< misplaced lilypads, a dog of cowardice, a dog of kindness
My experience is not fearing dogs leads to not having to fear dogs.
That might sound hyper overly simplistic, but I"m talking about what not fearing dogs does to dogs.
Example: Over a decade ago, my wife and I were out for a walk, when suddenly a rather large dog managed to push open the front door of the house it was in, and charged us with reckless abandon while sporting a determined look of accomplishing harm.
My never having been one to fear dogs suddenly had *me* charging the dog.
And it was fascinating. Soon enough, the dog was attempting to backpedal on pavement. Can you hear the sound of its paws and claws attempting to negate its momentum in order to head back to from where it came, looking and whimpering like a timid puppy anxious for its master to re-open that front door to its safety?
That's exactly what it did.
Three cheers for the absence of fear for them to smell!
Sometimes dogs don't react to fear, but to the roar of a motorcycle as it rushes by. I used to think they only liked to chase the bikes while barking. Until one time when a tiny little dog did just that, and a child who was nearby yelled "don't worry he doesn't bite!", after which the dog actually bit my leg!
Now I do take precaution to lift my legs and drive faster, while my wife at the back seat yells at them, as if barking back to them.
~bartender I could use some more coffe! And some naproxen and, omeprazol.
yes, I've done the same to aggressive dogs in life
This dog was not responding to fear - my thought: this dog is charging and barking, if it tries to sink it's teeth in, I'll sink my fists in. I don't want to hurt anyone/anything, but if I am defending myself from physical harm, the dirty rules of war come into play (e.g. there are no rules)
But, with a neighbor's dog, Heidi, a German Shepheard (sp?) that was next door my entire childhood - out on the leash barking like crazy, look all 100 pounds of intimidation and mean, I was scared of that dog for a long time. One day it got loose, it came growing and barking down the yard as I walked across the yard toward it from the other side. When it got close, I put my arms up and yelled and barked back (literally) like I was going to attack/tackle the dog right then if it came closer. Heidi got an "oh shit, he doesn't mess around" look on her face, and 180'd back to her yard.
Still, on-leash, she barked and showed she'd stick to the badass appearance detail, despite me proving and factually not having fear of her.
Anyway, ~bartender, a coffee if I may. The espresso is good this AM, at 7:30. Sun rising lifting dew from the grass outside. Three bunnies and four (baby) squirrels run rampant in the yard out front of my apartment, and adjacent yard behind. No cohesive thoughts in my mind this AM, just starting it with coffee.