Hi Alex,

“I think that in the situation with the puppies, the owner should show the golden that they will be the ones to fend off the pups, so that she doesn’t have to.”

Yeah I definitely agree with you. Some people expect their dogs to be friendly with everyone and everything which I think is really very unrealistic.

“I don’t think that all dogs have to tolerate all other dogs, just don’t be violent and agressive about it”

That is true, you definitely want to teach your dog not resort to violence. But I think that owners should protect their dogs from rude, intrusive dogs, not punish their dog for telling the rude dogs to back-off. Many people think it is cute when their little dogs go up and harass a big dog – I think it is just plain irresponsible. And frequently it is the big dog that gets punished for really not doing anything wrong at all.

Ultimately, if a little pint sized guy keeps harrassing me and I keep getting punished for it – even I would be driven to violence.

I don’t really know all the legistics of it because I’m no expert, but almost everytime I see a dog practically trying to kill another dog on the street it’s not on their territory. It’s on the street. (unless you’re considering humans territory, then yes) I’ve walked many dog-agressive dogs with Lupin and had no fights once the human was removed. Humans are the problem in every situation, not the dogs themselves. I don’t think that all dogs have to tolerate all other dogs, just don’t be violent and agressive about it. Dogs have varying energy levels and temperments that might or might not compete, so we can’t expect them all to love each other. That doesn’t mean they have to start a fight with every dog they “don’t like”, though. There are much better ways to not interact with that dog than agression, which is still an interaction. If a dog has a strong pack leader that it feels comfortable and safe with, there shouldn’t be any reason for it to feel the need to protect it’s territory or itself. The dogs can learn to just ignore an energy level or temperment they don’t like.

I’ll look into it.

The wolf that is chasing them away is probably the pack leader, and if the leader determines that this dog isn’t good for the pack, the rest of the pack will join in. Most of the time they’ll at least check the wolf out before running them off. But with balanced follower dogs, they do want to meet the other dogs, or at least give a curious sniff it they’re timid. They can’t determine whether the dog is friend or foe without meeting them, but most dogs I see while walking wont even want to meet, they just want to fight.
Now that’s not right.

Exactly. Humans not only bring out behavior we don’t find appropriate, we also bring out behavior that isn’t appropriate for dogs, like dog aggression! Dogs are naturally social, so for them to just try and hurt another of their kind before they even smell them or greet them is very, very bad. Just think, what if another human started a fight with every other human they came across without any provokation? You would naturally think there was something really wrong with that person, because there is. Same with very fearfull dogs.

I don’t think people should be allowed to have aggressive dogs. Not saying that they should take the dog away, I just think you should be forced to get your dog into training. They should evaluate people’s dogs every couple of years or so, and after the training evaluate them again. I’ve seen so many little dogs that have emence problems, sometimes even dangerous. I mean think, if a little dog who’s aggressive runs up to a dog much bigger than them and starts a fight, and the bigger dog seriously hurts the little dog, who gets the blame? The big dog/owner, of course, because “oh, fluffy can’t defend herself, that big dog is just evil.” But if a big dog is aggressive, they can be put down for just for acting aggressive, especially if it’s a pit bull/ rottweiler/ german shepherd, etc.
People just want to blame one breed for all dog aggerssion, like they are the only “bad” ones. Like getting rid of those few breeds will somehow cure injuries sustained by dogs. People will just keep banning more and more breeds, and before long there will only be a few breeds you can pick from, and hundreds of loving pets will be destroyed. People are too ignorant to see that the humans are the problem.
I believe in “all dogs go to heaven.” Whether it’s a pit, a rottie, a cane corso, a german shepherd, blood hound, shi tzu, or the aggressive mutt down the street. The breed and the dog is not at fault, but the people that are in contact with said dogs.

I’m sorry, but this strikes a raw nerve with me. My uncle thinks that pit bulls and rottweilers (basically any big, tough-looking dog, though) are the bad dogs. He thinks that they somehow have conscious thought, like they choose to harm or kill a human or another animal. (He also believes the myth of the locking jaw, if that tells you anything.) And when I bring up a story of a police officer going into somebody’s fenced yard, unannounced, and shot their pit because she was greeting him (the neighbor even yelled [when he took out his gun] ‘no! don’t shoot! she’s nice!’) he looked at the neighbor, and shot her anyway. The cop then gave them a ticket for an expired sticker on a car parked in their property and a ticket for having a uncontained animal(in their yard!). When I brought this up, he twisted the story and said “Well, cops need access to your property, what if the house was on fire and there was a pit on the lawn raging around?” So I guess he was saying that it’s okay that he shot that pit bull because there might be a fire sometime? He’s completely deluded. But anyway, I just wanted to add this to my comment earlier.

I believe that every dog is a good dog. No matter their breed, size, or temperment, they are still the same species. Only when, like you said, the human doesn’t make the correct choice in a dog or doesn’t have the time or knowledge to train it correctly do problems occur. I’ve seen Goldens that run around terrorising neighbors, and I’ve also seen Pitbulls that show you the utmost respect, and who are very, very sweet.
People should inform themselves before they go to adopt a dog. They should be ready and willing to make the right choice, because the dog will have to suffer for it if they don’t.