guess where I am? in class, learning about blogs! and yes, apparently it takes a lot of discipline to keep regularly update it. I should know! btw, I've bought one of those tennis-ball throwing handle things (as I'm a rubbish ball thrower) and yes, Maddie loves it! She's better than Murphy at bringing the ball back - Murphy brings it back, just won't give you it! Maddie usually brings it back but sometimes abandons it a way away and you have to go get it.
She of course has more energy in the mornings so Murfs has adopted a new system - he lets Maddie rush off and get the ball, then aims his run to cut her off on the way back and takes it off her. Poor Maddie...
30 March 2010
09 March 2010
oh well
he turned up this morning - Julia was walking round with him (I mean the bullyman) when I got there, so I kept going and went into the woods with the dogs. We had a nice walk and back in the usual time. Although Maddie may miss her romps with Isla we probably went further than normal so at least it's more exercise for me!
Ran into Elizabeth (from choir) on the way home whose had similar trouble with her dog Rosy (a mild mannered staffy)and she sympathised - said whoever heard of an aggressive spaniel?! We agreed that some people are stupid and shouldn't have dogs. I felt better after that - it does help to feel someone's on your side.
So I think I'll go into the woods from now on, it's easier and I'm less likely to have an emotional trauma in the mornings!
Ran into Elizabeth (from choir) on the way home whose had similar trouble with her dog Rosy (a mild mannered staffy)and she sympathised - said whoever heard of an aggressive spaniel?! We agreed that some people are stupid and shouldn't have dogs. I felt better after that - it does help to feel someone's on your side.
So I think I'll go into the woods from now on, it's easier and I'm less likely to have an emotional trauma in the mornings!
08 March 2010
followup
well I made it round the next morning - Richard persuaded me and came with me in case that guy was there again. (he wasn't). I do however think the others do think Maddie is aggressive. It depends on your definition of aggressive. If you think it means playing roughly, too roughly for some dogs, then yes. but if, like me, you think it means deliberately attacking other dogs with the intention to harm them, then no, she's not.
It's how it looks to other people, and we tend to put human values on dogs and expect them to behave like us, which of course they don't. We are practising "recall" with her so she'll come back when we call, which we will do when other people are giving out treats and if that dog and owner come round again. I also put her on the lead this morning as she was trying to do the same to barney, another spaniel puppy her own age (Isla the boxer also went onto the lead at the same time so it wasn't just her).
If I think people are getting onto her case unnecessarily I'll take her and Murphy into the woods and avoid them, I don't need the negativity. In the meantime I hung out some more towels today - the big bath sheets - and she didn't like it at all - refused to go outside! My aggressive puppy was scared of the washing....
It's how it looks to other people, and we tend to put human values on dogs and expect them to behave like us, which of course they don't. We are practising "recall" with her so she'll come back when we call, which we will do when other people are giving out treats and if that dog and owner come round again. I also put her on the lead this morning as she was trying to do the same to barney, another spaniel puppy her own age (Isla the boxer also went onto the lead at the same time so it wasn't just her).
If I think people are getting onto her case unnecessarily I'll take her and Murphy into the woods and avoid them, I don't need the negativity. In the meantime I hung out some more towels today - the big bath sheets - and she didn't like it at all - refused to go outside! My aggressive puppy was scared of the washing....
04 March 2010
the down side
Not a good day today - a couple of days ago a bloke Julia knows came up with his dog while we were doing our daily perambulation of the track. The dog's some kind of Staffy or staffy cross by the looks of it; anyway, Maddie went and chased it and all the other "wee" dogs joined in (3 of them and possibly isla, the boxer as well I can't remember). We called them away as the dog was getting inundated.
today he came up again and Maddie again made a beeline - this dog doesn't play, it just lies down (doesn't roll over so not as submissive as all that!) and Maddie basically chewed her ears. I pulled her away and she went back - at which point the guy started yelling at me, saying my dog was aggressive and I should have her on a lead. I actually thought he was joking at first, but it quickly became clear he wasn't. I was trying to tell him she didn't do that to the other dogs, said I wasn't trying to have an argument with him just saying she wasn't aggressive. That didn't help and he continued to yell at me so I picked Maddie up and said I was going home - he continued to yell at me as I walked away, I was in shock.
The others just all stood around and didn't say anything, it all happened so quickly but they wouldn't get involved anyway, you don't in that sort of situation. I want down to the end of the path leading in and sat on the ground and cried - I was in shock then very upset. Cried all the way home. Richard says he'll come up with me tomorrow but i think that could make it worse. I actually don't want to go back up there again, I don't want to run the risk of meeting him again, he was very bullying and looking back I can see there were signs in my previous meetings with him with the others.
And there's always the chance that the others think Maddie's aggressive too but haven't liked to say so. I don't think she is, I think she was doing to the dog what she does to Murphy and actually does to the other dogs too (well isla and archie) - chewing their ears and playfighting - but they all run away or chase her or play back but this dog just lies there.
It's quite ruined my day (well, when I remembered after classes) and I really don't know what to do tomorrow. I might take them up through the woods or somewhere else, or I might let Richard take them for their morning walk. Or I could brave it and go back but be prepared to put Maddie on the lead if that dog returns (actually I'd take them into the woods, they need to run around), I don't know.
Any ideas?
today he came up again and Maddie again made a beeline - this dog doesn't play, it just lies down (doesn't roll over so not as submissive as all that!) and Maddie basically chewed her ears. I pulled her away and she went back - at which point the guy started yelling at me, saying my dog was aggressive and I should have her on a lead. I actually thought he was joking at first, but it quickly became clear he wasn't. I was trying to tell him she didn't do that to the other dogs, said I wasn't trying to have an argument with him just saying she wasn't aggressive. That didn't help and he continued to yell at me so I picked Maddie up and said I was going home - he continued to yell at me as I walked away, I was in shock.
The others just all stood around and didn't say anything, it all happened so quickly but they wouldn't get involved anyway, you don't in that sort of situation. I want down to the end of the path leading in and sat on the ground and cried - I was in shock then very upset. Cried all the way home. Richard says he'll come up with me tomorrow but i think that could make it worse. I actually don't want to go back up there again, I don't want to run the risk of meeting him again, he was very bullying and looking back I can see there were signs in my previous meetings with him with the others.
And there's always the chance that the others think Maddie's aggressive too but haven't liked to say so. I don't think she is, I think she was doing to the dog what she does to Murphy and actually does to the other dogs too (well isla and archie) - chewing their ears and playfighting - but they all run away or chase her or play back but this dog just lies there.
It's quite ruined my day (well, when I remembered after classes) and I really don't know what to do tomorrow. I might take them up through the woods or somewhere else, or I might let Richard take them for their morning walk. Or I could brave it and go back but be prepared to put Maddie on the lead if that dog returns (actually I'd take them into the woods, they need to run around), I don't know.
Any ideas?
02 March 2010
March hare!
Lord, I dont' know what's wrong with that puppy! She's suddenly STARVING all the time - and has realised that she's now big enough to get at least her head onto the kitchen counter and more than that for the dining table. So she nabbed most of the chocolate crispies on Sunday (luckily they were the cheap ones with not much chocolate on them) and today finished my lunch while I was cleaning up after the cat (who had thrown up her food - eaten too quickly - into her water bowl, in case you're interested!)... Tonight she had her head almost in Murphy's food tin as it got left on the counter and I had to move the dirty dishes away from the edge of the dishwasher-top as she was succeeding in her own clean-up operation!!!
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