I can honestly say I'm not surprised. My parents, god bless them, are getting older and more fragile. Purchased a relatively common breed (Doodle) but she is larger and stronger than I think my...
I can honestly say I'm not surprised. My parents, god bless them, are getting older and more fragile. Purchased a relatively common breed (Doodle) but she is larger and stronger than I think my mother could handle - all it takes is one good yank and she could absolutely topple my mother over. I've seen it happen before. Thankfully not that serious.
Also, my neighbors - very nice people and great dog owners. Have a St. Bernard and a Bernese Mountain dog. Both have been through a lot of training and both very well behaved. They walk their dogs often! Usually together. However one time I saw her walk both of them at the same time. Note she might be one of the smallest women I have ever seen. Never thought that was a good idea.
Well one time I saw her in boot and asked what happened. She explained both dogs saw a squirrel or a neighborhood cat and just took off and dragged her. She ended up messing up her foot for a few weeks.
So please if you are considering a dog. Don't just consider one you like the look of, make sure you get training or at minimum a dog you would be able to physically handle. Double plus if you got to a dog park. I've seen a number of small sized people not being able to physically restrain their dogs when they get aggressive at the dog park. That's not a good situation to be in.
Up until a year ago, our house had two floors with independent entrances. My mother-in-law lived on the first floor, and my wife life lived on the second floor. We have three dogs. Two of them are...
Up until a year ago, our house had two floors with independent entrances. My mother-in-law lived on the first floor, and my wife life lived on the second floor. We have three dogs. Two of them are very athletic, the other is a lazy ass. My mother-in-law was always home due to health issues. She also had elderly caregivers and, eventually, home care, nurses, etc. Having three dogs was okay in that scenario. We could travel without worrying about the dogs. My mother-in-law died last year, my son was born the same week. Suddenly having a Schnauzer, a west terrier, and a stray (no defined race breed) became quite an ordeal! When my wife got the Schnauzer she only looked for a dog that did not shed fur. Putting a baby to sleep is hard enough, now add a trio of barking beasts to the mix! My wife knew absolutely nothing about dog breed traits and essentially brought a tiny, energetic hunter to the house! The West Terrier is kind of a bitch but at least he's small. Those were before me. When we got together I was forced to bring my 30kg mongrel with me! So yeah, lots of bad decisions all around. In retrospect, my wife should have gotten low energy dogs in the first place. She was way too busy to keep up with the Schnauzer, and the Terrier also requires lots of attention. I didn't have much choice with my street dog, as it was more of an actual rescue situation.
Oh yeah I know that. My mistake, I was translating directly from SRD - Sem Raça Definida. It's an acronym here for that kind of dog. You use it in forms and such.
Oh yeah I know that. My mistake, I was translating directly from SRD - Sem Raça Definida. It's an acronym here for that kind of dog. You use it in forms and such.
Thing is: a vira-lata is a not a mixed breed. The vast majority of dogs in Brazil are SRD. If you look back 20 generations, you won't find pure breed DNA on these dogs. They're not mixed, they're...
Thing is: a vira-lata is a not a mixed breed. The vast majority of dogs in Brazil are SRD. If you look back 20 generations, you won't find pure breed DNA on these dogs. They're not mixed, they're 100% breed-free!
I don't think such dogs are super common in the anglosphere, but since "mixed breed" is just a euphemism for "mutt", I think you'd still mark them that way on the forms!
I don't think such dogs are super common in the anglosphere, but since "mixed breed" is just a euphemism for "mutt", I think you'd still mark them that way on the forms!
I think I'd use the word mongrel, for that. Is that outdated or rude these days? I genuinely don't know! Might be a difference between British English, and North American English actually.
I think I'd use the word mongrel, for that. Is that outdated or rude these days? I genuinely don't know!
Might be a difference between British English, and North American English actually.
Might be a regional thing, yeah, it strikes me as a very old-fashioned word personally. Wouldn't surprise me in something from the early 20th century but I can't even picture my grandparents using it.
Might be a regional thing, yeah, it strikes me as a very old-fashioned word personally. Wouldn't surprise me in something from the early 20th century but I can't even picture my grandparents using it.
The word in Brazil is "vira-lata" meaning "can turner". You know, a dog that's on the streets turning cans. I always thought it was a fun image. Silly dog turning cans all day long...
The word in Brazil is "vira-lata" meaning "can turner". You know, a dog that's on the streets turning cans. I always thought it was a fun image. Silly dog turning cans all day long...
I think people also forget that even if a dog weighs much less than them, they can get moving FAST in a very short distance. And that kinetic energy isn't a joke. I have a 25 pound doodle and even...
