dogs 034.jpg look at the pearly on that lol

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[SIGPIC] Its all down hill from now on!

i come across this reaction all the time from owners who think "oh...he is talking!", or "oh...he is putting you in your place",. or "oh how sweet, he is protecting me!"

it takes a lot of talking and persuasion of the gentle (and sometimes not so gentle) kind to get them to realise that a bite is a distinct possibility!

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All posts are my personal opinions based on the knowledge and experience I have and should not be associated with any organisations I may be a member of



ZACK (1993-2007)
forever in sunshine

Hehehehehe, this picture made me laugh so much!!! It is just like from a zombie movie! Especially with these white looking eyes, lol.
Put that picture on your doorstep and no one will ever burgle your house, guarantee!

Dog wants to sniff and the cat is obviously against it? Dog looks quite relaxed so far...

awww, but that's definitely play! the Poodley-one has a relaxed face, commissure wide-open,
the Springer's ears have popped back & up as they lift their face away from the under-dog, but the bodies
are not rigid & the Poodley-dog has soft eyes.

pretty much! except the dog wants to play, really play -
& Kitty is not at all keen on that.

Kitty's ears are akimbo [conflicted, uncertain], tail has begun to bristle, definite Mohawk of piloerection
clear down the spine, she's giving the dog a direct eyes-on-eyes stare, her sclera can be seen at the corner
of the right-eye [white of the eye, visible when eyelids are widely opened by fear], her whiskers are forward...
she's posed broadside on & is making herself bigger, next step would be arching her back & a bottle-brush tail.

i would bet the previous pic would be Kitty walking away, & Tactless over there on the right, pouncing,
slapping forepaws down, mouthing her tail, back or neck, bouncing in & play-bowing intrusively, or similar.

meantime, the GSD's mouth is slightly open, face soft, ears forward - curious, interested, but it could become
intent & hyperfocused in a heartbeat. the dog's BODY is a nice loose curve, tail is a low sweeping wag, head down,
one paw lifted [a common puppy soliciting gesture which persists into adulthood in many dogs].

the teen-pup [i'd guesstimate about 8 to 9-MO here] wants to play very much.
the cat is felling quite defensive, probably because Tactless just invaded her personal space,
& is not in the mood for play - maybe later, if the dog is more polite & less pushy about it.

this is a moment that could turn ugly, with the cat turning to flee & the dog becoming predatory;
chase games can so easily & quickly segue into assaults or even lethal violence.
GSDs, Sibes & JRTs all have a long-established reputation as potential cat-killers.
that's not to say ALL of them are cat-hating, only that it's seen more often in those breeds than, say,
a Flabrador, Poodle, Boxer or Newfie.

it's always a good idea to give any cat in a dog-resident household a cat-tree in every room,
just in case - and NOT to leave the cat in shared space with the dog until U are sure Kitty & dog
are safe together, unsupervised. Even then, i'd leave the cat a bolt-hole the dog cannot get into,
like a chained-open door with a litter-box in one end of the room, & water-bowl at the other -
food is optional, it depends upon how long U will be gone.

if Ur breed is among the more-predatory types [Bullmastiff, terrierrist, Nordic...] or loves to chase [herding, hound...],
or is a mix including any of those breeds, separating Kitty & dog before leaving the house may be best.
safe first always beats sorry after. if U see signs of rough play or chasing when U return,
Re-Think leaving them together. magazines kicked onto the floor, small objects on shelves knocked over
by a fleeing cat, kitty's coat is slobbered on the neck, trunk, back or tail... there's been some funny stuff.

Attached Images

phpNWKlBRAM.jpg (33.3 KB, 4 views)

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terry pride, APDT-Aus, apdt#1827, CVA, TDF
*wolves R wolves, dogs R dogs, + primates R us.*
tmp, sept-2007

Reading this, I am very glad I got a smallish Labradoodle called away from the small terrier hearing assistance dog that tagged along with us today!

Small dog was chasing little one, turns changed, but then the little terrier started trying to flee after the playful Labradoodle didn't self regulate which she had been doing earlier, so I got proactive. I kind of felt I may have been over cautious, but it's better safe than sorry I guess.