Pure awesomeness just happened with otis

[otis]

I went thru Otis's toys yesterday and asked A lady that I meet on facebook who does doxie rescue if she wanted them and 2 dog beds. She came here to get the stuff. Otis was doing his normal crap, and she is like I am not going to make eye contact and she ignored him. He sniffed her feet and in less than a minute he was licking her leg, she slow put her hand down and he started to kiss that and then she started to pet him. He was wagging his tail. And when we were talking I picked him up and she could still pet him, and then she got close enough and he gave her a kiss on the cheek. What a good boy. And then to top that off we walked her to her car and there was a lady that Otis always barks at, she stood there talking to us, he sniffed her, licked her and he let her pet him. He is making a lot happier. The lady who does the doxie/small dog rescue said she would come pick us up sometime to go play in her fenced in yard with the rescues. She lives less then 5 minutes from me. So that will be nice for him, he will get to play with other dogs, that I know have been vacinated. Yay for Otis!
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[DeafDogs]

Ignoring the dog lessens the threat. I have a dog that's alot like that, he doesn't act aggressively to people unless they're too close and looking or reaching for him. But if people do as I ask and dont even look at him, he will, within 15 minutes or so, be climbing on their laps.

 

[otis]

well Otis was doing good. He tried to bite a lady that was coming of my neighbors porch. And he bit my niece in the face yesterday. He did draw blood, there was just a little bruse and a sratch from his tooth thank goodness. I was wondering if this would help him out though, I had a lab, and I started to take her to a obiedience class that was run by a cop. She had the same issues as Otis, but she would just growl and snap. The cop told me that after all the shops close in town to walk her around and let her smell the doorways, so she will get smell different people type smells. I didnt keep going to that class because they made you use a choke chain and I would rather use a gentle leader (which I havent been using with him, I didnt know if it would help Otis). I was just wondering if anyone thinks it would help to walk him around the doorways to the stores when they are closed.

 

[DeafDogs]

I've never heard of that, so I'm not sure if it'll help, but having him around non threatening people will help. I will re-iterate that you cannot correct him. Do not correct him for growling, just remove him from the situation. Most of the "unprovoked" bites are caused by people previously correcting the growl, which is their early-warning system. If you take away their ability to growl what's next? a bite. Leave their warning in place, and heed that warning!

 

[otis]

Otis let 3 more new people pet him today. You could tell he was scared because his tail was tucked between his legs, but I am still proud of him.