# When even (very) good dogs have trouble



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

I have to relate an incident that we had on Christmas Eve. We were invited to my brother's house for the evening. He has a year old Sheltie, Sammy, who has played very nicely with Kodi on a number of occasions in the past.

Sammy had been given a number of new toys for Christmas, but wasn't showing much interest in them. He's a really ball driven dog, but not so much into toys. Kodi, OTOH, can take balls or leave them, but LOVES stuffed, and especially squeaky toys. In fairness, they had also given Kodi a toy, so they obviously WERE trying to think of him too.

But people, even well meaning people, just don't think the way dogs do, or understand their point of view. Every time Kodi picked up one of Sammy's many toys (that were strewn all over the floor) he was told by someone, "Oh, that's Sammy's toy... you have one of your own." The toy was taken away from him, and his toy was given back to him.

Well, he took this with good grace for the first dozen or so times it happened. BUT, since his toy was "allowed" and all those other toys weren't, the others became more and more attractive to him. He went from obediently dropping the toy, to holding onto it and growling. And it wasn't his play growl that he does when he wants to play tug... this had a serious tinge to it.

A couple of people commented on how "feisty" he was. My son told them that actually, he was very sweet, and you could take things right out of his mouth if you wanted. This is true when we are at home, in calm surroundings, with people he knows well. But I was quick to point out that OTHER people should not try this. I told them to let me know if there was a problem, and I'd deal with him.

Not long later, I heard him growling, and the growl was escalating into something between a growl and a scream. He sounded hysterical. I looked over, and he had one of the toys again, but now was pinned in a corner by at least 4 people, only one of whom (my son) he knew at all well. I got over there as fast as I could and told them all to back off. I told them (gently) that they were all freaking him out. The minute they backed off, he scooted away from them and ran out of the room, to hide under a table (still, of course) clutching the offending toy.<g> I sat down on the floor with him and just stroked him, not trying to take the toy away from him. Then I asked him if he would like to trade the toy for a piece of turkey... no contest. The turkey won.<g>

I was really astounded. If that had been a German Shepherd, no one would have done that to him. Quite honestly, as good natured as he is, and as well trained as he is, in that situation, I am not at all sure he wouldn't have ended up biting someone IN SELF DEFENSE if I had not stepped in.

I felt really bad that I'd put him in this position, though I really couldn't have known ahead of time. And I was really watching him pretty closely. It gave me a real insight into how dogs can get labeled as "biters" just by being put in situations they can't handle on their own, by people who know no better. Of the people in that room, almost everyone of them either owns a dog or has owned dogs. Don't they know any better? I guess not.

Christmas day, he was supposed to go with us to my brother in law's house. He plays with that dog all the time, they get along really well, and we've done a number of holidays together. But he was so cooked from the night before, I decided not to bring him. I'm sure he'll get back to his old self, but he still has a frantic sound to his voice when anyone touches his new Christmas toys. I've told all the immediate family members not to initiate tug games with him for the next few days, and not to even ask for one of his toys. If he comes and offers it, by dropping it at their feet, or in their hand, (and he has been doing that) it's fine to throw it for him. But I don't want him to get all upset over the idea of people taking things away again. Let's save that for when we NEED to take something (dangerous) away.

Just wanted to share our story so that, hopefully it can help someone one else, and also so that it can help people think a little more from their dogs' perspective. When good dogs bite, there may very well be a very good reason.


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## Laurief (Nov 7, 2006)

Poor Baby - I would have bit someone if it was me. I just don't understand why people don't understand that the dogs need to work it out themselves, It's not like they understand - his toy vs my toy!! Geesh!!! So glad that he was so well behaved - such a good boy!


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## Rita Nelson (Jul 13, 2009)

Thanks for sharing, Karen. Good heads up for all of us.


