Akitas and Caseys and bears...

[JumpingSpiderLady]

@The Snark you now have a Texas accent in my head. Bravo.

 

[The Snark]

you now have a Texas accent in my head. Bravo.

Actually, I have a southern drawl and nobody including myself knows how that came about. It mixes in with a little taste of Limey which drives my British friends bats. Cor blimey, y'all.

 

[The Snark]

Another oops with my dog.

A friend borrowed my dog when he went hiking up to the place where we packed in. Three days later around 06:00 I get a phone call from him. "Your dog has a bear treed. How do I deal with this?"

My brain did a few loops since there wasn't a phone within 30 miles of that area. So I asked how he was calling me. "I came down to the desert and drove into town. He treed the bear the first night. He's still at it and won't budge."
So I told him the kick him in the ass and face him down maneuver. 2 days later I meet up with him to take my dog back. He glowered at me. "That's the last time I'm taking that dog anywhere. An extra thirty miles of hiking just for him. I did as you said and gave him a kick. He chased me up the tree with the bear."
OUCH. So I told him he must not have seemed serious enough.
His reply, "Serious was his reaction to my kick. I could have lost a leg!"

 

[The Snark]

That friend and I went on a camping trip once with his wife and a friend of hers. The ladies decided to ride in the camper. I had a pickup with a cam per on back. I picked them up then swung by the ranch and got my dog. About a mile down the road I hear pounding on the back of the cab.
So I pull over, walk back and look in. Two very incensed women bail out with the explanation, "Your dog has taken over the bed. He crawled up on the bed with us then there is this hiss. I turned and I'm looking into this maw of sharp teeth." Hmm. Him explaining, "MY BED!"
I think that was when they nicknamed him Jaws.

 

[Venom1080]

your dog sounds awesome and terrifying.

 

[JumpingSpiderLady]

My childhood dog was a black lab/Akita mix. Maybe some other stuff. I don't know. I loved her. She was my baby. Everyone who was not a child (she was great with kids) or not our family hated this dog. She was the most intimidating thing to strangers. I was a teen with a fresh liscense and I took her a pet store. The guy there was a typical pet store idiot. The stuff stereotypes are made of. Trying to impress me (I was pretty damn cute) he told me he killed a corn snake that bit him. A corn snake! This guy reaches down to pet my dog. I didn't say a thing. Unfortunately, he pulled away right before she had had enough. I got him fired though, later on.

 

[The Snark]

I think it is basically Akitas and other dogs of that lineage -are independent. Unlike most dogs that seek approval from humans, Akitas are indifferent to people and have their own agendas. They also tend to have a mile wide maternal streak when it comes to human babies. Parents have discovered their baby unapproachable when an Akita is first introduced to the house.
Humans discover the hard way how low an Akita's regard is for them, how insignificant they are in the dogs mind, when the primal instincts come out.
Similar to a 'domesticated' wolf when it claims it's territory. You dang well better respect it. From amiable relationship to lunch meat with the wrong move or gesture.

 

[JumpingSpiderLady]

The thing people didn't know about Sophie though; she was afraid. She was afraid of people.

I know it's only because my current dog reminds me so much of Sophie that I love her so much. She's the most annoying thing. Scared of any sound she hears. Not Akita at all. Badger is a pit bull/dachshund.

Dogs are weird. Love em.

 

[The Snark]

Scared of any sound she hears.

Any idea why?

 

[JumpingSpiderLady]

Any idea why?

Not a clue. We don't baby her when she feels scared.
Edit: She's gotten less fearful over the years.

 

[The Snark]

Badger is a pit bull/dachshund.

This is the fearful dog? That is odd in that Dachshund's are right at the apex of fearless. No telling what the pit bull, the Hobo stew of dogs, is or inherits.

 

[JumpingSpiderLady]

This is the fearful dog? That is odd in that Dachshund's are right at the apex of fearless. No telling what the pit bull, the Hobo stew of dogs, is or inherits.

Yup. That's her. Even among breeds, each dogs are individuals. She's a shelter dog, so our guess to her breed is just that- a guess.

 

[The Snark]

Yup. That's her. Even among breeds, each dogs are individuals. She's a shelter dog, so our guess to her breed is just that- a guess.

In my weird opinion, far too many dogs are termed afraid when in fact they are non assertive by nature and easily feel intimidated.
But one example. I was put in charge of 'Muffin' for a summer when working the pack station. She was the epitome of cowed, intimidated and PURE FEAR. Her owners were definitely not abusive. The warning I was given was if someone spoke in a loud voice in her direction she tended to widdle on the rug. Her favorite place in the house was behind the washing machine.

So I round up the horses and started off up the trail. I called and she followed, a good 100 feet behind. Got to the pass an hour later and she came dragging in to lie down a few feet from me. I made a point to completely ignore her. And for the next 1 1/2 months that was the end of fear. She'd go out and sniff about, come and go as she pleased, sacked out in the middle of the cabin, even let me pick her up and move her away from the stove. Zero fear. Alien environment and nothing triggering the fear reflex. Just another animal and an indifferent non intimidating human feeding her twice a day.
When I delivered her back to her owners, back to cower and she cringed getting into their car.

So I'd say she's just intimidated by circumstances. Not bad or threatening but just circumstances that trigger the fear from her own psychological take. In a different environment she may act like any other calm easy going dog.

I'd suggest if you have the wherewithal, give her a place where she is in absolute charge. Since she isn't an alpha it's up to you to respect and never enter her territory. Draw a line just like wolves do that everybody, human or animal, is forbidden to cross. Then she how she handles things after a few weeks.

 

[JumpingSpiderLady]

I understand what you're saying. That was partially the case when it came to my childhood dog. I didn't really know much about dogs. I that point, I thought if it was wagging it's tail, it was happy. (As a kid i had no reason not to believe it.) That is not the case with Badger. We have consistently ignored her fear. It has gotten better. It should be noted, that I was being very sarcastic. She's not afraid of every sound of course. She is afraid of unknown sounds and she gets nervous when the neighbors dog barks. Now that dumb dogs barks at everything. I've seen her bark at birds. Sweet though.
Badger shows her fear with aggression, trying to scare off whatever is making her uncomfortable. This has gotten better over time, and now I can tell her to go lie down, and she'll sulk and growl in the corner. It may even be more habit at this point, as she doesn't seem as nervous as she once did.
She is still terrified of thunderstorms. Can't leave her alone during them.
Perhaps I'm wrong, but that is my point of view.

 

[The Snark]

Yups. I marvel at how different animal personalities are. We have a couple of cats right now that are diametrical opposites and I raised them both from word go. One quiet and sedate, her noise a very soft meep. The other can't go anywhere or even be approach without her siren going off. A loud obnoxious raaaarooow. Sedate one, pet her head, cheeks and under her chin. The other, only scratch her behind. Sedate one must be cradled on her back in your arms, the other must perch on your shoulder. Huh?