Lookin for opinions of other pet owners.

I had issues with a roomate do to our pets and would like others opinions on the subject.I will try not to say wich side of arguement i was on so as not to get byest opinions,I will also try ot not be byest myself as i explain the situation.

Couple A and Couple B were living together,Couple A has 3 dogs Couple B has 1 cat.One day one of the dogs got let in to house while cat was there and one dog chased the cat,girl from Couple A and girl from Couple B were there as it started and both became stunned by the situation,and stood in shock not able to try to stop it(girl A later said "I didnt do anything becuase i thought it would stop")the only dog that wasnt neutered was one that chased cat(a boston terier).
He got cat cornered on a box and was tryin to get it when man B got there and tried to get dog to stop by grabbing him onto his lap,dog continued to try to fight man B so he could get the cat,so man B grabbed him by scruff of neck with both hands put him on his back and yelled at him till he gave up the fight.He didnt hurt the dog phisicaly but did yell at it very agressivly to get it to stop fighting him.
The dog did quit fighting quikly after was held down and on back.When man A heard that man B had punished his dog in this way(girl A cried some over the punishment as that is not how they punish there animals),he got very angry and told Couple B they needed to leave the house.
My question is who is more at fault here,Couple A or Couple B,or are they both equaly at fault.Couple B has already been kicked out of the home so its not a question of if they should be.

If girl A didn't like how man B took control of the situation I say tough! As it was her dog that cornered the cat, she should have handled her animal. What should man B do? Let the dog get a hold of the cat?

I think man B did the right thing.

Heat of the moment, fight or flight. No one is really at fault but a lot of people are overreacting. Mistakes happen and the dog got let in. No one's fault. When you see your cat being chased by a dog, you will do anything to protect your cat. Still no one at fault. No need to throw people out over an accidental incident. Sheesh I've done the same thing when I first moved into my current living situation and my roomie's dog chased my cats. But my roomies were doing the same thing too lol.

For next time..couple A should react a bit sooner to their dog if they don't want couple B handling the situation. Couple A should not expect couple B to react any differently to a threat.

I don't think anyone is at fault. I actually think that is a recommend way to get a dog under control. You behave like a dog yourself and treat it as though you were alpha in the situation. You SHOULD be alpha over your own dogs, but pinning the dog down and holding it on its back makes the dog submissive to that person, thus taking control over the situation. As long as there was no hitting or any actually abuse in his form of controlling the situation. I think he did the right thing.

I think that accidents happen, and it was an accident that the dog got into the house with the cat, from the way it sounds in the story. I think that if that is all that the man from couple B did to the dog to break it's attention off the cat, and it was truly going to try to injure the cat (I have dogs and we have times that my aussie will chase a cat, but my cats aren't scared of him, and I know he won't hurt them and I can call him off too), then couple B isn't at fault as they were just protecting their cat. It's a shame that it had to escalate into the couple losing their place to live, but maybe it's best in the long run to have the couples separated.

I don't actually think anyone is at fault honestly, so I didn't vote, but judging from the written
story and what we know frorm it, Couple A overreacted.

Originally Posted by Jen

I don't think anyone is at fault. I actually think that is a recommend way to get a dog under control. You behave like a dog yourself and treat it as though you were alpha in the situation. You SHOULD be alpha over your own dogs, but pinning the dog down and holding it on its back makes the dog submissive to that person, thus taking control over the situation. As long as there was no hitting or any actually abuse in his form of controlling the situation. I think he did the right thing.

Click to expand...

I agree. Pinning a dog to show dominance is a form of training. That is what the Alpha pack leader would do, and as a human, he made himself Alpha. It doesn't really sound like anyone is at fault. Bottom line is...dogs with chase cats, especially cats they aren't familiar with. It sounds like the dogs weren't allowed inside when the cat was roaming the house, so he may have recognized the scent and was just excited to actually see where it was coming from.

I have 6 cats and 4 dogs, but the dogs came last so I can understand why couple B was worried their cat. The first few weeks after we got Snickers (choco lab), I was paranoid and stopped her everytime she chased them through the house. Then, I sat back and watched and realized...it was a game for all of them. If she got too rough, she got swatted and it taught her a lesson. As long as the dog isn't being aggressive I just let them go and work it out on their own.

It's a shame one couple had to move because of this, but maybe it is for the best if they have 2 different ideas of training and discipline.

Wow kicked out of the house for that? Yeah..all I could think is "drama queens" and "I would hate to be their cashier/waitress/other positions where I'll have to deal with them" also a bit of "I hope they don't have kids".

