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Fear of a Min Pin — Brooklynian

Fear of a Min Pin

precious williams
precious williams
edited November -1 in Brooklyn Pets
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Just curious, is anyone scared of the small dogs? Believe it or not, some people are afraid of my Min Pin and claim to have been bitten by a different Min Pin before.


Is the problem really not pitbulls but rather Min Pins or Chihuahas? Why do these dogs 'vibrate' all the time, even when its not cold outside? Is it the jumping, ankle-nipping, whimpering toy breeds that we should all be afraid of?

Comments

  • sweet tea
    sweet tea
    i wouldn't say "scared", but i am definitely more wary of small dogs than large ones. i find them difficult to predict and often poorly trainied, and i don't appreciate getting nipped or even yapped at. nor having my skirts bitten and tugged, as has happened with one small dog i have to visit from time to time.

    i feel, rightly or wrongly, that i am better at reading big dogs, gauging their comfort with me and their likely reactions. maybe it's partly a size differential -- i know how to approach a big dog so that i look not afraid but also not a threat; to a tiny dog, i'm hulking.

    all that said, i am a major offender when it comes to swooping down to pet strangers' dogs on the street. i REALLY wish i could have a dog.
  • caaahyoko
    caaahyoko

    Subject: Re: Fear of a Min Pin

    Precious Williams wrote: Why do these dogs 'vibrate' all the time, even when its not cold outside?
    HAHAHA! :P

    Ah, yes, I'm familiar with that. Training small dogs not to be afraid of the outdoors is reeeally hard. Agressive, leash pulling, hyperactive--all seem easy once you've had a dog that won't freakin pee because there are too many loud noises on the street.
  • precious williams
    precious williams
    My Min Pin does it. Even in the summer, she would vibrate on the street and passers-by would scold me for not putting a fleece jacket on her. Sometimes she even does it in the apartment. I will simply stroke her back or hand her a toy to play with and that's enough to start her vibrating. Occasionally she will sit next to me on the sofa while I am watching a movie. If a dog starts barking in the film, she will start vibrating at triple-speed to the point where she will fall off my lap.

    I find the vibrating quite cute - you sort of have to if you are going to own a tiny dog. However, it really bugs the hell out of some of my friends.
  • raw
    raw
    I LOVE min-pins, but I have met two with emotional problems.

    One min-pin had a major separation anxiety issue and would cry all day long while his owner was at work. Another min-pin was afraid to go for a quick walk with its owner around a Park Slope block on a lease.

    If I were to get a pet min-pin, I'd buy a young one and do my best to provide a happy puppyhood in hopes that the min-pin would be able to function normally in adult dog society.
  • carnivore
    carnivore
    raw wrote: If I were to get a pet min-pin, I'd buy a young one and do my best to provide a happy puppyhood in hopes that the min-pin would be able to function normally in adult dog society.
    Otherwise, your dog might never get invited to one of Barke Astor's parties. :wink:
  • precious williams
    precious williams
    Raw, that's so sad about the Pin that is afraid to go out for a walk. My Pin loves her walks, she is just raring to go. Sometimes I go jogging with her. I love her to bits. They really are fantastic little dogs. I had Yorkies and other little terriers before. Now that I have my Min Pin I would never have any other breed. If I move to the countryside I will get about five of them.
  • whyfi
    whyfi
    raw wrote: If I were to get a pet min-pin, I'd buy a young one and do my best to provide a happy puppyhood in hopes that the min-pin would be able to function normally in adult dog society.
    Why? Most of the time, the problems that you describe aren't difficult to resolve.
  • vanilla
    vanilla

    Subject: Re: Fear of a Min Pin

    Precious Williams wrote:
    Just curious, is anyone scared of the small dogs? Believe it or not, some people are afraid of my Min Pin and claim to have been bitten by a different Min Pin before.
    is yours the one that barks out the window and also lunges at people on either park or sterling btw washington & underhill? i mean... i'm not scared... but... :shock:
  • precious williams
    precious williams

    Subject: Re: Fear of a Min Pin

    vanilla wrote: [quote=Precious Williams]
    Just curious, is anyone scared of the small dogs? Believe it or not, some people are afraid of my Min Pin and claim to have been bitten by a different Min Pin before.
    is yours the one that barks out the window and also lunges at people on either park or sterling btw washington & underhill? i mean... i'm not scared... but... :shock:

