Jennasis
DIS life goes on
- Joined
- Jun 11, 2000
- Messages
- 35,672
I think we've discussed before how everyone feels about having their children disciplined by someone other than Mom or Dad, but I would like to know what you think of it when it comes to pets. Here's what happened...and please tell me if I'm bent out of shape for nothing.
We have two dogs. One is a greyhound (and the greatest thing on 4 legs!) and the other is our lab cross (adorable and sweet. a 100lb goof!). These dogs love people, particularly my MIL. When she comes over they go gaga for her. When they see her car pulling in the driveway they start whining and jumping up on our fence and calling to her and will carry on like this until she comes over and pets them. Then they follow her around doing the happy dance around her until she sits down and pets them.
MIL came by the other day with a friend to pick up some stuff she has been keeping in our basement. Of course when they show up, our lab (Milhouse) does his usual "Oh-thank-GOD-your-here!!" dance. MIL pets him and all is well. He "escorts" them to the outside entrance to our basement and watches them go down and bring up boxes (he remains outside watching them). After they were done getting the stuff they needed, I invited MIL and friend into the house for a few minutes to which they happily accepted. As soon as I say Would you guys like to come INSIDE? " the dogs come bounding up to the back porch expecting to be let in ("Inside" is our command word to call the dogs in). Now Milhouse is dancing around the 3 of us on our cement back porch so I order him to sit and wait to be let in. I always make our dogs sit and wait for the humans to go inside first, and Milhouse always politely obliges.
The first time I issue the command "sit", Milhouse stops dancing and looks at me with his head cocked to the side. He is a super dog but not super swift! He is standing in between MIL and her friend and looking at me in front of him. So again I repeat "Milhouse...Sit." Again the blank stare...not unusual for him. I often have to repeat commands to him but he always does it. The big lug looks at me and then to MIL and then me. Third times a charm, I figure...then it happened....
MIL's friend reaches down and grabs Milhouse by his choke chain and YANKS it straight up, lifting him off of his front feet and snaps "SIT!" at him.... Milhouse...all 100lb's of him is now dangling in midair, choking and gasping and now completely confused. The only reason he even wears a choke chain is because he has managed to chew off all the cute bandanas and collars we've tried over the years. We have never EVER EVER used the choke as a means of training/punishment.
I was stunned...luckily MIL reacted faster than I could and pulled the dog out of her friends hand and said "we don't DO that with him. He knows what sit means." Poor Milhouse looked so confused. So I pulled him over to me side and said "sit" and he sat.
In the grand scheme of things I know it's a blip. BUt she was not afraid of the dogs. To the contrary her mannerisms suggested that she had at some point taken a training class where this method was used, as she was decisive, aggressive and deliberate. Milhouse was not behaving erradically or dangerous (I have no problem handing out a smackdown to any animal who is threatening me).
So was she out of line?
We have two dogs. One is a greyhound (and the greatest thing on 4 legs!) and the other is our lab cross (adorable and sweet. a 100lb goof!). These dogs love people, particularly my MIL. When she comes over they go gaga for her. When they see her car pulling in the driveway they start whining and jumping up on our fence and calling to her and will carry on like this until she comes over and pets them. Then they follow her around doing the happy dance around her until she sits down and pets them.
MIL came by the other day with a friend to pick up some stuff she has been keeping in our basement. Of course when they show up, our lab (Milhouse) does his usual "Oh-thank-GOD-your-here!!" dance. MIL pets him and all is well. He "escorts" them to the outside entrance to our basement and watches them go down and bring up boxes (he remains outside watching them). After they were done getting the stuff they needed, I invited MIL and friend into the house for a few minutes to which they happily accepted. As soon as I say Would you guys like to come INSIDE? " the dogs come bounding up to the back porch expecting to be let in ("Inside" is our command word to call the dogs in). Now Milhouse is dancing around the 3 of us on our cement back porch so I order him to sit and wait to be let in. I always make our dogs sit and wait for the humans to go inside first, and Milhouse always politely obliges.
The first time I issue the command "sit", Milhouse stops dancing and looks at me with his head cocked to the side. He is a super dog but not super swift! He is standing in between MIL and her friend and looking at me in front of him. So again I repeat "Milhouse...Sit." Again the blank stare...not unusual for him. I often have to repeat commands to him but he always does it. The big lug looks at me and then to MIL and then me. Third times a charm, I figure...then it happened....
MIL's friend reaches down and grabs Milhouse by his choke chain and YANKS it straight up, lifting him off of his front feet and snaps "SIT!" at him.... Milhouse...all 100lb's of him is now dangling in midair, choking and gasping and now completely confused. The only reason he even wears a choke chain is because he has managed to chew off all the cute bandanas and collars we've tried over the years. We have never EVER EVER used the choke as a means of training/punishment.
I was stunned...luckily MIL reacted faster than I could and pulled the dog out of her friends hand and said "we don't DO that with him. He knows what sit means." Poor Milhouse looked so confused. So I pulled him over to me side and said "sit" and he sat.
In the grand scheme of things I know it's a blip. BUt she was not afraid of the dogs. To the contrary her mannerisms suggested that she had at some point taken a training class where this method was used, as she was decisive, aggressive and deliberate. Milhouse was not behaving erradically or dangerous (I have no problem handing out a smackdown to any animal who is threatening me).
So was she out of line?
I'm guessing the other dog is doing the chewing.
