Next time you see someone disciplining their dog, never assume anything.....

Next time you see someone disciplining their dog, never assume anything.....

I have two small dogs.  One Italian Greyhound / Chihuahua mix, and one pure Italian Greyhound.

The mix came from an animal shelter, and he was our first dog.

The second we got a year or so later, and we purchased him as a pup.

The two of them are great little dogs, at home.

But was has happened is a few months after we got the first dog, we started discovering his "issues".

He tends to be aggressive around other dogs.  We actually got kicked out of a doggie park because he nipped another dog.

The 2nd dog is just naturally just a very sweet, timid dog.  But unfortunatley since we got him as a pup, he sort of picked up on his big brothers bad habits.

He is still harmless, but the bad habit he picked up is that he thinks its the right thing to do to bark like a raging banshee when we take him out on walks because he sees his older brother doing it.

I've been trying ALL kinds of solutions, and different trainers.  One trainer suggested when he starts that behavior on the walk to give him a good, swift nudge with the side of my foot to immediately distract the bad behavior.

I tried that recently, and wouldn't you know it, I got some snooty lady that made a remark as she was passing by that "you don't need to kick your dog".

I was so mad.  First of all, I would never "kick" my little guy.  And secondly, as my title states, never ASSUME anything.

I was so mad that I turned and said "Excuse me, did you say something?"

She repeated "you don't need to kick your dog", and I told her she doesn't have a clue as to what training methods I've been through and to keep her opinions to herself.

When you see someone with discipline problems, also never assume that they brought it along themselves.  The cool thing about rescue dogs is that you're doing a good thing by saving them from possible euthanasia. 

But sometimes you dont' know what problems the rescue dog has until after you bring them home.

And I feel you have an obligation to try to do what you can to either correct the bad behavior or help the dog become acclimated.

Most people can tell the difference between when a dog is being blatantly abused, and when they are trying to train their dog.

So when you see someone with problems, try to do the friendly thing and talk to them about it rather than make assumptions.