    Not unless my Pin is sleepwalking /sleeprunning over to Prospect Heights during the night when I'm asleep. We live in Park Slope
  • smitty
    smitty
    Vibrating/shaking is a sign of emotional stress and anxiety in your dog. Boredom is a major cause of dog stress - try giving your dog a long walk and vary the path that you take (and I dont mean a 15 minute walk around the block). They also need stimuli at home - try adding more toys.
  • precious williams
    precious williams
    Smitty wrote: Vibrating/shaking is a sign of emotional stress and anxiety in your dog. Boredom is a major cause of dog stress - try giving your dog a long walk and vary the path that you take (and I dont mean a 15 minute walk around the block). They also need stimuli at home - try adding more toys.

    Every very small dog I have ever met (and believe me, I've met a lot) has vibrated. This dog trembles more than any other dog I've ever had but my vet isaid that it is just something that many of the "toy" breeds do. She ADORES people and is bold and friendly yet when she is around people she trembles even more than usual.

    And my little angel gets hour-long walks: I even go jogging with her.
  • bob
    bob

    Subject: toy breeds

    Many toy breed dogs do shake. If it isn't because they are cold, it is likely due to anxiety (which even can be caused by seeing a dog on TV). If you are curious about the subject, I recommend watching The Dog Whisperer (he frequently has toy breeds on, and after he works with them they don't usually have anxiety probs), or picking up his book or other books on dog psychology at the library. Smaller breeds (particular chihuahuas, as most know) can have a lot of anxiety and neuroses. I recommend reading up on it if your dog shakes a lot, as reducing the things that make him or her anxious will make a much happier and fulfilled dog. It is a very interesting subject. :)
  • precious williams
    precious williams

    Subject: Re: toy breeds

    Bob wrote: Many toy breed dogs do shake. If it isn't because they are cold, it is likely due to anxiety (which even can be caused by seeing a dog on TV). If you are curious about the subject, I recommend watching The Dog Whisperer (he frequently has toy breeds on, and after he works with them they don't usually have anxiety probs), or picking up his book or other books on dog psychology at the library. Smaller breeds (particular chihuahuas, as most know) can have a lot of anxiety and neuroses. I recommend reading up on it if your dog shakes a lot, as reducing the things that make him or her anxious will make a much happier and fulfilled dog. It is a very interesting subject. :)
    Unfortunately almost everything makes her tremble. For example, if I get up from my desk and go get a glass of water, she starts trembling. If the phone rings, she trembles. If open or close the window, she trembles. If I switch the lights on or off, she trembles. If I open a packet of potato chips, she trembles! Maybe she needs therapy or Valium

    the weird thing is that she is actually not one of those scared, timid little dogs. Her personality is bold and friendly. I actually ended up taking her to the vet about the trembling because I was worried she might have some kind of metabolic disorder. That's when the vet told me that they've seen a lot of tiny dogs who tremble as a reaction to everything from being fed to being kissed.

    My baby trembles the most when I am throwing her ball, or playing other fun games with her, which makes me think that its just excitement. Or when I give her something delicious to eat, like a steak. With her it really seems to be her way of expressing excitement.
  • precious williams
    precious williams
    Has anyone ever seen a big dog tremble when it is anxious? It seems that only the tiny dogs do it. Why is that?
  • ekeckert
    ekeckert

    Subject: Re: Fear of a Min Pin

    Precious Williams wrote:
    Is the problem really not pitbulls but rather Min Pins or Chihuahas?
    Actually, the problem is NOT Pit Bulls. It is not any specific breed. The problem is bad owners who do not keep their dogs in check and allow them to be aggressive. No one breed is a problem.

    http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/221488/pit_bulls_are_not_the_problem.html

    I have a Min Pin. No one has ever been afraid of her (most people think she's a Chihuahua, which annoys me even though I like Chihuahuas), but she's red stag, not brown and black, so she doesn't get those dense people who think she's just a wee Doberman. Which is stupid because Dobermans aren't the problem either.

    And the shaking isn't emotional distress. A lot of small breeds do it because of their fast metabolisms making them cold. My Min Pin doesn't do it, but I used to work with a woman who's Chihuahua shook constantly.
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