Started a book Blood in the Cane Fields which I'm pretty excited to read because I've met the author and at least one person featured in it, and in the first chapter a man lets his dog out to run in the nearby cane field in the morning. The dog doesn't come when called. The guy goes out to get him and finds him licking blood from dead bodies. The dog ignores the guy, and when the leash is hooked on, the dog badly bites the owner.
For all my issues with Little Ms. Reactive Catahooligan, something like that is far from our reality. She doesn't LIKE when I take things away from her, but she has never shown me aggression. The longer she's with me, the less she fusses about it. She will wag her tail nervously and try to hide something from me, but she does not growl or bite or anything aggressive at all. Which is not to say that she never would - she's a dog for goodness sake. But she never has. No matter how stressed out, how bad her tantrum, she's never been aggressive. Even when I pulled her out of a dog fight and her adrenaline was soaring, she did not bite me at all. [ETA: I've been bitten by dogs before. It's not all that big of a deal, so long as they don't bite my hand or face.]
I had an interesting talk with a woman this morning walking a Corgie mix, a very sweet puppy she got as a rescue when about five years old. Ultimately it boiled down to this: a dog freaking out when out and about needs to learn to trust its leader better. And I think that's true.
When I filled out the paperwork with the veterinarian, I realized that Ziggy Stardust could have so many worse behavioral issues than she does. Hers are so minor in comparison. But, they hold her back from living a full, happy life, and so they are worth addressing.
I cannot wait to see that crazy puppy tomorrow! So eager to get home to her.
For all my issues with Little Ms. Reactive Catahooligan, something like that is far from our reality. She doesn't LIKE when I take things away from her, but she has never shown me aggression. The longer she's with me, the less she fusses about it. She will wag her tail nervously and try to hide something from me, but she does not growl or bite or anything aggressive at all. Which is not to say that she never would - she's a dog for goodness sake. But she never has. No matter how stressed out, how bad her tantrum, she's never been aggressive. Even when I pulled her out of a dog fight and her adrenaline was soaring, she did not bite me at all. [ETA: I've been bitten by dogs before. It's not all that big of a deal, so long as they don't bite my hand or face.]
I had an interesting talk with a woman this morning walking a Corgie mix, a very sweet puppy she got as a rescue when about five years old. Ultimately it boiled down to this: a dog freaking out when out and about needs to learn to trust its leader better. And I think that's true.
When I filled out the paperwork with the veterinarian, I realized that Ziggy Stardust could have so many worse behavioral issues than she does. Hers are so minor in comparison. But, they hold her back from living a full, happy life, and so they are worth addressing.
I cannot wait to see that crazy puppy tomorrow! So eager to get home to her.
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