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Cat Forum / Cat Anecdotes / December 2004OTish -- pet conversation that makes you worry
A lady I sometimes see in the halls at work mentioned a while back that she was looking for a dachshund. I suggested petfinder.com. I had a weird feeling that she didn't really know what she was getting into wrt pet ownership ... Anyway, I saw her again today and she mentioned that she now had ... a rottweiler pup. Say wha? The explanation wasn't clear to me, but she has a rottweiler pup. She says she's "gotten really big already" (gesturing to about the height of a tiny beagle) and that she's "mean," which she attributes to the breed. Now, I know several people who are rottie aficianados. Rottweilers are not inherently mean, but they are very intelligent attention-hogs who need to be kept busy and need to know who's in charge. They can be great dogs, but you need to have a ton of time for them and you need to be able to be the alpha dog. In short, these are not good dogs for beginners. I suggested talking to a coworker of ours who's recently gone through rottie puppyhood; the suggestion was clearly dismissed as soon as it was made. I mentioned how important it is to keep them busy and well-trained; that I have a friend who takes her rottie herding to keep him busy; that they are not, dammit, NOT inherently mean dogs. I said that rottweilers are working dogs and, just like career people, don't do well if they sit around the house all day with nothing to do. They can be incredibly destructive if they're bored. Her eyes got kind of big and she excused herself quickly. I have a really bad feeling for this poor puppy. I have this feeling she'll be branded "mean" and "poorly behaved" because her owner doesn't know how to take care of her. I keep having flashbacks to animal planet a few days ago, when some fight dogs were confiscated and they were euthanized as being too risky to turn into pets. No, I don't think this rottie is going to be used as a fight dog, but if her owner already thinks a several-month-old pup is mean ... well, if she isn't now, I have no doubt she will be in another few years.  Signaturemonique, who is sometimes allowed to pet Oscar, a grey^H^H^H^Hblue-cream DLH with an attitude! With a little luck you may have scared her into getting the pup into a proper home while it is still a pup. I adore Rotts. They are by nature the sweetest dogs around. But your description of a career person going nuts at home was right on. Jo >A lady I sometimes see in the halls at work mentioned a while back that she > was looking for a dachshund. I suggested petfinder.com. I had a weird [quoted text clipped - 43 lines] > ... well, if she isn't now, I have no doubt she will be in another few > years. > With a little luck you may have scared her into getting the pup into a > proper home while it is still a pup. I hope so, but again, my gut tells me otherwise. Also, I think she mentioned that her brother brought this dog home, so I'm wondering if he purposely got it to be an aggressive dog ... *sigh* > I adore Rotts. They are by nature the sweetest dogs around. But your > description of a career person going nuts at home was right on. All dogs need a lot of attention. I get the feeling that Rotties need even more than most, though. Signaturemonique, who is sometimes allowed to pet Oscar, a grey^H^H^H^Hblue-cream DLH with an attitude! > A lady I sometimes see in the halls at work mentioned a while back > that she was looking for a dachshund. I suggested petfinder.com. I [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > (gesturing to about the height of a tiny beagle) and that she's > "mean," which she attributes to the breed. (snippage) First of all, it's really weird she wanted a daschund and wound up with a rottie. Secondly, I've known some absolutely wonderful rotties But yeah, they get BIG. You don't want a big dog, you don't get a big puppy. Anyone with half a brain knows a Rot is going to be a large dog. Big dogs as pups can be scary (kinda like CatNipped's kitten Sammy is starting to scare the heck out of me!) if you aren't expecting them to be all bouncy and puppy-like and BIG. I agree, this woman probably didn't think the entire pet thing through. I just hope the pup turns out okay and doesn't get abandoned or ignored. Jill > First of all, it's really weird she wanted a daschund and wound up with a > rottie. Secondly, I've known some absolutely wonderful rotties But yeah, > they get BIG. You don't want a big dog, you don't get a big puppy. Anyone > with half a brain knows a Rot is going to be a large dog. I agree; I don't know what exactly happened here. As near as I can tell, she was looking for a dachshund, then one day she came home and her brother had brought her a rottie. Or something. > Big dogs as pups can be scary (kinda like CatNipped's kitten Sammy is > starting to scare the heck out of me!) if you aren't expecting them to be > all bouncy and puppy-like and BIG. And rottweiler pups are *strong*! You need to get them trained ASAP, or they will be dragging you anywhere they want you to be. Personally, I think big dogs are awesome; there's nothing quite like pausing in your petting duties and having an English Mastiff put his paw on you to inform you that you're not going anywhere till he's ready for you to be done. But you need to be prepared. If you're scared of a big dog, you won't be in a position to train it, and if you don't train it, both you and the dog will be miserable. > I agree, this woman probably didn't think the entire pet thing through. I > just hope the pup turns out okay and doesn't get abandoned or ignored. Me, too. Signaturemonique, who is sometimes allowed to pet Oscar, a grey^H^H^H^Hblue-cream DLH with an attitude! > A lady I sometimes see in the halls at work mentioned a while back that she > was looking for a dachshund. I suggested petfinder.com. I had a weird [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > need to have a ton of time for them and you need to be able to be the alpha > dog. In short, these are not good dogs for beginners. Oh, that is sad. The one one rottie I knew was a great big 60kg worth of total soppiness. Oh, if a stranger messed with her, she'd have most likely taken off their head, but for family, she just wanted to be a lap dog and slobber on us all the time with kisses. Bowie was one of hte sweetest most gentle dogs I have ever had the priveledge to know - the even was a gentle giant around cats. I still miss her, even though she left for Rainbow Bridge in 1999. Any dog can be made mean, just as any dog can be brought up to be a great big softy. It depends on how they're treated. Although I'd still prefer to encounter a mean and vicious chihuahua than a mean and vicious rottie. Yowie Yowie > I still miss her, even though she left for Rainbow Bridge in 1999. I still dream about Puma, think about him, and occasionally "see" him out of the corner of my eye and react to him before realizing he's not there. I'm not sure you ever stop missing them. > Any dog can be made mean, just as any dog can be brought up to be a > great big softy. It depends on how they're treated. Although I'd still > prefer to encounter a mean and vicious chihuahua than a mean and > vicious rottie. Yeah ... I adore big dogs, but I do see your point. My husband had two experiences as a child with dogs who became biters (sorry, I wasn't there, so I'm not going to engage in guessing games as to who was or wasn't at fault, though I do believe they were purebred), and while he also likes big dogs, he is much less excited about the idea of having one than I am. It's just as you said; it's not that small dogs can't be mean, it's that if a small dog gets mean, it's a lot less dangerous than a big dog. For the same reason, my husband is against pit bull mixes, because (he says?) pit bulls have locking jaws and are really dangerous if they get vicious. It's sad to me, because there probably more pit bull mixes at the shelter than any other breed ... And frankly, I've never personally experienced a dog who went from friendly to vicious. And then there's the "dumb kid" syndrome ... for example, a coworker of mine has three dogs. One is aggressive/scared with strangers. He was a puppy mill dog and wasn't socialized properly as a baby. Anyway, coworker was out in the yard with dog on a leash when the neighbor's kid ran up and said, "Hey, can I pet your dog?" and, without waiting for a response, reached out to the dog. Coworker had to act quickly to keep that kid from getting bitten. Now, is that the dog's fault? I'd say no. But it does happen, all the time. He lectured the kid on approaching unfamiliar dogs; hopefully some of the lecture stuck. Signaturemonique, who is sometimes allowed to pet Oscar, a grey^H^H^H^Hblue-cream DLH with an attitude! >I suggested talking to a coworker of ours who's recently gone through >rottie puppyhood; the suggestion was clearly dismissed as soon as it was [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] >a fight dog, but if her owner already thinks a several-month-old pup is mean >... well, if she isn't now, I have no doubt she will be in another few years. Monique, I wonder if she would be open to literature, or stuff you can find and print out about Rotts. I don't blame you for being concerned, I think you're right. I think this poor dog is going to end up in a shelter and branded with "behavior problems." When most behavior problems are really owner problems. Personally, I don't think she needed a Doxie either. They are not the most easy, laid-back dogs, either. They're also high-energy and need a lot of attention. I always am concerned when people want Doxies for "kid dogs". IMO they aren't good dogs for