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## Sheri (Oct 11, 2008)

Karen, I don't get it, either. How can people think that dogs understand who was given what? A toy is a toy is a toy! Even with my young children, each child got to play with their new toy first, then it was a matter of sharing. A dog has a whole lot less understanding than a child! 

Poor Kodi! (hug, hug.) It was a good thing you were there to run interference for his sake. Hopefully he recovers quickly.


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## motherslittlehelper (Mar 18, 2010)

Rita Nelson said:


> Thanks for sharing, Karen. Good heads up for all of us.


Agreed. My thoughts always were, with the kids, if I didn't want all the other kids playing with something belonging to my kids, I put it up, out of reach. And I would do the same with the dog toys. Expecting a dog to leave certain toys alone and only play with the one given to him? - mind boggling. Hopefully, your relatives learned a bit from this experience as well.


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## Flynn Gentry-Taylor (Jan 17, 2008)

Sad, although I love family gatherings, sometimes they are stressful when pets and children are expected to perform in a certain manner. Even 5 year olds want to play with all the toys, not just theirs. How could adults expect more from pets than from children? I agree Kodi needed a little "rest" from festivities! I think your understanding of Kodi was wonderfully on point.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

Great story Karen. It just goes to show that under certain circumstances any dog can revert to their natural tendencies. They all can have a degree of resource guarding. The worst thing that people do is scold the dog for growling and then try to take the item away. I've always believed that we should never take anything out of a dog's mouth, except in an emergency situation. Thanks for sharing. Yeah , we should scream discrimination. What some people will try with a small dog. They probably wouldn't try this with a growling GSD.


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## The Laughing Magpie (Aug 20, 2009)

Poor Kodi and poor you!!!! It must have been hard to stay calm and gracious. Oh I could never have done it. I would have cracked..I would most probably would have collected all the toys and put them up, then given all the humans my best Collie crouch and stare...Of course my own relatives would not invite Us back for a long while. Hope Kodi gets back to his happy go lucky Havie self soon.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Laurief said:


> Poor Baby - I would have bit someone if it was me. I just don't understand why people don't understand that the dogs need to work it out themselves, It's not like they understand - his toy vs my toy!! Geesh!!! So glad that he was so well behaved - such a good boy!


They silly thing was that the other dog couldn't have cared less. He was totally ignoring the toys. It wasn't even like Kodi was taking them away from him.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Sheri said:


> Karen, I don't get it, either. How can people think that dogs understand who was given what? A toy is a toy is a toy! Even with my young children, each child got to play with their new toy first, then it was a matter of sharing. A dog has a whole lot less understanding than a child!
> 
> Poor Kodi! (hug, hug.) It was a good thing you were there to run interference for his sake. Hopefully he recovers quickly.


Yes, and if people were coming over when my kids were little, and there was a "special" toy that just couldn't be shared, it was put away before people arrived so that would not cause trouble.

But the frustrating thing with this incident was there was ZERO trouble between the dogs. The other dog couldn't have cared less about the toys one way or the other. This problem was ALL between Kodi and these people's "perception" of what was "fair" to the other dog.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

motherslittlehelper said:


> Agreed. My thoughts always were, with the kids, if I didn't want all the other kids playing with something belonging to my kids, I put it up, out of reach. And I would do the same with the dog toys. Expecting a dog to leave certain toys alone and only play with the one given to him? - mind boggling. Hopefully, your relatives learned a bit from this experience as well.


Unfortunately, I doubt it. They were mostly impressed that Kodi would growl at them. I was too frustrated (and trying not to ruin the holiday evening) to point out that he hadn't STARTED to growl until they'd taken something away from him a dozen times!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

davetgabby said:


> Great story Karen. It just goes to show that under certain circumstances any dog can revert to their natural tendencies. They all can have a degree of resource guarding. The worst thing that people do is scold the dog for growling and then try to take the item away. I've always believed that we should never take anything out of a dog's mouth, except in an emergency situation. Thanks for sharing. Yeah , we should scream discrimination. What some people will try with a small dog. They probably wouldn't try this with a growling GSD.


