I’m posting this letter from a reader in a hurry. I will add my thoughts and some links later. In the mean time, feel free to chime in in the comments.
This is my first visit to your site and I enjoyed reading it.I am very concerned about my scotty, Bailey and his aggression and behavior to children and adults. I hope you can give me some direction.
Bailey is 7 years old and still full of energy. I walk him every day for almost an hour and we encounter many children and adults who think he is very cute and would like to pet him. Because of his reactions in the past, I just tell everyone not to pet him, he is not a friendly dog, as he is wagging his tail.
Bailey is very devoted and protective of me and would probably risk his life to come between me and someone who may be harmful. Last week several friends visited from out of state. When one went to hug me good bye, Bailey jumped on her, grabbed and ripped her slacks. I think he was going for her leg.
Another instance, a little girl went to pet him, she was warned not to but came right up to him and he grabbed her little hand in his mouth and wuld not let go. He did not bite, but it took a lot of screaming on my part to make sure the little girl got her hand back in one piece. And a third time, an adult went to pet him and he grabbed the cuff of her shirt and would not let go.
He is bad at the vet, needs a muzzle and fights everyone off and we finally found a groomer who is crazy about him but he gave her a hard time, also.
He has been to doggie obedience school, was never abused, and can be very loving and follow directions. Also, he loves to chase cars, people’s feet, kids on bikes, etc. Bailey is very strong and can pull me. He’s been walking daily since he was a pup so he is in great shape.He came from a private home, his mom was beautiful and friendly. He is a brindle, about 28 pounds and very muscular. Sometimes I feel like I have a pit bull and not a scottie.
My biggest concern is that he not harm anyone. By the way, he gets along with most small dogs, but large, black male dogs are his nemesis. And he absolutely hates a labradoodle who he happens to see on his walks. Just won’t stop barking. And, by the way, he is a very loud barker and it doesn’t take much to provoke him and he will continue to bark. Ihoped he would start calming down at this point, but this dog is veryhealthy and I love him dearly.
Thank you,
Laura
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