small children. They're too impatient and prone to nip at little kids that get on their nerves. Sherry >with an attitude! > Monique, I wonder if she would be open to literature, or stuff you can find > and print out about Rotts. I don't blame you for being concerned, I think [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > "kid dogs". IMO they aren't good dogs for small children. They're too > impatient and prone to nip at little kids that get on their nerves. I've never heard the term Doxie for a rottweiler? I think I've pushed as much as I can for the moment. She definitely wasn't thrilled to be hearing all this stuff. Signaturemonique, who is sometimes allowed to pet Oscar, a grey^H^H^H^Hblue-cream DLH with an attitude! >> Monique, I wonder if she would be open to literature, or stuff you can find >> and print out about Rotts. I don't blame you for being concerned, I think [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] >I think I've pushed as much as I can for the moment. She definitely wasn't >thrilled to be hearing all this stuff. Sorry, I was referring to Dachshunds. IIRC that was the breed she was originally looking for? Sherry >>> Personally, I don't think she needed a Doxie either. They are not >>> the most easy, laid-back dogs, either. They're also high-energy and [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Sorry, I was referring to Dachshunds. IIRC that was the breed she was > originally looking for? Oh! Yeah, I misread, sorry. You're possibly right about Dachshunds, although my family's two were already middle-aged by the time I came into the picture, and we got along pretty well. One of them put up with everything from me; the other just made himself scarce. No nippage that I remember or that my parents have reported. Of course, you can show behavior counter-examples for any claim. Doesn't make the general rule any less valid. Signaturemonique, who is sometimes allowed to pet Oscar, a grey^H^H^H^Hblue-cream DLH with an attitude! >You're possibly right about Dachshunds, although my family's two were already >middle-aged by the time I came into the picture, and we got along pretty >well. Ours must have had a little-dog-complex. I mean, he was viscously protective and absolutely hated children. I've heard that part of their original purpose was to kill burrowing animals, like badgers. Happy could have done it. He was a tough little customer. Sherry > >You're possibly right about Dachshunds, although my family's two were > >already [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > animals, > like badgers. Happy could have done it. He was a tough little customer. Peter (RB), the dog of my teenage years, was the runt of a litter of miniature dachshunds -- he was born without testicles, and never reached full size even for a miniature. Typically, he weighed about four pounds, or five after a heavy meal [1]. One day, he was outside and cornered a feral rabbit. Miniature dachsunds were bred to hunt rabbits in burrows, as opposed to the standards being bred for badgers. He cornered the rabbit and barked hysterically, and it became obvious he had no idea what to do next. Eventually, the rabbit decided to get away from this strange being. It was a BIG rabbit, and it hopped headfirst straight into Peter's ribs. He went flying, ran into the house, and spent the next couple of days under a couch. [1] Normally, that was a heavy meal of dog food, but Peter had a great fondness for the inedible. One day, we came home to find his eyes rolling, rather like a slot machine just after the handle has been pulled. He was clearly having severe problems at the other end, and we rushed him to TED. Both the vet and I were puzzled about what seemed to be a constant flow of mucus. He and I adjourned to the lab and started trying to figure out WHAT Peter had in him, as he seemed to be developing several pounds of rocket thrust. Eventually, he seemed OK, although no lab test we used gave any clus what was in him. The mystery was solved the next day. Under a couch was an empty one pound jar of Vaseline, apparently consumed in full by Peter. >>You're possibly right about Dachshunds, although my family's two were already >>middle-aged by the time I came into the picture, and we got along pretty [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >I've heard that part of their original purpose was to kill burrowing animals, >like badgers. Happy could have done it. He was a tough little customer. The daschund, Bobo, we had when I was a kid KNEW he was bred as a hunting dog. His favorite thing in the world was to go for walks in the foothills and try to dig ground squirrels out of their holes (course the ground squirrels were usually watching his frantic digging from another entrance). Bobo was also very protective of family - he once bit a family friend when he went to shake my Dad's hand - even though