I guess it just feels so OBVIOUS to me that you should respect the feelings of others, whether they are adults, small children OR animals. Quite frankly, I think this is how a lot of people get scratched by cats too. (and bitten too... a lot more cats bite than people talk about)


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## Sheri (Oct 11, 2008)

krandall said:


> This problem was ALL between Kodi and these people's "perception" of what was "fair" to the other dog.


I know... it was the PEOPLE that needed to learn the sharing bit.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

The Laughing Magpie said:


> Poor Kodi and poor you!!!! It must have been hard to stay calm and gracious. Oh I could never have done it. I would have cracked..I would most probably would have collected all the toys and put them up, then given all the humans my best Collie crouch and stare...Of course my own relatives would not invite Us back for a long while. Hope Kodi gets back to his happy go lucky Havie self soon.


Thanks, Robbie,

Here at home with us, he's had two nice, quiet days to be his sweet, happy self. I don't even think he minded being left behind yesterday (though he usually loves to go with us!). He was asleep every time I turned around yesterday morning. I think the whole experience was emotionally draining.


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## Brady's mom (Dec 1, 2006)

Sending hugs to you and Kodi. Even when I buy 3 of 1 toys around here, all the dogs went the other one that someone else has. How could someone tell a dog that they can't play with that toy. Wow. I know how you feel though. I don't know if you recall the incident I had where Cassie bit my neighbor's 13 year old son who was acting out of line. He was trying to pick her (after I said not to) and she screamed and came running to me. He reached out and grabbed her by the rear again as she was running and she turned and bit him on the hand. I couldn't blame her. It was the only defense she had at that point. No excuse for a dog biting, I get that, but there is also no excuse for a 13 year old to act that way.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

krandall said:


> I guess it just feels so OBVIOUS to me that you should respect the feelings of others, whether they are adults, small children OR animals. Quite frankly, I think this is how a lot of people get scratched by cats too. (and bitten too... a lot more cats bite than people talk about)


 I hear you there Karen. The scary thing is that some people have the idea that growling is unacceptable . We just don't listen to them. They're simply trying to tell us something. And then they say "out of the blue he bit my little one." What I say to that is ... "the only thing out in the blue ,is you."


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## KSC (Aug 6, 2009)

Oh Karen...poor you and poor Kodi!! I'm really surprised anyone would expect a dog to understand your toy, not your toy...that's ridiculous if you ask me. Goodness...I'm glad you were there to help him. He needed you and you certainly showed how much you understand him.


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## KSC (Aug 6, 2009)

davetgabby said:


> I hear you there Karen. The scary thing is that some people have the idea that growling is unacceptable . We just don't listen to them. They're simply trying to tell us something. And then they say "out of the blue he bit my little one." What I say to that is ... "the only thing out in the blue ,is you."


Couldn't agree more..this lesson I learned from you almost from day one...


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## Kathie (Jul 31, 2008)

Poor, Kodi! I can't believe all the people were being so insensitive!

We had Dixie, our granddog for the holiday and she played with Abby's toys the whole time and even would pile them up next to her on the window seat! She was so funny. Of course, Abby is so laid back she didn't care at all!

Luckily, I was smart enough to give Abby her Pearly White "after" Dixie left this morning and I sent Dixie's along with her "for the road"!

Karen, I hope Kodi doesn't have any ill effects from this experience.


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## juliav (Nov 21, 2006)

Wow, I am stunned at how insensitive people can be!!! Four people cornering a tiny dog to take away the toy that belongs to another dog.....reallly!!!! :jaw: I am truly speechless! You would expect better from adults (assuming they were adults). It's just that it's so juvenile!!!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

KSC said:


> Oh Karen...poor you and poor Kodi!! I'm really surprised anyone would expect a dog to understand your toy, not your toy...that's ridiculous if you ask me. Goodness...I'm glad you were there to help him. He needed you and you certainly showed how much you understand him.


