Manners matter - My Kangal is snapping at other dogs

When I'm walking around the Supermarket and someone says "Hi" or "Good morning" to me I will respond with the same politeness that was shown to me. I will probably say "Hi" back and give a smile. We may or may not engage in a brief conversation about the weather or whatever but either way, the interaction will be friendly, courteous & polite before we each go our own separate ways.

If, as I was walking around the Supermarket someone climbed into my trolley, started jumping up & down in my face & biting my ears screaming "Hey!! Hiiii, How are you!!" whilst climbing onto my back I would likely be very annoyed. I would probably tell you to leave me alone. I might even shout at you and if you didn't listen and kept on & on I would probably really lose my temper and may even snap / push you away ….. I'd probably try to walk away and give myself some distance from you but if you kept on following me, eventually, I may even feel like I need to lash out at you or even hit you ……

Would that be MY fault??

If I lost my temper in that situation that would be quite reasonable, right??

Imagine, if the person jumping up & down in my trolley / biting my ears / screaming in my face had another human with them saying "Its OK, he's friendly, he just likes to say hi & play with everyone he meets in Tesco" or "He's OK, he's only young and he's just learning how to socialise"

Well …. Is it MY job to teach this clown how to say "Hi" appropriately?? Should I just stand there and take it?? Would YOU just stand there & take it?!!

NO!! Its not my job!! But if you are just standing there, laughing, thinking this is how you teach someone to have good manners and you don't help to move this idiot away from me then I'm going to have to deal with the situation myself …….

I can almost see the horrific post you will write on Social Media later that evening:

My poor friend!! He's always been so friendly. He loves going up to people in Tesco to say hello and today, this woman screamed at him & shoved him to the floor. We had to take him to the Doctor because he has a black eye & a cut on his leg ….. Beware, if ever you see this lady in Tesco, do not approach. She is not friendly …..

And then I can see all of the replies to this post from your friends & family and from strangers who have shared your post:

*Oh my God, that's awful!! Why wasn't that woman in a Straight Jacket??!!

*Oh, your poor friend, I hope he recovers from this. I hope you report that lady for what she's done. She shouldn't be allowed out without a Straight Jacket on!!

*That woman needs putting to sleep before she does it to another human or worse still, a child!!

*I blame the womans parents - it must be the way she was brought up. If they're raised right they don't behave like that …. .

And then a year later I can see the post that you'll write:

My friend was attacked last year by an out of control woman in Tesco and now he's afraid of every woman he meets. He screams & shouts at every single woman he meets and if any ladies get too close to him he really snaps at them. Its such a shame, he used to be so friendly and he loved saying hi to everyone but since this attack last year he has really changed. All because of that aggressive woman in Tesco ….. Now, I need to get some help for my friend. Can anyone recommend a good Psychiatrist??

If you want to train your puppy how to be well socialised & friendly and how to behave in public / how to interact with others then make sure YOU teach your puppy. It is not the responsibility of other dogs to train your dog for you - that could go very drastically wrong and it really wouldn't be the other dogs fault.

So - what can you do?

Step in ….. Help your puppy out. If he is becoming annoying & not leaving another dog alone then its time for you to step in. Playtime is good and we don't want to ruin all of the fun but we need to remember that puppies need to learn.

What is the other dog doing? Is he trying to move away? Is he turning his head away? What body language do you see? Is the other dog engaging in the play equally or is it one-sided with the puppy keeping on & on & on …??

It may be time to pop puppy back on the lead for a few minutes or to leave the Park for now. We don't want puppy to "learn" how to be annoying.

Yes, of course - let your puppy play but make sure that the play mate is a suitable match & be sure that the other dog is enjoying the game ….. Otherwise its not fun ….. And if its not fun then we all, quite rightly, loose our tempers …..

SIDE NOTE:

Sometimes, even if you are being super polite & super friendly, there are times, when I just do not want to say "Hi" to you in Tesco …. I may be feeling poorly, I may be in a bad mood, I may be in a rush ….. Whatever the reason, its perfectly OK for me to just turn around & walk in the other direction even if you were just going to smile and say "Good morning" politely …… If you see other dog owners moving their dog away from your puppy then that's fine, too. They probably have their reasons and anyway, its good for puppies to learn that not every dog they see needs to be greeted