How do i politely tell a friend that her dog is hurting my dog?

Question

my friend and her hubby come over and bring their english bull dog, 45 pounds she is very sweet, i love her but the problem is i have a 7 pound chihuahua mix and the bulldog terrifies my dog, he chases him and jumps on him trying to play, he can crush my dog, my dog spends the whole day freaking out and running all over trying to escape the bulldog. I love my dog and i dont want him to get hurt or feel terrified the whole day.but i dont think they think their dog could hurt my dog, they just say he is only playing, and im aware of that however its simple ..he weighs 45 pounds and lunges on top of my 7 pound. its too much weight to be throwing yourself on a 7 pound chihuahua, ive seen it every time and i would have to keep breaking them apart cause of the loud cries from my dog. he charges my little dog and i have to keep rescuing my dog, my dog gets so upset he tries to climb higher on my shoulder but the dog just sees that as a challenge and starts jumping up at him. so the whole day is spent rescuing my dog every 5 mins. But they take it as an insult when i say he can crush my dog,just cause of his weight and how he keeps wanting to jump on my dog,even when my dog is on my lap the bulldog will just try to get him ,jumping up on my lap. Im surprised they dont understand that their dog can really hurt my dog and that my dog is stressed for hours trying to not get crushed. I dont want them to get offended so how do i tell them she shouldnt come over?that the two dogs cannot interact without my dog getting hurt.

Answer 1

Hi

Either tell them to leave their dog at home, when they visit, or put your dog in another room.  If they are offended, find new friends.

Best of luck.

Answer 2

well, i would say you have 2 options.  and with either option you will have to tell them how you feel, maybe just say something like 'i dont feel comfortable about how when our dogs are together my dog cant keep up with your dogs rough housing'.  or something diplomatic-sounding like that, so that they know you arent blaming their dog for his actions (which the dog cant help).

then say that you either:

1. would like them to not bring their dog over

or

2. when they bring their dog over to have it stay outside while your dog stays inside, or vice versa

Answer 3

it's great that you're concerned for your dogs but so far you are doing all the wrong things and none of the right things.  You never EVER pick up a dog to separate it from another even if it's a fight.  You automatically made your chihuahua the ultimate target, you need to correct the bull dog's behavior instead of avoiding the behavior by picking up your dog.  and going to ur dogs rescue everytime it squeals just teaches ur dog that hey mama's gonna be there once u squeal - not an exactly good thing.  Walk both dogs outside to tire them out before even bringing the bull dog in it'll be easier to work with after that.  My friend has a bull dog and a teacup chihuahua at home and they play fine, ur dog won't get crushed.  Block the bulldog or even give it something else to do when he starts chasing, this is of course is easier said than being done, but all it takes is consistency.

Answer 4

well in your case i would just go up to your friend and say her bud, umm sometimes when are dogs play your is Littlee rough and stuff so can you please calm it down ofsmitingn..

it might not work but i'd do that.

Answer 5

Kindly say to your friend and her husband...

"Are you blind?!?! You're dam* dog is murdering my dog!!"

Answer 6

If they want to have their dog at your house and you are O.K with it, then their dog should be on a leash kept by their side. This way if the dog needs to be corrected the leash is on and if the bulldog starts to misbehave then a correction can be issued quickly.  

Answer 7

Look...at this point you can't just rely on being polite. Obviously, this person is oblvious to dog safety between large and small dogs, and you need to "snap" them into reality to realize what is going on. but if you REALLY cant stand to risk them being offended, here are some suggesstions.

1) Lie (i would never, but whatev) and say that your dog has a sore back and cant be running around with a giant bulldog. or say the vet says your dog is under stress and shouldn't be playing with larger dogs if it gets so scared.

2) Tell them "look, i'm gonna be honest here." and say whats on your mind, if they get "offended" then they need serious help and will soon realize their stupid mistake

3) Try to get the dogs to participate in something together when the bulldog is @ ur house. like get the bulldog's mind distracted onto something else so he isnt going after your dog. for example, hide treats and have the dogs find it, or go for a walk, or take them to a park with other dogs and hopefully someone else wil complain to the bulldog's owner too, or train the dogs together.

4) Wait. Eventually the bulldog will get used to your dog and not want to go after it anymore.  

Answer 8

forget polite.

You either tell them to leave the dog at home,

you put them in separate areas in the house when the bulldog comes over,

or you put your dog in a crate at home or in a kennel for the day.

Answer 9

Just point out to them the weight and size difference and that you feel that their dog may hurt your dog.  If they don't understand that, then they don't need to visit or they can leave their dog at home.  Why penalize your dog when they visit by stressing him out?  Ask that they leave the dog home.

Answer 10

Tell your friend to either control the dog or leave it at home. He obviously needs to learn some manners, so suggesting that you take both dogs to obedience classes would be good. If your baby is on your shoulder and the other dogs jumps up at you swiftly bring you knee up into his chest and push backwards...he will get sick of being knocked backwards after a while and give it up but you must be consistent with this. I have a baby's porta cot for my little girl, one that has mesh on the sides so that she can see out and she looks to go in there when she feels threatened. I keep plenty of toys in there for her and because she realised that she is safe she is actually quite cheeky to visiting dogs.You can pick up a second hand one from a thrift store quite cheaply. and it can be folded up and put away when you don't need to use ut. Remember...your home...your rules....your dog....your responsibility....their dog....their responsibility and if your friends don't respect this are they really friends?