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Post by Nicole on Oct 1, 2006 9:21:47 GMT -5
I don't really know if this a debate but wanted to know what you all thought of this pup. There is a new puppy in my neighborhood, a 10 week old American Bull Dog that is just about the cutest thing I have ever seen. The pup is completely aloof to people. He is not fearful or timid, he just could care less that you are there. He is 100% indifferent. Most every pup I have ever met has been so excited to see people. I know certain breeds mature into aloofness but to see this in a pup so young is odd to me. The pup does not acknowledge your existence, doesn't look at you or anything. It was not just an isolated incident either. I have run into the pup many times. I also saw him with the owner and two of her friends sitting in a grassy area. The pup was off by himself the entire time. He never went to the humans. Is this breed specific to the American Bull Dog at such a young age, defective or what. I personally like my dogs to be outgoing at least to some extent. I would not choose such an aloof puppy. What will happen when this dog reaches adulthood. Will he simply ignore humans or be aggressive if they come near him.
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Post by kaos on Oct 1, 2006 14:55:34 GMT -5
Well Bull dogs are known as one of the more independant breeds, but this sounds like an extreme example. Whilst teaching basic obedience to puppies I have come across one individual puppy like this and it was a mastiff. The owners had two from the same litter so that may have been a factor but the other one was much more people focused.
I personally wouldn't choose this type of puppy either, and I think the owners will need to work twice as hard to motivate for training. I guess on the plus side it probably won't suffer SA!
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Post by kaos on Oct 1, 2006 15:19:49 GMT -5
Meant to add, that of course we shouldn't rule out the 'defective' explanation. I would definitely want to have the pup checked out by a vet.
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Post by Am on Oct 1, 2006 19:10:22 GMT -5
Perhaps lack of socialisation with humans during the critical/sensitive period? Where did she get the pup from?
I know American Bulldogs aren't meant to be as sooky with strangers as SBTs, Amstaffs or APBTs are, but the few I've met haven't been aloof at all. They definately loved their owners, and were happy to have a pet from me once their owners OKed me.
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Post by willow on Oct 3, 2006 9:55:31 GMT -5
The first thing I would do is have the dogs hearing checked, as this is very typical of deaf puppies/dogs.
Were you able to ascertain if he reacts to sounds?
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Post by Nicole on Oct 3, 2006 15:30:35 GMT -5
Good points everyone. I don't know where she got the pup from. The owner is not a very friendly person. I thought in the back of my mind maybe the pup was emulating the owner but it is so young to be so extremely indifferent. It never occurred to me that this could be a hearing issue and now I think you may be on to something. There is an older man who walks the pup past my house. My guess is that he is a dog walker because I have seen him with other dogs. Every time I see him he is yelling at the pup which is what attracts me to the window. The pup is smelling the grass, the man starts with a normal toned "hey" or "come on" and this escalates to a very loud, angry "COME ON" The entire while the pup NEVER looks up. That is odd isn't it. Even if the pup wants to sniff, a loud angry "come on" should at least get his attention for a second. But this pup does not acknowledge the voice of this man who I personally would not allow near my dog but that is another issue. So maybe there is a hearing issue. I wouldn't have even mentioned this pup if I didn't think the behavior was so oddly extreme. I think there is something wrong with this pup.
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Post by kaos on Oct 3, 2006 19:19:13 GMT -5
Yup, deaf is a possibility, but definitely wasn't the case with the pup that appeared in my class. The owner would be facing him and calling with appropriate body language and encouraging gestures, the pup would look directly at him, then totally ignore him. He wouldn't ignore him in favour of running to the other puppies or being distracted by an interesting smell, he would just sit there with a 'not interested' look on his face. I have honestly not had another puppy in my class react like that before or since.
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Post by Aussienot on Oct 6, 2006 17:01:46 GMT -5
Three possibilities for the lack of response. Deafness is the most likely, and sometimes it is difficult to test for. The dog can't see you or your shadow, and can't feel the vibration of a foot stamp or the air movement of a clap. We had a Border Collie that was non-responsive to human voice that the assessor was concerned about. The only way we could devise to test his hearing was for me to hide in a closet and rattle a toy. (His hearing is fine, he was just being a butthead.)
Missing the socialisation window is also a possibility. When I first got Finn, he didn't respond to human voice. It wasn't obstinance, he simply had never learned human voice was important. It was ambient noise; no more meaningful than the sound of the tv or the humm of the fridge. I had to teach him that the sound of my voice signaled something.
And there are some breeds that have a degree of aloofness as a character trait - Akitas and Shar Peis for example, but it would be highly unusual for any 10 week old puppy not to be interested in someone sitting on the ground holding a toy or a treat.
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