Protecting Your Dog

You are your dog’s only true advocate.  If you won’t protect him, who will?  He will, that’s who.

Most aggression comes from a place of fear and insecurity.  Sure, there are some dogs who are just plain aggressive – but they are in the minority.

Even if your dog doesn’t show aggressive and/or fearful tendencies as a general rule, all dogs have teeth, all dogs can bite, and all dogs have a breaking point.

Part of your job, your responsibility, as a dog owner is keep your dog out of compromising positions.  Today, I’m going to address that thought by harping on dogs and alcohol.

I have spoken with multiple clients whose dogs have had poor experiences involving intoxicated humans.  In each case, the owner had chosen to take the dog to an event or place where large amounts of alcohol were present, and in each case, the owners neglected to remove the dog from the situation once things started getting tense.

In one scenario, a drunk man grabbed a dog by its head and pulled it up into his own face.  The dog tried to back away, but the man persisted in holding his head right up to his own.  The dog bit the man on the nose.  While some dogs may have been able to keep holding on to hope of rescue, this dog had clearly reached the point where he believed his only option was to try to rescue himself.  Who is at fault in this scenario?  The owner – who stood by and watched the whole thing happen.

Don’t let your dog become another bite statistic because you made the poor choice to put him in a bad situation.  Be responsible – if you take your dog to a party and things get a little more “exciting” than you anticipated, be the adult and take your dog back home.*

Show your dog you are worthy of his trust, will do your best to protect him, and really do have his best interest at heart.  

*Do not drive your dog home if you have been drinking.

Note:  I may live in a college town, and colleges may be notorious for alcohol related incidents, but the example given above did not involve a college student.