# (Long, sorry!) Know it all neighbor ( I wish it was fake)



## LadyLuckandGemini (Jun 9, 2013)

So, this conversation is completely and utterly true, not a made up one like you awesome guys do! I wish it was, but sadly, not. 

My neighbor was over to talk mulch with my dad, and if he could have some of ours for a small project, while I had Lucky out in the backyard, working on her recall with distractions, i.e my dad and my neighbor. I had her on my 30ft leash, though I cinched it down to only 6ft, because of the distractions. 

So I'm running around our yard like an idiot(the things we do), making it absoLUTELY fun and amazing and just SUCH an awesome thing to come to mom, with either a treat, huge praise, a stick, a toy, etc. when my neighbor finally takes notice and starts walking towards me. 

Thinking "woo, a great way to practice!" I start to run off and have Lucky chase me, albeit a bit rude to our neighbor, I admit(don't like him. He's a priss and thinks GSD's are vicious dogs that shouldn't be allowed off chains), and start to praise her when he calls out for me to "Stop! You're ruining your parents' dog!" 

Shocked, I turned around(forget to praise Lucky like an IDIOT) and just kind of stare at him dumbfounded. This is how the conversation continues; 

-- "What do you mean, I'm ruining MY dog?" (I am possessive, it is a thing(they're mine damnit)

--"Don't have your dog chase you! That makes her think you're an omega in the pack."

-- "Uhm, I don't think so, sir." 

-- "Trust me, I've been working with dogs since I was a kid. You're ruining any kind of dominance you have over her."

-- "I assure you, sir, that I'm not." (In an effort to prove to him(ugh, he makes me feel so fricken insecure(and very creeped out), I tell Lucky to Sit, Stay. Drop the leash, and walk over to him. Once there, I bend down, and ask Lucky to come to me. After of course, giving her her release. Tongue lulling, she bounces towards me, like a perfect angel. 

It isn't even two seconds after I praise her, that he snatches up the leash and YANKS her towards him, telling her in a very deep and loud voice to 'come'. 

Lucky startles, and darts away, and he goes to yank her back when I snatch the leash out of his hand(needless to say, I've had trouble with recall after this). Sadly, my dad having gone to get him the mulch, doesn't witness it. 

-- "You should really let your father teach your dog. She'll only listen to a true pack leader, and that's always a male." 

-- Speechless, I just stare at him for a moment before mumbling out; "I think you need to rethink all those years of dog handling, sir. Recall has to be fun, not something to be scared of."

-- "With dogs like GSD's, you have to be firm and very, very dominant for them to even think about listening to you. A girl like you just isn't the person to be training your parents' dogs. I'll give your father some advice." 

And he walks away. I'm just so pissed right now. Lucky is afraid of my dad(tall, broad shouldered, deep voiced) right now, and it's breaking his heart, because Lucky is his favorite. We're working on building up a positive environment with my dad and looots of good, yummy treats to combat her bad experience. 

I feel like such a bad owner for allowing it to happen.


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

I wouldn't have been nice to that guy at all. Snatching my dogs leash like that and treating a dog in such a way, especially a dog that isn't his, would have been enough of a reason to beat him with the leash for me. Inexcusable. Especially telling you that you're basically too girly to train a GSD when truth of the matter is, the majority of GSD owners I've known, the dogs have all the been females dogs. I cant stand people like that. Sorry he set you back in training.


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

I'm not sure how old you are, but since he apparently only respects your father, it might be worth having your father send him a very formal letter in the mail stating that this neighbor is not to touch YOUR dog, or bother to YOU. No explanation needed -- just tell him firmly to mind his own business.


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

Don't feel too bad. One you obviously have been raised to be polite and practice being a polite person in life so that's going to be your first knee jerk reaction, not to be aggressive. Also you were caught off guard with him. He felt he was in a position of authority and with people like that they aren't going to care about your space or your rights. **

Two your dog is more resilient then you realize. As long as you stay focused and positive with your dog things will only get better. 

I would avoid the neighbor, if he's out while you are training move away. If he approaches you move away more, look him in the eye and tell him firmly he is not to get closer to you or your dog.

If continues to approach take your dog run away. It won't look good to anyone seeing a man chasing you...he'll look bad, he'll know that and will probably then get the message.

