Yesterday, my mom brought home her colleague’s tiny maltese/shih-tzu to dogsit over the weekend. She’s 2 years old, but compared to the 4 months old Lassie, she’s SO TINY!
Her name’s Maya.
She’s quite a timid little thing too. She just wouldn’t play with Lassie!
She’s probably 1/3 Lassie’s size, and on that fact probably intimidated by the sheer difference in size. Granted, Lassie can be a rather enthusiastic player. She’d pounce and bark and jump everywhere. Still Maya, Lassie meant no harm…
She’d run and Lassie will chase. When Lassie gets too close, she’ll growl and try to nip her. Lassie’s either too worked up to care or too naive to know that Maya’s in no way welcoming her presence. If she’s growled at or stop from getting too close, she’ll just pounce back and do her play-bark-crouch.
Personally, I just think Lassie’s loves the cat-and-mouse chase going on between them.
I asked the trainer what was going on and was told that it was normal for a grown dog to try to keep a younger pup in line. Really Maya?
My mom asked her friends about it and was told that they’re just trying to pull ranks. I’d just have to stop them if they get to aggressive by voice or pushing them to the ground. Especially if they’re both females. That’s why it’s best if you have 2 dogs, to have 1 female and the other male, vice-versa. I kind of doubt Lassie’s trying to pull ranks. She really just wants to play.
In conclusion, I reckon Maya’s just scared. She does only play with cats back home. She even eats cat food!
For now, we’ll just be trying our best to keep them apart. As long as Lassie stays away, they’re fine.
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A little advice to new dog-owners out there.
If you’re looking to buy your new pup a collar and a leash. Be aware NOT to buy plastic clip collars and nylon leads.
Plastic clip collars apparently snap at the most inconvenient times, and nylon lead just hurts your hand. It’s terribly painful to do proper correction snaps, especially you have big strong dogs like mine. They do slip and cause rope burns on your palm.
I too just found out about this yesterday at the training centre. No wonder I could never properly correct Lassie. I could never snap it hard enough before it hurts my hand. And walking her if she’s pulling on the leash? One word. PAINFUL.
The best bet is to opt for leather or tech-free leads. As for collars, buckled types, just like the one on your belt.
If your dog still doesn’t heed to corrections. A correction chain might be in line. Just make sure to consult a professional on how to properly use it, if not it may hurt the dog’s throat or desensitise them from it.
Oh, and your leads should only be about 1.5m long so you won’t have too much lead in excess which makes controlling your dog difficult.
Till next time.
