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1st dog show!!

7K views 57 replies 28 participants last post by  Lobobear44 
#1 ·
I had a really great time at my first dog show. Got to ask how to join clubs watching shows spending times with dogs. Although in the end didn't end up the way I imagined. Got attacked by a Doberman who I was petting seemed to enjoy and I think got too carried away humanizing. Got punctures onto face one near the eye. Man I'm so stupid. I'm alright though. This is my fault the owner felt so bad about it and I feel bad too. Ugh I know not to humanize dogs get way too carried away once in awhile. Don't know why it happens. Really worried about her dog now.
 
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#5 ·
i'm glad you and your dog are ok. your attending a dog show.
i think the dog that attacked needs more socializing and training.
i've attended many dog shows, some of them i work. in all of the
years i've been involved in shows i've never seen a dog fight
or dogs being aggressive.
 
#6 ·
This happens to a good friend of mine way too often. She treats dogs like people and gets way to comfortable around unfamiliar dogs. She was nipped on the face by another friend's dog because she cornered it, was talking very loudly and got in it's face, even after being told not to and the dog being visibly uncomfortable.

I am glad you're alright.

Sent from Petguide.com Free App
 
#8 ·
"Really worried about her dog" ........ what are the consequences here. Typically the dog is considered "at fault" by the law even when people make mistakes. Often the dog pays the ultimate price.
 
#13 ·
@jocoyn

Idk the consequences all sorts of things can happen. Bad scenarios, luckily we are a nice family so I forgives the dog and we were kind to the responsible owner. The next family may not be so nice. The consequences for me is not hanging around this dog no more and to be extra cautious around dogs. Thought I had the humanizing part out apparently not. The breeder will go more low now because if people ask of her dobes ever bit anyone she would say yes. Now her dog will have trouble for show rings or not be allowed, etc. my fault this happened and I thought I was being careful. I thought oh be seems to be loving it perhaps I should trust if I put my head on him. Did earlier he was fine but had this feeling in gut maybe I should not.
 
#15 ·
I am glad you were not hurt that bad but sometimes the other thing is the consequence of a bite takes control out of the hand of the parties involved.

In 1987 (around then at least) I had a situation where I was walking down the street with my baby in a stroller, one kid on the right, the dog on the left and we passed an old man. We think as he passed he swung his hand into my dog's mouth and caught the tooth and tore it. When he got about 30 feet past me he said "ma'am I think, uh, your dog may have bit me". Old people can have very thin skin and he was a diabetic to boot but it tore the skin on the top of his hand......no marks anywhere else..........Well, I convinced him to go to the doctor at my expense and they called animal control. When animal control came to the house, they said "oh, no he said it was a freak accident and your dog did not bite him" and that was what was on the report. However, it did not matter. Despite the fact we were up on shots I had to impound the dog for 10 days. At my expense because I had the choice of the pound or a private kennel and I chose the latter, where they already knew him.

Now, If this bite on you is a puncture you need to watch it very carefully as you can get nasty infections with a dog bite. If you go to the doctor it has to be reported and dog laws kick in. So regardless of what you say about the intentions of the dog, the results may be out of your hands. I really do hope this is simply a lesson learned and does not go further. I believe California in 2014 is a lot stricter than North Carolina was in 1987.
 
#16 ·
I agree with Nancy.

I'm also glad you werent' seriously hurt, and that your a forgiving person. However, the dog can be not only permanently banned from showing , it can snowball into a real bad scenerio for the dog and owner.

I know you wouldn't want that to happen, so PLEASE when meeting a dog you have not met before, never ever hug, put your face in their face, 'think' that all dogs because they appear friendly, will not react and bite.

This dog could be labeled aggressive for the rest of it's life and I'm sure the owner would be devastated.

and Alex knock it off with snarky comments, if you have nothing of value to impart keep it to yourself please.
 
#23 ·
...
and Alex knock it off with snarky comments, if you have nothing of value to impart keep it to yourself please.
From the OP:
"...
Got attacked by a Doberman who I was petting seemed to enjoy and I think got too carried away humanizing.
..."

I feel bad for every dog the OP approaches and tries to "humanize". One day the OP's actions might contribute to much worse outcome.
This is my POV and I think I have every right to say it.
 
#17 ·
The owner should not have let it get so far but may have not known how to nicely tell someone to bug off. You were most definitely doing way too much to a strange dog. Even a friendly dog doesn't want someone hanging on them. They might accept it briefly, but prolonged contact can be very uncomfortable, particularly when someone is putting their head/body on top of them. That's not a good position to put yourself in with a strange dog and your common sense should have told you that.
 
#18 · (Edited)
Even with all that in mind, and yes you probably went a little overboard with the touching and petting and hugging stuff dogs at a dog show should tolerate that and accept it or they don't belong in a dog show.