Tell your dad what happened too. His behavior was out of bounds and you probably don't like him because your gut/intuition is telling you something isn't right trust that feeling, always.

(**my FIL is that way, he really thinks he's 'king of the world' he does not respect other people's boundaries, really what that is, is an adult bully)


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## NTexFoster (Jul 18, 2013)

That's two stories about people grabbing leashes of dogs that do not belong to them I've read here. Is this common?

I don't mean to sound like the red neck I am but that is an excellent way to get me to gut your %%% and make a skin suit out of you. It's basic kindergarten: don't touch other people's stuff without permission. Ask that @#% stain to go to a biker bar and touch another rider's bike to see what happens.

@LadyLuckandGemini - ignore that pitiful creature and keep working with your dog. It sounds like the two of you are doing it right. I look forward to getting Kaiser to where the two of you are.


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

NTexFoster...

just a friendly heads up...pseudo swearing isn't allowed on this board...get what you're saying tho.


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

btw, IMO it's *not* common for people to grab the leash of someone elses dog, especially strangers.

However what you'll notice is when things like this happens it's usually a man taking the leash from a women as in these two stories.

I've never had it happen but I'm tall, older and serious looking when working my dogs and my dogs have pretty good OB on them now so they look serious too.

Young women (not all mind you, but a lot) don't project confidence and seriousness and men who are bullys will take advantage of that. In other words a man who'll grab the leash from a petite or young women would NOT mess with a man's bike at a biker bar.

That's the difference a lot of guys don't understand.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Your puppy should overcome a negative situation. I am sorry it happened, but I would not treat the dog different, maybe back up a step or two and work on recall only while on lead. 

Nothing wrong with Dad giving the puppy treats whenever he sees the puppy. I am not sure how old the puppy is. But a negative reaction from a strange man, should not make him wary around ANY man. If your dad is having trouble interacting with the puppy, he should ignore the puppy. Don't even look at the puppy, drop treats and move away so the pup can eat them. Depending on how the pup is acting, move on to offering the treat from the hand, but looking away from the dog. Palm should be open. When that is ok, start having his face toward the dog, but not focused on the dog's eyes when he takes the treat. 

Move on to taking treats gently from a hand that begins to be more challenging, and finally to have the dog look at your father's face before giving the treat, with the LOOK or WATCH command. 

Any dog can act fearful of a new situation, but should recover quickly. How we act during the situation, and during the recovery. I mean if we praise or comfort the dog in a fearful state, we may be increasing the length and strength of the fear reaction. We want to encourage the dog to be confident, and encourage the dog when it recovers. 

I wasn't there, so I really don't know. 

Oops, there may be some unsolicited advice in there. 

The neighbor was a jerk. If there wasn't a puppy to consider in the situation, I would probably have suggested screaming bloody murder or biting him -- just kidding. The world is full of jerks. If you have a negative feeling about someone, don't let them get close enought to snatch your lead out of your hand.


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## DWP (Mar 31, 2011)

*Gotta love'm*

Wow! People never cease to amaze me. Sadly, it's is usually how stupid they can be.


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## pyratemom (Jan 10, 2011)

I've read a couple stories where people had grabbed leashes. It always seems to be from a woman. Some men think they are superior and us poor lil' girls can't train a mouse. My dog reads people's personalities very well. If she acts hinky at all toward a person coming our way. I step to the side of the path and put her in a sit facing the person coming. If they pass by quietly we resume walking. If they attempt to get too close I watch closely what Raina's reaction is. No one and I mean no one will get my leash from me. My husband tried just for kicks to see if I could hold on to it if someone tried to grab it. He was surprised that he couldn't pull it out of my hand. I have a good grip after over 10 years of training GSD's. (Sorry to those who I've squished their hands in a handshake.) No one should tell you how to train your dog unless they are asked, hired, or picked by you for advice. Sounds like you are doing a good job. Keep up the good work. Unfortunately there are jerks out there.