I think people also forget that even if a dog weighs much less than them, they can get moving FAST in a very short distance. And that kinetic energy isn't a joke. I have a 25 pound doodle and even as a puppy (~15 lbs) I was amazed how hard she'd yank me if she got running and I wasn't paying attention. Like, she caught me off guard once and my arm hurt for a day because it got pulled hard. I'm a pretty average built man and have learned not to underestimate the strength of a small dog.
We've spent a lot of time training, working on impulse control, and leash behavior and she's a pretty well behaved dog after 2 years. But I still never trust that she's not going to lose focus and bolt. 25 lbs is a lot of force at a full sprint. It's made me hesitant to want a dog bigger than 50 pounds because at some point, even as an active adult, a bigger dog than that sounds a bit scary to control if something goes wrong. Like, I want a little buddy to hang out with and do stuff outside, I don't need a bud built like a bear. And if I did get a big dog, you can bet I'm spending more time lifting so I know I can handle it. 😅
F = ma is no joke. If I'm walking something my acceleration is basically zero. Meanwhile, even the tiniest pup can zoom. I feel like people are mistaken that just because they have more mass than...
F = ma is no joke. If I'm walking something my acceleration is basically zero. Meanwhile, even the tiniest pup can zoom. I feel like people are mistaken that just because they have more mass than a pup it's going to be okay. It's really not. They have to be able to withstand the impulse (what was it, kg meters per second or something? Second square?)
Edit: from article : "You can’t really afford to relax when you walk a powerfully built dog with the torque of a small tractor" -- is torque here correct in physics terms or only colloquially? If the pup is spinning around the human?
From the human's point of view, if the dog hits the end of the leash then impulse and force are the focus (force on your body at least as the dog rapidly decelerates and exerts a force on your...
From the human's point of view, if the dog hits the end of the leash then impulse and force are the focus (force on your body at least as the dog rapidly decelerates and exerts a force on your body).
But I think the article is referring to the torque a strong four legged dog exerts against the ground to pull against you. Like, the amount of torque each leg is generating against the ground to propel themselves forward (and potentially drag their human off balance with them). So at least the way I'm reading it torque makes sense.
I don't have dogs myself, but years ago my boss at the time had me stay at his house and take care of his dogs while he went on his honeymoon and I took them for a walk every night. Two were pure...
I don't have dogs myself, but years ago my boss at the time had me stay at his house and take care of his dogs while he went on his honeymoon and I took them for a walk every night. Two were pure bred German Shepherds; the brother weighed 120 lbs, the sister weighed 100 lbs. The third was a Chow-Chow / Newfoundland mix, and she was like 80 lbs.
Post pandemic I’ve simply stopped taking my dog to the dog park. He’s generally good but he has pretty specific ideas about proper canine conduct and is very vocal (growling, barking) when it’s...
Post pandemic I’ve simply stopped taking my dog to the dog park. He’s generally good but he has pretty specific ideas about proper canine conduct and is very vocal (growling, barking) when it’s breached. Since the pandemic the median dog out there is much less trained and poorly socialized than before and after two separate occasions of them interpreting my dogs vocalization as aggression and attacking him I’ve had to pull him out.
He’s still reactive to certain sized dogs since that episode. It’s just a thing I’ve been unable to train him out of.
My sister has two rescue dogs, one of them a pitbull. She is a small woman and an older woman. Her dogs had the latest harness leashes that would automatically give them slack. All the dogs in her...
My sister has two rescue dogs, one of them a pitbull. She is a small woman and an older woman. Her dogs had the latest harness leashes that would automatically give them slack. All the dogs in her neighborhood are aggressive and will run to other dogs. Her's tried, pulled her down in the process and broke her arm.
They actually recommend not to use those leashes on strong dogs because it trains them to pull. The preferred harnesses are the ones that have the lead clip across their chest so they try to pull...
They actually recommend not to use those leashes on strong dogs because it trains them to pull. The preferred harnesses are the ones that have the lead clip across their chest so they try to pull it ends up rotating their bodies.
I have a 20 pound terrier mix who is all muscle and who is tough to handle when she gets wound up. I'm a pretty small person and couldn't imagine having anything larger - but I also grew up with...
I have a 20 pound terrier mix who is all muscle and who is tough to handle when she gets wound up. I'm a pretty small person and couldn't imagine having anything larger - but I also grew up with bigger dogs (Labs and a springer spaniel, and various neighborhood golden retrievers) and learned that the hard way as a bouncy kid. A lot of people get animals that are too much dog for them because they're overly optimistic about their level of commitment or about how the dog will behave. Since even my dog is a little too much for me personally sometimes, I've decided I'll probably be a cat person eventually.
