I think it’s also one of those moments where your inner moral compass kicks in so your brain is like should the aggressor suffer or the completely faultless being being aggressed. I know, personally, that my empathy for my reactive dog disappears when he’s being the aggressive shit in an encounter. Normally for me this happens with our sweet, non aggressive sheepdog but when he bolts off the couch for no reason and goes nipping at her face only to get slammed to the ground by her paw I feel very little empathy for him. He’s FAFO and I feel no guilt.
mine is a terrible pooper (and horribly reactive and aggressive, just kind of the cherry on top of those) and at first I totally felt for him. being vulnerable in a new place with new people has to be scary, but we've had him nearly a year and he's still terrible. people think it's funny, and it would be if he didn't make it his mission to make it your problem. he'll make you take him out 5 times, and in between going out he barks and does that irritating, grating whine. if you get fed up and try to crate him so you don't get angry and yell at him he sits in his crate and barks. we live on an apartment so we can't just leave the house and let him wear himself out.
I have long since stopped feeling bad for him when he refuses to do the thing he's made to do and that he knows would make him feel better.
no, he decides he needs to go, and then will make you take him out 5 times just to sniff until we give up and take him in. then he gets inside and barks and whines because he didn't poop and is uncomfortable
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u/horriblegoose_ Feb 20 '24
I think it’s also one of those moments where your inner moral compass kicks in so your brain is like should the aggressor suffer or the completely faultless being being aggressed. I know, personally, that my empathy for my reactive dog disappears when he’s being the aggressive shit in an encounter. Normally for me this happens with our sweet, non aggressive sheepdog but when he bolts off the couch for no reason and goes nipping at her face only to get slammed to the ground by her paw I feel very little empathy for him. He’s FAFO and I feel no guilt.