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## Apple (Jun 21, 2013)

Yeah this guy is a jerk! What you're doing training wise is great, and keep it up! I hate that this man thought he could do what he did and it be ok! Because that's not ok!
I'd tell your Dad what happened and that it really upset and worried you. Your dad probably doesn't want to see Lucky scared or upset anymore, and knowing what this neighbour did he might want to avoid this guy ever seeing Lucky or you again! 
Lucky's recall will get better again. :hug: good luck, and you did a great job staying calm and polite while being verbally berated by jerk face neighbour!  


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## LadyLuckandGemini (Jun 9, 2013)

Thank you guys for all your support! My dad is aware of the situation, and very upset at it. He did speak to the neighbor(who denied everything that happened), and has told him to stay away. Lucky has outgrown the fear reaction, and is coming for daily cuddles from my dad.

Her recall is not what it used to be, but we're working on it. No more just me training, we went back to the basics of recall, with two people and her favorite toy. Distraction training is a terror right now, but I have no problem being patient with her. 

Where I live, if you're not a big, beefy man, you 'shouldn't have an opinion and need to get back in the kitchen.' 

I'm just glad that my boxer, Gabby wasn't outside at the time. We got her from an abused family with an abusive husband, and ever since she bonded with us, males in our personal space have been triggering for her. We are working with a behavioral trainer to help her, but if she would have bitten our neighbor, I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to get her named a viscous dog and put down. 

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## brembo (Jun 30, 2009)

Grab my dog's leash. I'll introduce you to one of my best friends, he is a dentist. Yer gonna need to see him.

Take my wallet, key my truck, I will stomp and cuss but it's not worth going to jail for. Mess with my dog and who knows what the outcome will be before the RAGE boils off.


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## Muneraven (Sep 4, 2012)

If I lived next to a guy like that? My next purchase would be MACE for sure. That guy wasn't worried about the dog. He was all about dominating YOU. I wouldn't trust him at all ever. 

And good on your Dad for standing up for you. If a man treated my daughter that way, we'd be having discussions about never coming on my property again and how much we love our new shotgun. And I'm a Mom.

Ick. This story gave me the creepy crawlies.


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## MiaMoo (Apr 6, 2013)

Muneraven said:


> Ick. This story gave me the creepy crawlies.


I agree with this statement. 
If someone tried this with me I'd kick hard and aim low.


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## pyratemom (Jan 10, 2011)

Muneraven said:


> If I lived next to a guy like that? My next purchase would be MACE for sure. That guy wasn't worried about the dog. He was all about dominating YOU. I wouldn't trust him at all ever.
> 
> And good on your Dad for standing up for you. If a man treated my daughter that way, we'd be having discussions about never coming on my property again and how much we love our new shotgun. And I'm a Mom.
> 
> Ick. This story gave me the creepy crawlies.


You go Mom! This reply totally reminded me of the song "Cleaning this Gun"! I actually do feel the same way. The guy is a creeper and if he came near my daughter he would be singing soprano for awhile. "She deserves respect and that's what she'll get now ain't it son, see ya when ya get back I'll be up all night still cleaning this gun."


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

My father raised four girls. Nobody disrespected us. And we had better not disrespect anybody either. 

My dad was a Marine. He taught us some handy stuff. 

My mother, on the other hand...she can stop a raging bull with one look. We learned that from her.....


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## Neko (Dec 13, 2012)

Well I guess we ruin our dog everyday! We chaise him, he chaises us, we wrestle and roll all over, we play tug (he always wins not by choice, but because he is stronger). Sigh, w/e not worried. There is play time and there is work time, eventually the pups learn. 

Some people overdue everything and take all the fun out of having a puppy. Setting rules in the house is one thing, but playing and goofing off is fine too... there is time and place for everything. 

Sorry you had this happen, I am sure your pup is fine and loves playing with you.

P.S. we lost all of the recall at 5 month and now working on getting it back. =) it's takes time.


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

I'm glad you Dad is involved now. The fact that the neighbor-jerk lied about what happened tells you everything about his character. Stay clear. His creepy-self can just watch through his house windows as you raise a happy, socialized, well-adjusted dog with your positive training methods.


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## Apple (Jun 21, 2013)

That neighbour... Grr! My puppy school instructor was saying that there's a local club that has the exact same mindset! Choker chains, and men of the family need to train the dog, sever chokes for correction involving the dogs whining. What the?! People need to stop being Neanderthals! So glad your dad stepped up for you and told this guy he wasn't welcome anymore. One day he's going to do that to a dog and the dog will bite him. Have fun with Lucky and keep doing what you're doing! 


