Are wolf-dogs legal?

[XmisterIS]

WRT all this psychology stuff, anyone got the low down on why some dogs chase cyclists and others simply ignore them?

There are a few dogs - the small white yappy breed - round here and one of them, only one, dashes madly after me whilst the rest just stand and watch. It has also started to chase cars recently!

I get chased on my motorbike by some little shitzu thing which lives round the corner. It would make an awful mess if it tried to take a bite out of the wheel!

As for the wolf/dog/beast/hellspawn thing that is the subject of this thread, I am seriously considering anonymously tipping somebody off, but what can they do unless it goes berserk and tries to attack them when they come to check it out? He was very friendly when I arrived, then just got aggressive.

As for which type of dog it is ... IDK! I've worked in kennels before, but I was a teenager and it was a long time ago. I was more interested in playing with the dogs than learning which breeds they were. There was one particularly stupid red setter (stupidity is unremarkable in a red setter, so I'm told) who would see you from the other side of the exercise yard, accelerate towards you like the clappers, forget to stop running, collide with you, knock you over ... and then stand there looking all confused wondering where you'd gone.

 

[Paulus]

In my experience of keeping dogs, all breeds are capable, if not treated properly of turning out bad. Pups will try to exert dominance from a young age, and if allowed to get away with it will turn into adult dogs with behavioral problems. There are ways of stopping the pups getting the upper hand without resorting to physically beating the dog, if you get to this stage you have lost, and you will do the dog psychological harm as well as physical harm, but this has to be done early before the pup thinks it has the upper hand.

 

[Zoiders]

They are your words not mine, though BMD seems dismissive of the idea of a benevolent leader and favours the Alpha male/dominance idea - which is based on physical superiority.

No I am pretty sure they were your words and now you feel like a bit of a tit.

It's dog, not a child, despite some of the behavioural similarities, possibly a very large dog that will try and take the mickey.

The idea of being the dogs "benevolent leader" is romantic anthropomorphising.

 

[Angelfishsolo]

No I am pretty sure they were your words and now you feel like a bit of a tit.

It's dog, not a child, despite some of the behavioural similarities, possibly a very large dog that will try and take the mickey.

The idea of being the dogs "benevolent leader" is romantic anthropomorphising.

Yes far better to beat the dog until it knows who's boss and its spirit is broken. BTW I have been involved with animal rescue for 20 years

 

[Arch]

Yes far better to beat the dog until it knows who's boss and its spirit is broken. BTW I have been involved with animal rescue for 20 years

I don't know that anyone is advocating beating a dog to attain dominance over it. From the little I know (all gleaned from TV wildlife programmes and that that woman in the leather trousers and sports car), it's possible to dominate a dog purely by how you behave towards it, and how you react to it's behaviour. As with humans, training is best done from birth, but can have success in later life...

(having for a while watched both the dog lady, and Supernanny programmes, I'd say dogs and toddlers are very alike, and actually require the same basic training. Assert authority (usually with tone of voice), reward good behaviour, punish bad behaviour with a withdrawal of attention (the 'naughty step', or refusing to engage with a dog))

If this person doesn't know the basics, and indulges the dog ("he's just boisterous"), then they run the risk of a dangerous dog, just as they might get a spoilt brat if they never corrected behaviour.

 

[e-rider]

He could smell your fear. generally wolves even in the wild are not dangerous to humans, sounds like the dog was just playing with you and you got spooked too much, should have smacked him across the snout and he would have backed off.

that is nonsense, they generally cause no trouble because paths rarely cross.

 

[MichaelM]

No I am pretty sure they were your words and now you feel like a bit of a tit.

It's dog, not a child, despite some of the behavioural similarities, possibly a very large dog that will try and take the mickey.

The idea of being the dogs "benevolent leader" is romantic anthropomorphising.

I suppose you can always resort to insults and name calling if you don't have any understanding of the topic.

 

[MichaelM]

I don't know that anyone is advocating beating a dog to attain dominance over it. From the little I know (all gleaned from TV wildlife programmes and that that woman in the leather trousers and sports car), it's possible to dominate a dog purely by how you behave towards it, and how you react to it's behaviour. As with humans, training is best done from birth, but can have success in later life...

(having for a while watched both the dog lady, and Supernanny programmes, I'd say dogs and toddlers are very alike, and actually require the same basic training. Assert authority (usually with tone of voice), reward good behaviour, punish bad behaviour with a withdrawal of attention (the 'naughty step', or refusing to engage with a dog))

If this person doesn't know the basics, and indulges the dog ("he's just boisterous"), then they run the risk of a dangerous dog, just as they might get a spoilt brat if they never corrected behaviour.

You've pretty much summed it up Arch.

