[valentinesdayyy]

Is it just me or do you guys get uber frusterated when visiting a friend or relative who's dogs have NO MANNERS! I try to be polite but I always catch myself stepping in and correcting there dogs...then the owners give me a weird look. Im not trying to be rude but for pete sakes!

I was just at my friends earlier today and her two apbt's have like NO MANNERS her kids were eating dinner in the living room and the dogs will snatch food right off the kids plates or the dogs follow the kids around with there faces in the kids faces etc and my friend doesn't do anything except at times "Kinda sorta" scold her dogs without enforcement just a "Get away from the kids food" but doesn't take action...

Well I found myself correcting the dogs, and actually stepping in and doing something about it and me and my friend sorta got into a little arguement. She asked me what I was doing and I told her I can't stand when a dog just does whatever they want and how rude it was for a dog to steal food, much less steal food from her kids. Well she didn't like what I had to say and yeah.........

I don't know what I should do, Its like an automatic reaction from me to want to correct a dogs bad behavior...

What do you guys do in situations like this? Where you visit someone and there dogs are rude as hell and you don't want to seem like a jerk and step forward...but it like needs to be done...

I don't want to lose my friends over there lack of control with there dogs/there dogs being naughty...since quite frankly it seems like everyone I know seems to slack on training there dogs except my mom and her boyfriend or my dad and his wife...They actually WORK with there dogs...But most of my friends tend to just let there dogs do whatever or they think the dogs behavior is "Cute" or "Funny".

[BWJfEkOB]

Maybe find some fun activities like wp or even obedience classes you can do together. Ive noticed that people with disobedient dogs that are unaware of how bad their dogs really are start to open their eyes the more they are exposed to WELL behaved ones.

[lXwVlTgO]

Well I try not to interveen to much.. my dogs are in no way "well behaved" granted they don't chase kids around or eat food off their plate (unless I say its ok ) lol.

You just have to remember like children, no matter what u think is right it is up to the owner/parent to handle the child/dog. Bringing it up to the owner first is the best way to go at it.. if they choose to do nothing about it then there is nothing more u can do..

In my eyes. if someone is correcting my kids or my dogs when I am around I see that as them trying to take over my roll. Granted someone saying "go on, down, or playing with them etc is one thing. but for someone to stand in and act as the alpha dog in my house.. I would be a bit upset as well. It is all about the way you approach the situation. I don't feel u did anything wrong ESPECIALLY when it effects your child. then I say its no holds bared (if u know what I mean)

[IACJdKfU]

I have no shame, so I'll step right in and tell them their dog is being an ass and I am going to give them a training lesson LOL But, everyone that knows me expects that sort of thing from me... or they don't stick around long after finding out haha.

I even do it with random strangers. If I ask to meet their dog and their dog has NO manners, I say or do something.

[valentinesdayyy]

LOL teal!!! See thats like how I feel but then afterwords im like jeez I wonder if I came off really rude...I dunno its just hard especially with my friend who has her two apbts me personally I always kept my dogs on best behavior as much as possible ESPECIALLY when theres company! But My friend likes to think she has her dogs "Trained" when yeah....there so well trained all right....shes always yelling at them for something but never steps in and corrects the problem which just urks me when people do that with there dogs or kids, just yell and warn but never go through with it...

[BWJfEkOB]

See Teal, while that may be the way you are.... its a turn off to many people and in the end, those are the type of people you want to educate the most. Shoving it in their face and down their throat only makes them shut down to being receptive.


IMO anyways.

[BokerokyBan]

I totally understand what you are talking about. My dogs are in no means perfect but I have been around lots of dogs that are not well behaved. I just pretty much bite my tongue though because they're not my dogs. I know that sounds ridiculous but people are very protective of there dogs no matter how they behave.

[BWJfEkOB]

I totally understand what you are talking about. My dogs are in no means perfect but I have been around lots of dogs that are not well behaved. I just pretty much bite my tongue though because they're not my dogs. I know that sounds ridiculous but people are very protective of there dogs no matter how they behave.

Good point Carly.

Its frustrating as hell, believe me! I have to deal with idiots all day at work and I have to bite my tounge. Biting your tounge, but educating in a helpful way is an artform. LOL

[IACJdKfU]

See Teal, while that may be the way you are.... its a turn off to many people and in the end, those are the type of people you want to educate the most. Shoving it in their face and down their throat only makes them shut down to being receptive.


IMO anyways.

You are absolutely right... some people really do just walk away and won't listen to you at that point.

I, luckily, have met VERY few of those people for some reason.

There HAVE been times where I've just kept my mouth shut, as hard as it was, because I knew it would just create more drama than I wanted to deal with. And I CAN be really sweet and tactful about it, if I really try... but it's not my first reaction.

People respond to actions, and if I just automatically step in and do something with their dog that makes it behave they take notice. Not saying I am anything special or anything like that, just saying how I've noticed it works.

[paratayoma]

I agree with PNWPBR, I think there is a tactful way of going about telling people that their dogs are out of control. It is ultimately their choice how to train, correct or punish their own dogs. A lot of people look at their dogs and their children as reflections of themselves, so if you are putting down their dog or children's behavior, then they may be taking it personally. Think of how you would feel. When my boyfriend tells me how my dogs run my house, it tends to piss me off because i see them as being very well behaved. It is all in the eyes of the beholder

[formobilagsw]

I think the issue is that you know "cute" and "funny" behavior can often times turn into more dominate and aggressive displays later on that aren't so "cute" and "funny", meanwhile your friend doesn't see it as a problem.

I'm wondering does your friend and her children feed the dogs bits of food off their plates while they eat? If so that's probably why the dogs don't think twice about jumping up and grabbing food they see as "theirs".

It sounds like her dogs have no boundaries or limits which IMO is a disaster waiting to happen, especially with children in the home. People do get defensive about their animals so you might have a hard time getting through to your friend.

[valentinesdayyy]

They don't exactly offer there dogs any human food the dogs just help themselves. I guess I get more frusterated espesially when its a bully breed. I have another friend with a dane/lab mix and a basenji and her dogs too are out of control but Shes more so a long time friend and I treat her dogs as if they were my own and I will correct her dogs without hesitation. But my friend with the APBTs Ive only been friends with for almost a year or so and I don't visit her as often so its like when I step in to correct her dogs I feel akward and rude but Im the type of person who just cannot stand dogs in faces stealing food especially from kids...much less other naughty behaviors like the jumping, mouthing, etc Like her tri color apbt is about a yr old and very mouthy yet, she just comes over climbs into your lap and will mouth your arm...Now I personally don't mind it in the sense that it doesn't bother me or hurt but it bugs me in the sense that its a behavior that is not desired and I think about her 2yr old son which is prolly not safe around him if shes a mouther. The dogs also do the "Nipping" in the face type move where they don't bite ya but they snap there jaws infront of your face when giving kisses etc Which ive delt with apbts n such who do this and I correct it out of them right away as I have been accidently nipped when they fling there head to fast and do that crap. But when I was pointing out this stuff to my friend she was like "I work with my dogs all the time, there good dogs etc" and its like yeah there good dogs n everything they just need more structure more leadership. I dunno she does most of her training based on the "Dog Whisperer" but quite frankly if you don't know what your doing while running around your house saying "TTSSSHHHHTT" to your dog isn't going to get you far.

[Innockcroff]

There might be one way to get your point across. Invite them over to your house and show by example. During that visit they might even say they wish thier dogs were so well-behaved as yours. That could be your "IN". They will notice that your dogs either don't exhibit bad behaviors and do respect boundaries...OR...witness the correction of unwanted behavior.