What We Can Learn From This....

There has been a lot of news around town about Bugsy's death. I have heard several comments and reports blasting animal control. The fault in this situation lies not with Wayne, who tried for four days to catch that dog, and finally had to make a hard decision, but with the dog's owner. Bugsy's owner failed his dog in many ways. The most obvious by not keeping him confined safely in his yard and then by not coming to get Bugsy when he broke his chain. But his irresponsibility goes much further than that.

Before I go any further I would like to say that while I personally have no problem blasting this individual that isn't the purpose of this post. I want people to look at the mistakes made in this situation and learn from them.

The owner (who hasn't yet been named) picked a breed with a tendency to roam even though he didn't have any way to properly confine the dog. Please do your research when choosing a dog breed. (If you go to the shelter to pick mix it can be difficult to narrow down breeds, but these dogs are usually full grown and hopefully the shelter staff can give you an idea of the dogs personality and temperament.)

Puppy Socialization is very important. Dog's have a finite period of socialization during that time they need to be properly introduced to a number of different people, places, and situations. Dog's with protective tendencies (such as Great Pyrs) require extensive socialization and that shouldn't be forgotten. Puppy socialization is an important and extensive subject beyond the scope of this post. However because it is so important Dr. Ian Dunbar has made his books Before You Get Your Puppy and After You Get Your Puppy available for free online. Socialization is a big thing for me, it needs to be done and it needs to be done well. As a vet Dr. Dunbar is concerned with balancing the socialization needs with the need to keep the dog safe from disease. Personally I would avoid public dog parks and similar places, but consider lack of socialization a far more dangerous disease than parvo since it kills so many more dogs.

Socializations isn't all there is, genetics and temperament also play a huge role in personality and can limit how friendly the dog will be with strangers. As live stock guardian breed he was never going to be an outgoing loves everybody kind of dog. According to the AKC the Great Pry should be "strong willed, independent, and somewhat reserved, yet attentive, fearless, and loyal to his charges -- both human and animal." From the descriptions this didn't describe Bugsy. As time went on I heard more about how it took time before he would come to the people trying to feed him and his timid personality. This was likely a combination of poor socialization and genetics.

Picking a breeder and a puppy is a very important part of getting a puppy. A dog with good genetics can over come a lack of socialization. It is important to note that a good temperament genetically can come from a crappy breeder. My aunt has a puppy mill poodle who spent the first several years of his life in a small crate full of his own filth and now is very friendly with strangers. (Though he has still bitten in fear.)

If you don't have the time or the experience to put in to a dog that will require more training and/or socialization then either pick a breed and a breeder who will give you a dog that is naturally more inclined to be friendly or go to a rescue and get an adult dog that will fit your needs.

The "Come Game" is a wonderful tool for teaching both puppies and adult dogs to come to people. Directions can be found here. If you have a puppy or adult dog that seems to be reactive to strangers the best resource I can suggest is Control Unleashed by Leslie McDevitt. The book is worth at least twice its weight in gold.

Please learn from this tragedy and do what you can to make sure that your dogs and Wayne never have to go through anything like this again.