowl.
Since I posted, I checked on the temperament of Weimaraners. Okay, flame retardent suit put on - but so much information I read did not shed a nice light on this breed. I know temperament is different for each individual dog, but I had never thought that Weimaraners were aggressive.
Kipawa is now snoring beside me. Such a sweetie. I'll give him an extra good massage tonight. He loves being massaged.
It's never the breed, rather the individual dogs. I have been (currently have four rescues) a Weimaraner owner since 1972. It is a wonderful breed.
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We know a lot of Weims, almost all are sweet & wonderful, almost timid at times. Then there is one who is a sneak-biter with a very bizarre owner. So sometimes it is the individual dog's temperament, like us humans, and sometimes it is the owner, or combination of the two that makes a 'bad dog'! Glad Kipawa is OK.
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We haven't been back to that park where the 'incident' happened. Reason? I want to get into downtown Vancouver and buy a trekking pole. They have pointed metal ends on them. That man was not a safe person to come across. Kipawa LOVES that walk, but if we ever encountered that man again, I can't predict how that man would act.
