Paranoid Owner

[Caution: Long post.]

Oh yay, oh yay! I am sooo relieved!!!

I never realised how much Chassard's biting incident affected me until I took Danny to the vet for his op. At the clinic, he sniffed a Shettie and started growling. Hubby took him to one side, but when a Westie came out of the clinic, he growled and started lunging. Later, even in his drugged out hazy state, he sniffed and then growled fiercely at a Corgi who was minding his own business.

Every other dog was so well behaved and everyone at the vet was staring at him. I started having flashbacks of when Chassard would fight with the neighbours' dogs and people would come knocking on our door with a list of complaints. The vet's assistant said that maybe Danny wasn't well socialised when very young.

I felt like a terrible owner, especially since I read up on dog aggression and knew the importance of socialisation. For that reason alone, I had sent him for puppy class just so he could mix. I knew at 9 months, the window for socialisation had long closed (ideal is up to 16 weeks). I felt that maybe I hadn't done enough, that I should have brought him to the dog run, took him on dog play dates, blah, blah.

I don't like comparing having a dog to being a mom cos I think parenting is 100 times more demanding and sacrificial, but I had a micro-experience of how it's like when the school calls and says your kid was bullying other kids in the playground.

When we hit home, I called Lance, Danny's trainer, and asked if he could bring along one or two well-behaved dogs for his next lesson so I could get his advice on the situation. For the whole week, I tried not to think about it. Whenever I did, I would start wondering whether he would attack the trainer's dog.

The problem with me is that the more I think about something, the worse it becomes. I pictured Danny becoming a violent, vicious dog that had to be locked in a cage and fed with a stick.

Well, his training session is just over. Lance brought along his golden retreiver which has got to be the best dog in the world. And Danny? Danny didn't make one single growl. Instead he kept sniffing the big dog all over and wanted to play.

Lance said his socialisation skills were fine. The problem was that we were pulling on the leash which caused him to instinctively pull in return and growl. For the meet and greet, it should be loose leash, no tension if not, they would sense anxiety. The idea is for Danny to be relaxed to do his doggie stuff.

When left to their own devices, dogs wouldn't fight. Like humans, dogs like some dogs and dislike others. If they didn't like the other dog, they would simply stare at a certain distance and ignore each other. If the owner is there, however, the dog will think that he's got his pack with him and attack. Once a dog gets used to fighting, he will start thinking that every dog he meets, he should fight. (Which is also one reason why dogs need to socialise with well-mannered dogs.)

The verdict? Danny is simply too full of energy and extremely playful.

Still, to be extra certain, next session, Lance will be bringing the naughtiest of his dogs to meet Danny.

"I destroy personal property and reck people's lives, but I'm polite!"

"PS. I need a haircut."

UPDATE: For the last lesson, Lance didn't bring his dog along as he wanted to focus on other areas. But on one of his walks, Danny met a chow chow and a husky...and everything was perfect!