The toy thing was bad enough, but when he really started to lose it was when he was backed into a corner, between a big easy chair and the wall. with four tall adults that he hardly knew towering over him. I can't imagine how scary that must be for an 11" high, 16 lb animal!. His eyes looked like they were ready to bug out of his head when I stepped in to save him.

Since I'm an educational advocate, I see this all the time in school situations too. Many adults have NO idea how intimidating they can seem to a small child, let alone a small autistic child. Then they are completely amazed when the child melts down and becomes "aggressive".


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Kathie said:


> Poor, Kodi! I can't believe all the people were being so insensitive!
> 
> We had Dixie, our granddog for the holiday and she played with Abby's toys the whole time and even would pile them up next to her on the window seat! She was so funny. Of course, Abby is so laid back she didn't care at all!
> 
> ...


Thanks Kathie, I'm sure Kodi will get over it. But I don't think he'll go to that house again... at least not on Christmas eve! He can go with us on Christmas day, to my brother in law's house, where every one is much more laid back, and no one cares who plays with what.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

juliav said:


> Wow, I am stunned at how insensitive people can be!!! Four people cornering a tiny dog to take away the toy that belongs to another dog.....reallly!!!! :jaw: I am truly speechless! You would expect better from adults (assuming they were adults). It's just that it's so juvenile!!!


Yes, 3 of the 4 were young adults (early 20's) but all adults.


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## Lizzie'sMom (Oct 13, 2010)

Poor Kodi and you, too. A toy is a toy to a dog. The scary thing to me is that they had Kodi cornered. That is very intimidating to any dog and their tendency would be to protect themselves.

I hope he is not so stressed today! BTW I just love his coloring!!!


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## morriscsps (Aug 17, 2010)

Sigh... I have been there. My brother-in-law is an idiot. Actually, my hubby's entire family are morons when it comes to dogs. Before Jack, we have always had border collie/Aussie types. Despite me repeatily telling them just to ignore them and leave them alone, they constantly worked the dogs up into a frenzy. 

Rough housing - absolute no for a border collie.
My idiot B-i-L does staring contests to get them to growl and snap.
If I put the dogs away in a separate room, they HUNT them down, let them out and continue. 

This has been going on for 20 years. sigh. Now if we have a big family gathering, I put them into boarding. It is better all around.


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

Karen, I'm sorry this happened to you and I can see how Gucci and I could get into this same situation, being an only hav, she is pretty used to every toy in the house belonging to her and she can even be possessive over her favorite ones in other dogs come over, she'll share the ones she doesn't want to play with or likes, lol.. but i pity the dog that tries to play with the her Snuggle bear or Merry Christmas puppy.

Cornering him was wrong. I'm shocked and of course that would scare any dog (or human for that matter)

The whole 'forbidden fruit" thing extends way beyond canines and i see even the smartest and most civilized humans at times lust after what is forbidden , lol and teenagers, yes, teenagers are often guilty of wanting what they cant' have..ound:

It sounds like you handled it superbly, but its still awful. IF Kodi playing with the other dogs toys was a problem, they should've picked up the toys and put them away until yall' were gone instead of instigating drama with them.



Kara


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## clare (Feb 6, 2010)

Poor dear Kodi, not a good way to start the festivities,sometimes humans can be so insensitive, and Havs seem to be particularly sensitive and intuitive, I hope you will be able to set these people straight so they don't make the same silly mistakes again.Our two babies always want which ever toy the other one has, but thats all part of the fun!


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## LeighaMason (Dec 16, 2010)

Unlike dogs, some people are just untrainable!


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## juliav (Nov 21, 2006)

LeighaMason said:


> Unlike dogs, some people are just untrainable!


Isn't that true!!!



krandall said:


> Yes, 3 of the 4 were young adults (early 20's) but all adults.


