NewfieMama
New member
Sorry, gotta do it. It may help me get this lady out of my mind. She's a hipster, comes to the park today with a 1.5 year old lab/border mix. Sees Cooper, asks if he's a Newfoundlander (sigh) I say yes.
She starts on how her husband wanted a big dog (hers is probably 70 lbs so not small) but how she has 3 kids and it would be just too much work. And besides she wants a dog she can control and how could you ever control a dog who's bigger than you?
Deep breath. I say, I got my NewfoundlandS because I have kids. My dogs are great with kids, very gentle. And they are the easiest dogs I have EVER walked on a leash because I TRAINED them and they do NOT pull.
Another lady asks me if I want to train her shepherd mix on a leash. He pulls all the time, she's tried a prong, a chain, an ez walk harness, he just pulls and pulls. I said, Be a Tree. She said, Oh I tried that but it didn't work. I said, if you do it right, it works. She said I did, I stopped when he pulled but he just kept on pulling. Um, that's the point, yeah? You have to stay still, not give up, and then IMMEDIATELY reward/click/yes and keep walking as soon as the dog lightens up and looks at you. (bangs head against wall).
So hipster mom now starts in on how her dog is mouthy. She wrestles with the neighbor's kids and "doesn't exactly bite but uses her mouth like hands." I say, wow, she's a little big for that. :kiss::kiss::kiss: She says, oh, she doesn't actually bite, just uses her teeth. Now I've been watching this dog and she seems perfectly fine, a little rambunctious, but she is a not small black dog and this person thinks it's fine she uses her teeth on children. Sigh.
We're about to leave and my friend (4th adult in this group) asks me if we're doing any therapy visits this week so I tell her yes and when. And hipster mom says, "Oh I really want my dog to become a therapy dog." She asks me what's involved. I tell her "perfect obedience and a fantastic personality." Smile.
It was all I could do to walk away without saying yeah, letting her mouth kids at 18 months old and laugh it off because "she's mouthy" is a really great way to prep her to do therapy work....
I do really like my animals far more than I like people. Most of the time.
She starts on how her husband wanted a big dog (hers is probably 70 lbs so not small) but how she has 3 kids and it would be just too much work. And besides she wants a dog she can control and how could you ever control a dog who's bigger than you?
Deep breath. I say, I got my NewfoundlandS because I have kids. My dogs are great with kids, very gentle. And they are the easiest dogs I have EVER walked on a leash because I TRAINED them and they do NOT pull.
Another lady asks me if I want to train her shepherd mix on a leash. He pulls all the time, she's tried a prong, a chain, an ez walk harness, he just pulls and pulls. I said, Be a Tree. She said, Oh I tried that but it didn't work. I said, if you do it right, it works. She said I did, I stopped when he pulled but he just kept on pulling. Um, that's the point, yeah? You have to stay still, not give up, and then IMMEDIATELY reward/click/yes and keep walking as soon as the dog lightens up and looks at you. (bangs head against wall).
So hipster mom now starts in on how her dog is mouthy. She wrestles with the neighbor's kids and "doesn't exactly bite but uses her mouth like hands." I say, wow, she's a little big for that. :kiss::kiss::kiss: She says, oh, she doesn't actually bite, just uses her teeth. Now I've been watching this dog and she seems perfectly fine, a little rambunctious, but she is a not small black dog and this person thinks it's fine she uses her teeth on children. Sigh.
We're about to leave and my friend (4th adult in this group) asks me if we're doing any therapy visits this week so I tell her yes and when. And hipster mom says, "Oh I really want my dog to become a therapy dog." She asks me what's involved. I tell her "perfect obedience and a fantastic personality." Smile.
It was all I could do to walk away without saying yeah, letting her mouth kids at 18 months old and laugh it off because "she's mouthy" is a really great way to prep her to do therapy work....
I do really like my animals far more than I like people. Most of the time.
