Do I say "Hi" to you with a baseball bat?

He Just Wants To Say "Hi"!

The above is one of the best articles on dog behaviour that I have ever read. It ties in to both the Shiba temperament subject and my pet peeve about dogs who are allowed to run up to mine.

A lot of owners are oblivious or just plain stupid when it comes to their dogs running up to others. They think that just because there is no fight starting immediately that their dog is "just being friendly" when, in fact, he is creating the potential for a severe backlash.

Clothier provided an excellent analogy in the above article, but let me provide another.

I'm walking down a city street and notice a big man staring at me. Without warning, he starts running towards me and nearly knocks me over. He then starts feeling me up and asking personal questions. When I kick him in the nuts and follow it up with a boot to the head, he starts screaming that he's going to call the police and charge me with assault.

Sound fucked up? But that is exactly what thousands of fucking assholes are doing to responsible dog owners every day. The implication is that they can allow their dog to run up to yours and jump all over him, but if there's a fight it's your dog's fault because their dog was "just being friendly". For variety, there's the OMG!thishasneverhappenedbefore! breed of idiot haunting city streets and pathways.

I also love how morons with their dogs on Flexi-leads allow their dogs to pull them over to my dog so that the dog can jump all over him. It smacks of the dog telling its owners what to do and the owners allowing a potentially dominant dog to get into my dog's face. It's like somehow things are okay because the dog was the one initiating contact. Never mind that I might be holding my dog close by my side so that we can pass by in peace.

Tierce is friendly with most other dogs. I like to have him meet other dogs regularly. On my terms. I don't like it when someone else assumes that he is fresh meat for their dog to jump on. I know Tierce and I know that he's a dominant little sumbitch. Therefore, I like to initiate how far and fast he gets into other dogs' faces because he will jump all over them and paw at their eyes and nibble on their ears. Not a good thing with the wrong dog.

Tierce also is figuring out that I will not allow him to dictate where we go and what he does. Because I'm the Alpha and I say whether he gets to meet that dog or run over to that person. Poor little guy never gets to have any fun.

A morning's walk...

Yesterday, I took some pictures of Tierce as we went on our morning walk...

This is our street.

A favourite stopping place on the way.

The path around the Pitch 'N Putt at Beban Park.

There's more in this series, but it'll have to wait!

The Shiba Fitness Plan

I don't have willpower for a lot of things. Chocolate is not something you can leave in the house and expect to get back. I should be in bed instead of noodling around on the Internet. I don't exercise as much as I did or as I should.

However, I've been lately getting a lot more cardio than a few weeks previously.

It's all the damn dog's fault. We don't let him out in the yard because he will dig, spread the landlord's recycling all over the yard and destroy just about anything else that happens to be there. We can't keep him on a cable tie because he absolutely refuses to poop so close to the house. That leaves the lead.

Case in point: a couple of hours earlier this evening.

Me: Type, type, type, click, click, click

Tierce: whine

Me: Type, click, click, type, click, type

Tierce: Whine

Me: "I'll take you out in a bit." Type, click, click, click, type, type

Tierce: WAIL OOOOoooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooo

Me: whine

We get the Flexi and head out to the little kiddie playground a few doors down. Right behind it is a small space that is full of underbrush, ideal for a dog to pee on and poop in. Also, the playground sports a garbage can convenient for the poop-scooper minded.

Tierce: PeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeokayI'mdone.

Me: Walk three steps.

Tierce: PeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeokayI'mdoneforrealnow- hey, what's that smell? Is that the Poodle from down the street? Better let him know I'm still here. Peeeeee.

Me: You done?

Tierce: I am now discovering other important posts upon which I would like to send a message.

Me: No. You're coming on to the brushy side so you can do your major business.

Tierce. No! I wanna... well alright, fine. Let's go over here!

Me: No. It's full of blackberry thorns.

Tierce: Nooooo! It's full of RABBITS!

Me: I don't care if it's full of winning lottery tickets and Hugh Laurie. You're not going anywhere near that.

Tierce: Fine! I'll go sniff over here.

Me: Better be preparing for your imminent poop.

Tierce: So you say.

Me: Are you going to go?

Tierce: Eventually. Not here.

Me (striding down the hedgerow): How about here. You went here before.

Tierce: That was before.

Me: Before what?

Tierce: Before you didn't let me eat the rabbit poop right over there.

Me: No rabbit poop.

Tierce: No Shiba poop.

Me: No more walk.

Tierce: You're just waiting for me to poop so we can go in! Don't bullshit me about no more walks, or shall we play chase the Shiba around the yard?

Me: JUST GO.

Tierce: You're a bitch.

Me: Right back atcha.

Tierce: I'm not a bitch. I've got balls.

Me: I've got the vet's phone number.

Tierce: poops