Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Man?
 
A few days ago we saw a scene that really got me thinking. A dog was walking between its people, tail tightly tucked between its legs and showing every possible sign of being scared. To make things worse, the people were constantly shouting at it.
 
This is only a very extreme case of a dog which is afraid of people. A lot of dogs fear humans. Some of them just because their owners don't understand them and don't know how to act in the right way. Others, because their owners are made to believe that to train a dog, you have to physically dominate it ("show it you're the boss!") which simply is not true. A small dog can dominate a big dog, even if it could get chewed up in one bite. It is true that it's much easier to live with a dog which accepts you as the boss. Teach the dog some tricks and it will see you as someone smarter. Of course it wants a smart dog (person) to lead the pack. Sadly enough there are still dog owners who use their dogs to get rid of their own aggressions. They hit their dogs and shout at them for no reason at all. Why these dogs get aggressive is obvious.
 
For whatever reason dogs may be afraid of people, they often revolt some day and bite. This can either be their owner or some innocent person. Most likely the dog will be labeled as dangerous; it will have to live with a muzzle for the rest of its life, or it will be pushed in a pound, or it may get put to sleep. And what does the owner do once the old dog's gone? He'll probably get a new puppy, which will have the same destiny.
    "As dog owners we are in a position of power, yet we have to learn what a dog needs to lead a happy life. This means neither cruelty nor pampering, but respect, tenderness and clear guidelines of behaviour that take advantage of the dog's natural habits. Let us therefore learn about dogs, cats, horses and humans, and hope that true friendship be the result."
Mr Baechi, our coach.
 
A good book which covers this sad and often hidden aspect of dog keeping is: "The Behaviour of Dogs and Cats" by John Fisher and others, published by the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors, in 1993. ( Deutsche Übersetzung unter dem Titel: Verhaltensstörungen bei Hund und Katze, erschienen 1996 im Kynos Verlag.)