Ahhh, that explains it. They may be young adults, but I don't think their brains got that memo yet.  Isn't that funny tat it's the humans that had problem with Kodi taking the wrong toy, not the other dog.


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## The Fussy Puppy Gang (May 21, 2007)

I think every single one of us can be an idiot given the right circumstance or situation. But it's especially unfortunate when the consequences of our behavior are paid for by innocents like our children and pets.

Poor Kodi will probably be wary around your offending family members in the future, especially if toys are involved. They should have picked up the sacred toys until everyone had gone. 

Thank goodness you were there and understood how to ease his stress a bit. There are so many other owners who would have been as clueless as the rest of the family. :frusty:

Pepper sends :hug: and hopes Kodi is feeling better today.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Lizzie'sMom said:


> Poor Kodi and you, too. A toy is a toy to a dog. The scary thing to me is that they had Kodi cornered. That is very intimidating to any dog and their tendency would be to protect themselves.
> 
> I hope he is not so stressed today! BTW I just love his coloring!!!


Yes, it was the cornering him that (almost) sent him over the edge. Christmas day he was still a bit tense about his toys, even around us. But I told the boys that any time he acted possessive about them, to simply pat him and say, "That's right, Kodi's toy". (he knows this means I won't take something away from him) By yesterday, he was pretty much back to normal, and today you'd never know it had happened,though I'll be VERY careful to avoid any situation for the potential for that kind of problem for a L-O-N-G time!!!

Thanks for the compliment, I love his coloring too. (except when I'm taking pictures... it plays H--L with the exposure meter on cameras!!!) The funny thing is when people ask what he is and I explain that he;s a Havanese, they ALWAYS then ask if they are all marked like he is!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

morriscsps said:


> Sigh... I have been there. My brother-in-law is an idiot. Actually, my hubby's entire family are morons when it comes to dogs. Before Jack, we have always had border collie/Aussie types. Despite me repeatily telling them just to ignore them and leave them alone, they constantly worked the dogs up into a frenzy.
> 
> Rough housing - absolute no for a border collie.
> My idiot B-i-L does staring contests to get them to growl and snap.
> ...


That's AWFUL!!! If people PURPOSELY did that to my dog, I'd never invite them again. (and my hubby would support the decision) My relatives (and it was my side of the family, not his) were not purposely causing trouble, they were just clueless. Not much of an excuse, but...


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

clare said:


> Poor dear Kodi, not a good way to start the festivities,sometimes humans can be so insensitive, and Havs seem to be particularly sensitive and intuitive, I hope you will be able to set these people straight so they don't make the same silly mistakes again.Our two babies always want which ever toy the other one has, but thats all part of the fun!


Unfortunately, I don't think I CAN "set them straight". They've had dogs for 25 years, and consider themselves knowledgeable dog people. They've been smart enough to stick with "easy" breeds... Rough Coated Collies up until this one, and this one is the most laid back Sheltie I've EVER encountered. I think I'll just have to make sure that Kodi doesn't go to indoor parties at their house. Outdoors, he has had a good time there, but there have been no toys (especially NEW ones!!!) involved.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

juliav said:


> Isn't that true!!!
> 
> Ahhh, that explains it. They may be young adults, but I don't think their brains got that memo yet.  Isn't that funny tat it's the humans that had problem with Kodi taking the wrong toy, not the other dog.


Ha! That's true. But (except for my son, who was trying to intervene for Kodi, but not very effectively) they were cuing off my SIL who had started the, "That's Sammy's toy" business.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Thanks, everyone. Kodi is feeling much better.

I mostly wanted to relate this story as a cautionary tale to hopefully help keep other dogs from getting labeled as "biters", when the fault is really with the way they are handled.


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

krandall said:


> Thanks, everyone. Kodi is feeling much better.
> 
> I mostly wanted to relate this story as a* cautionary tale to hopefully help keep other dogs from getting labeled as "biters", when the fault is really with the way they are handled*.


