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Originally Posted by katy-yorkie  I don't think you are catering to his fear. Earlier this year I took Maggie for training at the SPCA. The trainer wanted me to sit on the floor with Maggie rather than stand (which turned out to be a good thing). A big lab whose owner could barely control him, came charging at us. As I picked up Maggie, this dog clawed the top of my hzand and also broke the skin on Maggie, actually took out a plug of hair. My hand bled for the next hour. I had a terrible scar for a couple of months. After a visit to the vet, it was determined Maggie would be ok. Maggie shook every time we walked into that place. I'm not going to leave my dogs to be the entree for any dog. If they are afraid and want to be picked up, I will do it. A big dog in the neighborhood charged Buster and scared him so bad he came out of his harness. We had in home training for Buster and that worked really well. He wasn't distracted, he was the only dog and he learned very quick. It was expensive but I thought it was worth every penny. |
Thanks for the response. I'm sorry you had a bad experience. It is difficult with these little ones. Something that would mean stitches to a bigger dog can mean death to one of ours. I need to do group classes with mine. In order to be a therapy dog they will have to pass the CGC and other tests. They have to be extremely well socialized and confident in unfamiliar situations. I do get what Elle was trying to say. There's a fine balance between keeping our little ones safe and turning them into a fearful neurotic creature. Something like the experience you or I had can tip that balance if we're not careful. I'm glad you found a solution that works for you.