We did AKC Meet the Breeds in NYC with Einstein (an obedience demo and the booth) and there were more people than not that just did not know how to handle dogs. We met over a thousand people judging by the total number of visitors those days - kids, adults, seniors. Some were ok but most were just nuts. They got way too close, tried to pry Einstein's toy from his mouth, and god knows what else. If Einstein wasn't super stable I would have never put him out there. When you go to these shows you kind of assume that people will mishandle your dog and should be sure the dog can handle it with minimal stress.

With that said, if he says its the first time then maybe he had no idea what his dog was going to do. Was this his first time at the show? Hope your face is ok and that you got at least *some* medical attention. Scars, infection, etc are all real consequences of what may seem like a very small bite so do get yourself checked out.
 
#21 ·
I think Lobobear has learned a valuable lesson. So we don't need to beat him up going forward :).

I can think of a whole lot of stupid things I did when I was 18
 
#22 ·
But as always, this is the internet. We have no idea of how old this person is, or what happened, or what is true of any posts.
 
#28 ·
No doubt. Some of the stories I read on here make me want to put a bubble around my dog and never let anyone pet or touch him that I don't know, and even THEN they better be dog people lol. Both for my liability and the dog potentially paying the ultimate price. According to OP there were many people watching and apparently no one stepped in and said the dog was uncomfortable or that it was a bad idea (including the dog's breeder). May be crowd mentality of no one stepping up, but still. If it *looked as dangerous as it ultimately ended up being, I can't believe the breeder or owner didn't say to stop. Just a bad situation that could have gone even worse.
 
#27 ·
Cuddling and rubbing a dog you don't know is not humanizing. It is treating them like a teddy bear or doll, something which they are not. No dog actually like this and they will turn away from you.

Would you go and rub a human and put your arms around them when you first meet them? Chances are they would react badly too.

You were bitten because you acted inappropriately. The dog gave you a harsh lesson. Don't make the mistake again. Learn from your experience.

Learn how to respect dogs and they will respect you. Stand your ground. Let them approach and get your scent. If you want to rub them after they have sniffed you, rub them under the mouth on the neck.

If a dog doesn't approach you first then leave it. Over time it will approach if it trusts and knows you. Have patience and self control or dogs will not view you with respect.
 
#32 · (Edited)
Just Google dog body language and dog facial expressions. It's not that difficult to find information like this, if you really want to find it.
The best advice I ever got was to learn what the dog is and enjoy him for what he is, not for what you want or need him to be.
As far as the elder thing, I would offer that there are young people on here that know a lot more about dogs than many of the older ones put together. It just depends on expertise and experience, not age.
 
#34 · (Edited)
I would be inclined to hold back. The owner has a lesson to learn here as well and probably needs time to absorb it. She should have asked you to stop and she should be the one following up to make sure you are ok.
 
#37 ·
No, don't call. I'm sure the owner is kicking herself for not intervening before things got out of hand.

Also, you keep saying humanizing...when was the last time you ran up to someone and started dancing in their face, swinging your arms at them and acting like a freak? Someone you've never met before? Very few people enjoy this kind of attention - some people will even punch you, lol! It's not humanizing anything, it's common sense to use some self control.
 
#42 ·
The more I work with dogs, the less likely I am to walk up to people on the street, at a dogshow, etc. and fuss over their dogs. I leave them alone unless I am introduced. Even when they come into my salon, I don't fuss over them too much while the owner is still there. I'll greet them, check them over with my eyes first, then my hands if they are amenable to it. Once I take hold of the leash, and the owner leaves, I have to be that dog's surrogate "mommy" and have him look to me for reassurance and guidance, and do it in way that doesn't press the dog into a fight-or-flight situation. As Lobo found out, it can happen in a split second.

As a groomer, I have to get very personal with other people's dogs. I have to get in their faces, handle their feet, wash their butts and clean their ears. Not all dogs are going to like it, so I have to be very slow and deliberate in my approach and give them time to process. I must also have them in a position where they are under control; in the tub or on a table with a loop around the neck, they don't have a lot of freedom or mobility, so they have to be okay with what is happening because avoidance is not an option.

Most dogs are okay, every once in a while I get a dog that takes offense to being handled by a stranger. I have to be as non-confrontational as possible while still doing what I need to do, and keeping everyone safe. It takes a lot of practice and experience to do this successfully and you have to be able to read dogs well. When I first started grooming, I got bit a lot. Nothing teaches you what NOT to do quite like being bitten. :)
 
#44 ·
I would find some good dog trainers and talk with them about sitting in on their classes (without your dog). Don't interact with the dogs unless given direction to do so. I bet some folks may be willing to take you under their wing......offer to do work to learn.

When I was younger than you I got to ride horses by offering to muck stalls at a local stable. Offer to do whatever they need for help in exchange for just...learning.

LOL close your eyes and click your heels together 3 times......"dogs are not people" Somehow I got a Wizard of Oz image there :).
 
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