SO true, I am mostly extremely laid back and easy going...but I have been pushed to bite a few times, lol...it can happen to any of us (or our dogs!!) lol

Kara


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

krandall said:


> Yes, and if people were coming over when my kids were little, and there was a "special" toy that just couldn't be shared, it was put away before people arrived so that would not cause trouble.
> 
> But the frustrating thing with this incident was there was ZERO trouble between the dogs. The other dog couldn't have cared less about the toys one way or the other. This problem was ALL between Kodi and these people's "perception" of what was "fair" to the other dog.


 I am a bit late on this trend. I agree the other dogs would not have given a hoot and if they did you would have known. It is only a problem if the other dogs cared. The relatives did not Handel it right. Do you remember the saying everything you will ever need to learn you learned in kindergarten? I believe sharing was part of all that. Gee wiz give me a break.


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## TrishK (Nov 29, 2010)

And this is why many times I prefer animals to people. Some people just don't have the sense they were born with. :frusty:


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## ShirleyH (Sep 13, 2009)

*Sanity*

Poor Kodi--silly in the extreme to think dogs distinguish between 'his and mine' with toys. What would have been the problem with letting both dogs play with any toy they picked up? If the dogs had been two-year-old kids, would you admonish one child for picking up a toy belonging to another?
No understanding of the situation created a problem where one did not exist.

Shirley H.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

ShirleyH said:


> Poor Kodi--silly in the extreme to think dogs distinguish between 'his and mine' with toys. What would have been the problem with letting both dogs play with any toy they picked up? If the dogs had been two-year-old kids, would you admonish one child for picking up a toy belonging to another?
> No understanding of the situation created a problem where one did not exist.
> 
> Shirley H.


Yup!


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## IslandLady (Nov 7, 2010)

Glad to hear that Kodi has come through this ordeal with such grace.

In our house, Chica the Hav keeps stealing the toys (old and new) that belong to Boomer the Cat.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

IslandLady said:


> Glad to hear that Kodi has come through this ordeal with such grace.
> 
> In our house, Chica the Hav keeps stealing the toys (old and new) that belong to Boomer the Cat.


Oh, Snowbelle, our cat, has given up on toys. Of course, she prefers her catnip poured directly on the floor to roll in, so it's not a big problem for her!:biggrin1:


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## LuckyOne (Sep 3, 2009)

krandall said:


> They silly thing was that the other dog couldn't have cared less. He was totally ignoring the toys. It wasn't even like Kodi was taking them away from him.


I have to remind people to let the dogs work it out. The humans caused the problem. Hopefully he's over it soon.


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## jenisny (Aug 26, 2010)

This actually poses an interesting problem though for me. We just had a dog here last week for Christmas and let them work it out. We did remove the other dog from my dog's bed and onto his blanket mostly because I want my dog to understand he has a private place to go where he won't be disturbed. But my puppy is teething, and we have to keep my children's toys from him. Every time he has a kids toy, we replace it with one of his or he would destroy the child's toy. Could we be instigating aggression? We would never stand over him like the way you described.


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## IslandLady (Nov 7, 2010)

krandall said:


> Oh, Snowbelle, our cat, has given up on toys. Of course, she prefers her catnip poured directly on the floor to roll in, so it's not a big problem for her!:biggrin1:


Now THERE is a time-saving idea! eace:


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

LuckyOne said:


> I have to remind people to let the dogs work it out. The humans caused the problem. Hopefully he's over it soon.


Yeah, he's totally back to normal again. He's a pretty resilient little guy!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

jenisny said:


> This actually poses an interesting problem though for me. We just had a dog here last week for Christmas and let them work it out. We did remove the other dog from my dog's bed and onto his blanket mostly because I want my dog to understand he has a private place to go where he won't be disturbed. But my puppy is teething, and we have to keep my children's toys from him. Every time he has a kids toy, we replace it with one of his or he would destroy the child's toy. Could we be instigating aggression? We would never stand over him like the way you described.


