Pepper wants to play, but Irish dogs don't!!!!

[Caroline Black]

Hi all,

Since we moved home to Ireland from Switzerland, i notice a big difference with dogs here......Pepper just wants to play play play but most dogs he comes in contact with are not keen and he usually gets growled/barked at, or even attacked the odd time (was never hurt though). It has left poor Pepper a bit nervous now when we meet other dogs, even small ones, with hairs on his back standing up etc. He was never like this in Switzerland, but the doggies here are not as friendly!!!!! I used to take him to the doggie parks there and he had a ball with the other dogs!
Is anyone in the west of Ireland up for a playdate with their setter/setters, just to let Pepper have a good play and help his confidence with dogs?

Thanks all
Caroline

[Carmel Murphy]

Hi Caroline!!
I found that Pepper is very friendly, but he does charge over to new dogs, so perhaps that is a bit OTT for some dogs,especially smaller dogs or maybe the other dogs are just not friendly types??;o) But he did play well with my reds!!

Cara, Pepper and Abbey!!

[Chantal McIlveen-Wright]

Hi Caroline,

I personally would favour to let the nature as it is, so not a pro neutering animals unless it is necessary, due to specific conditions. I did have my oldie neutered though, when he was around 8 or 9 years old because of a testis infection, which the vet thought could turn into cancer. I do understand perfectly vets advising neutering, there are so many stray dogs around and irresponsible people dumping them anywhere. However, I do not think there is a big risk with Irish Setter owners, or at least I would love to think so.

I would tend to favour the theory that a dog, neutered or not neutered, has very little change in his behaviour, but a definite effect on his coat. However, there is a huge influence coming from their masters - but this is learnt behaviour which can be very subtle a time. Forteen years ago my oldie was a pup, and like all puppies he loved to play with other dogs but was rebuffed many times, bitten and even chased by 3 lurchers when he was only 7 months old ... my dog disappeared. After insulting the owner with all the possible bad words I knew and in different languages, my wee pup was still not around. I thought I had lost him in the wood, I started looking everywhere, calling him, but no answer, no dog. So I decided to go home (5 mn away) and fetch my husband to help me - no mobile then. When I arrived at the car park, my lovely pup was sitting beside the car waiting for me .... I could not stop crying and kissing him. He hardly knew this place as he preferred beaches, but here we go, the natural surviving instinct at work ...
After that episod of course I was starting to really resent meeting other dogs, and somehow I passed my fear to my dog, who, in turn decided that dogs are baddies, and only humans are good as they all stop to admire him.
So if your lovely dog had met my oldie Caroline, for sure my dog would have not been willing to play with yours. However, I made a point to explain why to other dogs' owners. I don't know the story behind other dogs, and hopefully their stories are not as bad as mine, but I also notice a significant change in behaviour from dogs owners the past 8 years or so, a kind of shift from dogs to pet dogs. Now it becomes very important to teach dogs to socialise with not only human beings but with other animals too, dogs, cats, horses, etc.
Nevertheless, dogs have minds of their own and they have their fancies too.... My second dog was trained to be very sociable with every dogs, may be too much though, as he wasn't "picky" enough and several times came back home with flees ... He has the most gentile nature possible, but even though he was chassed and attacked too, fortunately very rarely and without any consequences beside my killing instincts against the owner.
Not like my oldie who thought he was a human, this one knows he is a dog, behaves as such, prefers other dogs company as he can play with, and he really loves to play with other dogs, sharing his ball with pleasure, bouncing around and having great fun. However, there is one exception... For the 4th time now, he met a beautiful and very friendly female Irish Setter, but he is simply ignoring her. He was playing with every other dogs around, but for some strange reason, he does not want to know about her.... not too sure what is happening here, as this female is the most beautiful and soft creature. He will not show any aggressive behaviour, just ignoring her totally.
Nevertheless, I can certainly say that in my area of the North coast of Ireland, dogs tend to be very friendly and play with each others. Hence, I tend to think that if some dogs behave differently, it is most probably due to the attitude of their owners .... at least it is my experience.