http://www.care2.com/greenliving/pet-peeve-social-dogs.html
Pet Peeve: Social Dogs
By Nora Simmons, Natural Solutions
Most Saturday mornings I sit on my couch with a cup of coffee and gaze out the storm door to watch the colorful parade of joggers, bikers, and walkers as they make their way past my little house. This calm reverie is usually accompanied by the high-pitched, incessant yapping of the two terrier mixes that live across the street.
Don’t get me wrong, they’re sweet dogs and I’ve learned to tune them out. What drives me to distraction is that passing dog owners allow their dogs to walk right up to the terriers’ gate and nose them through the bars. Not only does this bring on a crescendo of frenetic barking, but it inevitably ends in yelping as one of the terriers redirects his aggression onto the other. This redirection is common in territorial breeds and can happen in a variety of circumstances. Not only do these little guys get extremely agitated by the perceived threat to their domain, but left uncorrected this behavior will probably get worse. But territorialism is only one reason NOT to let your dog nose other dogs through the fence.
First of all, in dog terms, it’s incredibly rude. If everyone who passed by your home peered through the front window, you’d probably stir up quite the ruckus as well. But in terms of basic health, nose-to-nose encounters are putting your pup at risk. Airborne viruses like kennel cough, canine influenza, and distemper pose the greatest threat. While many dogs receive vaccinations for distemper and kennel cough (this would be your bordetella vaccination), seemingly healthy dogs can still be carriers of the virus and, like the human flu shot, not all strains of the bordetella virus are covered in the vaccine so infection is still a real possibility. While it’s less likely that the parvovirus–an aggressive, potentially fatal, virus that usually manifests as severe diarrhea and is transmitted through fecal matter–could be passed through a fence, it’s still possible when paws, mouths, and fur all come into such close and frenzied contact.
So please, neighbors and pet owners everywhere, it may seem cute to let your dog “say hi” to another through the fence, but is it really worth the agitation you cause the dog on the other side or the health risks for your own best buddy?
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19 comments
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Kabin
Konteyner
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why is this inappropriate?
I find that people with dogs become deaf, dumb and blind to the obnoxiousness of their dogs behavior, much like parents of small children. Ever been in a restaurant or store and had to endure screaming children who run up and down the hallways with their parents totally oblivious to the disruption their childrean are causing? Same with dog owners. They seem to forget that barking and yelping is not pleasant to the human ear and dogs should not be allowed to bark excessively and annoy others.
My dog barks because he's guarding his "territory". Ok, but that doesn't mean I need to let her bark herself hoarse just because I understand why she does it!
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why is this inappropriate?
Disease aside you should never allow a dog to "nose" another dog through a fence. First off, you are trespassing on their territory. Secondly, your dog can be severly injured. In one such case, a small dog lost his nose and upper lip.
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why is this inappropriate?
Disease aside, dogs should not be allowed to "nose" another dog through a fence. Many times the visitor ends up injured. One such dog lost their nose ... literally!
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why is this inappropriate?
Half the problem here is when dog owners leave a dog outside to bark incessently. When I walk my dog, I find it very stressful for me and my dog to pass a yard where the dogs race back and forth barking at us as we pass by.
By the way, invisible fences are not fool proof.
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why is this inappropriate?
Your magazine is generally really enjoyable. However I found this piece frivolous. The term "get a life" springs to mind. It is hardly the fault of the dogs that they are so ill mannered.
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why is this inappropriate?
I have a few observations to share. Most have already been commented on but I feel they deserve revisiting. The most important one is that your pet should be fully up to date on all shots before being exposed to your neighborhood. Nose to nose contact is a very rare way to transmit disease. It is much more likely that your pet will catch something while sniffing around where other dogs have eliminated. Even if you pick up your pet’s waste there is still residual waiting for another dog to sniff and possibly become infected from. Parasites, germs, viruses, and poisons are all too prevalent where pets walk or gather. The best protection is to first make sure your pet is protected. Some heart worm medications also protect against a wide range of worms; consider them. Boarding is not the only place your pet can be exposed to Kennel Cough. Don’t forget that vaccination laws are meant to protect the other pet, not yours, so go the extra step and protect your friend who can not protect his/she self.
As to the two dogs described in the article, it sounds like they are left to fend for themselves most of the time. Instead of complaining about the dogs walking by, how about talking to your neighbor(s) and let your concerns be known. Passing disease is a two way street and the across the street dogs are in even more danger of infection than the ones passing by. You will be hard put to educate the walker-bys but it should be easy to address those living next too you.
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why is this inappropriate?
I have a dog and when I walk him, we avoid getting close to the fences of houses with dogs, because is "rude", as others stated, and because a lot of these dogs are not socialized(they never go to our nearby park to play with other dogs) and kept as guardians, and will likely harm my dog, who is extremely curious and playful (he is a beagle). I don't think the risk of diseases should be a concern, my dog has all his vaccines and parasite prevention, and he's been socialized so has good inmunity; besides, he's rawfed.
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why is this inappropriate?
After working several years for Cesar Millan I have learned that dogs greet nose first, then eyes, then ears. The terriers should be able to smell any passing dogs regardless of whether passersby approach the gate. The appropriate way that people walking their dogs should approach the terriers is to stop near the fence, sit their dogs down calmly and wait until the terriers realize that there is no threat to them. Obviously a dog will protect his territory and strangers should not be on someone's private property, but walking past a house with unruly dogs that are not being corrected can be fixed. It takes patience and complete control over your own dog.
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why is this inappropriate?
My dog noses through the wire fence at the dog next door and both dogs seem to enjoy this contact very much. My dog is a big German Shep/Border Collie mix who lives with 5 cats and our other little dog, so she's quite used to little animals and is not nervous around them. The dog next door is a Jack Russell and is quite happy to say hi and even follows my dog as she sniffs along the fence. However, I wouldn't let my dog go up to ramdom fenced in dogs in other peoples yards, that's just common sense.
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why is this inappropriate?
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