Woof! Bark! And also Whiiiiiiiiiine.

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Red Squirrel Oct 2014 10:08am, 23 Oct 2014 17,198 posts	0 Red Squirrel Sorry Jangles, I called Hector by the wrong name earlier.
Red Squirrel Oct 2014 10:11am, 23 Oct 2014 17,199 posts	0 Red Squirrel I can't see it yet Baroness
Sharkie Oct 2014 10:58am, 23 Oct 2014 5,935 posts	0 Sharkie The lecture we attended recently was about play, including its origins and uses, as well as practical information we could use with our dogs. Must dig my notes out - there was some good stuff about appropriate and inappropriate.
BaronessBL Oct 2014 12:57pm, 23 Oct 2014 4,064 posts	0 BaronessBL I've calmed down a bit now and obviously no actual harm came to Wanda although I know she had been frightened because she was very well behaved on the way home and even sat down to let another dog pass us, without being asked! Thanks for all the comments on my blog - especially yours Sharkie. yes it was probably unnecessary of me to run after the woman and ask her name and say her out of control dogs should be reported .... but this was after two or three perfectly polite requests for her to call her dogs away or put them on a lead for a moment while I caught Wanda... And that's the bit I really don't get....even if you see someone with a clearly badly behaved/out of control dog and your dog is behaving impeccably if they said - please could you just call your dog away or put it on a lead for a moment while I try to catch mine - why on earth wouldn't you want to help another dog owner. I'm guessing that she was maybe embarrassed that her dogs chased Wanda who was obviously frightened.....and perhaps people don't think that Staffies are frightened of anything least of all retrievers.
Dave A Oct 2014 1:34pm, 23 Oct 2014 20,882 posts	0 Dave A I commented on your blog that the lady should have called her dogs off. Sometimes you have to assume that everyone is just plain stupid and take the necessary steps to resolve the situation yourself. It may be that she didn't recognise the signs that Wanda was giving off, and just saw how happy and bouncy her pups were. With Pheobe she will bark at other dogs when she is close. Most of the time it's because she wants to play, but people generally associate barks with aggression. They don't listen to tone and look at body language. As long as Wanda is under control and safe from harm, that's the main thing.
SarahWoo Oct 2014 1:50pm, 23 Oct 2014 6,166 posts	0 SarahWoo Baroness - hope you and Wanda are feeling better now xx
Helegant Oct 2014 12:50pm, 25 Oct 2014 2,426 posts	0 Helegant Hope all are now calm and relaxed. To lighten the mood a little. In a break from sermon writing I've whizzed onto here to let you know that I have a 'dead roach' on the sofa next to me, lying across my book so that I can't read it. My dog seems still to be pleased that I came home
BaronessBL Oct 2014 7:18pm, 27 Oct 2014 4,068 posts	0 BaronessBL Last class today before the Silver test (I'm deliberately not being specific about when that is ) I know Wanda can do everything required and has done all those things at different times. But can she do them all together...I think it's a big ask. My biggest worry is the controlled greeting... but given that we will take the test with only one dog from our class (who Wanda doesn't like anyway) and all the rest are unknown dogs.... well it could go either way. A lot more practice required before the big day I think
Lazydaisy Oct 2014 8:02pm, 27 Oct 2014 8,962 posts	0 Lazydaisy I felt just as unsure Baroness, when Flossie did her tests - quite capable of doing it all, but not 100% reliable at them. I really hope it goes well for you, but don't be downhearted if luck goes against you. Just think how far you've come with your little Battersea dog!
Helegant Oct 2014 8:35pm, 27 Oct 2014 2,428 posts	0 Helegant Good luck to Wanda, whenever it is. Tonight we went to observe the agility class that we will be starting next week. Its in an indoor equestrian arena and the lighting is quite dim. Jet found it fascinating, he watched the other dogs and his neck got longer as he craned to see. There was a collie-cross that seemed to 'get' everything instantly and was very fast indeed; he only thing holding it back was the handler and she was working very hard. That was at one extreme. The other was a smalll dog of indeterminate breed that was willing to do what was asked, but lacked drive and enthusiasm of it's own, so toddled obediently round the course, v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y. I took Jet for a walk around the ring and he was spooked by the shadows in the corners where the jumps were piled up, but then to his credit the second time around he went into those same shadows to investigate. Next week it's our turn to play