Re: [PyrNet-L] dominance/aggression

[BirdBugg <BirdBugg@aol.com>]

In a message dated 5/10/98 4:47:25 AM Pacific Daylight Time, draggon@stc.net
writes:

<< I am not being a smart butt, but are obseving your dog's friendly 
 behavior off your own property or on it???  I don't know of any pyr that 
 will "greet" a strange dog on its (read pyr's) property..The breed has 
 been bred to be territorial and dominant on its homw terf.
 If the dog is not showing aggression (read dominant or territorial) when 
 off the property then great...because it should not... (except in some 
 cases) >>

My 7 yr old spayed pyr will greet any dog anywhere with much enthusiasm,
including in our front yard or theirs.   She has never attacked or growled at
another dog unless there was food involved.  Even when she was attacked by a
pit bull, she did not fight back, she rolled over and went totally submissive.
This probably saved us a vet bill, possibly her life.  

I have even experienced people walking their dogs in front of our house and
when she goes to say "hi" to them, they growl or act aggressive toward her,
she still just sniffs them and trys to greet them.  

In fact this has spoiled me, now we have an intact male boxer about 15 mo. old
and he sometimes acts like he feels it is his duty to rid the world of strange
dogs, especially males.  We are working on this, and he is getting much
better, but it is a total opposite of Echo.

But one thing is for sure I know the boxer would lay down his life for us, he
shows his protectiveness all the time, but I do not know what Echo would do.
In fact when she was young, one night my husband came home unexpectedly and
she pee'd the floor and ran to me cause she was scared! The only time she
acted protective, was when my uncles little terrier, attacked Gambit our boxer
(he was only a puppy then) and I went to help and then the terrier growled at
me, and she put herself inbetween us.  Course, this dog probably weighs 15-20
lbs soaking wet, so she was probably pretty safe! LOL

Sandy