Originally Posted by snosrap5

If girl A didn't like how man B took control of the situation I say tough! As it was her dog that cornered the cat, she should have handled her animal. What should man B do? Let the dog get a hold of the cat?

I think man B did the right thing.

Click to expand...

perhaps they should look into alternative ways of teaching their dog not to go after a ct in the first place. Obviously their training or idea of punishment doesn't work if the dog was out of control.

No one was truly at fault, except for perhaps not properly training the dog.

Dog's owner have the responsibility to keep control over their animal.
Cat's owners have the responsibility to protect their animal.

If dog's owner took no action, then it was up to cat's owner to step in and prevent harm.

What if, instead of a cat this had been a child? Would the dog's owners act the same way if their roomie was a parent protecting their kid?

Remember, most pets are thought of as their owners' children.

Another perspective though...if the dog was doing nothing wrong, never chased the cat and was just strolling by...the cat jumps and attacks the dog, unprovoked. The cat tries to do intensive damage to dog. I can assure you couple A will fling that cat across the room or other means of protecting their dog.

I think both parties over reacted.
The dog was chasing the cat and someone stopped it. Granted not how the others wanted it stopped, well then maybe they should've stopped it themselves, hence keeping the problem in check. But since they didn't, that's what happened. I think Couple A should've stopped the dog and they didn't so couple B took control and did what anyone would've done in the same situation. Personally I'd have done the same thing, Maybe not yelling at the dog, but putting it on it's back and stopping the chasing altogether. But protecting the smaller animal is my main concern. Heck I put my arms in between cats that are fighting so neither one gets hurt, only I do, but that's just me. I'd rather put myself in harms way to protect my animal since that's my job. I took that on, so that's what I do.
Next time you all might want to sit and talk this out, stating the boundaries, and letting the others know what is acceptable and what isn't. This way noone is upset and angry again. Also investing in dog obedience wouldn't hurt.....

I think it is ridiculous, to break up a friendship and someone got kicked out. time to growup. IMO

Man B did the right thing in assuming the position of Alpha dog (The Dog Whisperer would prob. agree with that one). Of especial concern is that fact that the dog was UNNEUTERED , hence the disrespect that he had for the women (yeah, it sounds weird, but even Cesar Milan, The Dog Whisperer, says that male dogs try to dominate the females, including the human ones ).
So, couple B is probably best off leaving that home. But I do wish that both the ladies could have reacted more efficiently!! How will they handle the chaos & traumas of motherhood, if an animal fight "shuts them down"

Originally Posted by snosrap5

If girl A didn't like how man B took control of the situation I say tough! As it was her dog that cornered the cat, she should have handled her animal. What should man B do? Let the dog get a hold of the cat?

I think man B did the right thing.

Click to expand...

Originally Posted by Jen

I don't think anyone is at fault. I actually think that is a recommend way to get a dog under control. You behave like a dog yourself and treat it as though you were alpha in the situation. You SHOULD be alpha over your own dogs, but pinning the dog down and holding it on its back makes the dog submissive to that person, thus taking control over the situation. As long as there was no hitting or any actually abuse in his form of controlling the situation. I think he did the right thing.

Click to expand...

That's pretty much how my parent's dogs were trained from things like that.

Originally Posted by catsknowme

Man B did the right thing in assuming the position of Alpha dog (The Dog Whisperer would prob. agree with that one). Of especial concern is that fact that the dog was UNNEUTERED

, hence the disrespect that he had for the women (yeah, it sounds weird, but even Cesar Milan, The Dog Whisperer, says that male dogs try to dominate the females, including the human ones

).
So, couple B is probably best off leaving that home. But I do wish that both the ladies could have reacted more efficiently!! How will they handle the chaos & traumas of motherhood, if an animal fight "shuts them down"

Click to expand...

I completely agree that Couple A over reacted. How old are these people?

I agree that everyone over reacted. Accidents happen and animals will be animals. You must take control over those animals.

And at work (I work at a dog daycare/kennel) we are taught from day one to dominate a dog if they are doing something wrong. Pin them on the ground on their backs and tell them no very very sternly. Even clamp the mouth shut if you have to. And girls CAN dominate the dogs, even the males!

I think everyone in the house needs to do better with either trying to get the animals to get along or keep them apart. And for gods sake, get the dog neutered!

Well Couple A should have been more careful if they knew the dog didn't like cats or chased them.

And Couple B shouldn't have used physical force with his hands. No matter what the size of the dog, its a good way to end up getting bit or the cat getting hurt.

What should have been done was to throw a blanket over the dog in the first place and pick him up and remove him.

So IMO both are at fault.