If he lets you easily "trade" the child's toy for one of his own, or for a treat, all is good. If he fights you over the toys, I think you need to teach your kids to pick up their toys, or else gate off the kid-toy area from the puppy area until he understands better. Some dogs and puppies are more possessive about toys thatn others. I've found that Kodi is MOST interested in "contraband", i.e. anything that's clearly NOT his. So I think that if we did have children's toys around at this point, it would be a challenge.

That was part of the problem at this party. If people had just left him alone, he probably would have played with the toys for a while and then lost interest. But because they kept being taken away, he got ore and more fixated on them. The toy they had providied for him got played with for about two minutes, and then he didn't look at it again for the rest of the night.:suspicious:


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

IslandLady said:


> Now THERE is a time-saving idea! eace:


Yup. She's a cheap drunk.:biggrin1:


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## jenisny (Aug 26, 2010)

good advice. He has a couple of toys he likes a lot, and a couple with no interest. We are trying to get better about picking up toys, but two young boys are not very good at this. I can see your poor dog being picked on to the point of snapping, which is a little different than distracting with a different toy. I am glad he's back to his normal self.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

jenisny said:


> good advice. He has a couple of toys he likes a lot, and a couple with no interest. We are trying to get better about picking up toys, but two young boys are not very good at this. I can see your poor dog being picked on to the point of snapping, which is a little different than distracting with a different toy. I am glad he's back to his normal self.


I also want to make it clear that he DIDN'T snap... I just am afraid he might have GOTTEN to that point if I hadn't intervened.


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## Julie (Feb 8, 2007)

wow Karen--thanks for sharing your experience. I am still sitting here in disbelief of the humans actions..that is really too bad that this whole thing happened as it did.

People can really think they know it all,have beautiful dogs and yet be some of the most uneducated people there are in the dog world. I see it all the time where I work. It is frustrating.....but I am glad to read the sheltie didn't care and that you were there to intervene on Kodi's behalf.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Julie said:


> wow Karen--thanks for sharing your experience. I am still sitting here in disbelief of the humans actions..that is really too bad that this whole thing happened as it did.
> 
> People can really think they know it all,have beautiful dogs and yet be some of the most uneducated people there are in the dog world. I see it all the time where I work. It is frustrating.....but I am glad to read the sheltie didn't care and that you were there to intervene on Kodi's behalf.


Hi Julie, the Sheltie is really a very sweet, VERY laid back little dog, though he's a little timid for my personal tastes. Kodi is MUCH more outgoing and has a much higher play drive than he Sheltie, but Kodi is not a dominant personality dog either. So the two of hem really get along vey nicely, without any human intervention at all, as long as I keep Kodi from jumping on him out of excitement in the first few minutes they are together. (which I did)


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## jetsetgo! (Aug 3, 2010)

Krandall, I am stunned by your story! I can't believe your Kodi was treated that way. Seriously, who cares if he was playing with the other dog's toys? Especially, if he was not stealing them away, but just playing with what was around. That is just a silly rule and sends the message that Kodi was really not all that welcome. I'm sure they are nice people who just got this wrong, but it would have upset me to no end. I hope Kodi recovers from the experience quickly. :hug:


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

jetsetgo! said:


> Krandall, I am stunned by your story! I can't believe your Kodi was treated that way. Seriously, who cares if he was playing with the other dog's toys? Especially, if he was not stealing them away, but just playing with what was around. That is just a silly rule and sends the message that Kodi was really not all that welcome. I'm sure they are nice people who just got this wrong, but it would have upset me to no end. I hope Kodi recovers from the experience quickly. :hug:


Thanks! The good thing is dogs don't hold grudges. He's right as rain again!


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## jenisny (Aug 26, 2010)

Sorry for any misinformation.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

jenisny said:


> Sorry for any misinformation.


No problem!!! I just didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea, if they didn't start reading from the beginning of this thread!


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