Nailed the trainer - Page 1

So I took my 6.5 y/o GSD to be evaluated for a flyball/agility class. I was concerned about my dog enjoying the clad because of other owner's dogs. When my dog was a pup, he was attacked, we worked with him and he is able to be introduced to other dogs slowly. My concern was throwing him in with a bunch of high energy dogs he didn't know, so the trainer wanted to get a read on him prior to class. I told him that when he was younger he was very eye contact sensitive but that since growing up he has not appeared to be bothered by it. The trainer told me he was going to evaluate and challenge him. My GSD came out of the truck and his body language was nervous but he was not being clingy. I was surprised at his nervous behavior because he goes everywhere with me and while he is allof with strangers, he is not nervous around them or in strange places. The trainer went down on one knee and BAM, Oliver, w/o warning, hit him in the shoulder and knocked him over. I corrected him and put him in a sit, the trainer got up and had me walk Oliverin the immediate area while he tossed treats and Oliver picked them up and ate them. After about 15-20 minutes, he had me put Oliver away in the truck. This is what the trainer said, Oliver is not a fearful dog, he was nervous coming out but he was not hugging my leg. He felt that because we have moved 2 times in one year and 2 weeks after moving here, our other dog died, coupled with my emotional state over these events, he felt like Oliver was having basically a temper tantrum. He said Oliver did not "bite" him, he basically pushed him over and said leave me alone and get your big, bushy mustache out of my space. He said that Oliver recovered instantly and he was not concerned that he was unstable. While we are going to start in a private class first now, I am slightly freaked out because I have never seen my dog act like this and I do not feel like I am a head in the sand kind of owner. I did not freak out when Oliver nailed him, I quietly said Uh huh put him in a sit, then a down. I then asked him to come back to the sit position because I second guessed putting him in the down position in this instance. He complied with what I asked and the trainer said I handled everything well. After I put Oliver in the trucked is when it hit me that he nailed this man. Any opinions or advice would be welcome, prior to this I felt confident about my GSD and my abilities... I'm not feeling that great right now. Thanks Jennifer

We are going back this evening for our first real class, 45 minutes of obedience and 45 minutes of agility

    Jennifer...

     I want to understand what happened more clearly, how exactly did Oliver make contact? Did he just jump on the trainer or did he try to bite him too? When I think of the word "nailed", I am thinking BITE....lol...: )


       Deanna...: )

clee, I think I know what you are feeling. When my son stepped on my dog's foot and the pain made him growl and appear ready to rip his throat out, I was taken aback and unsure of what to expect in the future. Like you, I gave my dog the necessary and timely correction. He recovered and so did we, and we have not had a repeat of the situation. I think it sounds like your trainer read the situation correctly. Relax, you got a good dog and don't dwell too much on it. I hope some other's come along and give you the support to see that while we can't always know what our dogs will do, you were prepared to act on the situation, in the proper way.

Have fun with your training!

Deanna, he had his mouth wide open, it looked to me like a bite. The trainer said it was a punch with his mouth. The trainer said he did not clamp down nor did he feel like he put full strength behind it. It looked very aggressive and ugly to me but the trainer said there was much control in the action. Thanks, Jennifer

Thank you beetree, I feel good about the trainer, he used to be a trainer in protection and 11 years ago got into agility and flyball. I guess I'm feeling insecure about my judgement right now, lol. Jennifer

sounds like your dog did not like the close proximity of the trainer, and felt he needed to take control of the situation...my dog kind of does the same thing...she freezes for a second or two and if you don't correct her at that moment she will either get in your face with wide open mouth and sometimes growling but mostly it's silent and backs off w/o biting within seconds or she will physically bump you with her chest with her mouth open like she wants to play but it's not a playful approach, she will move her mouth turning it slightly from left to right and than backs off..it takes like split second for it to be over...its weird to see,  she done it 3 times, but now when i see her stop and freeze i either jerk leash or say "knock it off" and she snaps out of it...it's almost like you have to remind her that you got it under control and she needs to let it go...at least that is my understanding..but your description sounds very familiar and similar....

i thought it was typical behavior of a dog when they are uncomfortable.

   Jennifer, 

     Thanks for the clarification....: )

     I  understand exactly how you feel. It is a very unsettling feeling to know that your dog was intent on causing harm to a human....My male did the same thing, except we got the "boot" right out of class, taken off the class email, and shunned for life.....: )...lol..

LF, I know we were talking when it happened, so it is all a bit fuzzy to me, the trainer seemed unfazed by the whole situation. Perhaps I need to put my big girl panties on, stop whining and make sure that Oliver knows I'm running this horse & pony show, lol. Thanks, Jen ....Deanna, that's just mean, your boy looks like a love! Thankfully this trainer has a set and has been working with dogs for years, lol!