I'll be honest: I do find some dogs very cute- usually the smaller ones (which dog owners tell me are the biggest pains to deal with). But I find a lot of folks prefer the larger sized dogs- think...
I'll be honest: I do find some dogs very cute- usually the smaller ones (which dog owners tell me are the biggest pains to deal with). But I find a lot of folks prefer the larger sized dogs- think retrievers and labradors. Corgis are also popular. I like them as well, but the second I hear a bark or they try to move at me for whatever reason... I switch into Fight/flight mode- correct me if I'm wrong, but dogs ARE descended from wolves, right?
This is all to say, if you're out with a dog, I also expect it to be fully under your control. If you can't control it (or even worse, make excuses for their behavior), then you have no business bringing it out in public where your dog could potentially harm other people. I'd even argue you have no business even owning it at home, but that"s also going a step too far into your business
Honestly, I was traumatized at a young age by an overly-friendly dog... I don't dislike dogs, but they're not for me and I'd prefer they don"t become part of my business.
I can honestly say I'm not surprised. My parents, god bless them, are getting older and more fragile. Purchased a relatively common breed (Doodle) but she is larger and stronger than I think my mother could handle - all it takes is one good yank and she could absolutely topple my mother over. I've seen it happen before. Thankfully not that serious.
Also, my neighbors - very nice people and great dog owners. Have a St. Bernard and a Bernese Mountain dog. Both have been through a lot of training and both very well behaved. They walk their dogs often! Usually together. However one time I saw her walk both of them at the same time. Note she might be one of the smallest women I have ever seen. Never thought that was a good idea.
Well one time I saw her in boot and asked what happened. She explained both dogs saw a squirrel or a neighborhood cat and just took off and dragged her. She ended up messing up her foot for a few weeks.
So please if you are considering a dog. Don't just consider one you like the look of, make sure you get training or at minimum a dog you would be able to physically handle. Double plus if you got to a dog park. I've seen a number of small sized people not being able to physically restrain their dogs when they get aggressive at the dog park. That's not a good situation to be in.
Up until a year ago, our house had two floors with independent entrances. My mother-in-law lived on the first floor, and my wife life lived on the second floor. We have three dogs. Two of them are very athletic, the other is a lazy ass. My mother-in-law was always home due to health issues. She also had elderly caregivers and, eventually, home care, nurses, etc. Having three dogs was okay in that scenario. We could travel without worrying about the dogs. My mother-in-law died last year, my son was born the same week. Suddenly having a Schnauzer, a west terrier, and a stray (no defined
racebreed) became quite an ordeal! When my wife got the Schnauzer she only looked for a dog that did not shed fur. Putting a baby to sleep is hard enough, now add a trio of barking beasts to the mix! My wife knew absolutely nothing about dog breed traits and essentially brought a tiny, energetic hunter to the house! The West Terrier is kind of a bitch but at least he's small. Those were before me. When we got together I was forced to bring my 30kg mongrel with me! So yeah, lots of bad decisions all around. In retrospect, my wife should have gotten low energy dogs in the first place. She was way too busy to keep up with the Schnauzer, and the Terrier also requires lots of attention. I didn't have much choice with my street dog, as it was more of an actual rescue situation.btw, we refer to dogs' breeds, not races in English
Oh yeah I know that. My mistake, I was translating directly from SRD - Sem Raça Definida. It's an acronym here for that kind of dog. You use it in forms and such.
I think the English equivalent would be "mixed breed" on forms and things.
Thing is: a vira-lata is a not a mixed breed. The vast majority of dogs in Brazil are SRD. If you look back 20 generations, you won't find pure breed DNA on these dogs. They're not mixed, they're 100% breed-free!
I don't think such dogs are super common in the anglosphere, but since "mixed breed" is just a euphemism for "mutt", I think you'd still mark them that way on the forms!
I think I'd use the word mongrel, for that. Is that outdated or rude these days? I genuinely don't know!
Might be a difference between British English, and North American English actually.
Might be a regional thing, yeah, it strikes me as a very old-fashioned word personally. Wouldn't surprise me in something from the early 20th century but I can't even picture my grandparents using it.
I'm Aussie and would have said mongrel
Usually, but the term for the generic mutt breed of a region is still “landrace” so traces remain.
The word in Brazil is "vira-lata" meaning "can turner". You know, a dog that's on the streets turning cans. I always thought it was a fun image. Silly dog turning cans all day long...
