|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
SDC Talk! Archived
Messages
November 1 to December 6, 2000
[ Contents | Search | Next | Previous | Up ]
From: Judy Bergemann
Date: 12/5/00
Time: 12:05:37 AM
Remote Name: 64.33.128.3
Hi DH,
There certainly are circumstances like borrowed dogs and other things that contribute to the potential for a dog fight. It's how that "potential" is handled that concerns me.
Even one or two of our mellow dogs can get so wound up at hookup that they take a nip at the dog next to them. We don't find that acceptable and the dog knows it...and we handle it like you do, by pairing with a tolerant partner. For us these excitement nips never lead to a full blown fight (although they could if it's ignored and/or allowed to blossom).
But what I was railing against is there seems to be a segment of the community that believes fighting is an inherent part of mushing. It isn't! I think the puppy training is critical, as well as picking up on the signals the dogs are giving you.
We try our darndest to ensure that we never have to resort to physical discipline to resolve a problem. We'd rather try to think the situation through and take appropriate action beforehand.
At the core of my being I belive we owe our dogs many things, including responsible management. Allowing a dog to be attacked by another dog is not responsible management. Seems like most mushers who have been around a while, and care, figure this out sooner rather than later. These are the mushers I respect...whether they finish first or last.
Okay, I'll try to get off my soapbox about this!
Judy