Interacting with big dogs (vid at end)

The first time I took Eddie to obedience class, I was terrified of all the big dogs. I'd heard a horror story from a YTer who said her Yorkie was charged at the very same school we were going to. The dog charged, and she scooped up her Yorkie. She said the instructor criticized her for "babying" the Yorkie. She walked out. I don't blame her.

But that thought has always stuck with me. Why would an obedience instructor encourage her to leave her Yorkie in harm's way? I wouldn't do it, I thought.

Flash forward three years, and now I find myself taking both Jack and Eddie to meetups with big dogs. I'd never intended to let them run free, but slowly I've come around. Once they get to know each other, the dogs seem to work things out. For the most part, they leave Eddie and Jack alone. But some, with supervision, interact with them. I watch them both like a hawk and have had to step in between an overly exuberant pooch, but the more we go the better they do.

I hardly worry about Eddie at all. He's 10 pounds and 4 years old and has interacted with big dogs for 3 years in obedience schools and six months at these meetups. He knows which dogs he can play with and which dogs to leave alone. Jack, on the other hand, requires more supervision. I'm never more than a few feet away from him when the big dogs are around, and I frequently scoop him up if the play looks like it's getting too rough. Still, he's made progress. He doesn't especially enjoy the play, but he knows how to handle himself. The big dogs leave him alone, and he gets some stimulation fending them off.

Don't take this as criticism for those who don't want to take the risk. I am definitely rolling the dice here and taking a chance on their safety. For me, it gives me some sense of comfort knowing they are prepared for the interaction should the occasion arise by chance. For them, they are better socialized and less stressed around big dogs than they were before.

Here's a video from today that shows Jack with some of the big dogs. The boxer was our problem child for the first month or so of meetups. He was too aggressive. But the owner has worked diligently with him, and he's improved immensely. I made this for the meetup group, but I put Jack at the beginning so YTers can tune out after the start if you want.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwSh0FVWyIY