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Art has always been our tough dog in the fact he see's a person he goes nuts, unless he's at the dog park then he doesn't care about people. He's been that way since he was a puppy, he's now 4 yrs and we've worked so he can go in public without much issue. Within the past year he's even let some people pet him for a few seconds. He's never been cuddly with a stranger, but he's also never been a biter, even when he was the worst he was.
So, last weekend I brought Art and Talon to a family get together with my sister and brother and people he knows. No problem, but then my Aunt, someone Art has NEVER seen, suddenly showed up out of the blue. I was caught seriously unaware and since we were there when she arrived and no one told me she was coming Art went nuts. He barked, huffed, and growled at her feriously for a few minutes.
I immediately ran to grab him but by the time I got there my aunt bent down and started petting him. I've never let anyone do this with Art when he's in that mode, I don't even let them near him just in case. Artimis immediately turned into a wiggling, squirming, "love me!" type dog. He jumped up to her arms (which caught her unaware) and anytime she sat down he was immediately on her lap licking her face and being super cuddly.
I was like.....really!? What happened to my dog with serious stranger danger?
However, everytime she would walk around after he didn't see her for a few minutes he would run up to her barking, but immediately turn to a wiggly, cuddly butt while still barking. I guess I'm just not sure how to take this? Does this mean that this entire time he was fixable? He didn't act any different than he does with other people he see's that he doesn't know, so it's not like she was much different. He isn't allowed up to people when he acts that way though, so did we make a mistake not allowing him to investigate people more?
I guess I'm just questioning if we've been doing it all wrong for all his life and by not giving him the chance to see people, we've been part of the problem?
So, last weekend I brought Art and Talon to a family get together with my sister and brother and people he knows. No problem, but then my Aunt, someone Art has NEVER seen, suddenly showed up out of the blue. I was caught seriously unaware and since we were there when she arrived and no one told me she was coming Art went nuts. He barked, huffed, and growled at her feriously for a few minutes.
I immediately ran to grab him but by the time I got there my aunt bent down and started petting him. I've never let anyone do this with Art when he's in that mode, I don't even let them near him just in case. Artimis immediately turned into a wiggling, squirming, "love me!" type dog. He jumped up to her arms (which caught her unaware) and anytime she sat down he was immediately on her lap licking her face and being super cuddly.
I was like.....really!? What happened to my dog with serious stranger danger?
However, everytime she would walk around after he didn't see her for a few minutes he would run up to her barking, but immediately turn to a wiggly, cuddly butt while still barking. I guess I'm just not sure how to take this? Does this mean that this entire time he was fixable? He didn't act any different than he does with other people he see's that he doesn't know, so it's not like she was much different. He isn't allowed up to people when he acts that way though, so did we make a mistake not allowing him to investigate people more?
I guess I'm just questioning if we've been doing it all wrong for all his life and by not giving him the chance to see people, we've been part of the problem?