For the most part Brut is a happy-go-lucky dog, believe it or not. Moody at times but all in all there have been long strectches without any aggressive behavior. And it seems this is where the killer lies, in wait, until all the brewings coming together when he becomes a stealth bomber, completely catching me off guard. Brut goes for so long being calm and relaxed and happy that I drop my guard, little by little with him. A leathal combination. He gets bolder in his attacks and because they happen so quickly, I am missing the cues to intervene and cut off his course.
Like when this happened the other night:
Brut was alone in the living room, the rest of the Back Dogs were in the bedroom, so Brut could have some alone time with us.
I was sitting at the laptop on the couch, when I see Brut make a mad swoop in front me just as I noticed Boxer the cat come up beside me and Brut started to snarl. It all happened very swiftly. It didn't give me any time to react instead I was pretty freaked out and froze. I was afraid to move, in case Brut would react.
Brut was being possessive of me and by me not responding I was telling him that his behavior was acceptable and that he had my permission to get rid of the intruder.
So he did. He grabbed Boxer's head then immediately let go when I told him NO!
Tell you what, it was scary.
And this all happened in a matter of seconds. There was very little I could do.
Boxer is OK. (thank God) Not a scratch on him, but he doesn't help the situation out very much either. He will sit and confront Brut with no fear or brains (I swear) until Brut attacks. Boxer won't run either, he will just join Brut for the staring showdown.
I don't know what it is with all this strong willed blood in this house and the relentless stubborness to stand their ground.
I went over the incident over and over in my head and really I'm not sure there was anything I could have done different except maybe push Boxer away. Since he was the irritant under Brut's collar, but since I froze, I don't know that I could have even did that. The whole thing was so sudden and scary that I don't think I would have had time to do anything differently in that state of mind. All I can do now is take a relaxed breath that no one was hurt and be prepared for the next time.
What about you?
Have you had any situations like this with other animals in your house? How did you react? Was your reaction positive or negative to the situation? What would you do different?
*******************************************************************
pee.s. there is finally an update to the cat's blog
4 comments:
The strongest tool you have in situations like that is conditioning. If you have practiced a firm NO! and tone that tells your pup No Kidding I mean it! you can cause a pause and think moment...like Brut letting go. I have found that and a moment of holding everyone still as I physically separate or intervene is usually enough to get past crisis. Then it is important to reinforce that the STOP reaction was good with positive feedback. Daily routine and skills practice is so critical for when times like these happen...because all those quiet days have laid te foundation.
No such situations here so of no help I am afraid.
Best wishes Molly
Oh dear, that must have been terrifying. It is understandable to be shocked first but it was very good that you managed to stop Brut before he hurt the cat.
The only very violent outbursts from our dog happen when she finds a bone on the ground and we try to take it from her. That is the only time she becomes extremely possessive and even bites down hard on our hands.
I hope Brut will change his wild ways.
We have problems with Coco too, but only with strangers. Who knows, maybe she could become more unpredictable. It is very hard to live with. I know how you feel.
Post a Comment