[secondmertg]

yea..probably a good idea. i woulda snapped at him to.

[somamasoso]

Shitty. Gaud... I friggin' hate drunk people and dogs. Bad combo. I'd be careful with his exposure to uncontrolled situations especially while trying to work through his shyness and build up his confidence. Better to leave him home than bring him somewhere where something like this might occur. Go with the concept of making all his experiences positive so you can build his confidence. Really try not to put him in situations that are pushing him beyond his limits or you'll be undoing all the work you've done. If he's starting to display body language that shows he's uncomfortable, step in. Part of where he will gain his confidence, is seeing that you are there to protect him. If he has total faith in you, he'll be more successful. You've got to stand your ground with people when it comes to him. I actually used to be REALLY shy and having to step up to the plate for my dogs actually gave ME more confidence as well.

[durootrium]

Excellent Zoe!

I also thought I'd add, you can always bring his crate with you when you go places, that way if something goes not so smooth, you can go and get his crate and let him sit in there and feel safe.

[somamasoso]

Well, a sound APBT should not snap under and condition. However, being the owner of a dog who recently growled at her(not in a playful way), I understand that it's really not that easy.

Sorry to hear about this jillibean.

[secondmertg]

yea i shoulda known as soon as i found out that this guy(another word comes to mind but isn't appropriate) was there that i shoulda left him at home. But yea im in enough trouble so i kept my mouth shut and hands to self and left soon after the incident.

[somamasoso]

Good for you for leaving. I've actually had some weird experiences with my dogs and drunk/drugged people over the years. Gaud... even some stupid sober people who were clueless about body language, etc.... I had one guy, while Scarling was going through her fear stage, and she's kinda skittish anyway, lean over her and glare at her. Scared the livin' crap out of her and she was running in circles around him, barking, running away from me. I couldn't catch her for a couple minutes so I lied down on the ground and she came running to me and I scooped her up and put her in the house and gave him a nice lecture. He wasn't trying to be as asshole, and in fact really likes the dogs and did it more out of play not realizing it would freak her out. I have such a soft spot for the shy dogs probably because I was so shy as a kid.

[textarchive]

There is also a way to approach fearful dogs. Zoey NEVER lets anyone near her (unless she has Anya around) and the trainer at our latest dog class showed everyone how to do it. She came right up beside Zoey and squated down beside her but not facing her and was just handing her treats from the side and within seconds Zoey was facing her and responding to her in a positive way.

I think it is similar to the Sticky about "How to Pet a Dog" (maybe in the training section?)

I know in this situation you would have probablynever gotten the guy to try approaching King the right way, but if you see that this works with him, it may be helpful in the future to educate people and have King respond positively to them.

[somamasoso]

There is also a way to approach fearful dogs. Zoey NEVER lets anyone near her (unless she has Anya around) and the trainer at our latest dog class showed everyone how to do it. She came right up beside Zoey and squated down beside her but not facing her and was just handing her treats from the side and within seconds Zoey was facing her and responding to her in a positive way.

Excellent! One thing I often forget to mention as it's just second nature to me. I've even lied down on the floor for really fearful dogs and it's like a body language invitation. They just skitter right over! Direct eye contact/forward facing body language can really intimidate a shy dog.

[BinasiDombrs]

the fear is what i would worry about if i was you. IF your dog thinks that the guy wanted to harm him, i think he is right in defending himself. if someone comes at me or my dog acting like, my dog's tail is pointed at the sky and barking his head off. I'd like to think my dog would understand when to defend and that he would do it. I know a lot of you disagree, because of our breed's image and whatnot. But defending yourself and what you care about is a very noble characteristic. (i've been getting a lot more open with my opinions since i hit senior member status.hahahaha. jk. well kinda i do feel more comfortable on here, thus saying what i think more.)

[secondmertg]

i think so to..because he doesn't show aggression to anyone. That was the first time..but i will work with him on it

[somamasoso]

I think the key is to ''orchestrate'' what they are exposed to as much as you can. You don't want them learning behaviours like this through default because things were allowed to get to the point where he feels the need to defend himself. I think of it almost like ''sculpting'' a dog. You control their input and orchestrate the wanted output so to speak. The trickiest part is finding the ability to orchestrate peoples interaction with your dog. You've got to be a bit of a manipulator and find a way you can encourage people to act towards your dog in a way that brings out the best in your dog. I've found, if approached right, even the most clueless stupid ass can be willing to follow instructions on how to interact with your dog. For instance, when someone would come to full bore at Venus, and I could see the potential in her to hit that place where she would shut down, I'd step in, and encourage a behaviour out of Venus using treats or toys, and once she's focused on the behaviour, I'd pass her off to the person to continue with her. Most people are just clueless about dogs, even if they mean well, and will get all excited to see a dog respond if they are given direction. I had plenty people, with the potential to scare the crap out of Venus, turn almost kid like when they would get the chance to get her to perform some of her crazy tricks I taught her!

[secondmertg]

Noted. They caled me again tonight..i told them i was busy lol. I didnt wanna leave the dog at home.