he normally liked this guy (he came to feed Bobo if we happened to be out of town). SignatureSteve Touchstone, faithful servant of Sammy, Little Bit and Rocky (RB) stouchst@JUNKsirinet.net [remove Junk for email] Home Page: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/index.html Cat Pix: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/animals.html > I have a really bad feeling for this poor puppy. I have this feeling she'll > be branded "mean" and "poorly behaved" because her owner doesn't know how to [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > a fight dog, but if her owner already thinks a several-month-old pup is mean > ... well, if she isn't now, I have no doubt she will be in another few years. What a shame! I've met three Rotties (including the two Mandy tried to intimidate by hissing at them through the fence!). They were all lovely, generally well-behaved animals, if inclined to bark loudly when provoked by a cat. But their owners clearly knew how to care for them and train them! Rotties are big, powerful animals, and although they make excellent pets, I got the impression they required a *lot* of time for exercise and training. But that sort of think isn't limited to Rotties. Years ago, I knew someone who got a Lab, never bothered to train it or give it more than the occasional walk, and sort of fluttered ineffectually whent the animal quite naturally made a nuisance of itself jumping up on people and generally acting in a way which is kind of cute in a tiny puppy but annoying and even frightening when indulged in by a full-sized Lab. Cheryl > Rotties are big, powerful animals, and although they make excellent pets, I > got the impression they required a *lot* of time for exercise and training. They do, and they're intelligent, so they need to be kept engaged, not just exercised. > But that sort of think isn't limited to Rotties. Years ago, I knew someone > who got a Lab, never bothered to train it or give it more than the > occasional walk, and sort of fluttered ineffectually whent the animal quite > naturally made a nuisance of itself jumping up on people and generally > acting in a way which is kind of cute in a tiny puppy but annoying and even > frightening when indulged in by a full-sized Lab. Yup. The last thing you want is to scare someone out of their wits by allowing the dog that already scares them to jump all over them. I'm sure that it looks like aggression to them, and even if it doesn't, someone with poor balance could easily get knocked over that way. Signaturemonique, who is sometimes allowed to pet Oscar, a grey^H^H^H^Hblue-cream DLH with an attitude! > A lady I sometimes see in the halls at work mentioned a while back that she > was looking for a dachshund. I suggested petfinder.com. I had a weird [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > a fight dog, but if her owner already thinks a several-month-old pup is mean > ... well, if she isn't now, I have no doubt she will be in another few years. Sigh. I wonder if she is misunderstanding the play biting that all puppys do. I don't no how many times I have heard about how "mean" some dogs are when all it was was the owner misunderstanding play biting and not knowing how to deal with it. Do you think she would balk if you gave her the url for the association of pet dog trainers? Maybe she could find a trainer. http://www.apdt.com/ I used to be a member before I stopped working. SignatureMargaret Fine mefine@mindspring.com > Sigh. I wonder if she is misunderstanding the play biting that all puppys > do. I don't no how many times I have heard about how "mean" some dogs are > when all it was was the owner misunderstanding play biting and not knowing > how to deal with it. Do you think she would balk if you gave her the url > for the association of pet dog trainers? Maybe she could find a trainer. > http://www.apdt.com/ I used to be a member before I stopped working. I really don't know. I can't imagine someone thinking that puppy playbiting = mean, but I guess if you have little experience with pets ... maybe .... Thanks for the link. I'll see what I can do. My gut feeling is that she's not interested in being pushed right now. Signaturemonique, who is sometimes allowed to pet Oscar, a grey^H^H^H^Hblue-cream DLH with an attitude! <snip> > I have a really bad feeling for this poor puppy. I have this feeling > she'll be branded "mean" and "poorly behaved" because her owner [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > her owner already thinks a several-month-old pup is mean ... well, if > she isn't now, I have no doubt she will be in another few years. I think you're right to be worried, it's so sad when animals suffer due to the ignorence of their owners. SignatureAdrian (Owned by Snoopy & Bagheera) A house is not a home, without a cat. |
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