But that term is generic and can even be applied to indigenous plants.
You got a pic of the pups? They sound adorable!
I think people also forget that even if a dog weighs much less than them, they can get moving FAST in a very short distance. And that kinetic energy isn't a joke. I have a 25 pound doodle and even as a puppy (~15 lbs) I was amazed how hard she'd yank me if she got running and I wasn't paying attention. Like, she caught me off guard once and my arm hurt for a day because it got pulled hard. I'm a pretty average built man and have learned not to underestimate the strength of a small dog.
We've spent a lot of time training, working on impulse control, and leash behavior and she's a pretty well behaved dog after 2 years. But I still never trust that she's not going to lose focus and bolt. 25 lbs is a lot of force at a full sprint. It's made me hesitant to want a dog bigger than 50 pounds because at some point, even as an active adult, a bigger dog than that sounds a bit scary to control if something goes wrong. Like, I want a little buddy to hang out with and do stuff outside, I don't need a bud built like a bear. And if I did get a big dog, you can bet I'm spending more time lifting so I know I can handle it. 😅
F = ma is no joke. If I'm walking something my acceleration is basically zero. Meanwhile, even the tiniest pup can zoom. I feel like people are mistaken that just because they have more mass than a pup it's going to be okay. It's really not. They have to be able to withstand the impulse (what was it, kg meters per second or something? Second square?)
Edit: from article : "You can’t really afford to relax when you walk a powerfully built dog with the torque of a small tractor" -- is torque here correct in physics terms or only colloquially? If the pup is spinning around the human?
From the human's point of view, if the dog hits the end of the leash then impulse and force are the focus (force on your body at least as the dog rapidly decelerates and exerts a force on your body).
But I think the article is referring to the torque a strong four legged dog exerts against the ground to pull against you. Like, the amount of torque each leg is generating against the ground to propel themselves forward (and potentially drag their human off balance with them). So at least the way I'm reading it torque makes sense.
Oh! It's legs on ground x4 ! That makes a lot of sense, thank you for the mental physics diagram
I don't have dogs myself, but years ago my boss at the time had me stay at his house and take care of his dogs while he went on his honeymoon and I took them for a walk every night. Two were pure bred German Shepherds; the brother weighed 120 lbs, the sister weighed 100 lbs. The third was a Chow-Chow / Newfoundland mix, and she was like 80 lbs.
The third night there was a rabbit.
I weigh 120 lbs.
Post pandemic I’ve simply stopped taking my dog to the dog park. He’s generally good but he has pretty specific ideas about proper canine conduct and is very vocal (growling, barking) when it’s breached. Since the pandemic the median dog out there is much less trained and poorly socialized than before and after two separate occasions of them interpreting my dogs vocalization as aggression and attacking him I’ve had to pull him out.
He’s still reactive to certain sized dogs since that episode. It’s just a thing I’ve been unable to train him out of.
My sister has two rescue dogs, one of them a pitbull. She is a small woman and an older woman. Her dogs had the latest harness leashes that would automatically give them slack. All the dogs in her neighborhood are aggressive and will run to other dogs. Her's tried, pulled her down in the process and broke her arm.
They actually recommend not to use those leashes on strong dogs because it trains them to pull. The preferred harnesses are the ones that have the lead clip across their chest so they try to pull it ends up rotating their bodies.
I have a 20 pound terrier mix who is all muscle and who is tough to handle when she gets wound up. I'm a pretty small person and couldn't imagine having anything larger - but I also grew up with bigger dogs (Labs and a springer spaniel, and various neighborhood golden retrievers) and learned that the hard way as a bouncy kid. A lot of people get animals that are too much dog for them because they're overly optimistic about their level of commitment or about how the dog will behave. Since even my dog is a little too much for me personally sometimes, I've decided I'll probably be a cat person eventually.
I'll be honest: I do find some dogs very cute- usually the smaller ones (which dog owners tell me are the biggest pains to deal with). But I find a lot of folks prefer the larger sized dogs- think retrievers and labradors. Corgis are also popular. I like them as well, but the second I hear a bark or they try to move at me for whatever reason... I switch into Fight/flight mode- correct me if I'm wrong, but dogs ARE descended from wolves, right?
This is all to say, if you're out with a dog, I also expect it to be fully under your control. If you can't control it (or even worse, make excuses for their behavior), then you have no business bringing it out in public where your dog could potentially harm other people. I'd even argue you have no business even owning it at home, but that"s also going a step too far into your business
Honestly, I was traumatized at a young age by an overly-friendly dog... I don't dislike dogs, but they're not for me and I'd prefer they don"t become part of my business.