What can we DU now to help TTW and Yoshi ?

[notadmblnd]

336. Not necessarily.

I haven't chimed in on any of this prior to my post to you. However TTW may not have misled anyone in regards to the dog's personality.

Obviously the dog is traumatized. Displaced from the owner, taken to unfamiliar environment, placed in a too small cage. Then taken (with no doubt nothing but good intentions from the people who tried to help) to another chaotic environment involving small children and other dogs. I can believe that the dog was exhibiting his fear and anxiety as aggression. I don't believe for a moment that the problem is with the dog but with the humans that have been interacting with it- beginning with the owner.

An unbalanced human equals an unbalanced canine. Dogs mirror their human's energy. So if their human exhibits a nervous, angry, excited, fearful energy, the dog is likely to exhibit the same energy and it may manifest itself as being protective or overly aggressive.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I understand that the dog was taken from the daycare into a home where it was immediately faced with the owner and their energy, the person(s) who was trying to help's energy and the energy of excited children and other excited dogs? It probably overwhelmed the poor thing causing it to display it's excitement, fear and anxiousness in the form of aggression. From what I've read there was nothing calm about the entire transition.

One thing about all dogs but especially for large breeds- is that whoever cares for the dog must reflect a calm, assertive demeanor. It is essential that the human(s) make it understood to the dog in a calm assertive manner that they are the pack leader.

This is why I say that TTW may not have misled in regards to the dogs behavior. It was behaving like a confused, nervous, traumatized dog and took it cues from the poorly trained humans interacting with it who were probably fearful, excited and nervous also. I think that it is possible that if Yoshi's transition from day care to foster home had been into a more calm environment and integrated with the rest of the family (dogs, children) more slowly, we may have seen a different, more positive outcome.

I'm not defending TTW with this post, I'm just trying to give some insight as to why the dog behaved as it did. In essence, I'm defending the dog.