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## Blitzkrieg1 (Jul 31, 2012)

Apple said:


> That neighbour... Grr! My puppy school instructor was saying that there's a local club that has the exact same mindset! Choker chains, and men of the family need to train the dog, sever chokes for correction involving the dogs whining. What the?! People need to stop being Neanderthals! So glad your dad stepped up for you and told this guy he wasn't welcome anymore. One day he's going to do that to a dog and the dog will bite him. Have fun with Lucky and keep doing what you're doing!
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Lol you sure the puppy trainer isnt talking about the local schutzhund club?  you know a lot of people not in the sport percieve it that way.


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## Nikitta (Nov 10, 2011)

I find it unbelievable that anyone could be so rude! Wow. Good for your dad. If that jerk ever comes near you again, threaten him with a protection order THEN see how brave the jerk is! There are laws against what he did.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

don't me upset. next time remove your dog from the area immediatley
when you're confronted by someone who doesn't know what they're
talking about.


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## Konotashi (Jan 11, 2010)

I probably would have went to jail, because if anyone did that to ANY of my dogs, that leash would be going around THEIR neck, and I'm probably going to snap it or strangle them with it!


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## Wetdog (May 23, 2001)

LL&G------being alpha has absolutely nothing to do with size or gender. It has nothing to do with force, intimidation or manipulation.

Being alpha means being a leader. Being alpha means others follow you because they WANT to follow you. Being alpha means being smart, being concerned, caring and committed. Being alpha means being patient, and tolerant.

Being alpha doesn't mean going around picking fights and being a bully. Being alpha means going back over and over again, when there are mistakes and doing it again until there are no mistakes. It means staying calm and patient, and loving even when things are not going right. It means knowing when to walk away and come back to it later.

Being alpha means learning to control yourself---and if you can do that, you can control others. They will follow you willingly. They will see your power.

Trust me on this.

And, being alpha is a learned behavior----reinforced by repetition in everything you do until it becomes such an ingrained habit, it is part of your psyche. It becomes just a part of who you are.

If you need help with your training and would like some help, PM me---I can send you some suggestions on how to get to where you want to be.

Training your dog can be the most alpha building thing you can possibly do. And you will never have a more willing follower in all the world, or one more pleased to have you be their alpha than the one watching you right at your feet. 

When the cards go down on the table, Lucky will be on your side of the table no matter what.


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## Apple (Jun 21, 2013)

Blitzkrieg1 said:


> Lol you sure the puppy trainer isnt talking about the local schutzhund club?  you know a lot of people not in the sport percieve it that way.


I live in Australia, Schutzhund is illegal here , so no... Local obedience club sadly enough. 


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## Wetdog (May 23, 2001)

Apple said:


> I live in Australia, Schutzhund is illegal here , so no... Local obedience club sadly enough.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


 
That didn't sound right to me, so I did a little check...........here is what I found.

Schutzhund Australia

Schutzhund Australia

http://www.schutzhundaustralia.com/pdf/fee-schedule.pdf

You might want to check into it a little further.


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## Apple (Jun 21, 2013)

I've just sent an email to the club in Victoria (the state I live in) perhaps it's just a victorian legislation against Schutz. All I know is that the Australia National Kennel Club will strip an imported dog of its IPO/Schutz titles if it arrives with them because they view it as a title associated with "attack" training. 
I will do some more digging and see what I can come up with! 


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## TommyB681 (Oct 19, 2012)

This is why I rarely speak to people, period. "Oh your talking? Sorry, bye."


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## Apple (Jun 21, 2013)

Got a reply from the Schutz/IPO club!!

"IPO is not illegal in Victoria and never has been.

The Victorian Government has put in place very strict requirements if you wish to train the third phase (Phase -C), and if you train without meeting those requirements you can face financial penalties.

As such we offer the obedience and tracking titles, as we cannot afford to meet the requirements set out by the DPI in order to train the third phase. "

So it's not illegal, but has been put under very strict guidelines, and bashed via the victorian government as being an attack sport. 

Sorry to hijack original thread!! :$ 


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