Unfortunately, the macho Alpha brigade believe in pinning a dog to the floor by its throat and the the threat of physical punishment to impose their will e.g. if a dog is pulling on the lead, use a choke chain and give it a good tug to stop it. If it doesn't come back when you call it, beat it (physically hit it with your hands) for having ignored you.

In this day and age, there is no need to resort to such techniques given what is now known about behaviour.

 

[Lisa21]

Tbh, im surprised no one has asked the most relevent question.......
How old is he?
If he is a youngster he is just more than likely testing his boundaries. He has a new owner,a new home, and is pushing his luck to test just how much he can get away with.
If hes an adult, he has probably been lacking in the training that a dog of any breed needs.

Has he been neutered?

he does sound the wrong type of dog for an inexperienced person to own but instead of reporting him and all the knock on consequenses this could possibly have for the dog, your friend either needs to get some help in learning how to get the best out of, what is at the end of the day a beautiful animal, or to reconsider his choice of breed.

It sounds, on the face of it, a young male with little or no behavioural training trying to set his own rules and this does need to be nipped (sorry!!) in the bud.

Oh, and yes...i have extensive experience with many dog breeds and also wild animals. Good luck with him onyour next visit and take some pieces of sausage with you...bribery can work wonders too!!

 

[Zoiders]

Yes far better to beat the dog until it knows who's boss and its spirit is broken. BTW I have been involved with animal rescue for 20 years

Oh give over, no one is saying you should beat a dog.

 

[asterix]

Tbh, im surprised no one has asked the most relevent question.......
How old is he?
If he is a youngster he is just more than likely testing his boundaries. He has a new owner,a new home, and is pushing his luck to test just how much he can get away with.
If hes an adult, he has probably been lacking in the training that a dog of any breed needs.

Has he been neutered?

he does sound the wrong type of dog for an inexperienced person to own but instead of reporting him and all the knock on consequenses this could possibly have for the dog, your friend either needs to get some help in learning how to get the best out of, what is at the end of the day a beautiful animal, or to reconsider his choice of breed.

It sounds, on the face of it, a young male with little or no behavioural training trying to set his own rules and this does need to be nipped (sorry!!) in the bud.

Oh, and yes...i have extensive experience with many dog breeds and also wild animals. Good luck with him onyour next visit and take some pieces of sausage with you...bribery can work wonders too!!

This, and Arch's post are sensible.

I often see people being trained with their dogs on York Knavesmire. It is an excellent idea.

We also need training classes for internet forummers.

 

[Arch]

This, and Arch's post are sensible.

I often see people being trained with their dogs on York Knavesmire. It is an excellent idea.

We also need training classes for internet forummers.

Yes, I've seen that. It's a good way to test the dog's attention to the owner, riding past on a recumbent trike....

 

[Hover Fly]

Judging by the way Lobo reacts when he sees a 'cumbo, he would love to have a go on one.



Lobo is quarter wolf, luckily he is also mixed gundog and Beauceron so very well behaved.

 

[Riding in Circles]

that is nonsense, they generally cause no trouble because paths rarely cross.

You sir are poorly educated on the subject, too much Hollywood in your diet I suspect. In the last 100 years in North America there have been about 25 cases of wolves attacking humans, of these 3 resulted in human death, all because of rabies. Humans are not considered suitable prey for wolves because we are generally tall, agile and intelligent creatures, wolves are intuitive animals and recognise that humans are a bigger threat to them than they are to us. It is not a case of the paths rarely crossing but more a case of the wolves avoiding human contact, for very good reason.

 

[Lisa21]

This, and Arch's post are sensible.

I often see people being trained with their dogs on York Knavesmire. It is an excellent idea.

We also need training classes for internet forummers.

Sadly, I hear all too often the typical response of "it should be muzzled" to a dog someone is nervous of. This can do far more harm than good as, although the dog will not be able to bite, its sense of vulnerability is immediately hightened, encouraging it all the more to feel it needs to be "in attack mode" but this is only to protect itself. Yes, some breeds governed by the dangerous dogs act are required to be muzzled outdoors, but this is to comply to a law...it has nothing to do with the welfare of the dog.

The same can be said for the knee-jerk reaction of many people "but what if it bites a child"
Basically, the same thing that would happen if it were to bite an adult, or to attack someones pet. 9 times out of 10 the dog ends up being destroyed, where 7 times out of 10 it is not the dogs fault.

Hardly any dog is "born bad". Sometimes this can happen, and for a variety of (usually medical) reasons, but normally a dog just displays learned behaviour, and the younger the dog, the easier this behaviour can be shaped.

To get the best out of him, the OP's friend needs to take a lot of time to bond with him, gain his complete trust and lay firm ground rules. And as with any animal, routine is absolutely everything. If he is willing to invest a lot of time in him he will gain a good friend, if he just wants a nice looking scary trophy dog then i feel hes in for a whole lot of trouble and sadly it will be the dog who will suffer in the long run.