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Great post on preventing bites/dog body language

Funny coincidence that you should post this Karlin. I don't usually consciously think about doggy body language but a couple of days ago I asked advice from a friend:

I had picked Rebel up to sit in the back of my chair as usual. He is pack leader and 8 1/2 years old. I looked at him to tell him I love him. As I did this he stiffened and his eyes bored into mine. It was really unpleasant and I had the strong feeling that if I didn't put him behind me quickly he was about to attack my face.

The friend said she thought he misunderstood what I was trying to tell him and that I should never look at him close up and full in the face because this is construed as a challenge to his leadership. She advised me to look at him with half closed eyes next time to give the signal for submission to his seniority.

He is still stiffening when I look at him when I lift him into my chair, but I don't get the feeling he wants to attack me.

Thinking about this a little bit more carefully, I wonder if this could be the reason why some dogs attack children, as children do tend to stare more than adults? Should we be teaching our kids to avoid close eye contact with our dogs?

I will come back to this thread and read it more carefully once I have fed the dogs.:)
 
ByFloSin said:
I had picked Rebel up to sit in the back of my chair as usual. He is pack leader and 8 1/2 years old. I looked at him to tell him I love him. As I did this he stiffened and his eyes bored into mine. It was really unpleasant and I had the strong feeling that if I didn't put him behind me quickly he was about to attack my face.

The friend said she thought he misunderstood what I was trying to tell him and that I should never look at him close up and full in the face because this is construed as a challenge to his leadership. She advised me to look at him with half closed eyes next time to give the signal for submission to his seniority.

He is still stiffening when I look at him when I lift him into my chair, but I don't get the feeling he wants to attack me.
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I don't think any dog should ever have "seniority" over its owner. You must be the pack leader over even your most alpha dog, or there's gonna be trouble, sooner or later. If Rebel thinks he's the boss of you in the chair, deny him the chair.

But yes, children need to be taught that staring into a dogs eyes and showing their teeth (=smiling) can be construed as a threat and should be avoided with strange dogs.
 
dog bites

Owning a dog that is fearful therefore aggressive is so scary. Been there done that and hope to never again. That is one reason I am looking for a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. I hear that is seldom a problem with them due to a sweet temperment.
 
Marcy said:
Owning a dog that is fearful therefore aggressive is so scary. Been there done that and hope to never again. That is one reason I am looking for a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. I hear that is seldom a problem with them due to a sweet temperment.
Click to expand...

While breeds probably do have something to do with it, even Cavaliers who have been mistreated in the past can learn to be aggressive, they're not immune either.
 
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